🎸My Personal miniBest 7: Kyosuke Himuro — No. 1 “KISS ME” — Rock That Moves Faster Than Reason

Kyosuke Himuro’s History ➡ Click Here!

No. 1 is Kyosuke Himuro’s “KISS ME.”

Released as a single on December 7, 1992, “KISS ME” was later included on Himuro’s fourth original album, Memories Of Blue, released on January 7, 1993. The lyrics were written by Goro Matsui, the music was composed by Kyosuke Himuro, and the arrangement was by Akira Nishihira.

The single reached No. 1 on the Oricon weekly chart and remained on the chart for 19 weeks. It went on to become a million-selling single, while Memories Of Blue also reached No. 1 and sold more than 1.5 million copies.

It remains one of the defining songs of Kyosuke Himuro’s early-1990s career and an essential track when looking back on his work as a solo artist.

There is a particular immediacy to “KISS ME.” Before there is time to stop and think about love, the emotion is already moving toward the other person.

This is not a song about standing still in hesitation, nor is it about looking back on a love that has already ended.

It is about wanting the person standing before you, right now. That directness comes together with Himuro’s voice, melody, and beat to create the distinctive appeal of this song.

My Interpretation

There is no need to take the long way around anymore.
Rather than piling up words to make sure of our feelings, I just want to be beside you now.
I cannot erase the past or my doubts, but one thing is certain: I want you.
Tonight, I want to cross whatever still stands between us.

💡 You might also like: View the original Japanese lyrics (External site)

If the lyrics are available only in Japanese, you can use your browser’s translation feature or an AI translation tool to understand their general meaning.

First, listen to the official video on YouTube

🎵 Credits
Song: KISS ME
Artist: Kyosuke Himuro
Lyrics: Goro Matsui
Music: Kyosuke Himuro
Arrangement: Akira Nishihira
Single released: December 7, 1992
Album: Memories Of Blue
Album released: January 7, 1993
YouTube: KYOSUKE HIMURO Official Artist Channel
🎵 In Two Lines
A million-selling single that became one of the defining songs of Kyosuke Himuro’s solo career.
Its sharp beat and sensuous vocals turn the urge to reach for another person into a direct, driving rock song.

The power of just two words: “KISS ME”

The title consists of only two words. It tells us nothing about who is speaking, why he wants the other person, or what has brought them to this moment. All that stands before us is the direct request: “KISS ME.”

That brevity reflects the character of the song itself. Rather than carefully organizing his feelings before expressing them, the protagonist moves toward the other person with everything still unresolved. By refusing to add more words than necessary, the song makes his urgency even more vivid.

What lies behind the assertive words

Yet I think something important is lost if we read the protagonist simply as a “strong man.” His words may be forceful, but behind them we can sense loneliness, doubt, and emotions that he cannot resolve on his own.

In other words, “KISS ME” is not a song about one person simply trying to dominate another.

The more intensely he reaches for the other person, the clearer it becomes that he needs that person himself. The coexistence of outward confidence and inner instability is one of the most compelling aspects of Goro Matsui’s lyrics.

A sound that starts running from the intro

“KISS ME” cannot be fully understood through its lyrics alone. The direction of the song is established from the moment the intro begins, as guitar, synthesizer, and rhythm combine into a hard-edged sound that moves forward without hesitation.

Not speed, but forward momentum

The tempo itself is not exceptionally fast. Yet when I listen to the song, there is almost no sense of stopping. The drums and bass establish a firm foundation, while the guitar and keyboards sharpen the contours of the sound above them.

What interests me most is that the performance does not simply sit behind the lyrics and explain the protagonist’s feelings. The sound itself becomes part of his impulse to move toward the other person. That is why we can sense where the song is heading before analyzing every word of the lyrics.

Bright and dramatic, yet never unfocused

The sound has the polished brightness associated with the early 1990s. Guitar, synthesizer, rhythm, and vocals each have a strong presence, yet they never scatter in different directions. Everything converges toward the same destination.

Some of the tones unmistakably reflect their era. Even so, more than 30 years later, the song still refuses to fit neatly into the category of merely “a hit from back then.” Its strong melody, clearly defined rhythm, and Himuro’s singing remain firmly at its center.

Kyosuke Himuro’s voice adds sensuality and tension

What ultimately makes this song distinctive is Himuro’s voice. In the lower register, he seems to hold the words slightly inside himself; as the melody rises, he pushes his voice forward. Those changes keep the protagonist’s emotions from becoming one-dimensional.

He never relies on power alone

Looking only at the phrase “KISS ME,” the song could easily have been sung with much more force throughout. Himuro, however, does not push at full volume from beginning to end. He knows exactly when to apply pressure and when to hold back.

As a result, his performance carries not only the sharpness of a rock vocalist but also a mature sensuality and a hint of danger. His coolness never becomes superficial; a trace of human uncertainty remains beneath it. That balance prevents “KISS ME” from becoming merely an aggressive love song.

Late 1992: a major milestone in his solo career

Kyosuke Himuro began his full-scale solo career with “ANGEL” on July 21, 1988. By the time “KISS ME” was released at the end of 1992, he had already established his own path through songs such as “SUMMER GAME,” “JEALOUSY wo Nemurasete,” “LOVER’S DAY,” and “Urban Dance.”

Against that background, “KISS ME” reached No. 1 on the Oricon chart and became a million seller. The following January, Memories Of Blue also reached No. 1 and sold more than 1.5 million copies. “KISS ME” therefore symbolizes a period when everything Himuro had built as a solo artist translated into extraordinary commercial success.

The opening track of Memories Of Blue

“KISS ME” also opens the album Memories Of Blue. It is followed by “YOU’RE THE RIGHT,” “Memories Of Blue,” “RAINY BLUE,” and “Good Luck My Love.”

Placing such a powerful signature song at the very beginning immediately draws the listener into the album through its commanding beat. “KISS ME” works not only as a major hit single in its own right, but also as the song that opens the door to Memories Of Blue as a complete work.

Why it stands at No. 1 in my miniBest 7

For this miniBest 7, I selected songs from both the BOØWY era and Himuro’s solo career. “Wagamama Juliet” portrayed the pain of a love that could not be neatly resolved, “MEMORY” dealt with memories that remain after a relationship ends, and “B・BLUE” carried the strength to move forward despite emotional wounds.

I heard “MARIONETTE” as a song about choosing to live by one’s own will, while my No. 2 selection, “Tamashii o Daite Kure,” explored the desire to have someone understand us at the deepest level. Looking across all seven songs makes it clear that the men Himuro has portrayed cannot be reduced to a single type.

How it differs from No. 2, “Tamashii o Daite Kure”

What “Tamashii o Daite Kure” seeks is to be understood by another person at the deepest level. “KISS ME,” by contrast, tries to close the distance between two people before every feeling has been fully explained.

If my No. 2 song moves inward toward the depths of the heart, my No. 1 captures the instant when emotion turns directly into action.

Both songs express the need for another person, but they do so in completely different ways. That range of expression is one of the reasons Kyosuke Himuro continues to fascinate me.

Why “KISS ME” is my No. 1

Any ranking ultimately comes down to personal preference. If record sales or name recognition alone determined the order, there would be little reason to select seven songs and think carefully about how to rank them.

I chose “KISS ME” as No. 1 because the melody, arrangement, beat, lyrics, and Himuro’s voice all move in the same direction from beginning to end. Rather than one particular element standing above everything else, what draws me in is the completeness of the song as a whole.

Above all, Himuro’s voice carries sharpness, sensuality, and danger at the same time. It connects Matsui’s direct words with Himuro’s own melody and transforms the brief phrase “KISS ME” into a full-scale rock statement.

In Closing — Kyosuke Himuro’s rock begins with two words

“KISS ME” was a major hit released in 1992. Yet the moment the intro begins and Himuro’s voice enters, the sound itself reaches my ears before thoughts of release dates or sales figures.

At its center is a man who carries loneliness and doubt yet still reaches intensely for the person standing before him. Assertive words and unstable emotions, a bright arrangement and a voice charged with urgency—the combination gives the song its distinctive tension.

Just two words: “KISS ME.”

From those two words, Himuro creates an entire world and turns it, through his own voice, into unmistakably Kyosuke Himuro rock. That completeness is precisely why I chose “KISS ME” as No. 1 in my miniBest 7.