Da Bubblegum Brothers/EXILE & Kumi Koda -- Won't Be Long

This was such a fun song to hear back in my Gunma days. I didn't know who these Bubblegum Brothers were, and I have a feeling most of Japan didn't either, although Bro. Tom and Bro. Korn (now Kone) had released their very first single back in 1985. But the Brothers' 10th single, "Won't Be Long", released in August 1990, hit paydirt. Considering the title, though, it took its sweet time making the big time.

I came to Japan at the right time. Falling in love with Japanese popular music in 1981 during that summer graduation trip, I had my eyes further opened when kayo kyoku switched over to J-Pop and everything just exploded. The aidoru/enka age seemed to give way, and the ground opened up for singers who wanted to give breath to other genres such as R&B, ska, glam rock, etc. Toshinobu Kubota, Minako Yoshida and Masayuki Suzuki among others were pushing the wave for that first example. But then, acts like Bubblegum Brothers and Zoo started to bring over something even more danceable.

"Won't Be Long" just had this funky, strutworthy beat accompanied by these unforgettable horns, and so I thought Tom and Korn had gotten their inspiration straight and solely from Jamaica. However, according to J-Wiki, the Bros. actually based their biggest hit on the traditional Awa Odori（阿波踊り） from Tokushima Prefecture....feel free to take a look at the official video for the song above, although the Awa Odori there took place in Koenji, Tokyo.

Brother Korn was responsible for the lyrics and melody....and for the entire singing. Apparently, according to him, Brother Tom had excused himself from the recording and "....went to play pachinko". Nice.

As I said in the first paragraph, "Won't Be Long" wasn't an instant megasuccess. After its release in the summer of 1990, it slowly simmered over the months gaining temperature, and then it finally caught full flame by a stroke of scheduling luck....involving the 1991 Kohaku Utagassen of all things. One of the bands that had been chosen for the NHK New Year's Eve extravaganza, Hound Dog, dropped out suddenly, and the powers-that-be asked for Da Bubblegum Brothers to come in to get the show out of the pinch. Well, there was nothing like a party song to spice things up, and as the clock ticked over into 1992, "Won't Be Long" broke the million-seller barrier, ultimately selling 1.2 million copies. The song peaked at No. 3 on Oricon and eventually became the 16th-ranked song for 1992.

Over 16 years later, Kumi Koda（倖田來未）and EXILE got together to make their own cover of "Won't Be Long"for release in November 2006. The arrangement wasn't too different from that of the original, but Koda and EXILE added their own vocal flourishes. Their version actually peaked even higher on the Oricon weeklies at No. 2 but ultimately finished as the 56th-ranked song of that year.

As for Da Bubblegum Brothers themselves? Well, after a decade off from singing, they came out with some new singles and an album starting from late 2008. And the two have kept their profile nice and high due to their other roles as TV personalities.

Da Bubblegum Bros.