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Alphaville — Big In Japan
Album: Forever Young
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2046









Released: 1984
Length: 3:48
Plays (last 30 days): 3
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Winter's cityside, crystal bits of snowflakes
All around my head and in the wind
I had no illusions that I'd ever find
A glimpse of summer's heatwaves in your eyes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan

When you're big in Japan, tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan, where the Eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan, alright
Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
When you're big in Japan...

Neon on my naked skin
Passing silhouettes
Of strange illuminated mannequins
Shall I stay here at the zoo
Or shall I go and change my point of view
For other ugly scenes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan

When you're big in Japan, tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan, oo the Eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan, alright
Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
When you're big in Japan, tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan, oo the Eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan, alright
Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
When you're big in Japan

When you're big in Japan, tonight
Big in Japan, be tight
Big in Japan, oo the Eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan, alright
Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
When you're big in Japan
Comments (135)add comment
I shouldn't be dancing at 11 am in the office...
Posted 1 month ago by yroom    [ Reply ]
Love this song .. but wait....

So it a break up song with him sleeping with a prositute? 
Posted 5 months ago by tgrier    [ Reply ]
 johnfiva wrote:


Let's give it a ten for old times sake!



a 9, and indeed, for those old times :)))
Posted 5 months ago by Exebeche    [ Reply ]
 vandal wrote:

I had no illusions that I'd ever find
A glimpse of summer's heatwaves in your eyes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see

9



Let's give it a ten for old times sake!
Posted 9 months ago by johnfiva    [ Reply ]
 coloradojohn wrote:

Perfect moment to announce that I am happily moving back to Japan, to a seafood paradise along the SetoNaiKai; the countdown's on



The skiing is good there this season!
Posted 9 months ago by johnfiva    [ Reply ]
 CWKeeney wrote:

I am literally big in Japan.  I am 6'6" and every time I go there, I think of this song.  Personal theme song.



I'm 5'8" and loved being in Japan because while I didn't feel big, I also didn't feel short!
Posted 9 months ago by settiman    [ Reply ]
Perhaps not big enough: 



Oh well!

Posted 11 months ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
 Alexandra wrote:
I feel 17 again!


I feel 14 again!
Posted 11 months ago by Sergius    [ Reply ]
 ice-9 wrote:

I'm not into bashing songs on here - I appreciate and respect the eclecticism - but this sounds like Duran Duran meets Men Without Hats meets Dead or Alive meets ... I don't know ... maybe Satan?

I'm sorry, but the 80's sound defined a legitimate musical genre in about the same way that breakfast cereal commercial jingles do.  I know nothing about Alphaville and they might be the greatest band since the Beatles, but the fact that they were comfortable releasing something that so patently resembled all the rest of that dross makes me feel justified in dismissing them out of hand. 

Go ahead and tell me why I'm wrong.  While you're at it, tell me why "Honeycomb's big, yeah yeah yeah..." was also a work of genius.

Go on, tell me...you know you want to...



Being a Karen here, right? Spoiling the fun dude!!! Not saying would listen to this all day long, but common, it was an era of fun. Just sayin....
Posted 1 year ago by AlessiaP0273    [ Reply ]
 dcd wrote:

On a tour in Japan today, travelling by bus from Tokyo to the outtowns and this comes on when I switch to RP. The great food, the Torii-adorned shrines, the chaotic entertainment districts, Harajuku fashion, confusing train system, and most of all, a very kind people. Love this country.



THE WEST IS THE BEST... Nishi Honshu, mochiron, sugoi! Noto, San-in, San-yo, Hagi, Tsuwano, Matsue, Kurashiki, Miyajima... Check out Yufu-in, Ibusuki, Ishigaki- and Hateruma-jima, too! (I advise staying to the west of the mountains that protect Western Japan from the still-melting, still-leaking, interminably ongoing Fukushima reactor disaster... To me, it seems that with the way the Alaskan Current, local topography, and winds work, the timeless, historic, seafood-rich realm of Nishi Honshu may be among the last places on Earth the radiation reaches.)
Posted 1 year ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]
On a tour in Japan today, travelling by bus from Tokyo to the outtowns and this comes on when I switch to RP. The great food, the Torii-adorned shrines, the chaotic entertainment districts, Harajuku fashion, confusing train system, and most of all, a very kind people. Love this country.
Posted 1 year ago by dcd    [ Reply ]
 boeker wrote:
I would never say that Modern Talking is anywhere on the same scale as Alphaville. :)
Bitte nicht 


Posted 1 year ago by Rashley    [ Reply ]
 Majoran wrote:

Wirklich gut war dieser Song nie.



Oh ja das war und ist es immer noch.
Posted 1 year ago by vandal    [ Reply ]
 Alexandra wrote:
I feel 17 again!


i feel 15 again! crazy! i remember exactly where i was when i listened to this.
Posted 1 year ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
I know this song through a cover by a 90s German pop rock outfit called Guano Apes. Check it out – definitely a different vibe. However, having now heard the original I much prefer it. Less teenage angst, more 80s synth. Excellent. Thanks, RP!
Posted 1 year ago by ed_cardiff    [ Reply ]
I had no illusions that I'd ever find
A glimpse of summer's heatwaves in your eyes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see

9
Posted 1 year ago by vandal    [ Reply ]
One of my first 12 inch singles.....along with Yazoo and Depeche Mode! Melody overload.....love it!
Posted 1 year ago by garydgould    [ Reply ]
Wirklich gut war dieser Song nie.
Posted 1 year ago by Majoran    [ Reply ]
Didn't like it too much then and don't like any more today.
But it's fun to know that Bill throws these things in once in a while. Makes the song coming after this even more enjoyable!
So everyone enjoy it while it lasts!
Posted 2 years ago by mcvh    [ Reply ]
This is not a guilty pleasure. Just a pleasure.
Posted 2 years ago by smartn1    [ Reply ]
Great memories... Almost nobody in the UK  seems to knows this band, or any of these 80s "euro pop bands" that were ultra popular on the continent.
Posted 2 years ago by sbosque    [ Reply ]
Posted 2 years ago by uksminas    [ Reply ]
I liked this song then and I still like it. Alphaville is one of my favorite 80's bands. 

(I would love some Erasure on here -just a little can't hurt)
Posted 2 years ago by smartn1    [ Reply ]
 gippy73 wrote:

It's curious that this version is in major while the official one in sin minor...
All this if we give for granted that the following is in effect the official version:
Big in Japan - Aphaville



This version is in minor, not in major.
Posted 2 years ago by grandemarch    [ Reply ]
Love this version and the one from Guano Apes: Big in Japan
Ok, this might then be a version for the rock mix... 
Posted 2 years ago by guterthorsten    [ Reply ]
It's curious that this version is in major while the official one in sin minor...
All this if we give for granted that the following is in effect the official version:
Big in Japan - Aphaville
Posted 2 years ago by gippy73    [ Reply ]
Oh to be 30 again
Posted 2 years ago by junik    [ Reply ]
 MartiniSlacker wrote:

Where were they big again?




In West Germany in the mid eighties (this song again in the mid 1990ies performed by Guano Apes) but I think they were famous all over Europe. ;)
Posted 3 years ago by ERudolf    [ Reply ]
 ScottFromWyoming wrote:

You commented on this one 5 years ago.



So you're saying I'm consistent, then.  And I'll suggest, respectfully, that you're pedantic.
Posted 3 years ago by ice-9    [ Reply ]
 Ihatethissong wrote:

You are to fun what rain is to a parade.
Most of this world just isn't good enough for you, huh?



I'm sad for anyone who thinks this represents "fun".  To use a comparison I read on Radio Paradise somewhere, this song is to "fun" what rain is to a parade.  
Posted 3 years ago by ice-9    [ Reply ]
Reminds me of the New Wave dance nights at local clubs back in college.  Haven't heard of these folks but fun none-the-less.
Posted 3 years ago by GravelBash    [ Reply ]
love this one
Posted 3 years ago by tm    [ Reply ]
I miss the 80's.....
"What ever happened to all the fun in the world?" - Frank Z
Posted 3 years ago by AlienNLight    [ Reply ]
 vandal wrote:

"The Bufo alvarius toad, whose correct name is Incilius alvarius, is native to the American continent. It can be found in the southern part of the Arizona desert in the USA and throughout most of the Sonoran desert in Mexico, even reaching Guamúchil, Sinaloa. It’s also known as the Colorado River toad, because it inhabits the areas surrounding this river in lower California, New Mexico, Mexico and southern Arizona." 
~ Wikipedia 



Have you licked one?
Posted 3 years ago by whaleboneman    [ Reply ]
I am literally big in Japan.  I am 6'6" and every time I go there, I think of this song.  Personal theme song.
Posted 3 years ago by CWKeeney    [ Reply ]
Not sure.........are they big in Japan?
Posted 3 years ago by aonley    [ Reply ]
 boeker wrote:

Bitte nicht Schließe mich an
 

Posted 3 years ago by hackbraten    [ Reply ]
Back to 15! Feeling forever young for 3something minutes!
Posted 3 years ago by hackbraten    [ Reply ]
 Alexandra wrote:
I feel 17 again!
 
7
Posted 3 years ago by sunnyS    [ Reply ]
 MartiniSlacker wrote:
Where were they big again?
 

If you don't know don't ask!
Posted 3 years ago by whatsupdude    [ Reply ]
This reminds me of being 18, dancing and drunk in discos in Israel... 
Posted 4 years ago by newbolddrive    [ Reply ]
Still love this one! Also the version of Ane Brun is great!
Posted 4 years ago by vanmas    [ Reply ]
Brings right back to highschool disco...
Posted 4 years ago by boothefox    [ Reply ]
5"5" is big...........in Japan
Posted 4 years ago by thewiseking    [ Reply ]
 palatin8 wrote:
How about some Modern Talking on RP?
 
Bitte nicht 
Posted 4 years ago by boeker    [ Reply ]
How about some Modern Talking on RP?
Posted 4 years ago by palatin8    [ Reply ]
 MrStatenIsle wrote:
Ohhhhhh, it's a Safety Dance!
 
I guess....
Posted 4 years ago by jahgirl8    [ Reply ]
this is Likeable... Tom Wait's song of the same name is flippin glorious.
Posted 5 years ago by memoryboxer    [ Reply ]
Ohhhhhh, it's a Safety Dance!
Posted 5 years ago by MrStatenIsle    [ Reply ]
 groedi wrote:
Listen to the chord structure... It's the same on the whole album :-)
 
Uh, no, it's not actually.
Posted 5 years ago by BCarn    [ Reply ]
I have this album! Fresh from '84. A great listen.
Posted 5 years ago by BCarn    [ Reply ]
Strictly a Nostalgia Trip. These guys were straight up Cure Clones
Posted 5 years ago by thewiseking    [ Reply ]
hheueheheuhehejejejejjejejejdhehyehheheheh3hhehehhehdhheh JAPAN
Posted 5 years ago by dbricker    [ Reply ]
 igor wrote:
I like Tom Waits version better. LOL.
 
Yep.  Agree with that.
Posted 5 years ago by cely    [ Reply ]
Listen to the chord structure... It's the same on the whole album :-)
Posted 5 years ago by groedi    [ Reply ]
    Ahhhhh...an instant flashback to carrot pants, big hair & raging hormones. Good times!
Posted 5 years ago by cavemanleong    [ Reply ]
memory
Posted 6 years ago by francoisseurin    [ Reply ]
I like Tom Waits version better. LOL.
Posted 6 years ago by igor    [ Reply ]
 coloradojohn wrote:
Perfect moment to announce that I am happily moving back to Japan, to a seafood paradise along the SetoNaiKai; the countdown's on

 
Congrats on your big move back to Japan. Your life is so much more exciting than mine {#Cheers}
Posted 6 years ago by olivertwist    [ Reply ]
Perfect moment to announce that I am happily moving back to Japan, to a seafood paradise along the SetoNaiKai; the countdown's on
Posted 6 years ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]
Every now and again Bill amazes me with a left field choice. Excellent work, Bill! 
Posted 6 years ago by Rashley    [ Reply ]
 ice-9 wrote:
It seems like a change of tack for the station and I have to admit that I just don't much listen to RP anymore because of it. 

 
You commented on this one 5 years ago.
Posted 6 years ago by ScottFromWyoming    [ Reply ]
This androgynous techno-pop is to the 80's what disco was to the 70's.  I'm really glad that RP generally doesn't play disco and I really wish they'd steer clear of most of this drivel too.  It seems like a change of tack for the station and I have to admit that I just don't much listen to RP anymore because of it. 
Posted 6 years ago by ice-9    [ Reply ]
 VH1 wrote:
Ach Gottchen, olle Marian aus Münster! Geez! {#Lol}

 

Ich wohnte in Munster 2 jahren um 1968.  In Gremmendorf, eigentlich.
Posted 7 years ago by Hannio    [ Reply ]
I feel 17 again!
Posted 7 years ago by Alexandra    [ Reply ]
Ach Gottchen, olle Marian aus Münster! Geez! {#Lol}
Posted 7 years ago by VH1    [ Reply ]
carumba! this is WLIR playing in my '69 Cougar as I speed home from the Woodside latenight on the practically barren LIE 
oh those were fun times  : ) 
Posted 7 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
I think this deserves a bit more than retro sympathy.

I loved when it was new and I find it holds up well. The synth and drum sounds are crap, but it's a well-constructed song.
Posted 8 years ago by lewie221    [ Reply ]
{#Sunny}
Posted 8 years ago by marcoshs    [ Reply ]
I was 18 when this came out too. Wasn't sure if I liked it then, but do now more so now, maybe because it is nostalgic.
Posted 8 years ago by jocelynsart    [ Reply ]
Yup, instant flashback to the teen years {#Music}
Posted 8 years ago by maxvonevil    [ Reply ]
Flashback to 18 years old, Friday nights dancing in the bomb shelter disco on an Israeli kibbutz drunk on Sangria made with leftover Shabbat wine made by the Spanish volunteers...
Posted 8 years ago by kylieh    [ Reply ]
Men Without Hats have a beef with this track. I like it in a throwback kind of way.
Posted 8 years ago by Wilfrue    [ Reply ]
Time do some dusting and dancing!
Posted 8 years ago by DocStrangelove    [ Reply ]
Well from Münster Germany to RP, not bad, not bad at all! {#War}
Posted 8 years ago by VH1    [ Reply ]
{#Roflol} ja schau ein mal , ne deutsche gruppe bei RP
Posted 8 years ago by tonispizzeria    [ Reply ]
WOW! Time Travel Machine!{#Bananajam}
Posted 8 years ago by 4merdj    [ Reply ]
Where were they big again?
Posted 9 years ago by MartiniSlacker    [ Reply ]
cool tune, and beautiful lips on that silver-leafed persona 
Posted 9 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
You played something yesterday which reminded me of this.

A token one hit wonder which ironically didnt chart in Japan, but then they didnt release a japanese version.

the second verse sticks out as well written and thought provoking 6 ish

Neon on my naked skin
Passing silhouettes
Of strange illuminated mannequins
Shall I stay here at the zoo
Or shall I go and change my point of view
For other ugly scenes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
Posted 9 years ago by stunix    [ Reply ]
 enkay wrote:
Great!!!
Said no-one. Ever.
 

Posted 9 years ago by Bernie1978    [ Reply ]
 rgabriel wrote:
More Alphaville, please!!! {#Bananapiano}

 
Said no-one. Ever.
Posted 9 years ago by enkay    [ Reply ]
7 for nostalgia, it holds up okay but still feels out of place. 
Posted 9 years ago by islander    [ Reply ]
 daisky wrote:
My god! I used to listen to this in 1985! Admittedly, this is the reason for my 7 rating. I wonder if it is possible for me to look at this song objectively, cause I feel that if I do I will just dismiss it as disco crap or something.
 
Exactly the same over here!
Posted 9 years ago by TVMobile    [ Reply ]
11 !!!!
{#Bananapiano}
Posted 9 years ago by rgabriel    [ Reply ]
Surprised to hear this on RP. Not in a good way. 
Posted 10 years ago by mhodak    [ Reply ]
 Baby_M wrote:
Who's big in Japan?  Well, there's no one bigger than....

Gojira, King of Monsters!

 
I think that Mothra might take issue with that assertion... ;-)
Posted 10 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]
Rated for 80's nostalgia more than actual song quality…  :-)
Posted 10 years ago by wbeaver    [ Reply ]
 arnimf wrote:
Oh no. nonononono.
 
Oh yes yes YESSSSSSSS {#Dancingbanana_2}
Posted 10 years ago by elperroverde    [ Reply ]
Oh no. nonononono.
Posted 10 years ago by arnimf    [ Reply ]
 andrea924 wrote:
My misspent youth returns in a Proustian rush.

 
Hash madeleines? 
Posted 10 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
More Alphaville, please!!! {#Bananapiano}
Posted 10 years ago by rgabriel    [ Reply ]
oldy. but. goldy.
Posted 10 years ago by couchlocked    [ Reply ]
Interesting blast from the past. Kinda makes me want to watch This Is Spinal Tap again; that line, "'Sex Farm' is a big hit in Japan, y'know!"
Posted 10 years ago by coloradojohn    [ Reply ]
Holy smoke.   What next?  The Vapors? {#Dancingbanana}
Posted 10 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
Wow, I could not believe I am hearing this....
Posted 10 years ago by asiaSF    [ Reply ]
 forizzle dogg
dig wrote:
This would have been great montage music for The Karate Kid.

 


Posted 10 years ago by nightmann    [ Reply ]
{#Wall}Listening from Kyoto,
haiku for this song, the sound of one hand clapping, haven't you heard?
Posted 11 years ago by hakuindude    [ Reply ]
Godzilla!
Posted 11 years ago by c4w6    [ Reply ]
This would have been great montage music for The Karate Kid.
Posted 11 years ago by dig    [ Reply ]
7.
Posted 11 years ago by le_colonel    [ Reply ]
Who's big in Japan?  Well, there's no one bigger than....

Gojira, King of Monsters!
Posted 11 years ago by Baby_M    [ Reply ]
 Der_Hamburger wrote:
Makes me feel like 18 again..Thanks for that, RP!
 
Me, 23. Be nice, to go back!
Posted 11 years ago by pixelpush    [ Reply ]
Makes me feel like 18 again..Thanks for that, RP!
Posted 11 years ago by Der_Hamburger    [ Reply ]
Good song, but it would be great to follow this with Ane Brun's fantastic version of this!
Posted 11 years ago by avocado64    [ Reply ]
Wow - this takes me back...... not sure that's a good thing!
Posted 11 years ago by pousso    [ Reply ]
Some 80's fits the RP.

Not this one. 
Posted 11 years ago by Bargamon    [ Reply ]
 AliGator wrote:
At least BillG isn't playing "Forever Young." Right? 

 
And what exactly is wrong with "Forever Young", especially the extended version from this album?
Posted 11 years ago by BLADERUNNER    [ Reply ]
 ice-9 wrote:
I'm not into bashing songs on here - I appreciate and respect the eclecticism - but this sounds like Duran Duran meets Men Without Hats meets Dead or Alive meets ... I don't know ... maybe Satan?

I'm sorry, but the 80's sound defined a legitimate musical genre in about the same way that breakfast cereal commercial jingles do.  I know nothing about Alphaville and they might be the greatest band since the Beatles, but the fact that they were comfortable releasing something that so patently resembled all the rest of that dross makes me feel justified in dismissing them out of hand. 

Go ahead and tell me why I'm wrong.  While you're at it, tell me why "Honeycomb's big, yeah yeah yeah..." was also a work of genius.

Go on, tell me...you know you want to...
 



IMHO you're not wrong.
Posted 11 years ago by lunatic    [ Reply ]
My misspent youth returns in a Proustian rush.
Posted 11 years ago by andrea924    [ Reply ]
I don't like this song either, never did.
But it has some potential!
Check out Ane Brun's version @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIiRXQTsWTo
I'll may upload this on, what do you think?
Posted 12 years ago by marmelock    [ Reply ]
I'm not into bashing songs on here - I appreciate and respect the eclecticism - but this sounds like Duran Duran meets Men Without Hats meets Dead or Alive meets ... I don't know ... maybe Satan?

I'm sorry, but the 80's sound defined a legitimate musical genre in about the same way that breakfast cereal commercial jingles do.  I know nothing about Alphaville and they might be the greatest band since the Beatles, but the fact that they were comfortable releasing something that so patently resembled all the rest of that dross makes me feel justified in dismissing them out of hand. 

Go ahead and tell me why I'm wrong.  While you're at it, tell me why "Honeycomb's big, yeah yeah yeah..." was also a work of genius.

Go on, tell me...you know you want to...
Posted 12 years ago by ice-9    [ Reply ]
 tutakea wrote:
one of the most embarrassing and disgusting songs of all time :-((
there is NO excuse to play this kind of  - sorry - there is no printable word to describe this{#Frustrated}
 
There are far worse tunes than this.  I'm not sure why you feel embarrassed about it.
Posted 12 years ago by Proclivities    [ Reply ]
I think that album is from 1984, not 1989... Summer in Berlin was a great song of that album.
Posted 12 years ago by Euskadita    [ Reply ]
Alphaville, Erasure and Information Society. Good in the 80s. Not so much now. 4.
Posted 12 years ago by scraig    [ Reply ]
 AliGator wrote:
At least BillG isn't playing "Forever Young." Right? 

 
ah, c'mon. we liked both back in the day!
Posted 12 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
I remember being 7 and this song playing all the time on the radio and at parties. Gave me nightmares. Still makes me sick.
Posted 12 years ago by paloeguevo    [ Reply ]
A  number one hit in germany back in the day!
Posted 12 years ago by helgigermany    [ Reply ]
Here's more contemporary version for the purists. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9jJufz9RNE&ob=av2e

Posted 12 years ago by Chowek    [ Reply ]
At least BillG isn't playing "Forever Young." Right? 

Posted 12 years ago by AliGator    [ Reply ]