I found Akina Nakamori – Twilight / Drive (L-1661) while flipping through singles at Joe’s Garage in Kyoto. This is a small shop with a kind, long-haired owner who looked like a hippie rocker straight out of the ’70s.
I already knew the track “Drive”, the B-side of this single, and was glad to come across it unexpectedly. That smooth guitar opening still hits. The kind of understated groove and melody that immediately pulls you in.
Even though “Twilight – トワイライト” was the A-side and a proper hit when it came out in 1983 (charted No. 2, over 400k sold), it’s “Drive – ドライブ” that stands out for me. Nakamori had already carved out a name by then. With her smoky tone and moody delivery, she brought something deeper to early ’80s J-pop. “Twilight,” written by Etsuko Kisugi and composed by Takao Kisugi, is polished and strong. But “Drive”, composed and written by Jun Horie and arranged by Mitsuo Hagita, feels more nostalgic, more lived-in. Just goes to show, it’s not always the A-side that’s the best track. Actually, I’ve found that with a lot of Japanese singles, it’s the B-side that tends to resonate with me more.
