“Japanese Boy” by Aneka
Aneka talks about a love interest who she refers to as a “Japanese Boy”. As she reveals in the song, this person has broken up with her without any courtesy.
The first verse details how the singer thought her partner loved her until she realized she had been jilted. In an attempt to understand his reasons, she questions herself whether it was her fault or he has simply found someone else. Clearly, this person is in a state of confusion and disappointment while most of the people close to her are concerned.
Unable to get over the shock of her lover’s sudden departure, she keeps wondering if she did or said something wrong.
Bobby Heatlie, who wrote most of the song’s lyrics revealed to Spencer Leigh and Jon Kutner in their book titled “1000 UK Number Ones”, that the song was an accident. According to him, Aneka wanted a pop song, thus, he put together the chorus as well as lyrics from certain songs he had previously written.
“Japanese Boy” Facts
- Principal Artist: Aneka
- Writing: Bobby Heatlie
- Production: N. Ross and Heatlie
- Release: 1981
- Album: Aneka’s only studio album titled “Aneka”
What music genre is “Japanese Boy”?
It belongs to both the disco and new wave music genres.
A Number 1 Song
In 1981, this scored Aneka a number 1 in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. It stayed at the summit of the UK Singles Chart for just a week before being toppled by Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love“.
Covers
Artists who have covered this classic from Aneka include:
- Jacqueline in 2008
- Sahara Hotnights in 2009
Was “Japanese Boy” a single?
Yes, the song was released as the first of three singles from the singer’s self-named album. Below are the other singles from “Aneka”:
- “Little Lady”
- “Ooh Shooby Doo Doo Lang”
