Saiko Takahara -- Shuuki（愁雨期）/Itai Kiss（イタイKiss）

 

I would like to thank YouTuber nothingmuch;) for being one of the few channels to post up some rather obscure and fascinating examples of Japanese pop music. For instance, this lovely lady up here although I have to make one slight correction in terms of her name. Although the name "Ayako Takahara"（高原彩子）has been put up under the video at YouTube (and certainly the kanji for that first name can be read that way), she's actually known as Saiko Takahara according to the tiny romaji by her kanji on the cover of the single and also according to her very brief file at the site idol.ne.jp.

Once again, as has been the case with a number of singers popping up on KKP over the past dozen years or so, there is very little information on this particular singer. In fact, the YouTube channel's own description is the most information that's available this far; apparently, this single from 1983 "Shuuki" (Rainy Days) is the one-and-only release that Takahara ever made (she had her day job as a pinup model), and it was for a snack commercial. Written by Kayoko Fuyumori（冬杜花代子）and composed by Masashi Komatsubara（小松原まさし）, it has that innocent and fragile kayo kyoku arrangement which seems to describe many a lonely young lady looking for love. When I also learned of the snack ad connection, my thoughts immediately went to Hiroko Yakushimaru（薬師丸ひろ子）and I realized that Takahara's style was slightly similar to that of the former.

At 4:00 of the video is the B-side, "Itai Kiss" (Bitter Kiss), which was written by Sho Jitsukawa（實川翔）and composed by Masako Sekiya（関谷雅子）. Takahara's vocals are a bit unsteady here but I can't deny the City Pop stylings, especially that familiar and irresistible descending City Pop chord progression in the intro. There's even some slow salsa percolating into the proceedings.