One of the most important things about making “mix” tapes is the song that you choose to end the collection. Along with the opening song, it’s really the two things that “represent” the overall theme and feeling of said cassette mix, at least if you’re the kind of person who holds this kind of skill in high regards (like that John Cusack character in High Fidelity), but the ending song doesn’t always have to be a grand, epic song (like “Theme of “ES” by Mr. Children) or a sad, melodramatic song (like Love, Love, Love by Dreams Come True). Sometimes a bright, happy pop song is just what the doctor ordered, and there’ve been many, many mixes that have featured peppy “last” tunes that have become dear favorites of mine, simply because they concluded some mixes so well!
Such was the case of Nakayama Miho’s cute and fun song “Aishiterutte Iwanai!!” The first time I’d heard this song was listening got a cassette mix a friend had made for me, and I had gotten to what I believed was the last song on the tape: Moritaka Chisato’s new single “So Blue”. When the song ended, it left me with a slightly somber feeling, but before I could get up and stop the cassette, the bright and happy tinkling keyboard intro of the ACTUAL last song began, and it INSTANTLY made me smile, it sounded so sunny in contrast to what I’d just been feeling!
“Wow, what a fun song this sounds like!” was my initial thought, but I hadn’t heard anything yet, and when the chorus came on with its’ refrain of “DON’T KISS ME! DON’T TOUCH ME!!”, I just HAD to laugh!! But happily, the chorus always summed up with the positive “Try To Love and Try To Be Loved!!”
Now, you may have already guessed by the amount of Nakayama Miho singles that turn up on my favorites lists that she was a particular fave of mine back in the day, and I managed to pick up a few of her (then) current concert laserdiscs, but, darn it, she never performed Aishiteirutte Iwanai on any of the ones I got (“f” and “Sound Of Lip”), so you can imagine my surprise and happiness when I managed to acquire The Kohaku (Red and White Songfest) from 1990 and Aishiteirutte Iwanai was the song she chose to sing!!! YATTA!!