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I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Miwako Saito/Kaoru Sudo -- Anata dake I Love You(あなただけ I LOVE YOU)

 

I guess I'll leave Kayo Grace and her boyfriend to their tender moment alone. 💕Anyways, I was listening to Scott's "Holly Jolly X'masu" podcast from several days ago, and he was focusing on the album "Winter Gift Pops" from November 1997. It was compiled by singer-songwriter and producer Masamichi Sugi(杉真理)and it isn't strictly a Xmas album, but then again, the title is able to skirt that accusation since, well, gifts can be given on Valentine's Day and White Day which are still in the winter season.

Track 5 on "Winter Gift Pops" which starts at around 19:00 of the podcast is "Anata dake I Love You" (I Love Only You) by Miwako Saito(さいとうみわこ). It sounds just like a song that either Sugi or the late great Eiichi Ohtaki(大滝詠一)would create, and guess what? It is indeed Ohtaki who wrote and composed this one while Yasuharu Ogura(小倉泰治)took care of the arrangement which adds a few more interesting bells and whistles to what is a 50s or 60s girl pop song. 

Scott goes into Saito's history but I'll also come in here to say that the Tokyo-born singer began her career in 1978 as the vocalist for the girls' band Neko Musume(猫娘...Catgirl) before starting up another similar band Tango Europa(タンゴ・ヨーロッパ)in 1980 while attending Nihon University College of Art. The band broke up in 1984 after which Saito went on a solo singing career with four singles and seven full albums and mini-albums.

Since listening to Saito's take on "Anata dake I Love You", it didn't take long before YouTube steered me in the direction toward the original singer behind the song, Kaoru Sudo(須藤薫). This was Sudo's 7th single from November 1981 with Ohtaki and Masataka Matsutoya(松任谷正隆)handling the arrangement which really brings back those girl pop vibes from sixty to seventy years ago, and Sudo was one of the masters of the genre. "Anata dake I Love You" was also found even earlier on her debut album "Chef's Special" which had been released in June 1980.

(from 2:34)

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