Chloe Zhang
Plastic Love is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi from her 1984 album Variety. It was released as a single on March 25, 1985, and reached #85 on the Oricon Singles Chart. The song resurfaced on YouTube in 2017, gaining popularity due to its frequent recommendations by the platform's algorithm. With its catchy vibes, nostalgic 1980s vibe, and Takeuchi's vocals echoing tones of bliss and loneliness, Plastic Love has become a viral hit, leading to an international resurgence of interest in city pop music.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Mariya Takeuchi |
| Genre | J-pop, City pop |
| Language | Japanese |
| Album | Variety |
| Album Release Date | 25 April 1984 |
| Single Release Date | 25 March 1985 |
| Peak Position on Oricon Singles Chart | 85 or 86 |
| Number of Copies Sold | 10,000 |
| Number of YouTube Views (as of 2021) | 55 million |
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What You'll Learn
'Plastic Love' is not from an anime
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released in 1984 as part of her comeback album "Variety", which became one of her most successful albums. "Plastic Love" was later released as a single on March 25, 1985, and reached #85 on the Oricon Singles Chart.
The song is a classic example of "city pop", a genre described as "music made by city people, for city people". It combines an upbeat arrangement with melancholic lyrics that describe a woman embracing a hollow, hedonistic lifestyle after being scorned by a lover. The song's unique blend of catchy vibes and wistful lyrics has given it a lasting appeal, with fans creating various remixes and covers that have circulated widely online.
Despite its popularity, "Plastic Love" is not associated with any anime series or film. The confusion may arise from the song's anime-esque album cover artwork, which features a young school girl with a radiant smile. Additionally, the song's nostalgic and dreamy vibe may evoke a sense of anime-like fantasy. However, the song is simply a standalone J-pop/city pop track and does not belong to any anime soundtrack or storyline.
It is worth noting that "Plastic Love" has gained a cult following, especially on online platforms like YouTube, DeviantArt, and Tumblr. The song's resurgence in the late 2010s can be attributed to the YouTube algorithm frequently recommending an eight-minute remix version. By 2019, this version had received over 22 million views, and the song's popularity continued to grow, leading to an international resurgence of interest in city pop music.
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The song is by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi
"Plastic Love" is a song by the Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. Takeuchi wrote and sang the song, which was released in 1984 as part of her comeback album, "Variety". The song was later released as a single on March 25, 1985, and reached #85 on the Oricon Singles Chart.
The song is classified as "city pop," a genre described as "music made by city people, for city people." It has an upbeat arrangement that contrasts with melancholic lyrics, depicting a woman embracing a hollow lifestyle after being scorned by a lover. Takeuchi expressed surprise at the song's popularity among foreign listeners, given that it was mostly performed in Japanese.
"Plastic Love" has experienced several comebacks and resurgences in popularity over the years. In 2017, an extended version of the song went viral on YouTube, gaining over 24 million views before being removed due to a copyright strike. The song's popularity led to an international resurgence of interest in city pop music. In 2021, the full-length official music video was uploaded to YouTube, and the reissued 12-inch single broke the top ten sales chart in Japan.
The song's popularity has sparked various fan-made remixes, artwork, and threads on online platforms such as DeviantArt, Tumblr, and 4chan. It has gained Mariya Takeuchi a cult following, with her performance and the song's catchy vibes contributing to its viral success.
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It was released in 1984 on Takeuchi's album 'Variety'
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released in 1984 on Takeuchi's album "Variety". The song is considered J-pop and city pop, a genre described as "music made by city people, for city people". The song's lyrics were written by Takeuchi and arranged by Tatsuro Yamashita.
"Plastic Love" was released as the third single from "Variety" on March 25, 1985, reaching number 85 or 86 on the Oricon Singles Chart and selling around 10,000 copies. The song has since gained a cult following, with fans creating fan art, fan-made English-language lyrics, and retro-futuristic 'vaporwave' remixes that have circulated widely online.
In the late 2010s, an eight-minute remix of "Plastic Love" went viral on YouTube, receiving over 20 million views by 2019 and over 55 million views by 2021 before being removed due to a copyright strike. The song's popularity led to an international resurgence of interest in city pop and J-pop music from the 1980s.
"Plastic Love" has had multiple comebacks and revivals since its original release, with extended versions of the song going viral on YouTube and breaking the top ten sales chart in Japan in 2021. The song's official music video was also released on YouTube in 2021, further adding to its popularity.
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The song went viral on YouTube in 2017
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi from her 1984 album, "Variety". Written by Takeuchi and arranged by Tatsuro Yamashita, it was released as the album's third single on March 25, 1985.
In the late 2010s, an eight-minute remix of "Plastic Love" went viral on YouTube after being frequently recommended by the platform's algorithm. The remixed version was uploaded by the anonymous YouTube account ""Plastic Lover"" in 2017. By 2019, it had received over 22 million views, and it received over 55 million views by 2021 before being removed due to a copyright strike.
The song's popularity on YouTube led to an international resurgence of interest in city pop. The video's thumbnail photo, a wistful black-and-white headshot of Takeuchi taken from a different single, is thought to have contributed to its viral status. This same picture is ultimately what led to the video's removal from the site in 2018 after the photographer, Alan Levenson, filed a copyright strike.
The song's popularity on YouTube was such that it sparked a global obsession with the funky, carefree genre known as city pop. The "breakout popularity" of city pop led record labels in Japan to re-issue albums, as well as to issue new features and music videos, with sales in the genre "flourishing" on both CD and vinyl formats.
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The song's popularity led to a resurgence of interest in city pop
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released as the third single from her 1984 album, "Variety", on March 25, 1985. The song is a city pop track with an upbeat, disco-infused tempo and melancholic lyrics. Upon its initial release, the single reached number 86 on the Oricon Singles Chart in Japan.
In the late 2010s, an eight-minute remix of "Plastic Love" went viral on YouTube, with over 55 million views by 2021. The song's popularity led to a resurgence of interest in city pop, a genre associated with the strong Japanese economy of the 1970s and 1980s. The smooth, nostalgic sound of city pop, with its sleek production values and blend of Western popular music, captivated international fans. This led to a broader revival of the genre, with fans seeking out music from artists like Takeuchi, Tatsuro Yamashita, Anri, and Miki Matsubara.
The popularity of "Plastic Love" and its fan-made remixes have been described as an "important site of virtual commentary, as urban love stories for those who yearn for an idealised past from the present". The song's duality of upbeat music and sorrowful lyrics resonated deeply with audiences worldwide, becoming an anthem for online communities, particularly within the vaporwave and future funk movements.
The viral success of "Plastic Love" boosted interest in Takeuchi's work and sparked a broader revival of city pop. In 2019, Warner Music Japan released an official music video for the song, over three decades after its debut. The song's popularity also led to the uploading of other city pop songs on YouTube, such as "Stay With Me" by Miki Matsubara, and record labels in Japan re-issuing albums and releasing new features and music videos.
"Plastic Love" and city pop's increasing popularity among Western audiences have been noted by critics, with the song described as a "representative track" of the genre. The song's popularity has been attributed to its discovery by the underground club music community and its spread on social media platforms like TikTok.
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Frequently asked questions
"Plastic Love" is not from an anime. It is a 1984 J-pop song by Japanese singer/songwriter Mariya Takeuchi from her album "Variety".
"Plastic Love" resurfaced and went viral on YouTube in 2017. The song's popularity has been attributed to its catchy vibe, earworm appeal, and the iconic portrait used in the video.
The lyrics of "Plastic Love" describe a woman who embraces a hollow, hedonistic lifestyle after being scorned by a true love. The song highlights the inauthenticity of a romantic relationship due to self-centeredness and the consequences of such a bond breaking.
