Omar Khalid
Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi released the song Plastic Love on April 25, 1984. It was the second track on her album 'Variety', which was released the same year. Despite its modest success upon release, the song gained newfound popularity in the 2010s, largely due to a fan-made remix uploaded to YouTube in 2017. The song's viral success not only boosted interest in Takeuchi's work but also sparked a revival of the city pop genre.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Mariya Takeuchi |
| Release Date | 25 April 1984 |
| Genre | City Pop |
| Album | Variety |
| Chart Position | 86 on the Japanese music charts |
| Chart Position (Decades Later) | Broke into Japan's top ten sales chart |
| YouTube Views (2018) | 20 million |
| YouTube Views (2021) | 40 million |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic Love's release date
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released on 25 April 1984 as part of her sixth studio album, "Variety".
Takeuchi wrote and sang "Plastic Love", and her husband, Tatsuro Yamashita, produced it. The song was initially only a modest success in Japan, charting at 86 on the Japanese music charts. However, in the 2010s, it became a global sensation.
In 2017, a fan-made remix of the track was uploaded to YouTube by a user known as Plastic Lover. The video accumulated 24 million views before being taken down for a copyright issue with the photographer, Alan Levenson, whose work was used as the video's thumbnail. On 17 May 2019, Warner Music Japan released a short version of an official music video for the song, 35 years after its initial release. A longer, five-minute version was released on 11 November 2021.
"Plastic Love" has been credited as the catalyst for the 21st-century revival of city pop. It has received critical acclaim, with Noisey calling it "the best pop song in the world".
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The song's writer and singer
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer and songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. She wrote and sang the song, which was produced by her husband, Tatsuro Yamashita, in 1984. Takeuchi is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the city pop genre and has been dubbed the "Queen of City Pop". She is also deemed one of the best-selling music artists in Japan, with over 16 million records sold.
Takeuchi's creative process involved writing songs of different genres, such as rock, folk, and country music. For "Plastic Love", she aimed to create a danceable city pop song with 16 beats and lyrics capturing urban life. The song was recorded and mixed at Onkio Haus in Ginza, Tokyo, and released as the third single from her sixth studio album, "Variety", on March 25, 1985.
The lyrics of "Plastic Love" depict a woman who has been scorned by her lover and embraces a hollow, hedonistic lifestyle. Despite its upbeat arrangement, the song conveys melancholic emotions. Takeuchi described the song's character as "lost [in] the man she truly loves" and unable to shake the resulting loneliness. This contrast between the music and the lyrics has been described as capturing "a specific breed of loneliness: of being broken yet surrounded, lost to the night in fancy shoes and dresses; seeking out love beneath glowing lights while tip-toeing around the fear of commitment".
The song "Plastic Love" experienced a resurgence in popularity in the late 2010s, decades after its initial release. This was largely due to an eight-minute fan-made remix that went viral on YouTube, accumulating over 22 million views before being removed due to a copyright strike. The song's popularity sparked a resurgence of interest in the city pop genre, particularly among Western audiences.
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Its producer
"Plastic Love" was written, sung, and arranged by Mariya Takeuchi and produced by her husband, Tatsuro Yamashita, in 1984. Takeuchi is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and record producer, who has sold over 16 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. She is deemed the "Queen of City Pop" and an influential figure in the genre.
Takeuchi was born in Taisha, Hikawa district, now the city of Izumo, Shimane, and attended Keio University. She signed with RCA in 1978, releasing five albums under the label, including her chart-topping third effort "Love Songs" (1980). She terminated her contract with RCA in 1981 and announced a temporary hiatus. In 1982, she married singer and songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita. She signed with Moon Records in 1984 and internationally released her sixth studio album "Variety" that same year to commercial success.
Tatsuro Yamashita, the producer of "Plastic Love," is also a singer and songwriter. He is known as the King of City Pop. He has worked with Takeuchi on several recordings, including the song "Heart to Heart" from her 1980 album "Miss M." The song was given English lyrics and retitled "Now." It was recorded by The Carpenters and became the last recording by Karen Carpenter before her death.
"Plastic Love" was recorded and mixed at Onkio Haus in Ginza, Tokyo. It was included on Takeuchi's sixth studio album, "Variety", released in 1984. The song is considered the best-known example of the city pop genre, which is associated with the strong Japanese economy of the 1970s and 1980s. It blends numerous genres of Western popular music and is known for its pairing of shimmery vocals with funky production.
The song gained a new wave of popularity in the 2010s, decades after its original release, due to a fan-made remix that went viral on YouTube. It broke into Japan's top ten sales chart and received an official music video release by Warner Music Japan.
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The album it featured on
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released on 25 April 1984 and featured on her album "Variety", which was also released in 1984. The album was Takeuchi's sixth studio album and was released internationally under Moon Records.
"Variety" showcased a refined, mature sound, largely produced by Takeuchi's husband, Tatsuro Yamashita. The album was a commercial success and reached number one on the Japanese Oricon chart. It was released while Takeuchi was pregnant, and the song "Plastic Love" only reached number 86 on the Japanese music charts at the time.
"Plastic Love" has since become a cult classic and is considered one of the songs representing the "city pop" genre. The song's popularity led to a resurgence of interest in the city pop genre outside of Japan, with international fans becoming enchanted with the smooth, nostalgic sound of city pop and seeking out more music from artists like Takeuchi.
Takeuchi is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the city pop genre and has been dubbed the Queen of City Pop. With over 16 million records sold, she is one of the best-selling music artists in Japan.
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The song's genre
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released on 25 April 1984 as part of her album "Variety", which was her first release after a three-year hiatus.
The song is considered to be part of the "city pop" genre, which emerged in Japan during the 1980s. City pop is a blend of various musical styles, including synth-pop, new wave, jazz, and disco, with some Western influence. The genre reflected the cosmopolitan lifestyle and modern cities of Japan at the time, and "Plastic Love" is considered to be one of the defining songs of this genre.
Despite being released in 1984, "Plastic Love" did not gain widespread popularity until the 2010s. In 2017, a fan-made remix of the song was uploaded to YouTube, where it garnered 24 million views before being taken down due to a copyright issue. This sparked a new wave of interest in the song, and it soon broke into Japan's top ten sales charts, decades after its initial release.
The song has been described as having a hypnotic groove and a catchy melody, with lyrics that explore the feelings of loneliness and the hollow nature of plastic love. Its viral success not only boosted interest in Mariya Takeuchi's work but also sparked a broader revival of city pop as a genre, both within and outside Japan.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic Love was released on 25 April 1984.
Plastic Love was initially only a modest success in Japan. However, in the 2010s, the song went viral and became a global sensation. This was partly due to a fan-made remix uploaded to YouTube in 2017, which garnered 24 million views before being taken down. The song's popularity also sparked a revival of interest in the city pop genre.
According to Takeuchi, the song is about a woman who lost her true love. She explained: "No matter how many other guys would pursue her, she couldn’t shake the feelings of loneliness that the loss created."
