was a Japanese punk rock band active from 1985 to 1995. They have been compared to such bands as the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

and the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

.The Blue Hearts
Tri-M, Inc. Accessed February 7, 2008. In 2003,

HMV Japan Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

ranked them at number 19 on their list of 100 most important Japanese pop acts. In September 2007, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

Japan'' rated their self-titled debut album number 3 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".

Career

Its members were

Hiroto Kōmoto is a Japanese rock singer who has fronted bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons. Early life Kōmoto was born in 1963 in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture and graduated from the junior high school attached to the School of E ...

(vocalist),

Masatoshi Mashima is a guitarist who has performed with Japanese rock bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons.Junnosuke Kawaguchi (bassist) and Tetsuya Kajiwara (drummer).

Mikio Shirai Mikio (written: , , , , , , , , , in hiragana or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese comedian *, Japanese composer, music arranger and producer *, Japanese pol ...

was not an official member of the band, but often toured with them as their keyboardist. Formed in 1985, the group made its major debut in May 1987, and released its first album, the self-titled ''

The Blue Hearts was a Japanese punk rock band active from 1985 to 1995. They have been compared to such bands as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Ramones. and followed that up with seven more albums. Though they started on an independent label, each album sold more copies than the previous one, with their last recording selling in the millions. In 1990, The Blue Hearts had a self-titled EP released in the United States, which they supported with a US tour. In addition to having popular albums, they also had many popular singles. Two of the most well-known are " Train-Train" and "

Linda Linda is a single by the Japanese rock band The Blue Hearts that was first released on May 1, 1987. Lyrics and music were written by Hiroto Kōmoto, the band's lead vocalist, and was arranged by The Blue Hearts. The track reached #38 on the Oricon cha ...

", which can be found on many

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

machines. A

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Linda Linda" was used in the 2004 dramas ''

Socrates in Love is a 2001 Japanese melodrama novel, written by Kyoichi Katayama and published by Shogakukan, which revolves around narrator Sakutaro Matsumoto's recollections of a school classmate whom he once loved. It is also known as , which author Ka ...

'' and ''Gachi Baka'', as well as the 2005 film ''

Linda Linda Linda is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. It stars Bae Doona, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine (of the band Base Ball Bear) as teenagers who form a band to cover songs by the Japanese punk rock band the Blue Hearts; the ...

'', the plot of which centers on a high school girls' band practicing The Blue Hearts' songs for the finale concert of their school's culture festival. The song also appears in the 2005

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan or ''Ouendan'', is a rhythm video game developed by iNiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console in 2005, for release only in Japan. ''Ouendan'' stars a cheer squad rhythmically cheering for various troubled peopl ...

,''. Other songs, including "Train-Train", "Owaranai Uta" and "Hito ni Yasashiku", have been featured in the

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

arcade games ''

Drummania is a music video game series produced by Konami. It is a rhythm game where the player uses a controller to simulate the playing of an electric guitar. The game consists of music predominantly from the rock music, rock and roll and J-pop genres. ...

'' and ''

Guitar Freaks is a music video game series produced by Konami. It is a rhythm game where the player uses a controller to simulate the playing of an electric guitar. The game consists of music predominantly from the rock music, rock and roll and J-pop genres ...

''. The 2015

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series ''

The Rolling Girls is a 2015 Japanese anime television series produced by Wit Studio. The logo of this title contains the text, "Rolling, Falling, Scrambling Girls. For others. For themselves. Even if they're destined to be a 'mob'". Plot Ten years after the ...

'' features covers of several Blue Hearts songs sung by the cast, including covers of "Hito ni Yasashiku" and "Tsuki no Bakugekiki" in the opening and ending sequences. They were seen as controversial in Japan, where antics such as using the

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

Japanese word for crazy, and spitting on television cameras got them banned from TV for a year.

Post-breakup

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After The Blue Hearts broke up in 1995, Kōmoto, Mashima and Shirai formed a new group,

The High-Lows were a popular Japanese punk rock band that was formed in 1995. The band stopped all activities in November 2005 and broke up. Members * Hiroto Kōmoto – vocals, harmonica, occasional rhythm guitar * Masatoshi Mashima –guitar, backing ...

. In addition to retaining the hardcore fans of The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows were also able to attract new fans and lasted another ten years. When The High-Lows broke up in 2005, Kōmoto and Mashima again formed a new band in 2006, this time calling themselves

The Cro-Magnons is a Japanese rock band founded in July 2006 by Hiroto Kōmoto (vocals) and Masatoshi Mashima (guitar), both previously of The Blue Hearts and The High-Lows, with Masaru Kobayashi (bass) and Katsuji Kirita (drums). History After The High-Lo ...

. Kawaguchi became a record producer and occasionally plays support for several bands, in 2009 he became the deputy director of propaganda for the

Happiness Realization Party The , abbreviated as Kōfuku (), is a Japanese political party founded by Ryuho Okawa on 23 May 2009 "in order to offer the Japanese people a third option" for the elections of August 2009. The HRP is the political wing of the conservative Happ ...

. Kajiwara formed The 3Peace in 1997, then The Big Hip in 2005 with Shirai, and his solo project Thunderbeat in 2008. After the breakup of The Blue Hearts, both Kōmoto and Mashima chose not to sing any of the band's songs, with few exceptions. Kōmoto has sung "Boku no Migite" while performing live with other artists, and Mashima has occasionally performed " Aozora".

Members

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

Masatoshi Mashima is a guitarist who has performed with Japanese rock bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons.guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Junnosuke Kawaguchi – bass, backing vocals * Tetsuya Kajiwara –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

–

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

(support member) ;Former members * – bass * – drums * – bass

Discography

Singles

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

" (A free

flexi-disc The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntabl ...

given away at a live performance on December 24, 1985.) *"

Hito ni Yasashiku was the first single by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. It was first released on an independent label on February 25, 1987, before the band signed with a record company. Lyrics and music were written by Hiroto Kōmoto, the band's lead vocalis ...

" (February 25, 1987) *"

" (May 1, 1987) *"

Kiss Shite Hoshii was the third single by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. It was released on November 21, 1987, the same time that the band's second album, ''Young and Pretty'', was released. Lyrics and music were written by Hiroto Kōmoto, the band's lead voc ...

" (November 21, 1987) *"

Blue Hearts Theme was the fourth single by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. Though it was released after their major debut, it was written before they signed with a major label. It was released as a "double A-side" track on July 1, 1988, with "Chernobyl" (チェ ...

" (July 1, 1988) *"

Chernobyl Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about no ...

" (July 1, 1988) *" Train-Train" (November 23, 1988) *"

Love Letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a lo ...

" (February 21, 1989) *" Aozora" (June 21, 1989) *"

Jōnetsu no Bara was the ninth single by the Japanese rock band The Blue Hearts. It reached #1 on the Oricon charts during the first week of August 1990. The song was also ranked #7 on Oricon's rankings for all of 1990. It was the drama High School Rakugaki, pa ...

" (July 25, 1990) *" Kubitsuri-dai Kara" (April 10, 1991) *" Ano Ko ni Touch" (November 28, 1991) *" Too Much Pain" (March 10, 1992) *"

Yume is the Japanese word for dream, and may refer to: People *, Japanese rugby sevens player *, Japanese actress *, Japanese rugby sevens player *, Japanese gravure idol and actress *, Japanese professional footballer Entertainment * YuMe, a mult ...

" (October 25, 1992) *"

Tabibito was the fourteenth single by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts and reached #50 on the 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 ...

" (February 25, 1993) *"

1000 no Violin is a song by The Blue Hearts, released as the band's fifteenth single. It reached #47 on the Oricon charts in 1993. It was part of the band's sixth album, '' Stick Out''. The music and lyrics were written by Masatoshi Mashima is a guitarist who ...

" (May 25, 1993) *"

Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

" (August 25, 1993) *" Yūgure" (October 25, 1993)

Studio albums

*''

The Blue Hearts was a Japanese punk rock band active from 1985 to 1995. They have been compared to such bands as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Ramones.Young and Pretty is the second album released by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. Along with Dug Out was the seventh studio album released by the Japanese rock band The Blue Hearts and the eighth album released overall. Tracks #"Tegami" (手紙 ''Letter'') ...

'' (November 21, 1987) *'' Train-Train'' (November 23, 1988) *''

Bust Waste Hip is the fourth studio album released by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. The album was a big successHigh Kicks'' (December 21, 1991) *'' Stick Out'' (February 10, 1993) *''

Dug Out was the seventh studio album released by the Japanese rock band The Blue Hearts and the eighth album released overall. Tracks #"Tegami" (手紙 ''Letter'') #"Midori no Happa" (緑のハッパ ''Green Leaf'') #"Torch Song" (トーチソング ' ...

'' (July 10, 1993) *'' Pan'' (July 10, 1995)

Live albums

*''

Live All Sold Out ''Live All Sold Out'' was the first live album released by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. It contains 20 of their hits and was released by their label, East West Japan.

'' (July 1, 1996, various locations) *'' Yaon Live on '94 6.18/19'' (November 25, 1997)

Compilation albums

*'' Blast Off!'' (August 6, 1991, US onlyNippop , The Blue Hearts , Profile
Nippop. Accessed February 6, 2008.) *'' Meet the Blue Hearts'' (January 1, 1995) *''

East West Side Story ''East West Side Story'' was the second compilation album released by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts. It includes many of their hits from their time with the East West Japan label.

'' (September 25, 1995) *'' Super Best'' (October 16, 1995) *'' The Blue Hearts Box'' (January 1, 1999) *'' Singles 1990-1993'' (November 25, 1999) *''All Time Singles ~Super Premium Best~'' (February 24, 2010) *''All Time Memorials ~Super Selected Songs~'' (February 4, 2015)

Videos

*''

The Blue Hearts was a Japanese punk rock band active from 1985 to 1995. They have been compared to such bands as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Ramones.The Blue Hearts Live! ~1987.7.4 Hibiya Yagai Ongakudō~'' (September 1, 1987) VHS *'' Tour '88 Pretty Pineapple Special'' (June 21, 1988) VHS *'' Blue Hearts no Video - Video Clip 1987-1989'' (ブルーハーツのビデオ) (January 1, 1990) VHS *'' Meet the Blue Hearts U.S.A. Tour 1990'' (1990) VHS *'' High Kick Tour Video Pamphlet'' (1991) VHS *''

Zen-Nippon East Waste Tour '91 was a video album produced by the Japanese band The Blue Hearts in concurrence with their tour promoting their most recent album ''Bust Waste Hip''. All of the songs were recorded live during their tour on June 12 or 13 1991, at NHK Hall.

'' (全日本EAST WASTE TOUR '91) (September 10, 1991) VHS/DVD *'' Endless Dreams ~The Blue Hearts Meet the Mutoid~ (July 10, 1993) VHS *'' Blue Hearts no Video 2 - Video Clip 1990-1993'' (ブルーハーツのビデオ2) (November 10, 1993) VHS/DVD *'' The Blue Hearts no Dekoboko Chindōchū'' (ザ・ブルーハーツの凸凹珍道中) (July 10, 1995) VHS/DVD *'' Blue Hearts ga Kikoenai - History of the Blue Hearts'' (ブルーハーツが聴こえない History of the Blue Hearts) (February 7, 1996) VHS/DVD *'' Blue Hearts no Video + Maboroshi no Video Fukkokuban'' (ブルーハーツのビデオ＋幻のビデオ復刻版) (May 26, 2004) DVD *'' The Blue Hearts Live!'' (May 26, 2004) DVD (Incl. "The Blue Hearts Live!" + "Tour '88 Pretty Pineapple Special")

Others

*'' Just a Beat Show'' (omnibus album with other groups, May 1986) *'' The Blue Hearts King of Mix'' (remix album by various groups, May 25, 1994) *'' The Blue Hearts Tribute'' (tribute album, April 25, 2002) *'' The Blue Hearts 2002 Tribute'' (tribute album, August 28, 2002) *'' The Blue Hearts Super Tribute'' (tribute album, April 2, 2003) *'' The Blue Hearts Tribute 2005 Edition'' (tribute album, July 20, 2005) *'' The Blue Hearts "25th Anniversary" Tribute'' (tribute album, February 24, 2010) *'' 30th Anniversary The Blue Hearts Re-mix 'Re-spect'' (tribute album, January 27, 2016)

References

External links

30th Anniversary website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Hearts, The Japanese punk rock groups Musical groups from Shibuya Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Musical quartets 1985 establishments in Japan