Yutaka Kimura Speaks ~ Japanese City Pop Masterpieces 100: Yumi Matsutoya -- Night Walker

 

Number: 057

Lyricist/Composer: Yumi Matsutoya

Arranger: Masataka Matsutoya

From Yuming's 1983 album: "Reincarnation"

An office district at night. Within a gaggle of businessmen and office ladies quickly heading to the station after work, there is the protagonist who unbeknownst to anyone is holding a heavy heart...that's the scene that comes into view. To smoothly come up with such a song indeed shows the amazing talents of Yuming（ユーミン）. The guitar leaves quite an impression in the performance, and along with the interval fills and the solo in the second half of the song, there are wonderful phrasings popping up everywhere. This is the work of a master.

The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised" (2020).

(lovely cover version by Chiro)

Hello, J-Canuck here. Yup, never covered this one on my own and just from what I've observed online, "Night Walker" seems to be one of Yuming's songs that's not gotten enough love, although when so many of her tunes have become eternally memorable hits, perhaps that's not so much of a surprise. Still, I have to agree with Kimura that despite the title sounding like a new DC or Marvel superhero, this is one of her hidden delights that's beautifully arranged in a melancholy way as what I think is a major hurtful twist in a possible intra-office love triangle has just taken place. The city can be a very cold and forbidding area when love abandons one...especially on a rainy night. They become the NIGHT WALKER.