There was a fellow, who sold stuff of independent bands from US and UK. There was the rumor he would be in Berlin for withdrawal treatment in that period. In 1977 I was quite regular in a club in Kreuzberg, the SO36. That's why this place became a venue of the song. Till nowadays Berlin station Zoo is an important meeting place for junkies. They both imagine how great it would be to love without the drug: no steal, no clients, no ice age in the pupil, real emotions, true worlds. 'Big In Japan' tells about a couple of lovers trying to get off Heroin. Bernhard recognized the quality of the song and Andy the ability of its marketing. Song MeaningIn a 1998 interview with the German online magazine Re.flexion, Alphaville lead signer Marian Gold explained: "I must admit the only ones who understood the meaning of the song correctly were Bernhard (Lloyd) and our then publisher Andy Budde. Or should I go and change my point of view Neon on my naked skin, passing silhouettes Of course the album took the title of the most representative song, and this title coincided exactly with the original name of this group.Big in Japan, ooh the eastern sea's so blue
#Song big in japan series
The album really contained a series of unforgettable songs, but even the so-called “minor” songs, which were never released as a single and never had a video, were really remarkable songs. “Big in Japan” opened Alphaville’s amazing career, and of course it was featured as the first track on one of the most beautiful albums of the 80s, which was to be released in September 1984. And here Marian Gold was sure to be at the center of a joke of fate, because in the old punk band “Big in Japan” the bass player was a certain Holly Johnson, the leader of Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Years later, “Big in Japan” took Alphaville to the top of the charts in the UK, where they managed to overcome another famous song, “ Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. They were never very successful, but Marian was impressed by the name, and in 1979 he wrote the song with this title. Marian Gold knew the term “Big in Japan” because there had been an English punk band with this name. There’s one of the curious coincidences that made the 80s great. Deceiving yourself that you still have a future, in short. So being a “Big in Japan” meant pretending that you could prolong your success because anyway there was still a country, however far away, where you were still famous. The term “Big in Japan” was no accident: in those years many stars who had absolutely disappeared from the scene in Europe or America continued to be very successful in Japan, a market that probably matured later than western markets. Maybe a life in a far away place, where they could also become someone important.
The two boys would like a life without continuous meeting with unknown people, a life in which you decide what to do, and your time and actions are not decided by something else. Lyrics tell the story of a boy and a girl who would like to get out of the drugs and prostitution tunnels, symbolized in the text by the reference to the “Zoo” the famous Berlin underground stop that became a symbol of drug addiction. The song is certainly catchy, with a freindly tune between the verses and a very catchy refrain, but it’s a pretty deep song, like many hits by Alphaville. “Big in Japan” of course contributed to the unstoppable Alphaville career launch. The three boys came from the German town of Münster. It must be said that these are all art names anyway. With the launch of “Big in Japan” Alphaville were born.Īlong with Gold were Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens, who left the group the following year and was replaced. All three members, but above all the singer, Marian Gold, with uncommon traits, clothes absolutely out of the ordinary, exceptional voice. Then, this group had an astonishing look. This song, for example, is literally recognizable from the first note, with a type of sound that recalls the oriental bells, up to the last, the sound of a gong. Certainly electronic and created with synthesizer notes, but always with very particular sounds. The first amazing thing about this group was their sound. The other was the debut single by an unknown group, but one that would become one of the icons of the 1980s. One was from a well-known group, “ Here comes the rain” by Eurythmics. The first of these magical days in 1984 was definitely January 12, when two fantastic songs came out. And during this period it often happened that on the same day two or three songs were released, that would remain in history.
It is the period with the best music and with an unprecedented offer, and it continued seamlessly until the Summer of 1985, that is, until the generational change represented by Live Aid. 1984 was probably the most musically beautiful year of all the 80s.
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