Singer/songwriter Remi Matsuo of the rock duo GLIM SPANKY has been effortlessly tossing off one classic rock song after another since the band’s debut EP, Music Freak, in 2013. Working in a variety of genres, from blues/rock to punk to funk to psychedelia, Remi has built an extremely impressive body of work. The number of instant classics is too long to list. Nevertheless, there is one song that qualifies as a rare astronomic event. GLIM SPANKY’s “Otona ni Nattara” (“When You Grow Up”) from the album Sunrise Journey (2015) is a majestic ballad that belongs in the pantheon of truly great rock songs. This is not hyperbole.

Lyrically, the song begins in an atmospheric mood. The narrator is standing in the cold dawn on a train station platform. Tobacco smoke sinks into her hair. Then she begins to reflect on her youthful dreams. She wonders in a series of elliptical verses if she will ever understand the mysteries of the journey from childhood to adulthood. These are classic rock and roll sentiments.

Musically, the song begins with Remi singing languidly over her guitar’s gentle chords. She lets the opening D Major chord ring out, then fade. The band joins in at mid-tempo before the song explodes into a blazing chorus that concludes, “When you grow up, will you understand?” The song grows in intensity as the narrator continues to question the choices she has made in her life. The growing musical tension never lets up, as Remi’s archetypal rock voice sings the fervent lyrics.

Remi’s passionate “oh yeah’s” after the final chorus are spine chilling. Finally, guitarist Hiroki Kamemoto’s white-hot Les Paul solo drives the song home. The emotions in GLIM SPANKY’s “Otona ni Nattara” are intense. Remi Matsuo expresses the narrator’s feelings with a deeply moving grandeur of spirit. The sum total is breathtaking. GLIM SPANKY’s “Otana ni Nattara” is a rock anthem on a par with the all-time great songs about life and growing up. It is a song that should stand the test of rock and roll time. Awe-inspiring.

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