The German 80's synth-pop trio ALPHAVILLE - their album Forever young is superb, especially the hit single 'Big In Japan' and 'Summer in Berlin'.
'Big In Japan' were actually a group themselves in Liverpool around 1978/79, who all went on to have fairly successful careers with other bands, most notably Holly Johnson of FGTH.
Alphaville liked this fairly unknown Liverpool band, and decided to write a song named after them, and it became a massive hit in 1984 in a dozen or more countries (No 1 in some countries including Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, and No 8 in UK) at exactly the same time as FGTH were at No 1 in the UK with Relax.
Big In Japan has extremely dark but touchingly subtle lyrics, which have been the subject of much argument, eventually the lead singer Marian Gold revealed that they told the story of a friend of his who fell in love with a girl who got involved with drugs (heroin) at Zoo Station in (West) Berlin, a notorious
hard drugs meeting place.
The girl had to become a prostitute to support ther habit, and forced her boyfriend to do the same - he becomes a heroin addict then has to support it by prostitution) then she dumped him, and he reflects on the experience. Not for the fainthearted, but a truly incredible single.
The cold winter in verse one is the emotional coldness of hard drug usage, the crystal bits of snowflake are the drugs, and 'you did what you did to me' refers to the girl trapping then dumping her boyfriend.'I will wait here for my man tonight' is a clever but disturbing pun on male prostitution/ obtaining heroin and pays its dues to the Velevt Underground (Lou Reed)'s 'Waiting for the Man' - 'the man' being slang for a drug dealer.
'Shall I stay here at the Zoo' refers to Zoological Garten rail station. Some have suggested that the 'Big In Japan' refers to a sexual racist slur on Japanese men, as well as a nod to the Liverpool group from the late 70s. The singer finds it 'easy when you are Big In Japan'.
The rest is up for debate, though the video on YouTube is exceptional and well worth seeing too.
Lyrics to BIG IN JAPAN by Alphaville
Winter's cityside
Crystal bits of snowflakes
All around my head and in the wind
I had no illusions
That I'd ever find a glimpse
Of summer's heatwaves in your eyes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history, I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
Aah when you're big in Japan-tonight
Big in Japan-be-tight
Big in Japan ooh the eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan-alright
Pay! - Then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
Oh when you're big in Japan
Neon on my naked skin, passing silhouettes
Of strange illuminated mannequins
Shall I stay here at the zoo
Or should I go and change my point of view
For other ugly scenes
You did what you did to me
Now it's history I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan
Aah when you're big in Japan-tonight
Big in Japan-be-tight
Big in Japan ooh the eastern sea's so blue
Big in Japan-alright, pay!
Then I'll sleep by your side
Things are easy when you're big in Japan
Songwriters: MARIAN GOLD, FRANK MERTENS, BERNHARD LLOYD
If all that is a bit heavy, 'Summer in Berlin' and the rest of the album are much more uplifting and optimistic.