The imaging strategy proposed by the artist himself also paid off (Sankei Visual). Perhaps that’s why it has been featured in the media even recently. It is not in the context of nostalgia but rather in a way that respects the song. On the April 14 broadcast of TBS’s Ningen Observation Variety Monitoring, Ko Shibasaki, who is a big fan of Sayonara and covered the song herself, met GAO. She said, “I never thought this day would come. I want to tell my elementary school self, ‘There are tough times in life, but there are also many miracles,'” Shibasaki wrote on her Instagram page. Let us now break down the greatness of Sayonara. First, the lyrics by GAO himself. After reading them again, I felt that they were very simple and abstract. The title itself, Sayonara, is very straightforward. We know that she has separated from “you,” that she has moved “far away,” and that she wants to “go back” to the time when “we were embracing our dreams together,” but that is the extent of the information presented. Conversely, there is freedom in that everyone can set the “you” in the lyrics in their own way. Speaking of simplicity, the melody and chord progression is also effortless. I sang it in a karaoke box for the first time in about 30 years, and perhaps because of its simplicity, I can still sing it today. The most impressive part of the song is the beginning, “♪ Flowing seasons, you are the only one missing.” The chords used are the simple three main chords that you learn in music class (E♭ = key, A♭, and B♭). But the bass keeps playing the same notes throughout the song, which gives it a flavor you will never get tired of. Since this is somewhat theoretical, I produced a video of myself playing the piano for reference. The left hand is the same bass note all the way through, and the right hand is the melody. I hope you can understand that the note that the left hand keeps playing (=E♭) creates a simple but never dull sound.