Ongaku Cafe (The ’90s): Oda Yuji with Maxi Priest – Love Somebody Tonight (1997)

I absolutely enjoyed “Love Somebody Tonight” by Oda Yuji with Maxi Priest.  This is a single that I will remember because it was catchy, it was a cool collaboration that I never saw coming in Japan and overall, a cool CD single!

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ARTISTS: Oda Yuji with Maxi Priest (織田裕二 With マキシ・プリースト)

ALBUM: Love Somebody Tonight

LABEL: Mercury Music Entertainment

ASIN: B00005FHAH

DURATION: 14 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: January 29, 1997

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1. LOVE SOMEBODY TONIGHT
2. LOVE SOMEBODY TONIGHT (Remix)
3. LOVE SOMEBODY TONIGHT (Instrumental)
4. 雨の街を
5. 緑の町に舞い降りて
6. セシルの週末
7. September Blue Moon
8. まずはどこへ行こう
9. ただわけもなく
10. 海に来て
11. Summer Junction
12. きっと言える
13. Midnight Scarecrow
14. Autumn Park
15. 雪だより

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In Japan, when it came to Japanese dramas in the ’90s, Oda Yuji was one of the most famous actors (and continuing to be the main actor in dramas today).

From starring in the 1991 drama  “Tokyo Love Story” considered as one of the best Japanese dramas ever made, he also starred in the hugely popular Japanese police comedy-drama “Odoru Daisousasen” (Bayside Shakedown) dramas and films (1997-2012).

For the first season back in ’97, the opening theme song “Rhythm and Police” by Matsumoto Akihiko and the ending theme song by Oda and reggae/R&B singer Maxi Priest would receive a lot of fanfare.

I was surprised about the collaboration, for one, I was familiar with Maxi Priest’s music through his popular song “Close to You” (1990), but to see this collaboration with Japan’s famous actor at the time and Maxi Priest, was pretty cool.

I was a huge “Odoru Daisousasen” fan and I absolutely loved the drama series, and the ending theme would stick in my head that I had to purchase the single.

The main single primarily is the track I listened to mostly, while the remix was not all that great.  And the instrumental track was often played during our karaoke parties back then.  But it was a catchy song that made you want to sing the lyrics:

La la la love somebody tonight
La la la la la love somebody for life
And i will never never never never never never never let love go
I wanna love somebody tonight

I absolutely enjoyed “Love Somebody Tonight” by Oda Yuji with Maxi Priest.  This is a single that I will remember because it was catchy, it was a cool collaboration that I never saw coming in Japan and overall, a cool CD single!

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