Toshiki Kadomatsu -- Yoru wo Koete（夜をこえて）

Now, this is something that I don't encounter all that often: a Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）song from the 1990s!

It's not that I don't appreciate Kadomatsu's material past the 1980s but when I think of the famous musician and songwriter, I usually think of that most influential decade for me. And that's not only for his own works, but also the songs that he helped craft for singers like Anri（杏里）and Miho Nakayama（中山美穂）.

So here we are on Friday night and why not take a listen to "Yoru wo Koete" (Beyond the Night), Kadomatsu's 21st single released in September 1992? Interestingly enough, though, the title and the sound of the song itself has me still thinking of a 1980s power pop tune by a band such as Journey. There's something about it that screams "...driving a Porsche at top speed on a Tokyo highway while trying to escape one's feelings".

And yep, Kadomatsu's lyrics reflect a fellow's heartbroken yet defiant stance toward a woman who's just left him that she'll regret her decision. He feels that they had something really good but she wants her freedom now. That wall of chorus and the wailing guitar at the end sets up that atmosphere of bombing down the thoroughfare at 200 kph.

Aw, heck! I'm just a sucker for horns. "Yoru wo Koete" got as high as No. 29 and was also inserted as a track on Kadomatsu's 10th studio album, "Aru ga Mama ni"（あるがままに...As It Is）that was released in July 1992. That album peaked at No. 7 on Oricon.