Southpaw (Pink Lady song)

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"Southpaw"
Single by Pink Lady
from the album Best Hits Album (1978)
LanguageJapanese
B-side"Accessory"
ReleasedMarch 25, 1978 (1978-03-25)
Genre
Length6:20
LabelVictor
Composer(s)Shunichi Tokura
Lyricist(s)Yū Aku
Producer(s)Hisahiko Iida
Pink Lady singles chronology
"UFO"
(1977) 		"Southpaw"
(1978) 		"Monster"
(1978)

"Southpaw" (サウスポー, Sausupō) is Pink Lady's seventh single release, released on March 25, 1978. This became their sixth number-one hit on the Oricon Chart in Japan.[1] The single sold 1,800,000 copies, and spent nine weeks at number one on the chart.

Background

According to songwriter Yū Aku, the song was inspired by Crown Lighter Lions pitcher Tamotsu Nagai, who used an underthrow to strike out Sadaharu Oh at the 1977 All-Star Game.

The dance choreography uses a baseball motif. Traditionally, Mie and Kei wear tank tops and shorts patterned after baseball uniforms.[2]

Reception

The duo won the 1978 Japan Music Awards with this song.

According to Oricon, this was the second best selling single from 1978, after "UFO".[3]

Other uses

The duo also recorded a version of the song with different lyrics as a commercial jingle for "Shinsyu-ichi Instant Miso Soup" (神州一即席味噌汁, Shinshūichi Sokuseki Misoshiru).

A re-recorded version of the song was included on the 2-disc greatest hits release, INNOVATION, released in December 2010.

Controversy

In July 2019, the cheering squad for the Chunichi Dragons stopped playing the song when it was decided that one line of the lyrics was offensive. The line in question is "Omae ga utanakya dare ga utsu" (お前が打たなきゃ誰が打つ, lit. "Who will hit you if you hit?"); the use of the term "Omae" (お前) is considered to be rude to players.[4][5]

Track listing (7" vinyl)

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

No.TitleLength
1."Southpaw" (Sausupo (サウスポー))3:40
2."Accessory" (Akusesarī (アクセサリー))2:40

Charts

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart 1

Cover versions

References

  1. ^ "List of the number-one hit singles on the Japanese Oricon Chart". Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  2. ^ "Let's Dance! Southpaw". Viva! Pink Lady. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  3. ^ "Annual Oricon Charts 1977-1980" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  4. ^ "「選手に失礼」と中日応援歌自粛 「お前が打たなきゃ」". Asahi Shimbun. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  5. ^ "応援歌で「お前」はアウト？中日が問題視、でも選手は…". Asahi Shimbun. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  6. ^ "｢森高ランド・ツアー1990.3.3 at NHKホール｣（Blu-ray/DVD/CD)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  7. ^ "Twinstar produce Pink Lady Euro Tracks". Para Para Mania. Retrieved 2020-04-14.

External links

Retrieved from "https://mdwiki.org/wiki/Southpaw_(Pink_Lady_song)"