Tong Poo – Yellow Magic Orchestra | 1978

東風 [Tong Poo]
イエロー・マジック・オーケストラ [Ierō Majikku Ōkesutora]
Music : 坂本龍一 [SAKAMOTO Ryūichi]

Today, there’s no lyrics explanation. I’m featuring a track by Yellow Magic Orchestra (abbreviated to YMO), an instrumental band. While there are now many artists known overseas, for me, they remain the most globally acclaimed group.
After the breakup of Happy End, which I introduced yesterday, Haruomi Hosono formed a production team called Tin Pan Alley, producing works for artists like Yuming and Akiko Yano. At the same time, his solo work began to incorporate ambitious music influenced by New Orleans, Okinawa ^wiki, Hawaii, and China.
In 1978, when his interest in synthesizer and computer music, as well as disco, was growing, Hosono formed Yellow Magic Orchestra with Yukihiro Takahashi, formerly of the Sadistic Mika Band, and Ryūichi Sakamoto, who was a studio musician at the time. The word “Yellow” in the band’s name reflected the concept of creating a unique music for the yellow race, distinct from that of white or black people.
It’s also important to note that the early activities of Yellow Magic Orchestra focused on the theme of “misunderstood Oriental images as seen by Westerners.” Their use of Chinese-style melodies, which might seem more Chinese than Japanese, and their donning of Chinese military uniforms were all part of their art.

In my view, Japanese subculture often turns this “misunderstood Oriental image” on its head and uses it to its advantage. In Western media, Japanese people are often portrayed in strange and incorrect ways, which can be frustrating. For instance, the bowing style seen in kung fu movies (which is more Southeast Asian) is often depicted in Hollywood films. Rather than getting irritated by such misrepresentations, Japanese people might have come to think that it’s better to embrace and enjoy them, which in turn may lead to the creation of new culture.

Now, “Tong Poo” is one of the tracks on Yellow Magic Orchestra’s debut album, “Yellow Magic Orchestra,” released in 1978. The original title “東風” is read as “Tong Poo” in Chinese.
Since this is a site explaining Japanese words, let’s briefly touch on that.

東（ひがし） [higashi] : east
風（かぜ） [kaze] : wind

The Japanese reading of “東風” would be “tōfū” (On’yomi). There’s also a reading as “kochi” (Kun’yomi). The name was taken from the Japanese title of Jean-Luc Godard’s film Le Vent d’est (Wind from the East). It’s a word that somehow evokes an Oriental image. Several tracks on the album have titles inspired by Godard’s films.

This album includes many interesting tracks. For example, there’s a techno version of the exotica music “Firecracker,” and sounds reminiscent of primitive video game music, which are quite intriguing. One of my favorites is “Simoon,” a track created with the image of C-3PO and R2-D2 walking through the desert in Star Wars. Please give it a listen.

Yellow Magic Orchestra achieved great success both in Japan and internationally. Later, in 1984, they didn’t disband but rather “scattered” (散開), a positive term they coined, as each member returned to their solo careers. Many of you may know that Ryūichi Sakamoto went on to achieve international success as a film composer.

In January 2023, Yukihiro Takahashi passed away at the age of 70 due to pneumonia. Shortly after, in March, Ryūichi Sakamoto also passed away at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer. May they rest in peace.