Pleasure ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Pleasure ~Jinsei no Kairaku~ (人生の快楽, The Pleasure of Life) is the title of an evolving song by B'z that originally debuted in 1991. The song has become the theme of the Pleasure LIVE-GYM concerts and is something of a unique entity in the B'z catalogue in that its lyrics and arrangement have evolved and changed over time with new iterations. Primarily, the first line of the song and the lines immediately following the first chorus differ in the new versions, along with some altered backing vocals. This ongoing story is captured in the song's many renditions, of which only three have been released on CD (1991, 1998, and 2008) with the rest available from live performances.

Each iteration of the song is accompanied by the year in which it was released, beginning with "Pleasure'91". A version of "Pleasure" has been played at every Pleasure LIVE-GYM to date apart from the 1993 and 1997 editions.

Versions

Pleasure'91 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Released as a B-side to LADY NAVIGATION. Performed at B'z LIVE-GYM "Pleasure'91".

Pleasure'92 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Lyrics remain the same as 1991 version. Performed at B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure'92 "TIME". Never released in tangible form.

Pleasure'95 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Lyrics changed. Performed at B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure'95 "BUZZ!!". Available to hear on video release for "BUZZ!!" THE MOVIE.

Pleasure'98 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Lyrics changed. Released on B'z The Best "Treasure".

Pleasure 2000 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Lyrics changed. Performed at B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2000 "juice". Available to hear on video on B'z LIVE-GYM Hidden Pleasure ~Typhoon No.20~.

Pleasure 2003 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Lyrics changed. Performed at B'z LIVE-GYM 2003 The Final Pleasure "IT'S SHOWTIME!!". Available to hear on video release for Typhoon No.15 ~B'z LIVE-GYM The Final Pleasure "IT'S SHOWTIME!!" in Nagisaen~.

Pleasure 2008 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~

Lyrics changed. Performed at B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS-. Released on B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" and included on the home video release of the aforementioned tour.

Lyrics chronology

1991

He finally became a father on a Saturday night

On the phone, while receiving congratulations, he bit his lip for a while for some reason

1995

Five years have passed since he became a father

On the phone, when asked "How're things?", he sighed after a while for some reason

1998

He became lonely on a Monday night and suddenly felt the need to get drunk

Everybody will remember him as a useless bum in anger

2000

He's thrown everything away and has gone on a journey

On the phone, he's shouting firmly, "I've finally found freedom"

2003

He, who secretly came back from his long journey,

Has realized that running far away won't change anything so easily

2008

He, who had never taken an interest in anything but himself before,

Looked over and said, "For the first time since I was born, I've found something I want to protect"