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.
Let It Be
Smap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
微妙な位置バランスに 差しかかってるんだ
言いたいことなんてさ 何にもないくせに
目の前 まだまだ長い道は続く
好きな映画や 好きな音楽とかに
影響されすぎて 今を見失うなよ
下手くそ それでも人生さ
Let it be all right 真似じゃない
真実に 理想通りに なれやしない運命
いざという時に 力を出せないでさ
インパクトがコンパクトに まとまってるんだ
恋愛は魔物だとか 回りは言うけれど
みんな生きてるだけさ Keep on lovin' you
くだらないことを 話して笑い合って
わかりあうほうが なんか深い気がする
Let it be your life 下手なりに
伝わる気持ちが 恋愛じゃない?
Let it be all right 泣けるほど
純粋に そういう恋に 晴れてなればいい
Let it be your life 不器用で
下手でも 愛しい人生さ
Let it be all right 賢くはやれないよ
Let it be your life 下手なりに
伝わる気持ちが 恋愛じゃない?
Let it be all right 泣けるほど
純粋に 占いなんて 怠け者の運命
The lyrics of Smap's song Let It Be is a reflection of the uncertainties in life. The first stanza talks about how the future is uncertain and nobody knows what is going to happen. The singer is in a delicate position, trying to balance things, but it seems like they are about to tip over to one side. The second stanza talks about how the singer has nothing to say, yet there is a long road ahead of them. They caution against being too influenced by external factors such as movies and music, which will lead to losing sight of the present.
The chorus repeats the title of the song, which is a message for the audience to let things be. The singer speaks about how life is imperfect and they make mistakes, but that is what makes it beautiful. They urge the listeners to accept themselves as they are and not try to be someone else. The line "let it be all right" means that it is essential to accept that everything is not perfect, but it is okay because that is how it is supposed to be. The final stanza is about how love can be a challenging thing, and while people might say it is a monster, the truth is that everybody is merely trying to live their life and love who they want. The singer advises that it is better to talk about silly things and laugh together because that is what makes relationships special.
Line by Line Meaning
誰にも解けない 先のことは見えない
No one can predict the future or what lies ahead.
微妙な位置バランスに 差しかかってるんだ
Currently in a delicate balance where any shift can have consequences.
言いたいことなんてさ 何にもないくせに
Despite wanting to say something, there's never anything to say.
目の前 まだまだ長い道は続く
There's still a long way to go before reaching the end goal.
好きな映画や 好きな音楽とかに
Frequently influenced by movie and music preferences.
影響されすぎて 今を見失うなよ
Don't get so caught up in others' opinions that you lose sight of the present.
Let it be your life 不器用で
Let your life be clumsy and awkward.
下手くそ それでも人生さ
Even if it's a clumsy and imperfect life, it's still a life worth living.
Let it be all right 真似じゃない
Just being yourself is enough, don't try to be someone else.
真実に 理想通りに なれやしない運命
It's not fate to become exactly what you want in life.
いざという時に 力を出せないでさ
When the time comes, it's difficult to show your strength.
インパクトがコンパクトに まとまってるんだ
The impact you make may be small but still significant.
恋愛は魔物だとか 回りは言うけれど
Despite others saying that love can be difficult, it's still worth exploring.
みんな生きてるだけさ Keep on lovin' you
Everyone is just trying to live, so keep on loving.
くだらないことを 話して笑い合って
Talking about silly things and laughing together can build a strong connection.
わかりあうほうが なんか深い気がする
It feels deeper to understand each other on a personal level.
Let it be your life 下手なりに
Live your life in your own way, even if it's not perfect.
伝わる気持ちが 恋愛じゃない?
Isn't the feeling of being understood more meaningful than just romantic love?
Let it be all right 泣けるほど
It's okay to cry if it means being true to yourself.
純粋に そういう恋に 晴れてなればいい
It would be nice to experience that pure, honest love.
不器用で 下手でも 愛しい人生さ
Even if it's a clumsy and imperfect life, it's still a cherished one.
賢くはやれないよ
You don't have to be clever or cunning to succeed.
占いなんて 怠け者の運命
Fate is not determined by lazily following horoscopes or fortune telling.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Takeshi Aida, Face 2 Fake
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-zp1qj8kg3i
元木湧ってこんなにダンス上手いの!? 昨日出てた少年忍者4人以外にもダンス上手い逸材いるじゃん
@user-gl9cb8ll1e
こんぴが一生懸命ダンス踊ってるってだけで私の世界が救われる
@user-lm5jk3yb3j
今野くん、ずっとゆるーいタイプと見せかけて、決めるとこは決める一番カッコイイタイプなのすき
@user-ts7rv2rt3s
琳寧くん緩急ついた動きだったり音ハメだったりしなやかさだったり全部上手くて、やっぱり筋力とか運動能力とかの基礎がしっかりしてるからなんだろうなぁと思った
@user-it2ri8mn9c
湧くんの丁寧かつ俺を見ろと言わんばかりの動きのダンスほんとに好き…
@user-on3eq8oe1t
今野くん涼しい顔してめっちゃキレあるの好き、、いつもの雰囲気と違ってすごくいい🤞
@user-ts7rv2rt3s
琳寧くん全部の動きにちゃんとメリハリついててすごいかっこいい
@_ih8767
こんぴーは、ビジュアルとか歌声とかギターに注目しがちだけど、こんなにしっかり踊ってる姿観れるだけで感激してしまう…。
@nso-bh7nj
木村拓哉さんに憧れてジャニーズに入った今野さん、SMAPの楽曲踊れてよかったね…
@amy_2624
琳寧の「止め」が本当に好き、1秒もない動きでも細部までこだわるスキルと肉体がすごい