KAT-TUN: Six Senses
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It's been a while (for me, anyway) since I got the chance to post something Japanese. The song I've chosen is a must for this week's theme, though, because you can tell these guys worked re-e-e-e-ally hard getting those handclaps super-perfect. Such persistence should be rewarded.
It also gives me the chance to talk a bit about Johnny and Associates. Wiki calls it a "talent agency," which is correct in the same sense that McDonalds is a "restaurant." Since its formation in 1962, Johnny's has grown to be a huge Japanese entertainment conglomerate, and what it specializes in are boy bands. Johnny's is like a blend of Disney's Hollywood Records (including a Mickey Mouse Club clone, The Shounen Club) and Lou Pearlman (not including, thankfully, the Ponzi schemes or the skeevy sexual predation).
Johnny's discovered our featured boy band, KAT-TUN, in the same sense that the Monkees were "discovered." Talented boys are hand-picked to join Johnny's stable of artists, are trained and groomed and combined into groups, and when they're deemed ready, they debut, first in small venues, then successively larger halls. Look at them, aren't they kawaii (adorable) – if you were twelve, you probably wouldn't tear your eyes away from their picture to even bother to read this bit. KAT-TUN is as big in Japan as the Backstreet Boys were in America.
This song is a perfect J-Pop gem. The lyrics are a seemingly random mix of English and Japanese, which is also typical of J-Pop. My internet friend, Travis, has kindly translated them if you'd like to try singing it on your next karaoke night. You're on your own, though, for the hand clapping.
