Discovering J-Pop Through the Beatles

In this submenu, I will showcase classic Beatles songs covered by J-pop artists, featuring excellent performances and unique Japanese arrangements.
The Beatles’ music is beloved around the world. There has been much discussion about its influence on popular music, music theory, and culture in many countries.
I believe that getting to know J-pop by starting with classic Beatles songs you may already know will introduce you to a new way of enjoying J-Pop.

After the initia enthusiasm

About 60 years span the period from the Beatles’ active years in the 1960s to the birth of the J-Pop genre in 1989 and the present day. Even in Japan, young people are enthusiastic about the Beatles’ appearance, and many of them aspire to sing and perform like them.

Even after the initial excitement has faded, countless J-Pop artists have drawn inspiration from the Beatles. I will introduce cover songs and gradually discuss the Beatles’ influence on J-Pop.

Two types of cover songs

There are two main types of Beatles covers by J-POP artists. One features the artist performing the original English lyrics with their own interpretation and arrangement, while the other involves translating the lyrics into Japanese and singing them in that language.

I think you will enjoy both types. However, what you should focus on is how they express respect for the Beatles.
The process and outcome of covering Beatles songs—reconstructing their worldview through the lens of a J-Pop artist—never feels uniform to me across any of their works.
This has interesting aspects that express the unique musicality and humanity of each J-Pop artist. I would like to highlight these aspects as much as possible.

DISC 1 on The Red Album with J-Pop

After the initial enthusiasm had passed, one of the major factors that led the next generation to become passionate about The Beatles was the release of the 30cm LP record “The Red and Blue Albums” in 1973.
I was in my early teens at the time, and my knowledge of the Beatles was limited to scattered fragments. But those best-of albums opened the door to their full brilliance and depth.
Below is a list of cover songs by J-Pop artists that I consider to be the best, based on the “The Red Album” playlist. It was a two-disc album at the time, so let’s start with DISC 1.

Note: The following three songs are not available on streaming services, so I have included the Beatles’ original performances instead.
*Boo Takagi – Love Me Do from Let It Boo (2000/01)
*The Cupieds wwith Nobuo Kamei and Spacemen – She Loves You from She Loves You (1965)
*Tsunku – Eight Days A Week from A HARD DAY’S NIGHT Tsunku Ga Kan-copy Yacchatta Yah! Yah! Yah! Vol.1 (2000/12)

For Apple Music Use : DISC 1 on The Red Album with J-Pop