Well, since we are celebrating Seiko Matsuda's（松田聖子）birthday today, I figured another song associated with her (to join the previous article) wouldn't be a bad thing at all. And it's rather seasonal, to say the least.
Coincidentally (or not), I heard this particular song for the first time on Japan's Weathernews' "Weather Music" segment a few days ago and I thought it was the most adorable thing. I've known actress Mone Kamishiraishi（上白石萌音）for her appearances on TV although I've heard that she was also a very capable singer. Interestingly enough, back in June 2021, she released a couple of albums side-by-side titled "Ano Uta 1"（あの歌-1-...Those Songs） and "Ano Uta 2"（あの歌-2-）showing her love for the old kayo kyoku. "Ano Uta 1" covers her covers of 1970s pop songs while "Ano Uta 2" spotlights her versions of songs from the 1980s and 1990s.
From "Ano Uta 2" then is Kamishiraishi's cover of Seiko-chan's "Seifuku" (School Uniform), the B-side to her signature song and single, "Akai Sweet Pea" (赤いスイートピー）from January 1982. Created by lyricist Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）and composer Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）under her stage name of Karuho Kureta（呉田軽穂）, the arrangement by Shin Kouno（河野伸）basically keeps to Masataka Matsutoya's（松任谷正隆）original style with perhaps a bit more embellishment in the classical strings. What's even neater is that Kamishiraishi's singing is very pure and outside of the aidoru realm...not to put Seiko-chan's vocals down any.
Just to reiterate from the original article for Seiko's "Seifuku", Matsumoto's lyrics describe a turning point in a high school couple's lives as the young man graduates from his small town alma mater so that his girlfriend realizes that he will no longer be sporting the uniform as he heads off to school in the big city. That would explain the photo of Kayo Grace and her beau at the top under the cherry blossoms. It is after all the graduation season now in Japan.
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