SMAP was first formed in 1988, though their debut single came in 1991. SMAP officially stands for the English words "Sports and Music Assemble People". SMAP originally consisted of the current five members plus 森且行 (Mori Katsuyuki) who left in May 1996 to pursue a career in auto racing.
SMAP was started as an idol group by the famous "Johnny & Associates", a conglomerate known for its "cute boys only" policy. The SMAP members met each other in 1987 and were called "Skate Boys." They were backup dancers for 光GENJI (Hikaru GENJI), which was a popular idol group at the time. In 1988, they formed SMAP. Nakai, the oldest, became the group's leader. Their debut in 1991, in a time when there weren't many music programs, was not immediately successful. Of all of Johnny's groups, SMAP was the least popular. Since SMAP was so unsuccessful, Nakai asked Johnny's office to let SMAP have a variety program to make people laugh with their unique personalities.
The program was called "I Love SMAP." Through this program, SMAP slowly gained popularity. 1993 was a year of opportunities for SMAP. They had a hit single, and SMAP member Takuya Kimura was in a dorama called 'Asunaro Hakusho," in which he played Osamu Toride, a shy cute boy. Asunaro was a big hit and Kimura's popularity soared. At the same time, SMAP also provided the opening ("Egao no GENKI") and ending songs for the anime Hime-chan's Ribbon, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi appeared in multiple episodes both as himself as the voice of a regular character.
After that SMAP members starred in movies both individually and as a group, and SMAP continued to release new hit singles. Their song "Yozora no Mukou" is now in some Japanese textbooks.
In 1996, SMAP started their own variety program called SMAP X SMAP (also called S x S or SmaSma). On S x S, they cook, perform in comedy sketches, play games, sing, dance, and so on. S x S has been one of the most well-known TV programs in Japan since it started. The members of SMAP did things on the show that Japanese celebrities had never done on television before, steering Japanese television in new creative ways and creating even more publicity and popularity for the group. As "the super idol group that does anything", they began starring in a wide variety of programs ranging from live stage to music, dancing, hosting other programs, acting in movies, commercials, etc.
In 2001, Inagaki was involved in a traffic altercation. There were allegations of wrongdoing on his part, and he briefly retreated from the public spotlight. However, the ultimate result of the incident was to put SMAP in the public eye once more, which only increased their popularity. Inagaki has since made a comeback, and starred in a 2004 drama about a fictional Japanese investment banker killed in the events of September 11.
SMAP members are said to be the most famous stars in Japan. Though a comparison to American groups like The Backstreet Boys is not entirely musically inaccurate, even at the peak of their popularity, no American boy band has come close to the pervasiveness of SMAP. To give a sense of the popularity (and ubiquity) of SMAP, note that in 2003, SMAP leader Nakai was identified as the highest tax payer of any entertainer in Japan by the Japanese National Tax Bureau. That same year, he was involved in at least four television shows simultaneously, in addition to commercials.
There were speculations that SMAP would disband following Takuya Kimura's announcement of his marriage and Goro Inagaki's traffic altercation in 2001. Although they did not release even a single in 2004, the popularity of SMAP is still strong. This is reflected in the charts, where both their latest album and a recent single (017 SAMPLE BANG! and BANG BANG! バカンス!) topped the respective daily charts just moments after their release.
These releases were followed by the album "Pop Up! SMAP!" in 2006, which included the popular single "Dear Woman" used in a commercial for Tsubaki face care.
In 2007 musical activities seemed to have quieted down, with all members busy with other projects like TV dramas and movie, but the two singles of that year, "Arigatou" for Tsuyoshi's drama "Boku no aruku michi" and "Dangan Fighter" used a a theme for the TBS baseball coverage, again were major hits.
Besides more hit dramas in 2008, the singles "Sonomama/White Message" and "Sono toki, kitto yumejanai" were release, followed by a short surprise tour and a new album called "super.modern.artistic.performance" with it's release in September 2008.
ジャラジャラJAPAN 〜for the Japanese〜
SMAP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
恐れる事がダメな事
時間を稼ぐ為 一人で
FUNK にパン食うさ
笑い方を忘れたら
街に出てみなよ
ガッツでガッツでイッチャッてよ
Oh yeah
気持ちはマッチョでイッチャッてよ
Oh yeah
チャラチャラ JAPAN
ステキだ JAPAN
ギラギラヒカる目だ
どさくさイヤイヤ 悲しいや
ドリンク飲み干して
疲れを取るフリ 生きたフリ
昨日のメモリーなんて
削除すればいい
ガッツでガッツでイッチャッてよ
Oh yeah
ジャラジャラ JAPAN
ガッツで会社でイッチャッてよ
Oh yeah
チャラチャラ JAPAN
ステキだ JAPAN
アフロなハートかぶり
上見て歩きなよ
ガッツでガッツでイッチャッてよ
Oh yeah
ジャラジャラ JAPAN
ガッツでガッツで生きちゃってよ
Oh yeah
ジャラジャラ JAPAN
ジャラジャラ JAPAN
ガッツでタッチで 感じて
Oh yeah
ジャラジャラ JAPAN
ガッツでマッチョで手を振れ
Oh yeah
ステキだ JAPAN
楽しや JAPA～N!!
ガッツでガッツでイッチャッてよ
Oh yeah
ガッツでガッツで生きちゃってよ
Oh yeah
The song "ジャラジャラJAPAN 〜for the Japanese〜" by SMAP is an anthem to promote the distinctiveness of Japan and its people. The song encourages people to move forward boldly in life, and to break free from the fear and hesitations that tend to hold them back. It highlights the importance of being gutsy, energetic and confident, and to approach life with a "can-do" attitude. The lyrics are filled with optimism, and have an almost child-like charm to them.
The song is all about appreciating Japan, its unique culture and its people, who are seen as passionate, vibrant and tenacious. The chorus repeats the phrase "ジャラジャラ JAPAN," which translates to "clattering Japan" and can be interpreted as the sound of Japan's bustling energy. The song also references various aspects of Japan's culture, such as drinking and going out to the city streets to laugh and have fun, the importance of staying positive and moving forward, and the beauty of the Japanese language.
Line by Line Meaning
ダメ出しされる事
Don't be afraid of being criticized
恐れる事がダメな事
Don't be afraid of anything
時間を稼ぐ為 一人で
Spend some time by yourself to gain strength
FUNK にパン食うさ
Get energized with the power of funk
笑い方を忘れたら
Laugh and don't forget how to laugh
街に出てみなよ
Go out and discover the world
ガッツでガッツでイッチャッてよ
Go for it with courage and guts
Oh yeah
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm
ジャラジャラ JAPAN
Japan is a lively and bustling place
気持ちはマッチョでイッチャッてよ
Go for it with the mindset of a macho person
チャラチャラ JAPAN
Japan has a carefree and easygoing vibe
ステキだ JAPAN
Japan is wonderful
ギラギラヒカる目だ
Have shining, sparkling eyes
どさくさイヤイヤ 悲しいや
Don't be sad and reluctant
ドリンク飲み干して
Drink up and refresh yourself
疲れを取るフリ 生きたフリ
Pretend to be relaxed and alive while taking a break
昨日のメモリーなんて
Forget about yesterday's memories
削除すればいい
You can just delete them
アフロなハートかぶり
Wear an Afro on your heart
上見て歩きなよ
Look up and walk forward
ガッツで会社でイッチャッてよ
Go all-out at work with courage and guts
ガッツでガッツで生きちゃってよ
Live your life with courage and guts
ジャラジャラ JAPAN
Japan is a lively and bustling place
ガッツでタッチで 感じて
Feel with your courage and touch
ガッツでマッチョで手を振れ
Wave your hand with the strength and mentality of a macho person
楽しや JAPA～N!!
Have fun in Japan!!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: 収 鈴木
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-qy4ri1pv4l
こんなに人の心を動かす作品をつくれるグループがいるってことをもっと多くの人に知ってほしいし、知られるべきだと思う
@user-cu9hr4mn9y
音楽の日から気になって来ました。
この表現力、パフォーマンス力最高ですね
@user-kw3qd5bc4s
➕81にようこそ！
@user-km7ch1fq3q
トラジャって本当に凄いですね、、。
踊りの中に表現したいことがとてもよく出ていて、ミュージカルのような演劇のようなものを見ている気にもなりました💐
とにかく表現力がジャニーズのなかでも圧倒的に凄いです😌
このチャンネルハマりそうです(；；)
@reet3456
振り付けが海ちゃんと聞いてすぐに見に来たけどほんと楽しそうに踊るなぁ☺️
単純にダンスがうまいだけじゃなく、ダンスが好きって気持ちとかが身体の動きに現れてて見ているこっちまで楽しいし、こういう表現力も素晴らしいんだなぁ
@user-ce4ms5eg5u
長期の舞台を駆け抜けてさらにダンスのキレが増してる気がする！Travis Japanの進化スピードすごすぎる
@MS-hp4zq
流されず惑わされず、自分たちのカラーや信念を貫き続けているTravis Japanを尊敬します。日本のエンタメ界の未来は明るい。もっと多くの人に、早く知ってほしい。時代を待つのではなく創っていくってきっとこういうことなんだなって、私もファンとして信じて突き進みます。
@Mtk_14
個人的に今までの+81のダンスの中で1番TravisJapanにあってるなと思う振り付け😿バチバチダンスもしなやかなダンスも魅了されるけど笑顔で心からダンス楽しいです！！ってわかる動画でめちゃくちゃTravisJapanが大事にしてるものが伝わるダンス動画だなと思った😭😭みんな楽しそうに踊ってるのが何より🥺
@user-og4jv1kj1q
私自分のどこにも自信ないと思って生きてきたけど、Travis Japanに出会って好きになって応援している自分には堂々と胸を張れるよ
@ruru2877
TravisJapanの自己プロデュース力を見せてくれる姿が大好きなので、今回のパフォーマンスはドンピシャにハマります！技術たっぷりのchoreographerさんから学ぶダンスも凄いなぁと思いますが、このSHAKEは自分達の魅せ方をわかっているというか...今までと全てが格段に違っていて好き♡