My Yuming Best 15: #12 “Manatsu no Yo no Yume” — The Exotic Poison

---

---

No. 12: “Manatsu no Yo no Yume” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

In the trajectory of the peerless artist Yumi Matsutoya, this song released in the early 1990s was both a major “turning point” and a “pinnacle.” For No. 12 in my personal “Yuming Best 15” list, I have chosen the 1993 mega-hit single, “Manatsu no Yo no Yume” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

The reason for choosing this song isn’t simply because it sold well or became a phenomenon as the theme song for the TV drama “Dare ni mo Ienai” (I Can’t Tell Anyone). It’s because I wanted to pay tribute to its “destructive power”—the way Yuming vividly and seductively rewrote the public image she had built until then, which was centered on “relatable romance” and “aspirational cityscapes.”

During my university days in Higashi-Matsubara, Tokyo, I would listen to the delicate melodies of her early “Yumi Arai” era in my cramped apartment. This song is the polar opposite: a low-slung rhythm and a sweltering heat that makes you break a sweat. Every time I hear it, I am overwhelmed anew by the vastness of the “Yuming magnetic field.” Today, I want to unpack the “addictive drug-like” quality of this song and the depth of emotion hidden in its lyrics.

First, listen to the official audio

✅ English Credits (from Official Description)
Song Title: Manatsu no Yo no Yume (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Artist: Yumi Matsutoya
24th Single Released: July 25, 1993
Featured in the 25th Album "U-miz"
✍️ Quick Summary
One of Yumi Matsutoya’s signature summer pop songs. Released as a single in 1993, it is also included in the album "U-miz."
In Japan, it is widely known as a TV drama theme song, characterized by its catchy melody and Latin-flavored arrangement.

Ultimate Eroticism and Passion that Melts the Bone

The Brilliance of the “Kiss Like Tequila” Metaphor

From the opening phrase, we are instantly stripped of our “everyday life.”

“Give me a kiss like tequila, one that melts me to the bone.”

Tequila. It is by no means a refreshing drink. It’s a sting that burns the throat followed by a powerful intoxication. The sensibility to compare that to a kiss was extraordinary even in the J-POP scene of the time. The fashionable, light-hearted romance seen in 80s hits like “Koibito ga Santa Claus” or “DESTINY” is nowhere to be found here. Instead, there is a raw passion that incinerates all reason.

When I hear this phrase, I am reminded of the image of “adulthood” I used to contemplate while walking the backstreets of Tokyo as a student. To me back then, the world Yuming depicted was always a textbook for the “near future.” However, what is depicted in this song is the “irreversible adult night” that you won’t find in any textbook.

“Madness” Evoked by Samba and Caribbean Rhythms

The defining feature of this song’s sound lies in its heavy bassline and undulating Latin rhythms. Masataka Matsutoya’s arrangement isn’t just “Latin-style pop”; it exquisitely blends essences of jazz and fusion to create an atmosphere that is ominous yet glamorous.

This “ominousness” is the heart of the song. Mirroring the “Fuyuhiko-san” phenomenon (played by Shiro Sano in the drama “Dare ni mo Ienai”), a shadow of “madness” always flickers behind this track.

“Fireworks soar and pour down like a squall.”

Scenery that should be beautiful approaches with a color palette that is almost violent. A possessiveness that tries to make your shadow “mine alone” until the sparkling memories eventually fade and disappear. This intensity clearly sets it apart from the “quiet heartbreak” Yuming sang about in the past.

The Nihilism of “Tonight Only” Carved into the Lyrics

The repeated word “Sayonara” (Goodbye). The protagonist of this song knows all too well that this is not an eternal love.

“Sayonara, I will never forget what happened between us tonight.”

Saying “I’ll never forget” while simultaneously saying “Goodbye.” This contradiction. The sorrow of staring at the brightest spark just before it burns out is sung over a frantic rhythm.

This “coexistence of nihilism and craze” feels like a symbol of the atmosphere of 1993—a time when the afterglow of the Bubble Economy was fading, yet people still craved intense stimulation. The restless yet somewhat detached social frenzy we witnessed during our prime years overlaps with the clamor of this Caribbean night.

---

The Craftsmanship of Arranger Masataka Matsutoya

Crucial to discussing this work is the meticulous arrangement by Yuming’s husband and producer, Masataka Matsutoya. In 1993, when straightforward rock like the “Being-style” was mainstream in J-Pop, Masataka-san dared to throw in this “moist exoticism.”

The Enthusiasm of a “Closed Dance Floor” Created by Sound

Just like the lyrics “Dancing lights, a spinning dance floor,” every grain of sound is placed like light reflecting off a confined space. In particular, the contrast between the heavy synthesizer pads and the dry percussion sounds invites the listener into a fever pitch from which there is no escape.

Furthermore, the “low-end” production of this song feels like a fusion of cutting-edge technology and master craftsmanship of the time. The floor-crawling bassline isn’t just for dancing; it possesses a certain “incantatory quality” that forcibly synchronizes the listener’s heart rate.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Pleasure from a Detached Perspective

When we listen to this song, we don’t just feel the passion of romance. There is Yuming’s characteristic “coldly observant eye,” as if she is looking at herself from a distance.

The Fleeting Echo of “Amore, Amore”

The phrase “Amore, Amore” repeated in the chorus. Meaning “my love” in Italian, it is originally a word used to vow supreme devotion. However, in the context of this song, it echoes with a somewhat theatrical and ephemeral ring.

This is because both the singer and the listener are aware that this is a temporary “dream” seen on a tropical midsummer night.

“Sayonara, forever Amore, Amore—you are the only one in this world.”

The cruelty of these lyrics lies in the fact that while she sings “you are the only one,” she is simultaneously ending the relationship with a “Goodbye.” During university, walking home on quiet residential streets after leaving the station’s hustle, I often thought about the difference between “eternity” and “a moment.” To my younger self who wanted to believe in eternity, the aesthetic of “the ultimate moment predicated on an ending” presented in this song was dangerously potent and alluring.

In that frugal student life, being exposed to music that acted like an “adult’s drug” was a way of playing grown-up and, at the same time, an invitation to an unknown world.

Closing: Adult Entertainment to Revisit Now

“Manatsu no Yo no Yume” is a monumental work where Yuming sublimated not only her glamor as the “Queen of Naeba” but also human karma and “poison” into exquisite pop music.

More than the million-seller figures, the impact this song carved into the Japanese subconscious is immeasurable. In the year 1993, as the scent of the Bubble Economy was vanishing, one can’t help but admire Yuming’s courage in delivering this “maddening passion” to living rooms across the country.

If you feel a bit of boredom in your current daily life, or if you wish to take a step out of your “safe place,” try taking a dose of this “drug” of a song with the volume turned up. You should be able to relive that tequila-like kiss that melts you to the bone.

---