Hiroko Moriguchi – Speed (スピード)

Hiroko Moriguchi (森口博子) may have started as a cute aidoru back in the mid-80s, but it’s as a 90s pop singer that I remember her the most, especially after the hit ballad single “ETERNAL WIND ~Hohoemi Hikaru Kaze no Naka~” (ETERNAL WIND〜ほほえみは光る風の中〜) in 1991.

One of her greatest songs, and also her debut, “Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete” (水の星へ愛をこめて), have already been covered by fellow contributor JTM in the past, but there are a lot of minor, yet interesting, songs from her that would be nice to talk about. “Speed” is just one of them.

Released in September 1992, “Speed” is a very uplifting song with a singalong chorus and lovely keyboards splashed through the song. One of the many courtesies from the 90s, of course. Speaking of it, “Speed” may not sound innovative, as it’s very immersed in its time, but it’s a charming song, nonetheless. As for Hiroko, I’ve always found her a rather strong vocalist (if compared to other aidoru singers out there), and she shows some of her pipes in “Speed”.

I may have been very negligent with Moriguchi in the past few years, but lately I’m starting to rediscover her discography. Songs like “Speed”, although far from the melodical gorgeousness of “Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete” (a gift from Neil Sedaka), are what I like from her. It’s a pity she’s also a bit too fond of ballads.

To finish, here’s Moriguchi performing “Speed” in 2015. She’s as cute and talented as ever.

Lyrics were written by Yui Nishiwaki (西脇唯), while music and arrangement were done by Kaori Okui (奥居香).

Source: Amazon