Late at night, I spin records alone.
As the needle traces the groove, my familiar room begins to glow with sound.
After everything I’ve been through, I feel like I can finally tell what music truly resonates.
Out of countless tracks I’ve encountered, some remain by my side.
Music changes depending on when you hear it—and that’s what makes it fascinating.
So today, let me take you into this soundscape.
In this 12th entry of my #TheRecordsICouldntLetGo series, I write about the 12-inch vinyl of Miki Matsubara’s iconic “Mayonaka no Door ~ Stay With Me (2023 Mix).”
If you’ve got a record you just couldn’t part with, share it using the hashtag #捨てレコ.
The Texture of Sound—What This Record Holds
■sound
There’s no need to explain the song again—it became a global phenomenon.
Covered, analyzed, and cherished by fans around the world, this track proves itself far beyond a mere City Pop revival. It’s a timeless masterpiece that transcended decades.
This blog series, #捨てレコ, started when I had to let go of a large part of my record collection due to personal circumstances. The records I write about are the ones I simply couldn’t throw away.
This 2023 Mix is a relatively new release, remastered on 12-inch vinyl. A bit of an outlier in the series, perhaps—but the joy of being able to play this song from a 12-inch made me reach for my pen.
Spinning it in my room, I couldn’t tell much difference from the original mastering… perhaps my ears are just bad.
And yet, I haven’t had a chance to play it in a club yet—one day, I will.
High-Quality Covers
🎤 Stay With Me – Cover by Houshou Marine
Marine-senpai’s vocal power is widely known, but her song choices are also top-tier.
The arrangement and visuals are beautifully crafted.
The part that moved me most was at 2:33—
“Kokoro ni ana ga aita” (A hole opened in my heart)
The timing and delivery pay true respect to Miki Matsubara. I was in tears the first time I heard it.
You can’t reach this level of quality with a shallow desire to ride a retro trend.
🎤 Mayonaka no Door / Stay With Me – Cover by Rainych
When I first heard this cover, I was stunned by its cuteness and quality.
At the time, I wasn’t active on social media, so I missed out on a lot of these brilliant reinterpretations.
At the Public Address house party in Shiga, I played Rainych’s version sped-up as part of my set.
松原みきは永遠#PA_HOUSE pic.twitter.com/2udSfPFC2M
— 岡茶@リオ🇧🇷'25帰り (@GAO_F10) April 28, 2025
Thank you to whoever filmed this moment!
From Chicago house, to a remix of Kayoko Yoshizawa’s “Kirei”, to closing with Mayonaka no Door—
It was a perfect night.
There are countless other covers and remixes of this song, cherished across the globe.
Young Toshirou Miyawaki × Miki Matsubara
A long time ago, I discovered Toshirou Miyawaki through a VHS guitar instructional video and instantly became a fan.
Thanks to social media, I’ve even been able to attend one of his more casual jam sessions.
He’s humorous, kind, and plays not just logically but with heartfelt emotion.
Here’s a miraculous 1990 video of him performing with Miki Matsubara herself:
Matsubara-san is joyfully swaying—she’s so charming.
And Miyawaki-sensei is just ridiculously cool.
At 4:43, I originally thought he used a slide—but turns out it was a bend! Amazing either way.
Even though it’s a bit embarrassing to follow that video with my own… here’s a clip of me playing:
I loved this track so much, I made my own backing track, synthesized vocals with Synthesizer V, and added some very humble guitar playing. Please be kind!
Official T-Shirt Appearance
松原みきと#PA_HOUSE pic.twitter.com/x15IqYTmIh
— 岡茶@リオ????'25帰り (@GAO_F10) April 28, 2025
This shirt got plenty of comments from folks in Kyoto and even a pickle shop lady in Shiga, haha.
Unlike previous, text-heavy posts in this series, this one leans into emotional storytelling, sharing memories through music, video, and sound.
Thank you so much for reading to the end.
Surely you have a song you couldn’t let go of either—
A timeless echo from your past, like a star that keeps shining in your memory.
May that music gently light your tomorrow, too.
