To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hideo Kojima’s graphic adventure classic Policenauts, the duo “F/N” (Motoaki Furukawa / Koichi Namiki) created a new recording and music video for the song “Just who I needed to see.” This catchy tune was the opening track to their 1996 arranged album Policenauts F/N. This is an arranged album I’ve always held in high esteem, particularly with that beautiful opening track. So it was quite a surprise when this particular single was remade two decades later. I absolutely adore that simple voice sample saying “Do you love me too?” and then, boom! The music starts up. The music video is an absolute treasure, too.
Goodness, me. This is one funky little number, isn’t it? That lead guitar melody from the start is impossibly catchy. Furukawa and Namiki are hamming it up in the video, and they have every right to do so. It’s just so much fun. Sadly, the only performer missing from the video is one of the best on this new recording: Shoji Morifuji on keyboard (synth). His synth lead and improv solo section is divine, and a step up in quality from the ’96 recording. And then near the end, there are those tight breaks and drum solo parts for Kanade Sato to fill: this too was not part of the ’96 version, and it’s a welcome addition!
I’ll also note that the music video “digest version” has a noticeable break around the three-minute mark, and the video is only four minutes long, yet the track time for this single states the song is nearly six minutes long! Well, the video cut out several solos and a repeat of the refrain. You can stream or purchase the complete song from a variety of services. Most of them are Japanese and region-locked, but as of this writing, the single is available on the US iTunes / Apple Music (for purchase or streaming). Honestly though? If F/N had recorded another track or two from the Policenauts F/N album and dropped it as a limited edition 7″ vinyl, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity.
Now you, dear reader, may be wondering why I took time out of my day in the year of our Lord 2024 to talk about a single song from 2016. Is there any relevance or timing here to celebrate? No. Rather, I am writing to acknowledge the passing of time and the timelessness of great songs.
I flagged this single for review in 2016 and thought, “I’ll review this soon. It’s short. It’s cool.” Eight years later, I still hadn’t written about it. This sweet five-minute track serves as a representation of dozens of great albums I’ve wanted to write about, yet I can’t get around to it. The music ages, and I age, and some things go forgotten. I didn’t want this one to go forgotten.
Finally, I want to speak to another aspect of aging. If you watch the music video, you’ll note the presence of a young, prodigious drummer named Kanade Sato. The drummer was only 13 years old at the time of this filming. I was so impressed with her work at the time, I picked up two of her demo albums and was utterly impressed with her skill. Seeing a talent like hers alongside veterans like Furukawa and Namiki was such a joy at the time. I still follow Kanade Sato on her YouTube account, where she regularly posts concert performances and covers of popular songs. To my knowledge, “Just who I needed to see 2016” was an early recording that helped put this aspiring talent on the map. Just one more wonderful thing to come from the under-appreciated gem that is Policenauts!
