Big In Japan

Album: Forever Young (1984)
Charted: 8 66
Play Video
  • Winter's cityside
    Crystal bits of snowflakes
    All around my head and in the wind
    I had no illusions
    That I'd ever find a glimpse
    Of summer's heatwaves in your eyes

    You did what you did to me
    Now it's history, I see
    Here's my comeback on the road again
    Things will happen while they can
    I will wait here for my man, tonight
    It's easy when you're big in Japan

    Oh, when you're big in Japan, tonight
    Big in Japan, be tight
    Big in Japan, ooh, the eastern sea's so blue
    Big in Japan, alright
    Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
    Things are easy when you're big in Japan
    Oh, when you're big in Japan

    Neon on my naked skin, passing silhouettes
    Of strange illuminated mannequins
    Shall I stay here at the zoo
    Or should I go and change my point of view
    For other ugly scenes
    You did what you did to me
    Now it's history I see
    Things will happen while they can
    I will wait here for my man, tonight
    It's easy when you're big in Japan

    Oh, when you're big in Japan, tonight
    Big in Japan, be tight
    Big in Japan, ooh, the eastern sea's so blue
    Big in Japan, alright
    Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
    Things are easy when you're big in Japan
    Oh, when you're big in Japan

    Oh, when you're big in Japan, tonight
    Big in Japan, be tight
    Big in Japan, ooh, the eastern sea's so blue
    Big in Japan, alright
    Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
    Things are easy when you're big in Japan
    Oh, when you're big in Japan
    Tonight
    Big in Japan, be tight
    Big in Japan, ooh, the eastern sea's so blue
    Big in Japan, alright
    Pay, then I'll sleep by your side
    Things are easy when you're big in Japan
    Oh, when you're big in Japan Writer/s: Bernhard Lloyd, Frank Mertens, Marian Gold
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing, TuneCore Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 15

  • Steve from Essex, UkFor people thinking it was in a movie you are likely thinking of Win in the End by Mark Safan in Teen Wolf from 1985. It was played during the final
    basketball scene. The songs are almost identical to each other.
  • Agnes from NetherlandsI heard this song sung by Ane Brun in Tokyo fiancee, a film.
  • Jan from Redhill, United KingdomPS, from Jan in UK, someone asked which film Big in Japan featured in, can't find that either, but Forever Young featured in a 1989 film 'Listen to me' according to Wikipedia. Forever Young has also just been re-released as a rap version, what a shame.... how to spoil a great song.
  • Jan from Redhill, United KingdomB, Brooklyn, NY writes he thought he'd heard this song way before 1984. I lived in Switzerland in the 1980's and Alphaville were very popular there. The song was in the charts for weeks, big dance song at the discos! I'm also fairly sure it was released before 1984 and I have it on a tape which I'm also thinking was made before '84. Another point, Frankie goes to Hollywood released Relax in Oct '83, Marian Gold mention this in the above copy of his interview, stating they needed some weeks to 'edge them out' of the charts. I remember being in Paris in the January of '84 though, and that was the first time I heard 'Relax', so, all a bit confusing!! Marian Gold is on Facebook though, perhaps someone should ask him personally?!!!
  • Aaron from Phoenix, AzCan ANYONE PLEASE tell me what movie "Big in Japan" awas featured in? I am thinking it was during some sort of montage in an 80's flick. I have been researching for weeks and cannot find the answer. You can consider yourself the King/Queen if you know this.

    AP
  • Berg from Lyon, FranceGold (the name itself is AbFab) might not be gay, or he might be. Having been married once or even several times is hardly a proof of sexual orientation. The song itself might not be a "gay" song (I have trouble imagining what a gay song is) but it certainly implied gay prostitution when Gold wrote it. The Zoo station was famous for both drugs and prostitution. Male junkies would often turn into sex workers in order to keep up their addiction. "Pay and I'll sleep by your side" obviously refers to prostitution. Junkies go to great lengths to make money to buy drugs. Sex is an easy way of making money and the song implies it.
  • Kate from London, United KingdomI'm sorry to disappoint those who think that Gold is gay and that Big in Japan is a gay song. Marian Gold - who wrote the lyrics - isn't gay or bissexual, he never was. Acctualy he was "married" 3 or 4 times, all straight marriages. He's a straight guy (with or without make-up). He lived 4 years with Ariane (1980-1984), then he got married with Manuela, an italian girl. After Manuela he has an affair with Gabi Becker, AV's backing vocal, and he had a daugther with her in 1998. Now he's living with a swedish girl in Berlin.
    "My man" is the english slang for "my drug dealer", there's nothing gay about that.
    I know that Marian used to have that androgynous style but believe me, he's totally straight.
  • Steve from Plymouth,Don-why can't his "man" be a gay heroin dealer? Big In Japan is obviously referring to someone delusional about their double life. That could be referring to a closeted gay man.

    Could just as easily be referring to addict. Addicts have been known to sell their bodies. That would explain the line "Pay, then I sleep by your side".
  • Reza from Shiraz, Iranit was a big hit in my country in the 80"s (in iran) everybody was murmuring it on those days without knowing the meaning.great music great voice but of course not a very successful band
  • Cristian from Santiago, ChileThis song was recorded by SANDRA (Michael Cretu's Wife) on 1984 too. Was called "Japan Ist Weit" and it was her first solo single after left ARABESQUE (her first group).
    Take a look...

    http://www.discogs.com/release/255409
  • Flavio from Sao Paulo, BrazilWell before late than never...
    Maybe this letter can have some kind of subliminar message, I mean if we consider the fact of the members that band they are Germans...
    Well dispite the all things allredy read can be a Neo Nazi propaganda...
    But still beautyfull
  • Don from Huntingotn Beach, CaI was heavy into the Southern California Gay Club Scene in the 80's and we knew immediately that "big in Japan" meant gay. We were already using that expression for more than a year before the song came out.

    Clearly "I will wait here for my man" does NOT refer to his drug dealer.
  • Carlos from Lima, PeruBig In Japan is a marvelous song, so is Sounds Like a melody, but we can't deny that this band was never that successful as others belonging to that music era. Anyway, nice melodies, perhaps we could include here "Forever Young", but it has nothing to do witht the previous ones mentioned.
  • Matic from Ljubljana, EuropeBig in Japan was released in January 1984. See: http://www.alphaville.de/disco/singles.htm

    But my favorite Alphaville song is "Sounds like a melody", especially second part. :) Hope that there will be soon songfacts for this song.
  • B from Brooklyn, NyI have been searching the web and I keep finding different release dates for this song. But when I stopped to think, I realized that everyone has it wrong, including, sorry to say, Song Facts. I (still) have a tape that an old friend made for me back around 1982/83 just before we lost contact with each other and on this tape happens to be BIG IN JAPAN. I believe it's by Alphaville because I've seen the video and it's the same arranngment and the same voice. My problem with this whole thing is that everything I've seen on the web regarding Alphaville shows nothing before 1984. ???(picture me lifting my shoulders [and my eyebrows] in an I-don't-know-do you kind o' way.)
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Strange Magnetics

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

La La Brooks of The Crystals

La La Brooks of The CrystalsSong Writing

The lead singer on "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," La La explains how and why Phil Spector replaced The Crystals with Darlene Love on "He's A Rebel."

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.