Miki Matsubara -- Kanojo no Ichiban Suteki na Yoru（彼女のいちばん素敵な夜）

 

As a huge fan of Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly" from 1982, I have to admit that it still took a while for me to embrace the last two songs on the album, "The Goodbye Look" and "Walk Between Raindrops". Anthony Robustelli, the author of the 2016 Steely Dan biography "Steely Dan FAQ", said that with that final song, "Walk Between Raindrops", although it swings like a jazz number, he felt that it was over-produced and perhaps a more organic approach would have sufficed. According to the Wikipedia article on "The Nightfly", Brian Sweet of another book on the duo of Fagen and Walter Becker, "Reelin' In The Years" mentioned that this final number based on a Jewish folk tale had been thrown in just as an afterthought. 

Seems a bit harsh for a song that has now become very comfortable in my mind but it goes to show that even a so-called afterthought song like "Walk Between Raindrops" by Donald Fagen can still sound pretty fine. It's a nice jazzy strut and although it doesn't quite compare to its fellow tracks such as "I.G.Y." and "Maxine", I think it still fits the album and Fagen's love of the genre.

Now, what does all that Fagen preamble have to do with Miki Matsubara（松原みき）? Well, take a listen beyond the sexy sax intro. I'll wait. ⌛ Yeah...I knew that a lot of Japanese songwriters adored and adopted those general Steely Dan riffs but I'd never heard anyone specifically loving the jazz strut of Fagen's "Walk Between Raindrops" so much that it would form the basis of a kayo, but indeed that's what Matsubara did as she composed and arranged "Kanojo no Ichiban Suteki na Yoru" (Her Most Wonderful Night).

This was a track from her 6th original album "Revue" which came out in September 1983 with Masao Urino（売野雅勇）providing the lyrics. Nope, it's not a carbon copy of "Walk Between Raindrops" but I don't think that there is any doubt about the inspiration; heck, there is even a similar organ solo. Do I like it? It's fun and I know that Matsubara did love her jazz. It's melted into my musical memories quite smoothly which illustrates how much I've grown to enjoy Fagen's final track on "The Nightfly".