Asei Kobayashi -- Yoru ga Kuru（夜がくる）

 

Over the last several years, I've been seeing these ads in both television and billboards about The Most Interesting Man in the World for Dos Equis beer. He's basically Sean Connery as James Bond when retired for a couple of decades. Along with the various accolades that have been made about him in the commercial above, I can add a variation of this old international joke:

United States: You watch TV.                                                                                                                    

Soviet Union: TV watches you.

Still Soviet Union: TV watches him...gratefully and with his permission.

Well, a few decades before back in the 1990s, there was a series of Suntory Whiskey commercials featuring actor Kyozo Nagatsuka（長塚京三）as The Coolest Section Chief in Japan getting majorly flirted at by far younger women. He emotionally kept his cards very close to his chest, only to show them at the very last moment when he kicked his heels in joy. There was even a gender flip when actress Yuko Tanaka（田中裕子）was getting hit upon by much younger men.

I liked those commercials but also for the song that accompanied them in a variety of arrangements. Last night, I decided to search whether it actually existed as some sort of single. Apparently, the song finally did get onto CD in 2000 in all of its variations and with the full title of "Ningen Mina Kyodai ~ Yoru ga Kuru"（人間みな兄弟～夜がくる...Everyone's A Brother ~ The Night is Coming） but for the sake of this article, I will call it "Yoru ga Kuru" and give both that year 2000 label as well as 1994 since the commercials first came out in that year.

"Yoru ga Kuru" must have made some impression on the viewing audience at large since it not only eventually got its release but it also made its way onto J-Wiki. My favourite version is the one in the video above since it is written, composed and sung by Asei Kobayashi（小林亜星）. This is the same songwriter and actor behind the original opening theme for the anime "Gatchaman"（ガッチャマン）and for one of enka singer Harumi Miyako's（都はるみ）big hits, "Kita no Yado Kara" （北の宿から）back in the 1970s.

Asei's voice is pleasingly oaken as he describes the coming night and frankly the passage of time and life. Plus, the addition of the violin and the harmonica really does enhance the folksy and bluesy nature of "Yoru ga Kuru", and I get images of him playing this in a homey local bar or restaurant for the regulars...just the kind of place to enjoy some of that Suntory. The whole experience is quite reminiscent of what I can remember of folk/pop singer Roger Whittaker.

I can only hope that for all of us, there will be the times once again when we can all gather in our favourite holes-in-the-wall for some glasses of libation. Until then, stay thirsty my friends!