Music News, Reviews and live music video for the aging rocker set

January 13, 2007

Linda! Linda!

It’s a good possibility that tonight I’ll see “Linda Linda Linda” - a Japanese film about a group of high school girls who form a band in order to play the Blue Hearts’ single “Linda Linda” at a school competition. Japanese teenage girls singing the punk rock. Now what could be cuter than that?

Around 1990, I recall getting the sole Blue Hearts’ US release on Juggler Records. It’s not hard to sell me on a band that was being marketed a “The Japanese Beatles” (not to be confused with the band The Japanese Beetles, which featured members of Big Dipper and Shonen Knife). The 6 song ep was a hodgepodge of the band’s hits including “No, No, No”,"Kiss Shite Hoshii (I Wanna Kiss)" and "Be Nice" - chipper little numbers designed to get you pogoing on your tatami mat in no time. Every one of these tunes was a winner even if they weren’t sung in Japanese, but of course being not in English meant the band would never make it big in the US. It’s a sin how language keeps up apart isn’t it?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I, as the other American owner of the Blue Hearts record, can attest to its wonder and beauty. Though I am a Kise Shite Hoshii boy at heart. Yow!