The last several months have had entertainer Kenji Sawada（沢田研二）only show up in ROY articles. In fact, I have to go back to July 2022 when Julie had his name on the byline via "Namida to Hohoemi"（涙と微笑み）.
Well, let's return to his 1970s heyday, shall we? This is his 18th single, "Sayonara wo Iu Ki mo nai" (Don't Feel Like Saying Goodbye), from February 1977 and it's an interesting one for me since I've been accustomed to Sawada singing really upbeat pop, New Wave or rock. Mind you, it's not the first time that I've heard a song by Julie that's a little more measured and/or melancholy but it's still not a typical thing for me.
"Sayonara wo Iu Ki mo nai" had some big names helping out in its creation with Yu Aku（阿久悠） as the lyricist, Katsuo Ono（大野克夫）behind the melody and Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）taking care of the arrangement. It really sounds like one of his most kayo kyoku tunes in his discography although that distinctive voice of his is right in there describing a lady going through some rough times, especially in the romance department. Those strings and the main rhythm really lead the ears like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. "Sayonara wo Iu Ki mo nai" hit No. 8 on Oricon and ended up as the 62nd-ranked single of 1977.
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