Turning Japanese
Encyclopedia
"Turning Japanese" is a song released by the English
band The Vapors
from their album New Clear Days
, and the song for which they are known best. The song's lyrics consist mainly of the singer talking about pictures of his love. Musically, the song features an Oriental riff played on guitar.
This song is available as downloadable content
for Rock Band 3
since July 5, 2011.
The band knew they had a success with "Turning Japanese", so much so that they waited until their second single before releasing it, fearing that if they released it as their first they would become "one-hit wonders", but they never matched its success.
The song enjoyed some sales in Japan after its great success in Australia
, where it spent two weeks at number one during June 1980.
Of me and you
You wrote "I love you" I wrote "me too"
I sit and stare at it there's nothing else to do
It's in colour
Your hair is brown
Your eyes are hazel
And soft as clouds
I often kiss you when there's no one else around
I've got your picture
I've got your picture
I'd like a million of you all round my cell
I want the doctor
To take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You get me turning up
and turning down
And turning in
I'm turning round
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
I've got your picture
I've got your picture
I'd like a million of you all round my cell
I want the doctor
To take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You get me turning up
and turning down
And turning in
I'm turning round
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
No sex
No drugs
No wine
No women
No fun
No sin
No you
No wonder it's dark
Everyone around me is a total stranger
Everyone avoids me like a psyched lone ranger
Everyone
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band The Vapors
The Vapors
The Vapors were a New Wave and power pop band from England, that existed between 1979 and 1981. They had a hit with the song "Turning Japanese" in 1980, which reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart, and #36 in the U.S...
from their album New Clear Days
New Clear Days
New Clear Days was The Vapors's 1980 debut album containing the UK hit single "Turning Japanese", which reached No. 3 in the chart in February 1980. A remix of "News at Ten" , went to No. 45 in July of that year...
, and the song for which they are known best. The song's lyrics consist mainly of the singer talking about pictures of his love. Musically, the song features an Oriental riff played on guitar.
This song is available as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
since July 5, 2011.
Overview
Songwriter David Fenton explains: "Turning Japanese is all the clichés about angst and youth and turning into something you didn't expect to."The band knew they had a success with "Turning Japanese", so much so that they waited until their second single before releasing it, fearing that if they released it as their first they would become "one-hit wonders", but they never matched its success.
The song enjoyed some sales in Japan after its great success in 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...
, where it spent two weeks at number one during June 1980.
Lyrics
I've got your pictureOf me and you
You wrote "I love you" I wrote "me too"
I sit and stare at it there's nothing else to do
It's in colour
Your hair is brown
Your eyes are hazel
And soft as clouds
I often kiss you when there's no one else around
I've got your picture
I've got your picture
I'd like a million of you all round my cell
I want the doctor
To take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You get me turning up
and turning down
And turning in
I'm turning round
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
I've got your picture
I've got your picture
I'd like a million of you all round my cell
I want the doctor
To take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You get me turning up
and turning down
And turning in
I'm turning round
I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
No sex
No drugs
No wine
No women
No fun
No sin
No you
No wonder it's dark
Everyone around me is a total stranger
Everyone avoids me like a psyched lone ranger
Everyone
Covers and parodies
- "Turning Japanese" was coveredCover versionIn 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...
by the band No Use for a NameNo Use for a NameNo Use for a Name is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States formed in 1987 by Chris Dodge , Steve Papoutsis , Rory Koff and John Meyers...
and released during 1997 on Before You Were PunkBefore You Were Punk- Album information :* Record label: Vagrant Records* Art direction by Andrew Lenoski, Rich Egan and Jon Cohen* Recording and mixing:** Tracks 1 and 2 recorded and mixed by Ryan Greene at Razor's Edge Studios in San Francisco, California...
, a collection of 1980s new waveNew Wave musicNew Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
tracks covered by modern day punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands; this version is frequently misattributed to Incubus. - A ska punkSka punkSka punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
version of the song was done by the band Skankin' PickleSkankin' PickleSkankin' Pickle was an American ska punk band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1989 to 1996.-Biography:Skankin' Pickle first formed in December 1988, made up of students from Westmont High School and Los Gatos High School. The band played their first show on April 28, 1989,...
, on their 1994 release Sing Along With Skankin' PickleSing Along With Skankin' PickleSing Along With Skankin' Pickle is the third studio album by American ska punk band Skankin' Pickle, released on Dill Records in 1994 and re-issued on Asian Man Records in 1999.-Track list:#"Rotten Banana Legs" – 3:03...
. - This song was covered by the glam rockGlam rockGlam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band Peppermint CreepsPeppermint CreepsPeppermint Creeps are a Glam metal band from Hollywood, California, formed in 1997. Their music can be compared to KISS' style and J-Rock styles with a Pop-Punk sound...
. - Liz PhairLiz PhairPhair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
covered the song on Juvenilia in 1995. - The song was featured in an advertisement for KFCKFCKFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
, in which a man at a karaokeKaraokeis a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
bar gets up and drunkenly sings the chorusRefrainA refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
. - A cover of the song is a playable track in the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
music game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80sGuitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80sGuitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is a music video game and the third installment in the popular Guitar Hero series...
. - In "Endless, Nameless" the hidden track of NirvanaNirvana (band)Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's 1991 album, Nevermind, Kurt CobainKurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
begins to sing, "I think I'm turning Japanese; I think I'm turning Japanese; I really think so..." - The band JawbreakerJawbreaker (band)Jawbreaker was an American punk rock band active from 1986 to 1996 and considered one of the most influential acts of the early-1990s emo movement...
plays it as part of their song "With or Without U2", a medley of "With or Without YouWith or Without You"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's first single on 21 March 1987...
" by U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, "Skulls" by The Misfits, and "Turning Japanese". - The now-defunct Irish band The RevsThe RevsThe Revs were an indie rock band from Kilcar, Donegal, Ireland. The group consists of three childhood friends: Rory Gallagher on bass guitar and vocals, John McIntyre and Michael O' Donnell...
did a cover version during 2002. - The band ColdplayColdplayColdplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
covered the song at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion during 2003. - In an episode of Bill Nye: The Science Guy the song was parodied with lyrics regarding static electricity replacing the original lyrics.
- The song was featured in a segment of Jackass: The MovieJackass: The MovieJackass: The Movie is a 2002 American reality film directed by Jeff Tremaine with the tagline "Do not attempt this at home." It is a riskier and uncensored continuation of the stunts and pranks by the various characters of the MTV television series Jackass, which had completed its unique series...
titled "Night Pandas", where the team engages in various shenanigans on the streets of Tokyo while wearing panda costumes. - The soft drink Dr. Pepper did a parody of the song in one of their advertisements named "Turning 23", referring to its 23 flavors.
- Rick MoranisRick MoranisFrederick Allan "Rick" Moranis is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, and a magician. Moranis came to prominence in the late 1970s on the sketch comedy show Second City Television, and later appeared in several Hollywood films including Strange Brew; Ghostbusters; Spaceballs; Little Shop of...
performed the song with a parodic jazz style as Tom Monroe on the Canadian sketch comedy series SCTVSecond City TelevisionSecond City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
. - The band Sonny Hoopskirt & His Parody Band parodies this song and call it "Turning Into Jellybeans" on their EP, Parodies Taste Good.
- The band IncubusIncubus (band)Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
have covered the song during live performances. - Kirsten DunstKirsten DunstKirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
sang "Turning Japanese" in a McGMcGJoseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
/Takashi MurakamiTakashi Murakamiis an internationally prolific contemporary Japanese artist. He works in fine arts media—such as painting and sculpture—as well as what is conventionally considered commercial media —fashion, merchandise, and animation— and is known for blurring the line between high and low art...
art music video named "Akihabara Majokko Princess" featured at 'Pop Life' at a Tate ModernTate ModernTate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
2009 exhibit in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK, a video which was displayed once again with the show during its showing at the National Art GalleryNational Gallery of CanadaThe National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
in Ottawa, Canada.
Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Charts | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 7 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 9 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 36 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 34 |