I've known Masato Shimon（子門真人）as the fellow who cornered his own little market in anime and tokusatsu theme songs along with a tune having to do with a Japanese confection that became the biggest selling single of all time at 4.5 million records in Japan. So it's always something special when I can hear the singer do something that's just a plain pop song not having to do with animated figures or live-action superheroes.
Well, I was able to find one such song which just happened to be his 6th and penultimate single released in July 1976 according to J-Wiki. "Mr. Driver" has this feeling of a Glen Campbell urban cowboy song as Shimon sings about begging the cab driver in presumably New York City to hold on a few more minutes before saying his final tender goodbyes to his now-former paramour. Of course, referring to the legendary Campbell already meant that the nostalgia was flowing out of "Mr. Driver" in waves, but at the same time, I was also reminded of some of the more country-style Carpenters tunes.
Shimon composed the song while Konosuke Fuji（藤公之介）provided the lyrics. Koichi Sugiyama（すぎやまこういち）arranged "Mr. Driver", and yes, it's the same Koichi Sugiyama behind the famous "Dragon Quest" theme.
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