"PONPONPON"
Single by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
from the album Moshi Moshi Harajuku and Pamyu Pamyu Revolution
ReleasedJuly 20, 2011 (2011-07-20)
RecordedMay–July 2011
Genre
Length4:02
LabelWarner Music Japan
Songwriter(s)Yasutaka Nakata
Producer(s)Yasutaka Nakata
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu singles chronology
"PONPONPON"
(2011)		 "Jelly"
(2011)

"PonPonPon" (stylized as PONPONPON) is a song and debut single by Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. It was released as the lead single for her EP, Moshi Moshi Harajuku, and later included on her debut album, Pamyu Pamyu Revolution. The song was written and produced by Yasutaka Nakata of Capsule. The music video, a psychedelic tribute to Kawaii and Decora culture, was released to YouTube on July 16, 2011, and became a viral hit.[1][2] On 27 July 2012, a limited edition of a 7' LP with Side A: PONPONPON -extended mix- and Side B: Cherry Bon Bon -extended mix- was released (and re-released on 3 January 2013) exclusively for DJs.

The song was launched on iTunes internationally in 23 countries, and set records for a Japanese song, reaching #1 in Finland and #4 in Belgium.[3] As of 2012, the song sold over 1 million digital downloads.[4] As of 2016, the music video has over 100 million views on YouTube. Internationally, the song has been featured in G-Eazy's single "Lost in Translation",[5] FACE's "Night Fever", and was featured in The Simpsons episode "Married to the Blob".[6] PonPonPon is featured on the 2012 Japan game, Just Dance Wii 2.

The Japan Times in 2019 listed "PonPonPon" among the most influential J-Pop songs of the 2010s decade, noting the music video's extravagant aesthetics and electronic production.[7]

Music video

Development

The music video for "PonPonPon" was shot by Jun Tamukai.[8] The theme of the music video is "kawaii", which means cute in Japanese.[8] Tamukai regarded Kyary as a person bending the definition of "kawaii" by mixing it with weirdness.[8] The art director Sebastian Masuda, of fashion brand 6%DOKIDOKI, adopted the randomness of "a room of a girl who isn't good at tidying up", adding "a taste of the 60-70s".[9] The fashion stylist and designer for the video was Kumiko Iijima.[10]

Kawaisa and Decora culture are prevalent in the "PonPonPon" video.

Synopsis

The video is a mix of 2D and 3D animation. It depicts two worlds, the first of which was created by Masuda Sebastian and looks like a room of a girl; the other is her own mental world, where her face is pink-colored.[8] The video starts with a microphone stand coming out of Kyary's ear. The microphone stand is used to imitate the image of Freddie Mercury.[8]

In the chorus, Kyary performs a dance choreographed by air:man with the lyrics inserted as kinetic typography. When Kyary claps during the bridge, slices of bread appear because "pan" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a clap, as well as the word for bread.

A combo television unit into which a cassette is inserted is a reference to the fact that analog broadcasting stopped in Japan and was switched to digital broadcasting on July 20, the same day the song was released on iTunes Store.[8] Kyary parodies the "Hige dance" from the 70s comedy show 8 Ji Dayo! Zenin Shugo wearing a mustache[8] and does the "kamehameha" move from the Japanese manga series Dragon Ball.[11]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[12]

Cover artwork

  • Steve Nakamura – art director, designer
  • Shinji Konishi – hair, make-up
  • Eri Soyama – stylist

Charts

Chart (2011–13) Peak
position
Japan Hot 100 (Billboard)[13] 9
Japan Billboard Top Airplay 6
Japan Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay 68
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[14] 15

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[15] Platinum 250,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Dooling, Annemarie (2011-07-27). "'PonPonPon' Gives Us A Kawaisa Seizure". Huffington Post.
  2. ↑ Favorite Summer Artists & Cats Grilling Out (!!!): It's Episode 2 Of MTV's Pop Music Web Show, 'Bigger Than The Buzz'!. Buzzworthy.mtv.com (2011-08-04). Retrieved on 2011-12-08.
  3. ↑ "「PONPONPON」が、なんとｉTunesヨーロッパでチャートイン！" (in Japanese). Warner Music Japan. 2011-07-22. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  4. ↑ "きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ 原宿カワイイ大使に任命！！". MUSIC LOUNGE ニュース (in Japanese). 東京都: 有線放送キャンシステム. 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  5. ↑ "G-Eazy - Lost In Translation".
  6. ↑ "What if Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is on The Simpsons?". SBS Pop Asia. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  7. ↑ "Looking back at the most influential Japanese songs of the 2010s". The Japan Times. December 29, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Interview with the director Jun Tamukai".
  9. ↑ "Interview with Kyary and the art director Sebastian Masuda". 9 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "WEEKLY MAGAZINE スタイリスト 飯嶋久美子". SONY My VAIO (in Japanese). SONY. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  11. ↑ "Timeout Tokyo Long Interview". Archived from the original on 2012-09-13.
  12. ↑ Pon Pon Pon (digital download). Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Warner Music Japan. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ Japan Hot 100 : June 09, 2012. Billboard biz. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  14. ↑ World Digital Songs : Jan 12, 2013. Billboard biz. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Japanese digital single certifications – Kyari Pomyu Pomyu – Pon Pon Pon" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2014年1月 on the drop-down menu
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