"Life in Tokyo" is a song by the British band Japan. A collaboration with disco producer Giorgio Moroder, who also co-wrote the song with

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...

, it marked a change of direction from the band's previous sound. Originally released as a single in 1979, it was reissued twice before it finally became a hit on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1982.

Composition

The song was written by Giorgio Moroder and band vocalist

. The musical style is in line with Moroder's electronic disco style as already employed on albums by Donna Summer, Munich Machine and on his own ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American drama romance war film directed by Fred Zinnemann, and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. A ...

'' in 1977. Moroder's trademark arpeggiated synthesiser can be heard throughout the track.

Release

The single was originally released in 1979 in 7" and 12" formats, the latter accommodating a longer version, again reflecting Moroder's style of producing disco versions such as with Donna Summer's "

I Feel Love "I Feel Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, ''I Remember Yesterday'' (1977). The album concept was to have ...

". The single failed to become a hit in the UK. It was released again by Hansa in early 1981, after the band had enjoyed moderate success in 1980 with their album ''

Gentlemen Take Polaroids ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'' is the fourth studio album by the English band Japan, released in November 1980 by Virgin Records. Background ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'' was the band's first album for the Virgin Records label after leaving Han ...

'', released by Virgin. This release featured " European Son" as the B-side, although again failed to chart. The single was released a third and final time in October 1982, after the band's success with the '' Tin Drum'' album and singles such as " Ghosts" and "

Cantonese Boy "Cantonese Boy" is a song by English new wave band Japan, released in May 1982 as the fourth and final single from their 1981 album '' Tin Drum''. The single peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. The song refers to the enlistment of a Ca ...

". This issue was a remixed version by Steve Nye and finally made "Life In Tokyo" a hit reaching no. 28 in the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Its release was supported by the group themselves, with Sylvian co-ordinating the sleeve design. Both sides feature "Life in Tokyo", with a new 12" remix. The B-side, "Life In Tokyo Theme" is an approximately 2 minute instrumental version of the song, but doubled in length by being presented in a drastically slowed down mix.

Track listings

7": Ariola Hansa / AHA 540 (1979, UK) #"Life in Tokyo" (Short Version) – 3:30 #"Life in Tokyo" (Part 2) – 3:29 7" Ariola America / 7756 (1979, US) # "Life in Tokyo" – 3:30 # "Love Is Infectious" – 4:09 ;12": Ariola Hansa / AHAD 540 (1979, UK) #"Life in Tokyo" (Long Version) – 7:05 #"Life in Tokyo" (Short Version) – 3:30 12": Ariola America / AR 9019 (1979, US) # "Life in Tokyo" (Long Version) – 7:05 # "Love Is Infectious" – 4:09 7": Hansa / HANSA 4 (1981, UK) #"Life in Tokyo" – 3:30 #" European Son" – 3:37 12": Hansa / HANSA 12-4 (1981, UK) #"Life in Tokyo" (Extended Version) – 7:05 #"European Son" (Extended) – 5:00 7": Hansa / HANSA 17 (1982, UK) #"Life in Tokyo" (Special Remix) – 3:59 #"Life in Tokyo" (Theme) – 3:53 12": Hansa / HANSA 12-17 (1982, UK) #"Life in Tokyo" (Extended Remix) – 7:05 #"Life in Tokyo" (Theme) – 3:53

Charts

References

External links

* {{authority control 1979 songs 1979 singles 1981 singles 1982 singles Japan (band) songs Songs written by David Sylvian Song recordings produced by Giorgio Moroder Songs written by Giorgio Moroder