Go Big or Go Home - "Big in Japan"

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When German synth pop band Alphaville released their 1984 single, “Big in Japan,” they weren’t even finished writing the rest of their debut album, Forever Young. The unknown group ended up with a hit on their hands - the song charted at the top in 6 countries. In the States, iit fared better on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart (#1) than it did on the Hot 100 (#66.) The song is not, however, about Japan, or even being big in Japan, as the saying goes. In fact, the song’s title comes from Holly Johnson’s (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) former band, Big in Japan. The phrase, as used here, is a metaphor for wanting to be successful in a different world. Because the song is actually about two junkies. Vocalist Marian Gold witnessed junkie culture first-hand while living in what was then West Berlin. The lyrics point to it. The mention of the Zoo, for instance. In Berlin, junkies do their business at places like the train station and the zoo (as probably in other parts of the world as well. But I have witnessed junkies shooting up at the train station in Frankfurt, so he isn’t lying.) Gold, who wrote most of the song while at the dentist, based the tune around two people he knew at that time. Junkie culture at its most cryptic. Link is to the official promotional video: