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.

Tucked among them was Kazuko Matsuo’s Dare Yori Mo Kimi Wo Aisu (SVC‑333), a four‑track EP I’d never seen before. From the first listen, it stood out to me. A haunting blend of Western folk-style harmonies and traditional Japanese melody. My favorite track is “Goodnight,” a beautifully melancholic closer that feels like it was written to linger in your chest. The vocal layering especially caught me off guard, something rarely heard in Japanese records from that era. I looked it up afterward and saw it wasn’t even on Discogs, so I ended up being the first to list it.

The title track, Dare Yori Mo Kimi Wo Aisu (“I Love You More Than Anyone”), won the Japan Record Award in 1961 and helped put Kazuko Matsuo on the map. She became known as 暗い波止場の女王 (The Queen of the Dark Waterfront). A nickname that reflected her noir-like public image and the moody, cinematic feel of her music, often dealing with themes of lost love, nighttime settings, and windswept coastal towns.

Listening back now, it just has a mood that sticks with you, like something familiar even if you’ve never heard it before.