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.
Stop!
SMAP Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
baby 泣かないで 誰と見た映画なんて
思い出せない
気の利いた隠れ家に運び去ろう
理由なくした そう過ぎ去ったラブソング
それで済むはず
Don't Cry 最後の出会い
ちりばめられた場面の行方
baby 追わないで 君だけが好きとしか
答えられない
心のすき間にある迷い
no, no, 責めないで そんな眼をしたって
何も見つからない
STOP! 吹き消してしまえ
Don't Cry あきれたその涙
とりあえず その辺に座って
水分でも補給しようか
つまり うまく 機嫌とれずに Sorry
その本を閉じて 出かけよう
うそのように そう風のように
時代は降りてくる
STOP! 吹き消した記憶
Don't Cry 最後の出会い
The lyrics of the song "STOP!" by SMAP seem to talk about a breakup and the aftermath of it. The first verse talks about how the comfort offered during this time is not effective, and the memories of the past are hard to recall. The lines, "baby 泣かないで 誰と見た映画なんて思い出せない" roughly translate to "baby, don't cry. I can't remember the movie we watched with someone." It shows how insignificant the memories were with someone else, and the singer tries to erase those from his mind.
The second verse suggests that the singer wants to move on with his life and erase the past. He wants to create a new hiding place for himself and leave the love songs behind, which he lost without reason. The lines, "それで済むはず (Sore de sumu hazu)" in the end, means "it should be enough." It conveys how the singer wants to let go of his old life and move ahead. The chorus, "STOP! 吹き消した記憶 Don't Cry 最後の出会い" echoes the same sentiment. The singer wants to wipe away memories and emotions that made him weak and start afresh.
The last stanza suggests that the singer wants to leave everything behind and move on. He wants to close the book on his past and get ready to face the future. The lines, "うそのように そう風のように 時代は降りてくる" roughly translate to "like a lie, like the wind, time will come down." It shows how the singer is trying to rationalize his past and come to terms with it.
Line by Line Meaning
それは効き目のない慰め
That is an ineffective consolation.
baby 泣かないで 誰と見た映画なんて
思い出せない
Baby, don't cry. I can't even remember what movie we watched with whom.
気の利いた隠れ家に運び去ろう
理由なくした そう過ぎ去ったラブソング
それで済むはず
Let's take it to a clever hideout. The forgotten love song of the past should be enough.
STOP! 吹き消した記憶
STOP! Erase the memories.
Don't Cry 最後の出会い
Don't Cry. Our last meeting.
ちりばめられた場面の行方
baby 追わないで 君だけが好きとしか
答えられない
The whereabouts of the studded scene. Baby, don't pursue it. I can only answer that I only like you.
心のすき間にある迷い
no, no, 責めないで そんな眼をしたって
何も見つからない
Doubts exist in the gaps of my heart. No, no, don't blame me. Even if you give me that look, I can't find anything.
STOP! 吹き消してしまえ
STOP! Just blow it away.
Don't Cry あきれたその涙
Don't Cry. Those ridiculous tears.
とりあえず その辺に座って
水分でも補給しようか
つまり うまく 機嫌とれずに Sorry
For now, let's sit around here and have some hydration. In other words, I'm sorry for not getting along well with you.
その本を閉じて 出かけよう
うそのように そう風のように
時代は降りてくる
Let's close the book and go out. Like a lie, like the wind. The times will come.
STOP! 吹き消した記憶
STOP! Erase the memories.
Don't Cry 最後の出会い
Don't cry. Our last meeting.
Contributed by Jonathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@seinatvgames
22歳ですがSMAPの中で1番好きな曲です✨
@user-nd2ur7vw4v
これが27時間TVのスピーチ曲になると思いませんでしたね😂
@user-et4qu7mo3e
懐かしいなぁ。CD買ったなぁ
@user-fo3ni3qt7n
ここから芸能界の伝説になるって相当凄いね
@user-jg2be2xt1v
ジャニー喜多川のおかげ
@midorikawa6966
いや飯島さんのおかげ
@user-vb3xg9gt7f
SMAPが解散してもそれぞれソロ活動に専念したり新しい地図という名前で活動したりオートレーサーで活動していますね。
@ayanos.8033
声最高!❤😂
@user-wz6gv2lr9e
これ知ってる。台風で西武園ゆうえんち。SMAPのデビュー曲!!!マイクの故障トラブルであとはわからん。TVで見ました。わたしいきたかったけどやめました。台風だと当時思う。懐かしいです。😊😅
@user-pj1py5tr4v
その当時のSMAPって、光GENJIや忍者と芸能活動の時期一緒なんだね。