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.
Happy Train
SMAP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
グチばかり増えていて まずいなぁ
最終電車の窓に映る街並みを
僕の顔がボンヤリさえないなぁ
誰にもネ 頼らず 元気になりたい
そうだちょっと 僕だけの あのおまじないを
次ぎの駅までに なんかいいこと探そう
そういやお昼食べた カレーおいしかったナ
その次の駅まで またもう一個探そう
今夜はほらキレイな 満月
思い返してみると 今日のいざこざは
こっちも確かに 悪かったなぁ
大人にネ なるたび 素直になるのが
難しい でもきっと 努力をしてれば
次の駅までに あの人を好きになろう
苦手だけど どっかしらネ
いいところがあるから
また次の駅まで 今度はあの人のこと
気がつけば心が ほら軽いよ
次の駅までに なんかいいこと探そう
そういや まだあのテレビに間に合う時間だな
僕の家の駅まで やがて電車が着くころ
笑顔がほら改札で 僕を迎えてくれるよ
The lyrics of SMAP's song Happy Train describe a person who has been feeling overwhelmed and negative lately. They are worried about their outlook on life and how they seem to have gotten into a habit of complaining too much. As they look out the window of the last train of the night and see the cityscape reflected back at them, they notice that their own reflection appears to be blank and unresponsive. They then decide that they want to be happy and positive again, without relying on anyone else's help. They come up with a little personal charm or good luck statement to say to themselves, and decide to take the opportunity to change their mindset by looking for little things that make them happy during their journey.
As the train stops at each station, this person makes a conscious effort to focus on positive thoughts, like remembering the good taste of the curry they had for lunch, looking at a beautiful full moon, and trying to see the good qualities in someone they previously disliked. By the end of the journey, they feel much lighter and happier, maybe even excited to go home and see the person who always puts a smile on their face.
Overall, the lyrics of Happy Train encourage listeners to change their attitude, to actively look for the good things in their surroundings, and to find ways to improve their happiness on their own.
Line by Line Meaning
ここ最近なんかちょっと からまわり気味で
Lately, I've been feeling a little tangled up
グチばかり増えていて まずいなぁ
It's getting bad that all I do is complain
最終電車の窓に映る街並みを
The cityscape reflecting on the last train
僕の顔がボンヤリさえないなぁ
Even my face looks absentminded
誰にもネ 頼らず 元気になりたい
I don't want to rely on anyone; I want to be happy
そうだちょっと 僕だけの あのおまじないを
That's right, I should try that little trick that's just for me
次ぎの駅までに なんかいいこと探そう
Let's find something good before the next stop
そういやお昼食べた カレーおいしかったナ
Come to think of it, the curry I had for lunch was really good
その次の駅まで またもう一個探そう
Let's find another good thing until the next station
今夜はほらキレイな 満月
Look, there's a beautiful full moon tonight
思い返してみると 今日のいざこざは
When I think back, today's troubles
こっちも確かに 悪かったなぁ
Was also my fault, for sure
大人にネ なるたび 素直になるのが
As one becomes an adult, it becomes harder to be honest
難しい でもきっと 努力をしてれば
It's difficult, but if I keep trying, I can do it
次の駅までに あの人を好きになろう
Let's try to fall in love with that person before the next station
苦手だけど どっかしらネ
Although I'm bad at it, there must be some good thing about them
いいところがあるから
Because they must have some good qualities
また次の駅まで 今度はあの人のこと
Until the next station, let's think about that person again
気がつけば心が ほら軽いよ
If we notice, our heart becomes lighter
次の駅までに なんかいいこと探そう
Let's find something good before the next station
そういや まだあのテレビに間に合う時間だな
Come to think of it, there's still time to catch that TV show
僕の家の駅まで やがて電車が着くころ
When the train eventually arrives at my station
笑顔がほら改札で 僕を迎えてくれるよ
I'll be greeted by smiling faces at the ticket gate
Contributed by Isabelle F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.