The 5.6.7.8's
Encyclopedia
The 5.6.7.8's are an all-female Japanese rock
trio, whose music is reminiscent of American
surf music
, rockabilly
and garage rock
. They frequently cover
songs from American
rock and roll
. Each member is from Tokyo
, Japan
.
The 5.6.7.8's first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australia
n tour, once even utilizing a male member, "Eddie". They first officially became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia.
The 5.6.7.8's made a brief appearance in the 2003 Quentin Tarantino
film Kill Bill
Volume 1, where they were shown playing in an izakaya
.
and guitar
, Rico on second guitar, Yoshie on bass guitar
and Sachiko on drums
. After several line-up changes (including the bassist Yoshiko "Yama" Yamaguchi, who was the bassist featured in the Kill Bill movie), the band eventually became a threesome after Rico and Yoshie's departures. Yoshiko and Sachiko are still the main components in the band, and now Akiko Omo has rejoined the band as the bass guitarist (She originally joined the 5.6.7.8's in the early 1990s).
Even though the group mostly sing their songs in Japanese
, they do many covers of American rock and roll records from the 1950s to the 1980s. However, their official website and most of their fansites and fanclubs are in Japanese, as they have their biggest following in their home country.
Yoshiko, who plays a Teisco
guitar and sports a "Teenage Queen Delinquent" tattoo on her upper right arm, was initially the lead vocalist, but as the band performed more rock and roll songs originally performed by female groups, every member had equal parts in vocals and many songs are performed singing simultaneously.
after their appearance in Kill Bill Vol. 1, in which they performed "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield
", "I'm Blue" (a cover of The Ikettes'
song) and "Woo Hoo
" in a Tokyo club, "The House Of Blue Leaves". On the Special Bonus Features of the Kill Bill Volume 1 DVD, one of the specials featured a live performance which shows the 5.6.7.8's singing "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield" and "I'm Blue" during filming of the movie. The 5.6.7.8's song "The Barracuda" is featured in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
soundtrack.
According to Kill Bills director Quentin Tarantino
, he discovered the music of the 5.6.7.8's after hearing it in an urban clothing store in Tokyo, hours before going to the airport. Tarantino asked if he could purchase the CD from the store, as he had no time to go to a music shop. When the store clerk on duty said no, as the manager was not present at the time, Tarantino offered double the retail price of the CD and acquired it.
They also became renowned for the use of their cover of The Rock-A-Teens
song, "Woo Hoo", in advertisements for Carling
lager and Vonage
VoIP service in 2004. The song reached #28 on the UK Singles Chart
in 2004. The follow-up song was "I'm Blue", but it peaked at #71 on the same chart two months later.
The 5.6.7.8's have also toured in numerous countries including China, Australia, the United States, and their native Japan.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
trio, whose music is reminiscent of American
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
surf music
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
. They frequently cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
songs from American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. Each member is from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The 5.6.7.8's first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n tour, once even utilizing a male member, "Eddie". They first officially became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia.
The 5.6.7.8's made a brief appearance in the 2003 Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
film Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
Volume 1, where they were shown playing in an izakaya
Izakaya
An is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are popular, casual places for after-work drinking.-Name:...
.
Members
The 5.6.7.8's formed when Sachiko and Yoshiko "Ronnie" Fujiyama, two sisters from Tokyo who both shared a passion for rock and roll, founded the band in 1986 with two other members. Originally, the line-up consisted of Yoshiko on vocalsSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Rico on second guitar, Yoshie on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Sachiko on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. After several line-up changes (including the bassist Yoshiko "Yama" Yamaguchi, who was the bassist featured in the Kill Bill movie), the band eventually became a threesome after Rico and Yoshie's departures. Yoshiko and Sachiko are still the main components in the band, and now Akiko Omo has rejoined the band as the bass guitarist (She originally joined the 5.6.7.8's in the early 1990s).
Even though the group mostly sing their songs in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, they do many covers of American rock and roll records from the 1950s to the 1980s. However, their official website and most of their fansites and fanclubs are in Japanese, as they have their biggest following in their home country.
Yoshiko, who plays a Teisco
Teisco
Teisco was a Japanese manufacturer of affordable musical instruments from 1948 until 1969, and now its brand is owned by Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. Ltd. . The company produced guitars as well as keyboard instruments, microphones, amplifiers and even drums...
guitar and sports a "Teenage Queen Delinquent" tattoo on her upper right arm, was initially the lead vocalist, but as the band performed more rock and roll songs originally performed by female groups, every member had equal parts in vocals and many songs are performed singing simultaneously.
The 5.6.7.8's in the West
The 5.6.7.8's became known in the WestWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
after their appearance in Kill Bill Vol. 1, in which they performed "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
", "I'm Blue" (a cover of The Ikettes'
The Ikettes
The Ikettes were a trio of female backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, a prominent American rhythm and blues group from the 1960s.-Career:...
song) and "Woo Hoo
Woo Hoo
"Woo Hoo" is a rockabilly song, credited to George Donald McGraw and originally released by The Rock-A-Teens in 1959.-Original version:The song is distinctive for its lack of lyrics apart from its title words, which gave it popularity around the world as it is not subject to language barriers...
" in a Tokyo club, "The House Of Blue Leaves". On the Special Bonus Features of the Kill Bill Volume 1 DVD, one of the specials featured a live performance which shows the 5.6.7.8's singing "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield" and "I'm Blue" during filming of the movie. The 5.6.7.8's song "The Barracuda" is featured in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
soundtrack.
According to Kill Bills director Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, he discovered the music of the 5.6.7.8's after hearing it in an urban clothing store in Tokyo, hours before going to the airport. Tarantino asked if he could purchase the CD from the store, as he had no time to go to a music shop. When the store clerk on duty said no, as the manager was not present at the time, Tarantino offered double the retail price of the CD and acquired it.
They also became renowned for the use of their cover of The Rock-A-Teens
The Rock-A-Teens
The Rock-A-Teens were an American rockabilly group from Richmond, Virginia, active in the late 1950s.They are best known for their 1959 single "Woo Hoo", backed with "Untrue", released on Roulette Records. The song hit #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it proved to be their only hit.-External...
song, "Woo Hoo", in advertisements for Carling
Carling
Carling brands are currently owned by the Molson Coors Brewing Company. In South Africa it is distributed by SABMiller.Carling Black Label is the name of a brand of Canadian lager in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and South Africa...
lager and Vonage
Vonage
Vonage is a publicly held commercial voice over IP network and SIP company that provides telephone service via a broadband connection. The company's name is a play on their motto "Voice-Over-Net-AGE"....
VoIP service in 2004. The song reached #28 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 2004. The follow-up song was "I'm Blue", but it peaked at #71 on the same chart two months later.
The 5.6.7.8's have also toured in numerous countries including China, Australia, the United States, and their native Japan.
Discography
The band has recorded eight albums:- The 5.6.7.8's Can't Help It! (1991)
- The 5.6.7.8'sThe 5.6.7.8's (album)The 5.6.7.8's is a 1994 album by the Japanese girl group of the same name. It includes "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield", one of three songs by the band heard in the movie Kill Bill: Vol...
(1994) - Bomb the TwistBomb the TwistBomb the Twist is an album that was released on January 11, 1996 by The 5.6.7.8's. "Woo Hoo" was featured on Kill Bill Volume 1, a film by Quentin Tarantino-Track listing:# "Bomb the Twist"# "Jane in the Jungle"# "Three Cool Chicks"# "Guitar Date"...
(1996) - Pin Heel StompPin Heel StompPin Heel Stomp is an album that was released November 30, 1997 by The 5.6.7.8's. "The Barracuda" is featured in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Soundtrack.-Track listing:# "Pin Heel Stomp"# "Dance in the Avenue A"# "Arkansas Twists"...
(1997) - Teenage Mojo WorkoutTeenage Mojo WorkoutTeenage Mojo Workout is an album by The 5.6.7.8's. It was released in 2002 on Timebomb Records.-Track listing:# " I'm a Wild One"# "I'm Blue" # "Road Runner"# "I Got a Man" # "Typhoon Girl"...
(2002) - Bomb the Rocks: Early Days SinglesBomb The Rocks: Early Days SinglesBomb the Rocks - Early Days Singles is an album by The 5.6.7.8's which was released in 2003.-Track listing:# "Bomb the Twist"# "Jane in the Jungle"# "Three Cool Chicks"# "Guitar Date"# "Woo Hoo"# "Dream Boy"# "Continental Hop"# "Jump Jack, Jump"...
(2003) - Golden Hits of The 5.6.7.8's (2003)
- Live at Third Man (2011)