Pon Pon Pon

Not to be confused with Pon Pon.
"PonPonPon"
Single by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
from the album Moshi Moshi Harajuku and Pamyu Pamyu Revolution
Released July 20, 2011
Format Digital download, 7 inch
Recorded 2011
Genre J-pop, electropop, dance-pop
Length 4:14
Label Warner Music Japan
Writer(s) Yasutaka Nakata
Producer(s) Yasutaka Nakata
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu singles chronology
"Miracle Orange / Loveberry"
(2010)		 "PonPonPon"
(2011)		 "Jelly"
(2011)

"PonPonPon" (stylized as PON PON PON) is a song by J-pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. It was released as the lead single for her EP, Moshi Moshi Harajuku, and later included on her debut album, "Pamyu Pamyu Revolution". The song was written and produced by Yasutaka Nakata of Capsule. The music video, a psychedelic tribute to kawaisa and Decora culture, was released to YouTube on July 16, 2011 and became a viral hit.[1][2] On 27 July 2012 was released (and re-released on 3 January 2013) a limited editions of a 7' LP with A side: PONPONPON -extended mix- and Side B: Cherry Bon Bon -extended mix-, exclusive for DJs. As of October 2015, the video has over 85 million views on YouTube. Internationally, the song has been featured in G-Eazy's single "Lost in Translation",[3] used in a remix of Waka Flocka Flame's hit "No Hands",[4] and was featured in the American cartoon The Simpsons episode "Married to the Blob".[5]

Music video

Development

The music video for "PonPonPon" was shot by Jun Tamukai.[6] The theme of the music video is "kawaii", which means cute in Japanese.[6] Tamukai regarded Kyary as a person bending the definition of "kawaii" by mixing it with weirdness.[6] The art director Masuda Sebastian, of fashion brand 6%DOKIDOKI, adopted the randomness of "a room of a girl who isn't good at tidying up", adding "a taste of the 60-70s".[7] The fashion stylist for the video was Kumiko Iijima.

Kawaisa and Decora culture are prevalent in the "PonPonPon" video.

Synopsis

The video is a mix of 2D and 3D animation. It depicts two worlds, the first of which was created by Masuda Sebastian and looks like a room of a girl; the other is her own mental world, where her face is pink-colored.[6] The video starts with a microphone stand coming out of Kyary's ear. The microphone stand is used to imitate the image of Freddie Mercury.[6]

In the chorus, Kyary performs a dance choreographed by air:man with the lyrics inserted as kinetic typography. When Kyary claps during the bridge, slices of bread appear because "pan" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a clap, as well as the word for bread.

A combo television unit into which a cassette is inserted is a reference to the fact that analog broadcasting stopped in Japan and was switched to digital broadcasting on July 20, the same day the song was released on iTunes Store.[6] Kyary parodies the "Hige dance" from the 70s comedy show 8 Ji Dayo! Zenin Shugo wearing a mustache[6] and does the "kamehameha" move from the Japanese manga series Dragon Ball.[8]

Cover Artwork Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[9]

Reception

Katy Perry, who has developed a similar artistry as Kyary, tweeted about the video,[10] and Kyary made a positive reaction to her tweet.[11][12] The video was parodied by the comedy programs SMAP×SMAP and Pikaru no Teiri.[13] The video was dubbed as "one of the craziest videos ever" by MTV's Bigger Than the Buzz.[2]

Charts

Year(s) Chart (2011–13) Peak
position
2011 Japan Hot 100 (Billboard)[14] 9
Japan Billboard Top Airplay 6
Japan Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay 68
2012–2013 World Hot Digital Songs (Billboard)[15] 15

References

  1. ↑ Dooling, Annemarie (2011-07-27). "'PonPonPon' Gives Us A Kawaisa Seizure". Huffington Post.
  2. 1 2 Favorite Summer Artists & Cats Grilling Out (!!!): It's Episode 2 Of MTV's Pop Music Web Show, 'Bigger Than The Buzz'!. Buzzworthy.mtv.com (2011-08-04). Retrieved on 2011-12-08.
  3. ↑ "G-Eazy - Lost In Translation".
  4. ↑ "NO HANDS PONPONPON". Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Kyary Pamyu Pamyu on The Simpsons!". SBS Pop Asia. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Interview with the director Jun Tamukai".
  7. ↑ "Interview with Kyary and the art director Masuda Sebastian".
  8. ↑ "Timeout Tokyo Long Interview".
  9. ↑ Pon Pon Pon (digital download). Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Warner Music Japan. 2011.
  10. ↑ "Katy's Tweet on Ponponpon".
  11. ↑ "Kyary's Reaction to Katy's tweet on Twitter".
  12. ↑ "Narinari.com Katy and Kyary".
  13. ↑ "Biglobe Kyary parodied a lot".
  14. ↑ Japan Hot 100 : June 09, 2012. Billboard biz. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  15. ↑ World Digital Songs : Jan 12, 2013. Billboard biz. Retrieved November 17, 2013.

External links

There are three versions of Pon Pon Pon on YouTube which the first version is uploaded on 18 July 2011, the second version is uploaded on 16 July 2011, and the third version is 30 sec. short version.

  1. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - PONPONPON on YouTube - uploaded on 18 July 2011.
  2. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - PONPONPON on YouTube - uploaded on 16 July 2011.
  3. PONPONPON (30 sec.) on YouTube - short version.
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