Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Monday, December 23, 2013

B'z -- Love Me, I Love You


According to the J-Wiki article on "Love Me, I Love You", the 17th single by B'z released in July 1995, Inaba and Matsumoto had wanted to put out a pure pop song after a series of rather serious singles, and this is the result. And when I saw the initial campaign commercial for the song on TV back then, I did think that the duo was going happy-go-lightly with this one. It was just the pair going on a fun night on the town.



Certainly, the original music video for "Love Me, I Love You" showed that aspect with cool-as-can-be Inaba-as-salaryman racing around Sapporo and the Susukino entertainment district in a tongue-in-cheeky way. Plus, things can't all be that serious when Matsumoto is ripping away at an old-style cabaret. And when that scene pops in the video, the music seems to do a playful tribute to old show tunes.

The sudden shift in style didn't hurt the success of B'z whatsoever. In fact, the boys scored their 10th consecutive million-seller with this one, the very first among Japanese artists to do so. It naturally hit No. 1 on the Oricon weeklies and it became the 14th-ranked single of the year.

The song was also made the theme tune for a TV Asahi drama titled "Gekai Hiiragi Matasaburo"(外科医柊又三郎....Surgeon Matasaburo Hiiragi). I'm sure the producers were more than happy to have a B'z song adorning their efforts.

B'z -- Love Me, I Love You

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