is the debut single by the Japanese hit duo Pink Lady. The single was released on August 25, 1976, under the

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

label. "Pepper Keibu" reached a peak chart position of number four, with a total of 1,050,000 sales. The titular song won the duo the Newcomer Award at the

18th Japan Record Awards The 18th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1976, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS. Winners Japan Record Award * Harumi Miyako – ...

. It was also nominated for the Best New Artist Award, but lost to "Omoide Boro Boro" by Yasuko Naitō. The original recording did not have the signature "Pepper Keibu yo" at the end, as the live performances did. Subsequent recordings and covers do, however, include the line. A number of reissues have been made, including 8 cm and 12 cm CD versions. According to

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

, this was the 14th best selling single from 1977. At the time of the song's release, songwriter Yū Aku was often asked if it was inspired by the Lockheed bribery scandal in Japan, as the arrest of Prime Minister

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives from 1947 Japanese general election, 1947 to 1990 Japanese general election, 1990, and was Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. After ...

was fresh in the public's memories. Aku responded by saying the song took inspiration from Inspector Clouseau from '' The Pink Panther'' series, as well as Shirō Sone's song ,

Rakugo is a form of ''yose'', which is itself a form of Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone sits on a raised platform, a . Using only a and a as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long ...

's , soft drinks such as

Dr Pepper Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is now also sold in Euro ...

, and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' album ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...

''. Pink Lady also recorded an English-language version titled "Sergeant Pepper" in 1978 for international markets. This version also included an English version of " Wanted". A re-recorded version of the song was included on the 2-disc greatest hits release, ''

INNOVATION Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...

'', released in December 2010.

Track listing (7" vinyl)

All lyrics are written by Yū Aku; all music is composed and arranged by Shunichi Tokura.

Chart positions

Morning Musume version

A cover of "Pepper Keibu" was released by the idol pop group Morning Musume as a single on September 24, 2008 under the Zetima label to promote their upcoming ninth album, ''

Cover You ''Cover You'' is the first cover and tribute album by the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on November 26, 2008. The album features songs by Yū Aku (occasionally credited as You Aku) (February 7, 1937 – August 1, 2007), was a Japane ...

'', a tribute to producer Yū Aku. The Single V DVD of the single was released on October 22, 2008. The single was their first cover single since "

Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyōtanjima was the seventeenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume and was released February 19, 2003. It sold a total of 151,342 copies, reaching number four on the Oricon Charts. This single is a cover of the theme song to a famous children's puppe ...

" more than five-and-a-half years before. The single peaked at #3 on the

weekly chart, charting for six weeks. The single was released in three editions, a limited A coming with a DVD, a limited B comes in special packaging with a 40-page photo booklet and a regular edition. Reina Tanaka and Sayumi Michishige are the only members to receive solo lines in the song.

Track listings

Members at time of single

* 5th generation: Ai Takahashi, Risa Niigaki * 6th generation: Eri Kamei, Sayumi Michishige, Reina Tanaka * 7th generation: Koharu Kusumi * 8th generation: Aika Mitsui,

Junjun Junjun may refer to: * JunJun, a character from the ''Sailor Moon'' franchise *Junjun (singer) (born 1988), former member of the all-girl J-pop group Morning Musume *Hilario Davide III (born 1964), Filipino politician *Jejomar Binay Jr. (born 1977 ...

Linlin Qian Lin (born March 11, 1991), better known in Japan as , is a Chinese singer. She is a former Morning Musume member and leader of the Hello! Project sub-group Shin Minimoni. She was announced to be joining as the eighth generation of Morning ...

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
ranks and sales

Other cover versions

*1990: performed live by Chisato Moritaka as part of her Pink Lady Medley in the concert video ''

Moritaka Land Tour 1990.3.3 at NHK Hall is a live video by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka. Recorded live at the NHK Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo on March 3, 1990, the video was released on September 18, 2013 by Warner Music Group, Warner Music Japan on Blu-ray and DVD formats; ea ...

'', released on Blu-ray in 2013. *1993: sung by

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in the film ''Sotsugyō Ryokō: Nihon Kara Kimashita''. *1995: sung by Noriko Sakai in a

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...

air conditioner commercial. *2001: parodied by Norika Fujiwara and Sayo Aizawa for a

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commercial promoting bargain fares. *2002: covered by GO!GO!7188 on their album ''

Tora no Ana is a 2002 cover album by GO!GO!7188. The name translates in English as ''Tiger's Lair''. The album's cover art is similar to Revolver (Beatles album), Revolver by The Beatles. Track listing

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''. *2002: covered by Trasparenza in their album ''Pink Lady Euro Tracks''. *2006: covered in Chinese by Saiyū Meimei for a

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tea commercial. *2007: covered by

Sayuri Ishikawa is a Japanese enka singer who made her professional debut in 1973. With a career nearing five decades, she is one of the most-recognized and successful enka singers in history. Ishikawa is a popular contestant on the annual NHK ''Kōhaku Uta Gas ...

on her album ''Nijusseiki no Meikyoku-tachi''. *2008: covered by Mizrock, included on the tribute album ''Ga-Ki (Yū Aku Tribute)''. *2009: covered by

Atsuko Kurusu is a Japanese actress. She graduated from Private Tokiwa Girls High School. Filmography TV series References External links {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurusu, Atsuko Japanese actresses 1978 births Living people Actors from Ibaraki Prefecture

and Tomomi Miyauchi on the tribute album ''

Bad Friends is a 2009 tribute album, is kade from , which translates to "Bad friend" and is the origin of Yū Aku's name. The final track, "Kawahara no Ishikawa Goemon" was originally recorded by Eiichi Ohtaki (under the pseudonym "Niagara Fallin' Stars") o ...

''. *2011: covered by DJ Sasa & Pink Beat Bop on the album "Pink Reggae (ピンク・レゲエ)". *2015: parodied by

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and

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for an Aoki Holdings commercial. *2015: incorporated by

Amiaya Amiaya (stylized as AMIAYA) is a Japanese music duo of twin sisters. Born on November 8, 1988, is the younger sister and is the older sister. The sisters are also fashion models and collaborated with Scandal for the artwork of their 2018 album ...

as part of their "Pink Lady Mash Up 2015" single. *2016: covered by the tribute group Pink Babies in their " Nagisa no Sindbad" Type-D single.

References

External links

* * *
"Pepper Keibu" (Morning Musume)
entry on the Up-Front Works official website {{Authority control 1976 debut singles 1976 songs 2008 singles Pink Lady (band) songs Songs in Japanese Disco songs Songs with lyrics by Yū Aku Songs with music by Shunichi Tokura Victor Entertainment singles Morning Musume songs Zetima Records singles