J-pop and English

[SugoiBoy]

The English language often shows up in J-pop from appearing in group names to being in some of the lyrics. Honestly, sometimes the results seem a bit odd to native speakers of English.

Do you have any favorite examples of the interaction between J-pop and English?

 

[User#6517]

They’re a K-Pop group, but 2NE1 made a J-Pop album a few years ago. One of the songs that they changed was “I Am The Best”. It’s kinda weird because the chorus is in Korean, the rap is in English, and the rest of the song is in Japanese.



These lyrics made me laugh:

“It's 2 in the morning
Everybody’s gettin freaky
This beat's bumpin loud
But this boy keeps talking
I can't really hear him
But I think he say he loves me
Put a number on his paper
But I throw it like a frisbee.”

 

[SugoiBoy]

They’re a K-Pop group, but 2NE1 made a J-Pop album a few years ago. One of the songs that they changed was “I Am The Best”. It’s kinda weird because the chorus is in Korean, the rap is in English, and the rest of the song is in Japanese.



These lyrics made me laugh:

“It's 2 in the morning
Everybody’s gettin freaky
This beat's bumpin loud
But this boy keeps talking
I can't really hear him
But I think he say he loves me
Put a number on his paper
But I throw it like a frisbee.”

Thanks for sharing.

I had heard other versions of that song before, but the Japanese version was new to me.

 

[SugoiBoy]

One of my favorite Japanese group names is that of the duo called "KinKi Kids."

https://www.johnnys-net.jp/page?id=artistTop&artist=8&lang=en_us

 

[Simonka]

They’re a K-Pop group, but 2NE1 made a J-Pop album a few years ago. One of the songs that they changed was “I Am The Best”. It’s kinda weird because the chorus is in Korean, the rap is in English, and the rest of the song is in Japanese.



These lyrics made me laugh:

“It's 2 in the morning
Everybody’s gettin freaky
This beat's bumpin loud
But this boy keeps talking
I can't really hear him
But I think he say he loves me
Put a number on his paper
But I throw it like a frisbee.”

Do people even write their number on a paper anymore? I only do that in the doctor’s office nowadays

 

[ShowaJidai]

The J-pop band name Bump of Chicken always leaves a huge "WTF?" on my mind. I can't even process what they were intending with that.

 

[Sudsy]

The J-pop band name Bump of Chicken always leaves a huge "WTF?" on my mind. I can't even process what they were intending with that.

It's a bad translation of torihada ( 鳥肌) - what we would call goose bumps or gooseflesh.

 

[SugoiBoy]

Another head-scratching name is "Acid Black Cherry."

http://www.acidblackcherry.com/

 

[User#8628]

Another head-scratching name is "Acid Black Cherry."

http://www.acidblackcherry.com/

I love them.

Don’t know whats so weird about it, its catchy and it shortens to ABC.
There are a lot of western bands with weird random names as well, like The Cardigans.

Another funny thing that i recently learned (sorry, this is about kpop again) is that they translate the meaning of BTS to Bulletproof Boy Scouts in English. The Korean name does literally mean bulletproof and a group of young boys, but the boy scout thing is really doing me in.

 

[User#8628]

Oh, if we are talking about weird band names, Mr. Children really freaks me out.

 

[Simonka]

Oh, if we are talking about weird band names, Mr. Children really freaks me out.

That band name reminds me of those creepy clowns you’d occasionally see in your closet during childhood..

 

[Sudsy]

That band name reminds me of those creepy clowns you’d occasionally see in your closet during childhood..

Clowns are just... creepy.

 

[faboo2001]

2 bands come to mind. Monkey Majik consists of 2 brothers from Canada, so the English they incorporate into their songs at least make sense for the most part. ONE OK ROCK has plenty of English in their songs as well, and I believe the vocalist took lessons so it's actually pretty clear and coherent.

Personal favourite will always be this song from South Park:

Sadly couldn't find a clip of the fight scene when the song was actually used

 

[Frenchy]

There is a Japanese band called « My Hair is Bad » so I guess anything goes, nowadays

 

[Acid Burn]

I’ve always been amused by the band name Porno Graffiti.

 

[Sudsy]

I’ve always been amused by the band name Porno Graffiti.

They actually ripped their name from the title of an Extreme album.

 

[SugoiBoy]

One of my favorite group names is "Arctic Monkeys." Of course, they are a rock band from England. Nothing to do with J-pop.

Somewhere I read that many acts in the West are resorting to unusual names these days because most of the more obvious ones have already been taken.

 

[Frenchy]

One of my favorite group names is "Arctic Monkeys." Of course, they are a rock band from England. Nothing to do with J-pop.
.

love them too! And as we are on the subject of silly names, Happy Mondays is one of the worst imo