Song · Alphaville
“Big in Japan” by Alphaville
From the album Forever Young (1984)
“Big in Japan” by Alphaville appears on 17 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1984 and 2023. It was first released in 1984 on the album Forever Young. Its best result is #23 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1984. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #59 alternative song of 1984 and #1,452 alternative song of all time.
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"Big in Japan" was Alphaville's debut single, and it did the job so well that the German synth-pop band got to make a whole album on the strength of it, 1984's Forever Young. Marian Gold wrote the words and sings them in a grand, aching croon, Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens co-wrote the music and handle the keyboards, and Lloyd's drum machine ticks away like a pulse under glass. Wolfgang Loos arranged, recorded and mixed it, and co-produced with Andreas Budde and Colin Pearson.
It was a hit in West Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, went to number eight in Britain, their only visit to the UK top 75, and topped the US Hot Dance Club Play chart that December. In 2022 Gold called it a privilege to still have it to play on tour.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 23 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1984 | 106 |
All-time and decade countdowns
Also listed as: Big In Japan.
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