Big In Japan

In a 1998 interview with the German online magazine Re.flexion, Alphaville lead signer Marian Gold explained: "I must admit the only ones who understood the meaning of the song correctly were Bernhard (Lloyd) and our then publisher Andy Budde. Bernhard recognized the quality of the song and Andy the ability of its marketing. 'Big In Japan' tells about a couple of lovers trying to get off Heroin. They both imagine how great it would be to love without the drug: no steal, no clients, no ice age in the pupil, real emotions, true worlds. Till nowadays Berlin station Zoo is an important meeting place for junkies. That's why this place became a venue of the song. In 1977 I was quite regular in a club in Kreuzberg, the SO36. I hoped to meet David Bowie. There was the rumor he would be in Berlin for withdrawal treatment in that period. There was a fellow, who sold stuff of independent bands from US and UK. I bought the album of a British band named Big In Japan. "Big in Japan" meant so much as if you are nothing in your environs, you can be big somewhere else. You can be a king in another world. And if you aren't that, you can tell it at home. Japan is so far away. Anyway that statement fit perfectly to the story of the couple of lovers. So I used it for the refrain of the song. It was strange: as we released the song later, Frankie Goes To Hollywood was the #1 in the charts with "Relax" and we needed some weeks to edge them out. And Holly Johnson, the singer of the band, was the singer of this band "Big in Japan," who I stole the line some years ago, before he came to Frankie Goes To Hollywood."

In a 1998 interview with the German online magazine Re.flexion, Alphaville lead signer Marian Gold explained: 'Big In Japan' tells about a couple of lovers trying to get off Heroin. They both imagine how great it would be to love without the drug: no steal, no clients, no ice age in the pupil, real emotions, true worlds. Till nowadays Berlin station Zoo is an important meeting place for junkies. That's why this place became a venue of the song. In 1977 I was quite regular in a club in Kreuzberg, the SO36. I hoped to meet David Bowie. There was the rumor he would be in Berlin for withdrawal treatment in that period. There was a fellow, who sold stuff of independent bands from US and UK. I bought the album of a British band named Big In Japan. "Big in Japan" meant so much as if you are nothing in your environs, you can be big somewhere else. You can be a king in another world. And if you aren't that, you can tell it at home. Japan is so far away. Anyway that statement fit perfectly to the story of the couple of lovers. So I used it for the refrain of the song.

It's confusing because you hear a male singing "I will wait here for my man tonight", and also "pay, and I'll sleep by your side" so it's easy to think of male prostitution. That could just be the male lead singer singing from the point of the woman in the song though.

When I first heard it in '84 I assumed it was a bout a businessman visiting Japan and then having a good time in the evenings with drugs and prostitution.

It's great to see so many different interpretations of this song. Music rules!

The phrase Big in Japan is not literal. It means that when you are different from the others - better looking - then you are popular: "Big in Japan"

The Zoo may well be the drug hangout referenced in another comment, but the song is not about two lovers trying to come off drugs. It's about a male prostitute who is very popular - and he's hanging out where his tricks usually pick him up.

"Pay!" Then I'll sleep by your side." He's a prostitute, he'll sleep with a man for money.

He knows what he does is not for love:

"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 "

The sex was "done" to him, he was not made love to. It was a trick.

The singer is not sure if he likes what he does, but it's his life.

Marion gold may have said it was about people coming off drugs in an interview in the 80's when it came out, but that is because the subject of male prostitution as a song topic would have been objectionable to most, so he put a spin on it to make it more palatable.

i'm surprised that something that i thought i knew for sure from 80's that is under consideration. Well guys, my opinion about the meaning of the song is that is about prostitution, not male, but regular female prostitution. Everybody who's more than 50 years old, knows that in 80's while you were nobody at US or europe, you were somebody very importand in japan, just for the reason that you are from west, due to the maddness of japaness for the west culture. This phenomenon happened to many aspects of the socity, from the rock bands up το hookers. Hundreds of girls where exported from europe and US in order to became anonymus whores for few days or weeks in japan and come back home a little bit more rich. In 80s a couple of hours with a beautifull european or US girl was several hundreds of dollars. That is the real meaning of the song Big in Japan...

Male prostitution? I really wouldn't know. I can only tell you: it's easy, easy when you're big in Japan.

I think this song is about male prostitution as well.

Eventually, I listened my 20-year-long-best live in Istanbul last month! There was a naked Asian young lady cartoon on the stage. So it should be related with sexuality.