Ongaku Cafe (The 90s): Mr.Children – 抱きしめたい (Dakishimetai)(December 1993)

Mr.Children’s “Dakishimetai” is highly recommended!

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GROUP: ミスターチルドレン (Mr.Children)

CD SINGLE: 抱きしめたい (Dakishimetai)

LABEL: Toy’s Factory

CATALOG #: TFDC-28014

DURATION: 15:00

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 1992

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1. 抱きしめたい
2. 君の事以外は何も考えられない
3. 抱きしめたい (Instrumental)

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I am addicted to the music of the band Mr.Children.

The popular Japanese band which consists of vocalist/songwriter and musician Sakurai Kazutoshi, Tahara Kenichi, Nakagawa Keisuke and Suzuki Hideya.  And have cemented themselves as one of the best with winning the Grand Prix prize at the Nihon Record Taisho in Dec. 1994 for their single “Innocent World” (which sold over 1.9 million copies) and hits such as “Tomorrow Never Knows” which was used recently for the theme song of the drama “Wakamono no Subete”.

And as I have listened to their album “Atomic Heart” (which sold 3.4 million copies) over and over again, I have found myself trying to purchase their singles such as “Cross Road”, “Replay” and most recently, their second single “Dakishimetai” (which translates to “I Want to Hold You”).

What’s surprising is that while the band is known for their chart topping hits and million sellers, for “Dakishimetai”, it only sold 60,790 copies when it was released and was ranked at #56 on the Oricon Charts.  Suffice to say, it’s a song that gained popularity after its release and to the point that it has become a popular song to be played at Japanese weddings.

But what I love about Mr.Children is not just the music but the songwriting of Kazutoshi Sakurai.  It’s like reading poetry or a well-thought out short story.

With the first track “Dakishimetai”, the title of “I Want to Hold You” makes you think of longing for someone to hold in your arms.  A ballad with beautiful arrangement, Sakurai’s vocals are top-notch, but it’s the song that captivates you.  How two people met on a quiet, rainy night and he can close his eyes and remember that day he met her.  It was a very crowded day, but while she was looking at the scenery downtown, she accidentally stumbled on the pavement and the guy came in and helped her up by holding her hand and just remembering how warm her hands were.

And from that moment, it was the beginning of love and a beautiful relationship.  And on a cold night, with a quiet voice, both made a promise to each other.  And whenever she is sad or by your side, you will want to hold her.

A beautiful song and this song alone hooked me into buying this single!

The second track is “Kimi no koto igai wa nani mo kangaerarenai” (which translates to “Except that you Can Think of Anything Else”) and is a mid-tempo rock track and about a person who can’t sleep after midnight because he keeps looking at the stars that night.  Thinking about a fairy tale that was told to him and having someone near them always and being around forever ever after.  A fun song!

The third track is the instrumental of “Dakishimetai”.

As for the single package, featured are the lyrics to the two songs.

Overall, “Dakishimetai” is one of those songs that has the making of becoming that awesome ballad that people will find themselves returning to years from now, decades from now because it’s so beautiful and a song that captures the beauty of love in a relationship.  I have listened to this song, I don’t know how many times now… but it’s so awesome of a song that for me, to have this song and its instrumental track is important.  This song is really epic and destined to become one of the most unforgettable love songs ever created.  I really do believe that.

Mr.Children’s “Dakishimetai” is highly recommended!

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