Why do Japanese People...?

Question

Speak in Japanese and English in most of their J-Pop songs?

Think about it.
If we spoke in English and Spanish in our songs, It would sound REALLY cheesy.

I'm confused.

Yeah.
I love Japan.
I was just wondering though...

Answer 1

You can find same phenomenon in Hongkong, Taiwan, Korea and China as well.
Short English sentences make the local ppl who don't understand English feel the song more pop or cool.
It's kind a fashion among East Asia.
And unfortunately, most Japanese don't understand the meaning when they heard the short sentenses.Very funny.

Your posting made me remember a song of Queen. They were singing in Japanese. I thinlk it is really cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSGuMfv24xA

Answer 2

There are some pop songs which are English/Spanish, and I think they are pretty cool, actually. There are also some that mix French and English. It gives the song a cosmopolitan flavor, and in theory, the Japanese speak English. (-: There's six years of required English classes for most people, after all!

What I hate is the BAD English. Morning Musume's "Hold-on-me." Or their song that says something like "Dancing all through the night" (from Love Machine), but the way they sing it, there's no way a native speaker can sing it properly. The rhythm is totally messed up.

But, like someone said, I'm not their target audience. They are playing to the kiddies who only have four or five years of English, and want to have fun. I'm trying not to be Grinch-like about it.

Answer 3

How do you think the French feel when they hear their language being mixed into English songs like Lady Marmalade or Michelle? How do you think Japanese feel when they hear Styx sing "Doumo arigatou Mr. Roboto"? Actually, it's irrelevant because the French and Japanese are not the primary audience. The foreign language is inserted to give the lyrics a different feel. The same thing applies to J-Pop and English.

Answer 4

its a fashion music style. Sounds cool, just as some English songs have other languages mixed into them.
Sometimes, if the singer is fluent, it may be easier to express a feeling in another langage. For example, I can express myself in Japanese in a short phrase, that I would have to us a long english one for the same idea, and visa versa.
In fact, not all Jpop uses English, just a genre that may be catering to young teens

Answer 5

For non-english speaking nation, adding common english verse such as, "Love U" "Missing U" "Make me cry" and to sometime rhymes with the words in a song, seem appealling to the young. And it takes more than these few words to express the same feeling in Japanese, chinese or cantonese.

Answer 6

Well, I find that it sounds really well. Some Artists, like Utada Hikaru, can speak both Japanese and English, and they like to use that in their music. I don't see the problem with it.

Answer 7

Those songs are a kick to sing in karaoke though!! So funny! Some artists can actually speak E, but others. . .well, I wouldn't have identified it as E when I first heard it.

"You are my only, you are my treasure, Keep to me alway, blah blah blah!!!"

Answer 8

it's just cool. and it's fun singing them in karaoke if you pronounce the english words all katakana-ish like love = raabu.

Answer 9

americans admire the japanese culture and the japanese admire the american culture. weird, huh?