Yurie Kokubu -- Only In My Dreams

 

Welcome to another Urban Contemporary Friday here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". The Bing AI art generator was kind enough to come up with this sunset (or sunrise) drive on a city highway, and I can imagine that the radio might be on for some accompanying music.

I can also imagine Ryo Saeba of "City Hunter" fame driving a red convertible on an intracity highway in Tokyo while listening to this soulful ballad. "Only In My Dreams" is sung by Yurie Kokubu（国分友里恵）and it hails from one of the many soundtracks for the long-running anime franchise. Specifically, it's on the soundtrack for 1989's cinematic entry "Ai to Shukumei no Magnum"（愛と宿命のマグナム...A Magnum of Love and Destiny [although the English title has it as ".357 Magnum"]）. Lyrics were by Momoko Kitadai*（北代桃子）while the melody was concocted by Tatsumi Yano（矢野立美）. 

Strangely enough, "Only In My Dreams" doesn't strike me as having a really strong City Pop beat. This isn't to denigrate it in any way...I think the ballad hovers nicely over the dividing line between the Japanese urban contemporary and straight-up pop in terms of the arrangements. However, whichever way one slices it, it's got plenty of romance and perhaps it can involve the lone wolf Ryo and any number of his femme fatales...maybe even Kaori Makimura without the mallet.

*According to J-Wiki, she's now known as singer Momoko Suzuki（鈴木桃子）.