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.
がんばりましょう
Smap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Smile time, smile time)
(Yeah, sweet time, oh, oh)
(Here we go, here we go)
かっこいいゴールなんてさ
あッとゆーまにおしまい
星はひゅるっと消えていた
ジリリ目覚ましが鳴り
血圧はどん底で
寝グセだらけの顔で
なんだかなぁ もう
Hey, hey, hey, girl
どんな時も
くじけずにがんばりましょう
Hey, hey, hey, boy
かっこわるい
朝だってがんばりましょう
(Yeah, keep on grooving)
(Don't stop, no, no, no)
(Oh yeah, I, I, I)
うしろ指さすのなんてさ
好きな人も多いでしょう
ツキは天下のまわりもの
めぐりめぐる代物
すごいリッパになって
すげーいい服着ても
モロにころべば痛い
そんなもんだよね
Hey, hey, hey, girl
いつの日にか
また幸せになりましょう
Hey, hey, hey, boy
かっこわるい
朝からとにかく始まる (break down)
東京タワーで昔
見かけたみやげ物に
はりついてた言葉は
「努力」と「根性」
Hey, hey, hey, girl
仕事だから
とりあえずがんばりましょう
Hey, hey, hey, boy
空は青い 僕らはみんな生きている
Hey, hey, hey, girl (let's go)
いつの日にか
幸せを勝ちとりましょう
Hey, hey, hey, boy
かっこわるい
毎日をがんばりましょう
The lyrics of Smap's song "がんばりましょう" are a motivational and uplifting message to the listener to never give up and keep trying, even in the face of adversity. The first verse talks about how quickly a "cool goal" can come to an end, and the realization that another day has started, marked by the sound of an annoying alarm clock and drowsiness. However, the chorus encourages both girls and boys to persevere and do their best, no matter the circumstances or how they may feel in the moment. The second verse mentions how some people may talk behind your back, but it's important to remember that luck comes and goes, and even if you dress up nicely, you can still fall down and hurt yourself. The bridge of the song refers to a memory of seeing a souvenir with the words "effort" and "perseverance" stuck on the Tokyo Tower, reinforcing the theme of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
かっこいいゴールなんてさ
Scoring a cool goal is just a momentary fleeting thing.
あッとゆーまにおしまい
It's over in the blink of an eye.
星はひゅるっと消えていた
The stars vanished into thin air.
また別の朝だった
It was yet another morning.
ジリリ目覚ましが鳴り
The alarm clock goes off with a screeching sound.
血圧はどん底で
Blood pressure hits rock bottom.
寝グセだらけの顔で
With a face full of bed hair.
なんだかなぁ もう
Feeling down, just can't take it anymore.
どんな時もくじけずにがんばりましょう
Let's work hard without giving up in any situation.
かっこわるい朝だってがんばりましょう
Let's work hard even on a bad morning.
うしろ指さすのなんてさ
People will talk behind your back.
好きな人も多いでしょう
It's common for people to have their favorites.
ツキは天下のまわりもの
Luck is a fleeting thing.
めぐりめぐる代物
It comes and goes in cycles.
すごいリッパになって
Even if you're dressed to kill.
すげーいい服着ても
Wearing the coolest clothes.
モロにころべば痛い
If you fall, it hurts.
そんなもんだよね
That's life, isn't it?
いつの日にかまた幸せになりましょう
Let's become happy again someday.
かっこわるい朝からとにかく始まる (break down)
A new day starts no matter how bad the morning is.
東京タワーで昔見かけたみやげ物にはりついてた言葉は
The words that were stuck on the souvenir I once saw at Tokyo Tower were
「努力」と「根性」
"Effort" and "determination."
仕事だからとりあえずがんばりましょう
Let's work hard for the time being since it's our job.
空は青い僕らはみんな生きている
The sky is blue, and we are all alive.
いつの日にか幸せを勝ちとりましょう
Let's win happiness someday.
かっこわるい毎日をがんばりましょう
Let's work hard through our uncool daily lives.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kenichi Shouno, Megumi Ogura
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind