Selected English Songs Exclusive to Japan
Japan limited
Back in the day, there were English songs that were hits only in Japan.
Of course, there were valid reasons for these songs to become hits, such as being used as theme songs for Japanese movies or in Japanese commercials, but since they were unknown in their home countries, they were often the types of songs that wouldn't be featured on shows like "Best Hit USA."
Austin Mahone's "Dirty Work," which was used in the comedy routine by Blouson Chiemi with B, became a hit in Japan at a different time, but since it was a song released in his home country, it is not included in this theme. This time, I would like to try to
"note" about songs that were basically created for use in Japan, while reminiscing.
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Theme songs of "Kadokawa Movies"
When I was in junior high and high school, "Kadokawa Movies" were overwhelmingly popular, and films starring Hiroko Yakushimaru and Tomoyo Harada were huge hits.
Back then, the lead actors often sang the theme songs, but it's strange that now, I remember the theme songs more than the movie plots.
In those "Kadokawa Movies," they sometimes hired foreign singers for the theme songs, and among them, Rosemary Butler made quite an impact.
Rosemary Butler was hired for the theme songs of the 1982 film "The Dirty Hero" and the 1983 anime "Harmagedon."
"The Dirty Hero" theme song "Riding High"
I was a kid, so I didn't understand English, and I would sing the chorus as "Rari-haa, Rari-haa."
Actually, it was composed by Yuichiro Oda, known as the writer of Seiko Matsuda's "Aoi Sangosho."
"Harmagedon" theme song "Children of the Light"
I went to see this one.
Rosemary Butler's theme song was good, but the music by Keith Emerson of ELP that played during the film was cool.
Emerson's synthesizer was a perfect fit for the world of Harmagedon.
And speaking of "Kadokawa Movies," along with Rosemary Butler, one must not forget John O'Banion, who was hired for the theme song of the 1983 film "Legend of the Eight Samurai."
Theme from 'Satomi Hakkenden'
When this theme plays, it makes me want to ride a horse across the plains. (Though I've never ridden one...)
An Unusual Hit via Commercial Use
Around the same time as the 'Kadokawa Movie' theme songs, a song that became a hit after being used in a SONY commercial in 1984 was 'Overnight Success' by Teri DeSario, but I wonder if anyone actually knows the singer Teri DeSario, even if they remember the song.
Even I, while I remember the song title, often find it hard to recall the name Teri DeSario.
'Overnight Success'
Since the movie 'Flashdance,' which was set in a dance audition, was a huge hit the year before this commercial, it feels like it took advantage of that momentum.
A Drama Theme Song That Suddenly Appeared
Time passed to 1991, an era when J-Pop was at its peak with drama theme songs like Kome Kome CLUB's 'Roman Hikou' and Kazumasa Oda's 'Love Story wa Totsuzen ni'.
In the midst of that, the theme song for the drama 'Mou Daremo Aisanai' became Billy Hughes' 'Welcome to the Edge'.
This song also remains in my heart. (The drama was also quite impactful.)
Well, it wasn't originally written for this drama, but since Billy Hughes himself self-covered it after the group 'WINK' covered it in Japanese, I've included it here.
It was quite a hit, wasn't it?
'Welcome to the Edge'
It felt like a best-of mix of Western and Japanese music.
*Extra Number
Finally, I'd like to introduce a slightly obscure anime theme song.
Used as the theme song for the 1983 robot anime 'Ginga Hyouryuu Vifam' is 'Hello, Vifam' by TAO (not the Japanese drum group!).
Don't you think having an English song as the theme for a robot anime is a bit too adventurous? It's clearly not aimed at children, is it?
As a result, the ratings were sluggish and it was almost cancelled, but it was a truly survival-themed anime that survived because a massive number of signatures opposing the cancellation were sent to the TV station. (The content was also a story about children drifting through space.)
TAO is a Japanese band, even though the vocalist is a foreigner, so it's a bit different to introduce them here, but it's quite an impressive song, so I'll introduce it.
"Hello, Vifam: HELLO, VIFAM"
It includes a radio-style voice, and since this was 30 years before SEKAI NO OWARI's walkie-talkie voice, it was quite ahead of its time, wasn't it?
The chorus that modulates is still cool to listen to even now!
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Somehow, when I put it all together, the result was that everything except Billy Hughes was from 1982 to 1984.
This period was also a time when movie music was a huge hit.
Starting with "Flashdance," which I wrote about in the "Overnight Success" section, there were "Footloose," "Beverly Hills Cop," and "Top Gun," and so on.
In a sense, it means that it had become an era where Western music could also be imported.
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