Favorite J-Pop Singles: Kome Kome Club “Kimi Ga Iru Dakede”

 I first fell in love with the classic Kome Kome Club song “Kimi ga iru Dakede” as the wonderful intro to the 1992 drama “Sugao No Mama De”starring Narumi Yasuda and Akina Nakamori. The tale of the two different-as-can-be friends always opened with the winsome song, and I particularly love  the way the song ended, with Yumiko and Kana holding hands against a sunset as Kome Kome Club lead singer Tatsuya Ishii crooned out the final lines “Whaoooh~True Heart…Whaoooh~True Heart…!”

After seeing them perform the song live on a music show (I think it was Pop Jam) I loved the song so much that I just HAD to get a copy of it for myself! But I was in for a SHOCK when I discovered that the official released version of the song did NOT end on that magical “Whaoooh~True Heart”, but instead jumped into a refrain and then faded out on a La-la-la chorus! WHAAA!

I have to tell you: I.WAS.CRUSHED. This was the second time this happened to me, as Eguchi Yosuke’s theme song for his drama Kekkon Shiyouyo “Traveling Boy” did the SAME thing! I was robbed of that perfect, pure ending and given a la la la fade out! NoOOOOooooo....

In time I did get more or less used to it, as the song itself is one of Kome Kome Club’s very best songs ever, and as a consolation of sorts, I realized that I could always hear the “drama” version ending of the song…whenever Kome Kome Club performed the song LIVE on TV programs! Because while the official single version faded out, the drama one had a proper ending, making it  a NATURAL to do onstage!

Over the years I've managed to get ahold of a few great renditions of the song by the K2C gang, but there was ONE performance that PARTICULARLY tickled me: A short version of the song on MUSIC FAIR with Tatsuya Ishii and actress-turned-singer Takako Matsu!

The premise of Music fair was to take two different artists, have them sing their classics, and then have the two acts collaborate on a few tunes. One of the ones they picked was Kimi ga Iru Dakede, and what a SWEET little rendition it was! Takako’s gentle voice perfectly contrasts with Ishii’s huge vocal, and when they swell up to that perfect “True Heart” ending I could have DIED!

In past years I’d tried to find that old VHS tape with the performance of Takako Matsu and Tatsuya Ishii, but could not locate it. Then, just the other day, i thought, “I wonder if anyone uploaded the performance to youtube?” Crossing my fingers I logged it on, and was THRILLED to see it there, clear as crystal…and as WONDERFUL as I remembered it!

Check It Out!

I would remark to my friend Golden later that if it had been the whole song, it would have been one of my favorite live performances EVER, sadly it was part of a greater medley in the show and as such was only given a verse and a chorus. But it was THIS performance that propelled Kimi ga Iru Dake De to become one of my all-time BIG faves from the group!