Why do Japanese songs have English words?
If you’re listening to some Japanese pop music, you may notice English words mixed in!
Why?
Although there are many other foreign languages… pop music culture is heavily influenced by American and British culture…
Which is one of the reasons why Japanese songs have English…
But there’s more.
Let’s take a look.
Reasons for English Lyrics
1. Familiarity
One of the biggest reasons for having English inside of Japanese songs is…
…simply because the English language is the most familiar to Japanese people.
They all study it in school after all.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a Japanese person that doesn’t know at least a few English words — yes, even if they can’t speak the language.
Plus, the Japanese language has many words borrowed from English.
For example, “air conditioner” which Japanese people call “ea kon” for short. Sounds like “air con.”
Other examples are “engine” or “enjin,” “computer” or “pasokon” and so on.
English is the most common language for loan words in Japanese.
So, from that point of view, it makes sense why English words would pop up in Japanese.
2. Style & Rhythm
The style also plays a big part in the choice of English lyrics.
English is considered to be a trendy and cosmopolitan language for Japanese people.
You may see English text on T-shirts and other accessories just to be in style.
By adding English words, a song has a bit of “flair”… that it wouldn’t otherwise if it was all in Japanese.
3. Overall Western Influence
As mentioned earlier…
The other reason is that modern Japanese pop music has been heavily influenced by American culture.
And more so, American music culture — whether hip hop, funk, disco, and so on.
For example, take City Pop, a famous Japanese genre from the 1970s.
City Pop was influenced by American funk, disco, and R&B.
Since the musical style is inspired by those genres, it is only natural that Japanese artists would also incorporate some of the language into it as well.
4. Singer’s Native Language
In some cases, a singer can be bilingual in English & Japanese.
This could prompt the artist to choose to sing in both languages.
A few notable artists and bands are…
- Angela Aki: spent her later childhood in Hawaii
- M-Flo: a band whose members all attended American international schools in Japan.
- Utada Hikaru: was born in the U.S. to Japanese parents.
These artists heavily borrow from the English language in their songs as it comes naturally to them.
5. Broader Audiences
Another reason, for English lyrics is the broader potential for audiences.
If a song is in English, it is more likely for those outside of Japan to listen to it.
A notable example is Babymetal, a Japanese kawaii metal band.
Their song Elevator Girl, has an English version for their fans abroad.
This brings artists closer to international audiences and can also be enjoyable for their Japanese audiences.
Examples of English Lyrics
Let’s look at some examples of Japanese songs with English words.
1. “Lullaby” by Evisbeats
- Romaji: Ebisugao de chill suru orera ni feel
- Meaning: Chilling with smiling faces, how we feel.
2. “Come Again” by m-flo
In my biased opinion…
M-flo is one of the best examples of fluent English and Japanese weaved in together.
- Romaji: “Anna yatsu hottokina Girl there’s so much to see”
- Meaning: Don’t bother with them, girl there’s so much to see.
In this line of the song, it goes back and forth between English and Japanese quite frequently.
The translation of the romaji is “Don’t bother with them” and it is referencing what the main singer’s friend is telling her about a guy she’s into.
The English part of the lyrics is referencing how there are others out there.
3. “Sekai ni hitotsudake no hana” by SMAP
- Romaji: “nanbaa wan ni nara nakutemo ii moto moto tokubetsu na onrii wan”
- Meaning: You don’t have to be number one, you’re already the only one.
This is one of the most famous Japanese pop songs in Japan.
It uses the words “number one” and “only one” in the lyrics.
This seems to work well as the whole song is in Japanese but those words are still relatable and understandable to Japanese audiences.
The rhyme also works nicely with the repetition of “one”.
4. “Pon pon pon”by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
- Romaji: “Sousou iiko you make me happy”
- Meaning: Yes yes good girl, you make me happy
In this song, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu uses English to add more style to her song.
In this case, it doesn’t seem to mean anything but adds to the quirky effect of the song.
5. “Tegami” by Angela Aki
- Romaji: “Osorezu ni anata no yume wo sodatete La la la, la la la, la la la Keep on believing”
- Meaning: Don’t be afraid and pursue your dream, Keep on believing.
This song is popular for teenagers because the singer wrote the song dedicated to her 15-year-old self.
Angela Aki spent a large amount of time in the U.S. during her teenage years.
She chooses to use English for the lyrics of “Keep on believing”.
It could be that the singer feels the most powerful and motivational words are in English.
6. “First Love” by Hikaru Utada
- Romaji: “Saigo no kisu wa taboko no fureebaa ga shita”
- Meaning: The last kiss had a tobacco flavor
Hikaru Utada is one of the biggest names in Japanese pop music.
She was born in the U.S. to Japanese parents.
In this song, she mixes the word “flavor” into the song lyrics.
Japanese people don’t typically use the word “flavor” as a borrowed word, so this was Utada adding her style and bilingual upbringing into her song.
Back to You
Why do Japanese songs have English words?
Well, now you know.
Cultural influence. English familiarity. Desire to reach a wider audience. Artists speak fluent English. And so on.
What about you? Which songs do you like?
– The Main Junkie
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