Eito -- Kousui（香水）

 

I've been hearing about this song off and on for the past few months, and then came the announcement that this Kanagawa Prefecture-born singer-songwriter Eito Takahashi（高橋瑛人）or just Eito was selected to come onto the Kohaku Utagassen this year. 

Eito has already released 6 digital download singles up to December 18th this year but everyone has been talking about his very first single, "Kousui" (Perfume), which actually was released all the way back in April 2019. In fact, the song title has even been nominated as one of the words/catchphrases of 2020.

For me, last Saturday was the time that I got to hear "Kousui" in full form when Eito appeared on comedian Sanma Akashiya's（明石家さんま）annual year-end special "Akashiya Kohaku!"（明石家紅白!） where a number of singers and bands that he likes are invited for some chat and song. Not sure if I heard this right, but during the give-and-take between Akashiya and Eito, the latter admitted that he speaks with a voice that sounds as if he's having some adenoidal issues but thanks to voice training, he can sing without the nasality.

As for "Kousui", which was written and composed by Eito under his songwriting moniker of 8s, it's got that appealingly laidback melody which reminds me of Eric Clapton unplugged. However, the lyrics can be analogized by that scene in "Avengers: Endgame" where a post-Snap emotionally-crushed Hawkeye is approached by old buddy Black Widow to whom he pleads "Don't do that! Don't give me hope." In Eito's case, an old flame suddenly calls him up three years after the breakup to see how he's doing and all sorts of emotions including regret and self-pity well up within him along with the scent memory of the Dolce & Gabbana perfume that she probably still wears. According to a Buzzfeed interview via J-Wiki, that particular scent was Sport and it was worn by his old boss at the hamburger joint that Eito used to work at.

Y'know...I actually used a Marvel analogy, but considering that reunion, I also remember that scene in "Casablanca" where Rick rushes out to chew out Sam for playing that song when he sees Ilsa for the first time in several years.

Anyhow, I gather that "Kousui" has been a slow burner up the ladder of success. It was released back in April 2019 but through various actions such as Amazon Japan putting the song onto CD back in February this year and Eito's appearances on television such as the music program "Music Station", the song's fame started growing, jumping from No. 22 on Oricon in early May 2020 up to No. 1 within a couple of weeks. Up to September, it was bobbing up and down in the Top 10.

Then, there have been a lot of singers and TV personalities who have also decided to cover the song themselves such as one-half of the comedy duo Oriental Radio, Shingo Fujimori（藤森慎吾）, and former SMAP member Shingo Katori（香取慎吾）.

"Kousui" will make its way onto Eito's first full album "Sukkarakan"（すっからかん）which is due to come out on New Year's Day, 2021. But let's see how he does on the Kohaku.