"Big in Japan" is the debut single of the German synth-pop band Alphaville. It was taken from their 1984 album Forever Young. The single was a success in many countries, including Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. It was also the group's only UK Top 75 hit, reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles chart. The song also reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play in December 1984.
Lyrics, music and theme
The group had a Roland System-100M which they first used to create the bassline. The timing of the song was influenced by "The Safety Dance", changing the speed to double-time, halfway through the song. The melody was developed by all three members of the band, working in their provincial home studio. Marian Gold developed most of the lyrics while going to a dentist. The theme was based on two friends who were involved in the sordid drug scene of Berlin's Zoo station. The song tells of such lovers who fantasize about being drug-free. The refrain "big in Japan" symbolises this idea of being successful in another world. The phrase was inspired by the name of the real band, Big in Japan, whose album Gold had recently bought. Later, when the song was reaching the top of the German charts, the number one song which had to be displaced was "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood whose lead singer, Holly Johnson, had formerly been in Big in Japan – a remarkable coincidence, according to Gold. The video was directed by Yello's Dieter Meier.
The original 7" version was also made available on Alphaville's First Harvest 1984–92 best-of release.
Two newly remixed versions were made available on 1988's .
In 1999, Alphaville released Dreamscapes, which included an early demo version of this song as well as the "FFF Time Warp" mix.
2001's Forever Pop contained two more newly remixed versions.
The original 12" and instrumental version were made available for the first time on CD on the So80s presents Alphaville.
"Seeds", the B-side to this single, appears on Dreamscapes and History as "Leben Ohne Ende". A new remix of "Seeds" also appears on Dreamscapes. The original version of the song also appears on So80s presents Alphaville.
Charts and sales
Weekly charts
Chart
Peak position
Year-end charts
Sales and certifications
1992 Re-release
Alphaville re-released the song, with new remixes, in 1992 to coincide with the release of their compilation album First Harvest 1984–92.
In 2000, Guano Apes released a cover version as their lead single for their second album Don't Give Me Names on 12 April 2000. The music video shows the band performing in an empty arena, followed by a fan trying to locate the band.
