The second entry is Lindberg's "Koi wo shiyou yo Yeah! Yeah!" It was number 1 for one week(May 4th). Not sure if this is their only number 1 single or not, I can't seem to find any info about this. Don't know the sales either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYI7OJ4G-gM
Lindberg got their start in 1989 and immediately, they were unique in that few Japanese rock bands had females, much less a female lead singer at the time. Lead singer Maki Watase originally started off as an idol singer, admiring people like Seiko Matsuda. However, she switched to being in a rock group and their popularity took off among junior high and high school students. The band would last until 2002, when Maki would marry the lead guitarist, Hirakawa Tatsuya. They would reunite again in 2009 to celebrate their 20th anniversary and they did release a new album at the time. It does look like they have retired again. As for the song, I like it. It was also used in a Coca-Cola commerical as well.
While America was jumping up and down for many weeks, over in Japan, there were five(!) number one singles during this period. Welp, let's get started, lol.
For the first entry, stalwarts Chage and Aska had the number 1 song with "Love Song." It was number 1 for one week(April 27th), sold 499,000 copies and it was their 3rd number one single.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wvAzWIjKIg
Similar to the previous entry from Shogo Hamada, the song that went to number 1 is actually a re-recording. The original version of the song was released as a single in 1989. That version peaked at 20 and this was before they became extremely popular. Here's the original 1989 recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djfjKhzPzGU
I don't really notice a real difference between them. Either way, I enjoyed the song.
I think "Dreams Come True" is fine staying with Aespa. It continues the long tradition of SM having their newer girl groups covering S.E.S. songs. "Step Back" is very much in line with the kind of songs NCT was doing in 2021. I think it works for this sub-unit.
Wasn't expecting GOT the beat to be highlighted, but I'm not complaining. Song is a banger, Dem Jointz really laced that beat. It's also cool to see BoA in a group, albeit a temporary one.
Also, Demon Slayer continues its run of having memorable songs. We can add Aimer's "Zankyosanka" and "Asa ga Kuru" to the list. They're bops too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLQLa6lM3Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QORbTrXHpsA
Great list Rachel. Muni Long's "Hrs and Hrs" is really good. I first noticed it because it shot up on iTunes(remember that platform?) and I thought it was odd that an R&B song from a relative unknown had shot up so quickly, so I assumed TikTok had something to do with. But I'm glad it did, the song is really good and the EP it's from is also good. So happy for her success so far.
Another one you could add to the list potentially is Lauren Spencer-Smith's "Fingers Crossed." That also blew up on TikTok and she finally released it last week and it's doing really well on Spotify.
He said he wasn't going to submit his stuff to them unless they made wholesale changes to how things are nominated.
Also After Hours deserved a nomination(album is good too).
Love reading about artists/bands that continue to have success in other countries, even if they're long past their peak in the U.S./U.K. Especially ones that become "Big in Japan" like Mr. Big and Cheap Trick. Pretty cool that almost all of their albums got into the top 10 in Japan(outside of their debut, which peaked at 22).
I would love the read the story on how they cleared the Tomoko Aran sample for "Out ofTime," especially since the album it's from(1983's Fuyukukan), is currently not yet available on international streaming services and I know it's sometimes a hassle to clear stuff with Japanese companies(I think that's what happened with the Playboi Carti song that tried to clear the Mai Yamane sample).
So, I found the original one from 1981 and yeah it's much different compared to the one from 1992:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY1cEoYobaA
This version might be up your alley.
While America was considering themselves too sexy, over in Japan, Shōgo Hamada had the number one song with "Kanashimi hayuki no yoni." It was number 1 for 10 non-consecutive weeks(February 10-24, March 2nd-April 27), sold 1,703,000 copies and was the second best-selling song of 1992. This is also his first and only number 1 single so far in his career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHw_GQFlWn4
Hamada was originally part of the rock band Aido, where he was the drummer. He made his solo debut in 1976 and had a fairly steady career. He's also known for wearing sunglasses while performing and never taking them off. He hit it big with this song, The version that you hear above is actually a re-recording. The original version was released on an EP in 1981 with different vocals and different arrangements. However, this version was used as the theme song for the 1992 drama, "Ai to iu Nano Moto ni" or "In The Name of Love." Like other songs that were attached to trendy dramas at the time, since the show was popular, this drove sales for the song. As for the song, I like it but you can obviously tell it's influenced by the Police's "Every Breath You Take."
As mentioned before, this is his only number 1 song to date but he got close in 2020 with his 40th single, "MIRROR/DANCE", which peaked at number 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG_bgZnYJsw
Since he announced the release date today, I have a feeling that CD's probably won't be ready on Friday. Usually, artists give some lead time when it comes to release dates if they want physical copies out on the same day.
Over in Japan, the first number 1 single of 1992 went to Tunnels' "Garagara hebi ga yattekuru." It was number 1 for two non-consecutive weeks(February 3 and February 24) and sold 1,409,000 copies,making it the sixth best-selling single of 1992. This was their first number 1 song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov5Q1EIrbwQ
The Tunnels are a comedy duo composed of Takaaki Ishibashi and Noritake Kinashi. They became very popular during the 1980's with young Japanese audiences and their variety show, "The Tunnels' Thanks to Everyone" was a very popular show back in the day, sometimes gaining 30% of nationwide television viewers. The song in question was used as the theme song for the show, which helped the song gain popularity. As it's more of a comedy song, I can't really gauge how good it is since I'm not steeped in Japanese comedy. They will have two more number one singles.
2. Chage and Aska - Say Yes"(2,504,000 copies)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9qAyt0G-jM
1. Kazumasa Oda - "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni"(2,542,000 copies)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZxzPcT1Meg
No entry today(the next one will come on Monday) but here are the top 10 best selling singles in Japan for 1991. Comment on which ones you liked the most:
10. B'z - "Alone"(686,000 copies)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMGoEXZKfUY
9. Dreams Come True - "Eyes To Me"(686,000 copies)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR-k2kRFEuU
The second number 1 song during this period was "Sore ga Daiji" by the Daiji-man Brothers Band. This was number 1 for five consecutive weeks(December 30th-January 27), sold 1,558,000 copies and was the fourth best selling single of 1992.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNFH9t76kWs
There actually isn't an entry for them on English Wikipedia but from what I can glean from the Japanese side is that they formed in 1982 and this was their first number 1 single. The song was originally released back in August 1991 but the song started to pick up steam when it was initially used as the ending theme for theTV Asahi program, Sports Frontier. Later, it was used as the ending theme for the comedy-variety series, Kuni-chan no Yamada Katsutenai Terebi in 1992. Thanks to that, the song rose in the charts until it got to number 1. As for the song, it's an upbeat rocker and I see why this might have been used for a sports-themed program. This looks to be their only number 1 single.
While Michael Jackson came back with a vengence in America, over in Japan, we actually had two number 1 singles that covered almost the same time period. The first one is "Piece of My Wish" by Miki Imai, a pop singer and actress. It was number 1 for three consecutive weeks(December 9-December 23), sold 1,082,000 copies and was the ninth best selling single of 1992.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0QrSQB7vBs
There's not much to say about Miki, at least on her entry on Wikipedia. Well, I should say the English entry. The Japanese one has much more detail, so from what I can see using Google Translate is that this song was used as the theme song for the tv drama, "Ashita ga Aru Kara." Miki was the lead actress for the show, so naturally because the show was popular at the time, that helped fuel sales of the single. As for the song, it's a ballad, so of course, some people will like it or not. As for me, it's ok but it's not something I would seek out.
Oh and one other thing about Miki: she married previous number 1 artist Tomoyasu Hotei in 1999 and they have one kid together. Also, she did the voice of Taeko for the Studio Ghibi film, Only Yesterday. If you ever get the chance to see the film, please do, it's one of Studio Ghibi's underrated films(at least in the western world).
No, this is the first time I've heard it, it's good! Also, albums are still expensive in Japan, just taking a quick glance at various sites. No wonder why they still have a singles market.
It's kinda hard to imagine now that pre-SoundScan, we had to rely on the word of record stores on what titles were selling. Same thing with radio stations. Of course, the downside of getting more accurate information is that the number of number ones decreases over time(doesn't help that Billboard wasn't counting songs that didn't have a physical single release until 1998 or so).
While P.M. Dawn had the surprising number one in America, over in Japan, the popular duo Chage and Aska had the number 1 song with "Boku wa kono hitomi de usowotsuku." It was number 1 for one week(December 2) and it sold 811,000 copies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFWT8IzDlMI
This was their second number 1 single of the year and it really capped off how 1991 was their breakout year. This song, along with their previous number 1, "Say Yes" was on their 14th album, Tree. In the least surprising news ever, thanks to the popularity of those singles, Tree sold 2,351,000 copies and was certified for 2x Million. Now obviously, Japan is not America and vice versa but what this shows to me is that you can continue to sell singles physically and not have to "withdraw" them to boost album sales. Thanks, greedy record labels in America.
As for the song itself, I do like it. It's a soft rocker and I do like the guitar solo in the middle. Also, the music video is cute. I'm not sure where they filmed it at, but it looks like they might have filmed it in NYC.
The duo still have six more number ones in the chamber, so they'll be back.
While Michael Bolton was number 1 in America, over in Japan, TM Network had the number song with "Wild Heaven." It was number 1 for one week(November 25th) and it sold 399,000 copies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpVkofd3HZ0
Not much to say about this song, but I do like it. I like the synths in it and the chorus is catchy. Here's a slightly more recent live from 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV66slHf_hU
Agree. I actually prefer it over Diamonds and Pearls in terms of consistency(although Diamond's singles are better). "And God Created Woman" is one of favorite deep cuts from the album.
Agreed that not having a clean version of "Sexy MF" really hurt him in America. Apparently in other places like the UK, they created their own edit, so it charted higher there.
So, Prince's final entry on Billboard while he was still alive was "1,000 X's & O's" which was released on 2015's HitnRun Phase 1. The song peaked at number 13 on the Adult R&B airplay chart and peaked at number 41 on the R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart. The song was a re-recording of an unreleased 1993 song that he originally was going to give to Rosie Gaines and Nona Gaye(this version is floating out there on Youtube). This is my favorite song from the Phase 1 album, it's so Prince:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaCAXzp7Sm4
Tom didn't mention this, but in-between "Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and "Black Sweat," he actually had another single in the top 15 on the Hot 100: 1995's "I Hate U" or "Eye Hate U." It peaked at number 12:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iQ1iC56i8g
It might have made it into the top 10 but they never released the music video for it because of his dispute with WB at the time. Real shame because I really like this song, one of his more underrated singles.
I mentioned in the previous Janet Jackson entry that Prince was mad when she got that record breaking contract at time(and then MJ later), so of course, he signed that infamous contract with WB in 1992. If you're wondering about the details, this is a good article about it:
https://musicfans.stackexchange.com/questions/88/what-were-the-specifics-of-princes-100-million-contract-with-warner-bros-re
It looks good at first until you realize that he needed to sell a boatload of albums to even get that advance. And Prince was no MJ or Madonna. He released too much music to be that. I wish someone could have talked him down from signing it. Also, Tom didn't mention but The Love Symbol album, while it did go Platinum, didn't sell nearly as much as Diamonds and Pearls, which he blamed on WB for(Not going with "7" as the first single hurt). Also, because he was flooding the market with so much music, I believe radio stations were saying that listeners were getting "Prince fatigue" so WB turned down releasing music from Prince in 1993, which further soured relations.
Man, I was kinda dreading when we got to this entry. I was even hoping that somehow, another Prince single could reach number 1 before Tom got to this entry(c'mon TikTok users, please use your magic and make one of his songs go viral on there!), even though I knew that wasn't going to happen.
I love "Cream." It's not my favorite Prince single(it's probably a four-way toss up between "Let's Go Crazy," "Raspberry Beret," "Kiss" and "Diamonds and Pearls") but it's up there. I loved the fact that Prince was doing music at this time that wasn't anything you were hearing on the radio or tv. I also like this era because he was everywhere, promoting this album(his performance on the Arsenio Hall during this period is one of my favorite tv performances from him). Prince was someone who liked to move on quickly to other projects(hence his prolific output), so he didn't always go full-out with promotion. But he did with this album. Was it to secure that infamous contract from WB? Probably. But I'm glad he did it. Also, he should have had at least three more number one singles("Diamonds and Pearls," "7" and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World").
Also, I love this acoustic version he did in 2004 for the BET special he did to promote his Musicology album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r967lcA_rR8
Yeah, he really liked to tour Japan. One of my favorite live shows from him is when he performed in Tokyo for the Nude Tour in 1990. He also toured Japan for the Diamonds and Pearls tour in 1992 as well. Honestly, it's surprising that he stopped doing shows there after the One Nite Alone tour in 2002.
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