Yutaka Kimura Speaks ~ Japanese City Pop Masterpieces 100: Jin Kirigaya -- Umi e Kaerou（海へ帰ろう）

 

Number: 015

Lyricists: Jin Kirigaya and Yumi Kojima

Composer: Jin Kirigaya

Arranger: Masataka Matsutoya

From Kirigaya's 1979 album: "My Love For You"

Jin Kirigaya（桐ヶ谷仁）is a singer-songwriter who has displayed a refined sensibility just short of lyrical folk songs. "Umi e Kaerou" (Let's Return to the Sea), which also shines from Masataka Matsutoya's（松任谷正隆）splendid arrangement, is an excellent song with a comfortable medium groove and soft vocals which melt into our ears. It's the type of song that I want to hear while driving to the ocean once summer has passed. Drummer Tatsuo Hayashi（林立夫）chose the song as one of his favourites for his own album of selected music, "Non-Vintage".

The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised" (2020).

A slightly sheepish J-Canuck here. Usually I wouldn't step on Mr. Kimura's shadow here but the fact is that I hadn't covered "Umi e Kaerou" either until it was time for this particular episode of "Yutaka Kimura Speaks". There's really nothing much for me to add since I agree with he has said about this comfy tune which hits me as a "Margaritaville" song. It's got bounce and sway and I do like the flute that lands and flies about like a butterfly. 

By the way, co-lyricist Yumi Kojima（児島由美）is someone that I have covered for a couple of articles including her own 1979 album "Comme Des Garcons"（コム・デ・ギャルソン）. And I have written about another "My Love For You" track by Kirigaya: "Return to the Sky".