季節はずれの恋人
河合奈保子 Lyrics

The lyrics of 河合奈保子's song 季節はずれの恋人 (Kisetsu hazure no Koibito) depict the story of an unseasonal love affair. The singer describes watching as she and her partner fold the sails of a yacht, their background a winter sea that is beginning to darken. She particularly notes the "golden carpet" it creates. As they lean against the tetrapods, the waves crash close to them, almost hitting them. The singer recognises that her partner loves the sea more than he loves her. She perceives him as a "summer boy" who loves sunshine and the outdoors more than anything else. It leaves her feeling like a lonely mermaid who waits for him to come and rescue her from the solitude of her life.

The phrase ‘季節はずれ’ (kisetsu hazure) means 'out of season,' but is often used metaphorically to mean things out of place or timing. The lyrics of the song appear to reflect the nature of the unseasonable love that the singer feels. It's a love that cannot be climactically realised or entirely sustained. The sea and its periodicity encapsulate these themes.

Interestingly, despite being composed and written in the same year (1981), Hitoshi Komuro, a member of the legendary J-Pop band TM Network, claimed that he only discovered Imai Miki's (the lyricist) work during the 90s. In a 2013 interview, Komuro stated that he wanted to pay homage to the song when he created the song 'Get Wild,' which became the opening theme song of the popular anime series City Hunter. There's no direct correlation between the two songs, but the message that is being conveyed - love - is arguably similar.