City Pop Returns — Japan Story Part 2

In 1980s, city pop was emerged in Japan and it was faded during recessions in 1990s. Then, city pop music was revived again in 2010s and still to be listen until today. Source: Vintage Everyday.

There is an office worker who walks in the Shibuya after long hours of work. He left his car in the office and just want to get some fresh air. He was feeling really tired. Not because of the weather, but due to amount of works in his office. Meetings with clients from Europe and America, writing lot of reports and pursuing the deadlines of some assignment which soon to be presented in front of his boss in the next two days. After he walks quite far from the office, he is returned to get his car and back to home. When he walks back to the office, he is looking all the buildings surrounding him with neon lights are began turned on. Then, after he arrived in his office building, he went straight into his car with the music player was turned on and playing “Stay With Me” by Miki Matsubara. While he’s driving back to his home, with the music still playing, Tokyo is began to show its true colors at night. Neon lights with famous branded products and places were decorating Tokyo while the pedestrians are full of people were finding the foods, the youths were hangout, the office worker were going to the station and back to home or went to the bar for celebrations of their achievements while the roads are full of cars. It was a very busy night in Tokyo, even the work hours are done.

That was a description of my imagination when I’m listening city pop music compilation in YouTube. I feel like I had a time traveling back to Japan in 1980s. The city pop music still amaze me and it become one of my favorite music genres. My journey with city pop music when I was listening the song from Mariya Takeuchi “Plastic Love” in 2017. At that time, I’m also listening another music genre called lo-fi and jazz chill hip-hop (jazz chillhop) as part of my “getaway” place when I feel tired of campus life. Ever since I listening Plastic Love, I went into deep of city pop music and began to explore another songs than Mariya Takeuchi which turns out I got so much references on city pop songs and it is very enjoyable apart from Mariya Takeuchi such as Miki Matsubara “Stay With Me”, or Anri “Remember Summer Days” and “Last Summer Whispers” even I’m also listening several good cover music of Plastic Love, Last Summer Whispers and Plastic Love. Apart from the music, the “city pop vibes” is began to revived along with new genre categories such as vaporwave and future funk.

Mariya Takeuchi (left) song, Plastic Love (right) is to be known the early start of the city pop music revival in 2010s through YouTube and it has many of her song covers by many peoples. Source: Personal documentation.

Today, city pop music was loved by younger generation especially for the peoples who are lived in big cities, they are love to listening this song during the work, study or relax time. But, why the city pop music is very popular today rather than its time in the end of 1970s and 1980s in Japan? And why the city pop music is so attracting to every listeners, especially for the people in the cities? To find that answers, we had to look back to the roots of the city pop music and the situation that was evolved during the height of its popularity in Japan during 1980s. There is no consensus on the definition of city pop, but this music genre was came on with the fusion of northern soul, southern R&B, jazz fusion along with Hawaiian and Okinawan tropical vibes through the formation of group band called Tin Pan Alley in mid-1970s under the creation of Haruomi Hisono which also to be considered as figure for the creation of city pop music genre which led to its popularity in 1980s. Another figure who contribute to popularized the city pop genre is Tatsuhiro Yamashita who are the husband of Mariya Takeuchi.

The city pop music was starting popular in late 1970s and reach its peak of popularity throughout the 1980s which was contributed to the rising of city pop star such as Tatsuro Yamashita, Miki Matsubara, Anri, Taeko Onuki, Mariya Takeuchi, Junko Ohashi and others. The part of the popularity of city pop in 1980s was caused by the peak of economic growth which makes Japan as the economy powerhouse in Asia region and potential to be the leader of Asia. Several cities in Japan such as capital city of Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka become the most populated area during the 1980s and due to lot of promising jobs in big cities which makes the young generation at that time were moved from small towns to the cities. The migration of youth generation to the big cities was creating an incoming workforce which enable the big companies of Japan to recruiting more employees. The job salaries in the cities were promising because Japanese yen currency were very strong against U.S. dollar in the 1980s which also the beginning of crisis.

Tokyo at night during the 1980s. This scenery was part of the sign of successful economy growth in Japan since post-World War II. Source: Reddit.

The successful Japanese economy which led to the big profits for the Japanese companies also bring the detrimental effect beside the upcoming bubble crisis in the mid-1980s, but also to the stressful life for the peoples who lived in big cities, especially Tokyo. They couldn’t find the perfect “getaway place”, although the big companies were already give a big bonuses to its employees which enabling them to staying in five-star hotels, dinner in expensive bar and restaurants, buying cars, branded stuffs and high-end apartment in strategic area which led to the excessive life. But, behind the excessive life during the height of Japanese economy in 1980s comes with the stressful mind that carried by the workers such as pursuit of perfection, on-time schedule for every works and also unpredicted pressure from their superiors which led to the ordinary office or labor workers to find a reachable “getaway place” and it was landed on the city pop music who offers for the “urbans” to “escaping” from the excessive and stressful works in the midst of cosmopolitan life in Japanese big cities which is the reason why city pop music was popular among urban peoples throughout 1980s.

However, Japanese asset price bubble was happened in the mid-1980s which led to the downfall of Japanese yen and Tokyo Stocks Exchange due to overvalued of Japanese yen against U.S. dollar which led to the expensive prices especially land price across Japan including Tokyo. It is said that because of Japanese yen was very strong against the U.S. dollar, the price of a square of land in front of Tokyo Imperial Palace was worth more than the state of California. The Japanese government had to “surrendered” themselves due to overvalue of Japanese yen in international currency through the Plaza Accord on September 22, 1985 as an agreement between member of G7 countries. After the bubble, Japan was entered into the decades of recession throughout 1990s and it is known as the Lost Decade. Along with the bubble, city pop music become unpopular and it was faded in the early 1990s during the Lost Decade.

Japan asset price bubble led to the downfall of Japanese major companies stocks in the mid 1980s and led to the recession period in 1990s known as the Lost Decade. Source: South China Morning Post.

However, the city pop music was making its epic comeback in 2010s with artists such as Mariya Takeuchi with her song “Plastic Love” and it become a touchstone for samples music genre of vaporwave and future funk. The city pop also gained again its popularity through the algorithms created by YouTube to direct the users and visitors to listening city pop just like my first encounter experience with city pop music. In the end, this music genre gained its popularity again because of the same climate that happens in the Japan 1980s also exist in the modern era which is the stressful urban life. City pop music has offered the music experience that makes its listeners were not just feel nostalgic, but also had the sensation of time-traveling back to the Japan in 1980s which it becomes the part of “getaway”. I’m not surprised when this music is also used in lo-fi and jazz chillhop because the city pop offered the relaxation and relieve in the instant ways due to the fast-pace urban life that needs a “get away” during the work hours or after hours.

In present day, especially for the peoples who lived in big cities who had an experience of urban life needs an instant “getaway” place. What I means about the people in big cities are meaning everyone from youth to adult generation who had an encountered with urban life. There are many options for urban people to choose their “get away” place such as city park, theme park, malls or museums and other attraction places but still it doesn’t satisfy them because they need a money to get in the place or need a transportation vehicles to get to that “getaway place”. However, for some people who can afford more money, they choose to travel other places than cities either using airplanes, car or cruise ship to go to their “getaway place”.

Urban life has consumed the people to forgot that they need some “get away” for a relaxation and satisfaction that can be offered in instant way through city pop music. Source: CTV News.

But, in the modern era which everything are moved fast from the information until the lifestyle which it demands anything to be presented instantaneously. People in the urban area lived with that kind of lifestyle and somehow they manage to get on with it, but deep in their hearts and minds, they need something to satisfying them and makes them had a relaxation for a moment which also needs to be instant. And that’s where the city pop comes into the urban life just as same with people in 1980s and it brings a tremendous effect which makes people feel comfortable, relaxed and satisfied of their mental needs. Thanks to the modern technology, the city pop music can be searched and listened more and more again through their phones, tablets, or computers and PCs and it can be carried in any time, any place and any moment either in the workplace or in the house or in the cafe. Personally, city pop music gave me a mind relaxation apart from the meditation and also become a mood booster to get on work every day in any time and any place. I am highly recommending you to listen city pop music for your “getaway place” in the midst of our urban life.

Well, this is just my Thoughts from the Closet