1979 in Japanese music

1979 in music By location

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* List of albums released

Overview of the events of 1979 in Japanese music

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Japanese music accounted for sixty percent of record sales in the Japanese music market in 1979, the rest being sales of foreign music.[1] During that year, Japan continued to have the second largest music market in the world.[2]

## Awards, contests and festivals

[edit]

The 12th Japan record sales awards (Japanese: 日本レコードセールス大賞) were held in 1979.[3] The 8th Tokyo Music Festival was held on 17 June 1979.[4][5][6] The 10th World Popular Song Festival was held from 9 to 11 November 1979.[7][8] The 10th Japan Music Awards were held on 23 November 1979.[9] The 21st Japan Record Awards were held on 31 December 1979.[10][11] The 30th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen was held on 31 December 1979.[12]

## Concerts

[edit]

The "Japan Jam" was held on 4 to 5 August. The Southern All Stars appeared.[13]

## Number one singles

[edit]

Main article: List of Oricon number-one singles of 1979

The following reached number 1 on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart:

Issue date  | Song  | Artist(s)

|
|

January 1  | "Chameleon Army"  | Pink Lady
January 8
January 15
January 22
January 29  | "Champion [ja]"  | Alice [ja]
February 5
February 12
February 19
February 26  | "Hero (Hero ni Naru Toki, Sore wa Ima) [ja]"  | Kai Band [ja]
March 5
March 12  | "Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) [ja]"  | Hideki Saijo
March 19
March 26
April 2
April 9
April 16  | "Miserarete [ja]"  | Judy Ongg
April 23
April 30
May 7
May 14
May 21
May 28
June 4
June 11
June 18  | "Kimi no Asa [ja]"  | Satoshi Kishida [ja]
June 25
July 2
July 9
July 16
July 23  | "Omoide-zake [ja]"  | Sachiko Kobayashi
July 30  | "Kanpaku Sengen [ja]"  | Masashi Sada
August 6
August 13
August 20
August 27
September 3
September 10
September 17
September 24
October 1
October 8  | "Sexual Violet No. 1 [ja]"  | Masahiro Kuwana [ja]
October 15
October 22
October 29  | "Oyaji no Ichiban Nagai Hi [ja]"  | Masashi Sada
November 5
November 12
November 19
November 26
December 3
December 10  | "Ihōjin"  | Saki Kubota
December 17
December 24
December 31

## Number one albums and LPs

[edit]

The following reached number 1 on the Music Labo chart:

* 10 and 17 December: Kisho Tenketsu [ja] \- Chiharu Matsuyama[14]
* 26 November and 3 December: Essay \- Masashi Sada[15]
* 12 November and 19 November: Magic Capsule [ja] \- Godiego[16]
* 22 October, 29 October and 5 November: The Long Run \- Eagles.[17]
* 24 September, 1 October and 8 October: Breakfast in America \- Supertramp[18]
* 20 August, 27 August, 3 September, 10 September and 17 September: Original Sound Track of Gingatetsudo 999[19]
* 16 July, 23 July, 30 July, 6 August and 13 August: Morning \- Satoshi Kishida [ja][20]
* 9 July: Kiss Me Please [ja] \- Eikichi Yazawa[21]
* 2 July: Alice 7 [ja] \- Alice [ja][22]

The following were number 1 in the Cash Box chart:

* 7 July: Soraotobu Torinoy Nookakeru [ja] \- Chiharu Matsuyama[23]
* 9 June and 16 June: Voulez-Vous \- ABBA[24]
* 26 May and 2 June: Yumekuyo [ja] \- Masashi Sada[25]
* 21 April and 28 April: Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) \- Hideki Saijo[26]
* 24 February, 17 March, 24 March and 31 March: Sayiyuki \- Godiego[27]
* 17 February: Soundtrack of "Grease"[28]

## Radio

[edit]

The program "Mirage Love USA" was broadcast by Tokyo FM.[29] (Cf USA Love Mirage.)

## Music industry

[edit]

PolyGram and Young Japan agreed to enter into a partnership.[30]

## Overseas

[edit]

The song "Kiss in the Dark", by Pink Lady, reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States of America.[31] Pink Lady were the first Japanese musicians to enter the record charts in the United States since Kyu Sakamoto in 1963.[32][33]

## See also

[edit]

* 1979 in Japan
* 1979 in music
* 2007 in Japanese music

## References

[edit]

* "japan 79: a look inside the world's second largest music market". Billboard. 26 May 1979. pp J-1 to J-33.
* 1979 コンフィデンス年鑑 Confidence Annual Report. *1980 オリコン年鑑 Oricon Annual Report.
* Morio Takayanagi. "Japan". Derek Elley (ed). International Music Guide 1979. Tantivy Press. p 96.
* International Music Guide 1980.
* Judith Glassman. The Year in Music, 1979. Columbia House.
* Oricon magazine
* Music Labo magazine
* 新譜ジャーナル magazine

1. ^ Billboard. 26 May 1979. p J-26.
2. ^ Billboard. 22 December 1979. p 14.
3. ^ 日本の作曲家: 近現代音楽人名事典. 2008. p 646.
4. ^ "Rita Coolidge Is Winner At Tokyo Music Festival". Billboard. 30 June 1979. pp 1 & 62.
5. ^ "Top Talent Performs At Tokyo Music Festival" and "Festive Ambience Fulfills Festival Reception". Billboard. 7 July 1979. pp 56 & 57.
6. ^ "U.S. Starts In Tokyo Fest". Billboard. 5 May 1979. p 1.
7. ^ "Yamaha Fest Viewed As Product Booster". Billboard. 17 November 1979. p 68.
8. ^ "1979 World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo Climaxes a Decade of Commitment to Popular Music". Billboard. 8 December 1979. p 41.
9. ^ 朝日新聞縮刷版 (Asahi Shimbun shukusatsuban). Number 701. p 27, headed "1979 年(昭和 54 年) 11 月 23 日".
10. ^ 新潟県年鑑. 1981. p 67.
11. ^ 朝日年監 1980. Asahi Shimbun. 1980. p 622.
12. ^ 第30回NHK紅白歌合戦. WEBザテレビジョン.
13. ^ "U.S. Talent Will Appear at Japan Jam". Billboard. 7 July 1979. p 58.
14. ^ Billboard. 22 December 1979, p 71. 15 December 1979, p 40.
15. ^ Billboard. 8 December 1979, p 48. 1 December 1979, p 47.
16. ^ Billboard. 24 November 1979, p 59. 17 November 1979, p 72.
17. ^ Billboard. 3 November 1979, p 79. 17 November 1979, p 72.
18. ^ Billboard. 20 October 1979, p 63. 6 October 1979, p 68.
19. ^ Billboard. 29 September 1979, p 63. 15 September 1979, p 68. "Hits of the World", 8 September 1979.
20. ^ Billboard. 25 August 1979, p 70. 11 August 1979, p 76. 4 August 1979, p 54. 28 July 1979, p 51.
21. ^ Billboard. 28 July 1979, p 51.
22. ^ Billboard. 14 July 1979, p 86.
23. ^ Cash Box. 7 July 1979, p 54
24. ^ Cash Box. 9 June 1979, p 45. 16 June 1979, p 54.
25. ^ Cash Box. 26 May 1979, p 50. 2 June 1979, p 50.
26. ^ Cash Box. 21 April 1979, p 48. 28 April 1979, p 51.
27. ^ Cash Box. 31 March 1979, p 75. 24 March 1979, p 54. 17 March 1979, p 46. 24 February 1979, p 46.
28. ^ Cash Box. 17 February 1979, p 50.
29. ^ "Tokyo FM Station Airing U.S. Music Series". Billboard. 17 November 1979. p 69.
30. ^ "Partnership Ties Polygram With Tokyo's Young Japan". Billboard. 22 December 1979. p 5
31. ^ Billboard. 19 February 2011. p 4
32. ^ The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. p 137.
33. ^ "Pink Lady ends drouth". Billboard. 23 June 1979. p 9.

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Music of Japan

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(as of 2024[update])|

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|

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