Big in Japan (song)

"Big in Japan" is the debut single of the band Alphaville. It is from their 1984 album Forever Young. The title comes from a phrase Big in Japan, which was used to describe Western bands who are popular with Japanese audiences while garnering little attention in their home country.

The single was a great success in many countries, including Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden. The song also reached #1 on Hot Dance Club Play in December 1984.

The video was directed by Yello's Dieter Meier.

Original 1984 release

Track listings

7" single

1. "Big in Japan" (7" Version) — 3:52
2. "Seeds" — 3:15

12" maxi

1. "Big in Japan" (7" Version) — 3:52
2. "Seeds" — 3:15

12" maxi Germany & France WEA 249417-0

1. "Big in Japan" (Extended Remix) — 7:25
2. "Big in Japan" (Extended Instrumental) — 6:10

12" maxi US WEA 0-86947

1. "Big in Japan" (Extended Vocal) - 7:25
2. "Big in Japan" (Instrumental Version) - 6:10
3. "Big in Japan" (7" Version) - 3:58

• The "Extended Vocal" is the same as the "Extended Remix" and the "Extended Instrumental" is the same as the "Instrumental Version."
• The 7" version is a completely new studio recording from the album version

Charts and sales

Chart successions

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.

Track listings

EU CD single "Big in Japan 1992 A.D."

1. "Big in Japan 1992 A.D. Freedom Mix (Single Edit)" - 3:14
2. "Big in Japan The Mix (Single Edit)" - 4:14
3. "Big in Japan 1992 A.D. Freedom Mix (Extended Version)" - 4:51
4. "Big in Japan The Mix (Extended Version)" - 6:05

• "The Mix (Extended Version)" is the same as the "Culture Mix" from First Harvest 1984-92.

EU CD single "Big in Japan Swemix Remix"

1. "Big in Japan (Swemix Remix 7")" - 3:57
2. "Big in Japan (Swemix Remix 12")" - 8:27
3. "Big in Japan (Swemix DUB)" - 6:44

EU 12" vinyl single "Big in Japan 1992 A.D."

1. "Big in Japan 1992 A.D. Freedom Mix (Extended Version)" - 4:51
2. "Big in Japan 1992 A.D. Freedom Dub" - 4:56
3. "Big in Japan The Mix (Extended Version)" - 6:05

• The 12" single was printed on white vinyl and contains the unique "Dub" version of the Freedom remix

Charts

"Big in Japan 1992 AD" hit as high as #2 in Finland and #15 in Sweden, but failed to chart anywhere else.

Other Alphaville versions and releases

• 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 in 1988's Alphaville: The Singles Collection
• 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 2 more newly remixed versions (the "Roland Spremberg" and "Eiffel 65" mixes)

B-side

"Seeds," the b-side to this single, appears both on Dreamscapes and History as "Leben Ohne Ende" (sung in its original German) in demo form. A new remix of "Seeds" also appears on Dreamscapes.

Cover versions

• "Big in Japan" was released by German singer Sandra in 1984 as a single. She sang the song in German, as "Japan ist weit". The song was produced by her future husband Michael Cretu and was Sandra's first try as a solo artist after she separated from the trio Arabesque. The song was not successful, as only 125 copies were sold.^[10]
• A dance cover of the song was recorded by band Kim Ono in 1995.The voice belongs to singer Lianne Morgan who was a member of the Spice Girls at the beginning.
• Swedish melodic black metal Band Embraced did a cover of "Big in Japan" on their 1998 album Amorous Anathema.
• The song was covered by the group Demimonde on their album Equalterms.
• In 2000, Guano Apes also covered the song in their second full-length album, Don't Give Me Names (#9 GER, #19 AT, #24 CH, #82 NL, #5 IT).^[11]
• Spanish singer Jose Galisteo, a contestant in the fifth season of the Spanish reality television series Operación Triunfo, covered the song for his 2007 debut album Remember.
• In 2008, Norwegian singer Ane Brun has done her very own version of the song "Big in Japan". The song was recorded to be part of the soundtrack for the Swedish TV-documentary "Stor i Japan" on TV6, and released on her label, Balloon Ranger Recordings. In 2001 this single was released on Decca International.
• In 2009, German synth-pop band And One included live cover version of "Big in Japan" to their album Bodypop 1½.
• In 2010, László Szarka, a contestant on Hungarian talent show Megasztár became an internet sensation by singing the song with mispronounced English lyrics. See also: Bikicsunáj^[12][13]
• In 2011, Norwegian singer/songwriter Eth Eonel released an own version of the song on his debut album Drawing Lines (1989).^[14]

References