The Vapors TURNING JAPANESE: Best New Wave Songs

Turning Japanese

Photo: By Alex Tora (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

If there ever was a song that could define the sound of the start of the New Wave era it would be the Vapors “Turning Japanese.” The song was issued in 1980 on the band’s New Clear Days album.The song “Turning Japanese.” reached the No 1 position on the music charts in Canada and Australia. As popular as the song was in the United States, it barely cracked the top 40 charts stalling at the No.36 position. However, the songs was a top 10 hit in the U.K , Ireland, and New Zealand. Chart success aside, it can be easily argued that the song has became ingrained in popular culture because of it’s lyrical content and use of the famous oriental riff in a rock and roll groove.

As with any successful popular song, many people will misinterpret the meaning behind the song’s catch phrase. However, it eventually was described by the band’s guitarist Rod Kemp as being a song simply describing the awful feeling of a broken heart. The pain that becomes so unbearable that actually makes you feel as if you were tuning into something else. Kemp described that the phrase “Turning Japanese,” could have easily had been Turning Lebanese or Turning Portuguese. There was nothing racial about it, it was simply trying to describe the pain of a broken heart. Yet the use of the oriental riff and the term Japaneses is what made the song so famous.

Sometimes you get lucky in the music business and the perfect song and arrangement just falls into place. For the Vapors they hit it big with one of the most original sounding songs of the New Wave era.  The band never had another hit after the success of “Turning Japanese.” They disbanded only a few years later. Yet their song “Turning Japanese,” remains one of the most famous songs of all time and a definite representation of the New Wave Era.

DON’T MISS A BEAT

Be the first to know when a new article is published

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Add Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

20 Best Songs About Winning And Success
20 Best Songs About Winning And Success
Supremes Songs
Top 10 Supremes Songs
Riley Green Songs
Complete List Of Riley Green Songs From A to Z
10 Best Songs For Lovers Only
10 Best Songs For Lovers Only
James Taylor Albums
Top 10 James Taylor Albums
10 Best Sounding Albums Of All Time
10 Best Sounding Albums Of All Time
116 Albums With Identical Titles By Different Artists
116 Albums With Identical Titles By Different Artists
10 Essential Live Rock Albums Composed Of 4 Or More Vinyl LPs
Rick Derringer dead at 77
Rock Legend Rick Derringer, Voice Behind “Hang On Sloopy” and Writer of “Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo,” Dies at 77
Zak Starkey Fired from The Who—Again
Zak Starkey Fired from The Who—Again
2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
Paul McCartney and Wings Songs
Wings at the Speed of Sound Soared to No. 1—49 Years Ago Today
Craig Goldy Interview
An Interview with Craig Goldy of Dio, David Lee Roth, Budgie, Rough Cutt & Giuffria
Paul Rodgers Interview
Paul Rodgers: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Kenney Jones Interview
Kenney Jones: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
An Interview With Luther Dickinson, Formerly Of The Black Crowes
Complete List Of Hellyeah Albums And Songs
Complete List Of Hellyeah Albums And Songs
Aerosmith Band
Why Aerosmith Is The Greatest American Rock Band Of All Time
Human Beinz Albums
Complete List Of The Human Beinz Albums And Songs
25 Most Famous Female British Singers Now!
25 Most Famous Female British Singers Now!
11 Classic Bands Who Returned With New Music After A Long Gap
11 Classic Bands Who Returned With New Music After A Long Gap
Complete List Of All Super Bowl Halftime Performers Since 1967
Complete List Of All Super Bowl Halftime Performers Since 1967
10 Gifts Not To Buy An Old-School Music Fan
10 Gifts Not To Buy An Old-School Music Fan
20 Worst Moments In Rock Music History
20 Worst Moments In Rock Music History
Three Dog Night 1968 Debut Album Review
Review Of Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Reissue
Review Of Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Reissue
10 Best Breakup Songs For Shattered Hearts
10 Best Breakup Songs For Shattered Hearts
Billy Idol Rebel Yell 40th Anniversary Vinyl Review