Masahiro Kuwana -- Tsuki no Akari（月のあかり）

 

As the Kyoku sisters and Mr. Calico are enjoying their walk through a gold-and-orange forest, autumn did arrive officially here at 8:44 am Eastern Daylight Time this morning. I had my own 40-minute walk running an errand and though it was overcast then (nice and brilliant as I type this now), it's been cool outside but without that slightly frosty snap in the air. I'm sure the cold tang will come in soon enough though.

I was looking for an autumn-themed song to start my own contribution to "Kayo Kyoku Plus" today and one song that came out at me was Masahiro Kuwana's（桑名正博）"Tsuki no Akari" (Light of the Moon). This was the late singer-songwriter's 14th and final single from November 1988, and it's good old-fashioned rock-and-roll ballad about a guy who's leaving town and the woman he loves (or loved). He keeps on telling her that he's just taking off for a while but the feeling is that he's trying (and probably failing) to reassure her that he'll be back someday. 

Despite the sad lyrics by Itsuro Shimoda（下田逸郎）, Kuwana's melody and Fujimal Yoshino's（芳野藤丸） arrangement of said melody make for a wonderfully nostalgic musical experience especially with the solos of the guitar and the brassy bluesy saxophone. And the fact that this would be Kuwana's final single brings further poignancy, although he wouldn't pass away until many years later in 2012. As for the autumnal element, there is nothing overtly seasonal stated but I can imagine that the theme of romantic breakup and the mention of the moon are somewhat subtle hints.