Yatta
Encyclopedia
"Yatta!" is a 2001 parody
song by a fictional Japan
ese boy band
called . The one word in the song title, yatta, is the past tense of the Japanese verb yaru ("to do") and is also the familiar short form of yarimashita, an exclamation meaning "It's done!", "I did it!", "Ready!" or "All right!" The song was first performed as a sketch on the Japanese sketch comedy
show , known as Silly Go Lucky
in the United States, where Happa-tai is portrayed by some of Japan's most well-known comedians.
The video features its members singing and dancing exuberantly while wearing only underwear with a large green leaf on the front. The seven band members' synchronized dancing and personalized poses for the camera parody the boy band craze.
The sketch satirizes many of the stereotypes of Japanese pop culture, including such tropes as a romantic interlude during the song's bridge
that takes place on a city street filled with floating sakura
blossoms.
On April 4, 2001, "Yatta!", written by Hideki Fujisawa
as Dance Man (dansu man;ダンス☆マン), who wrote songs for Morning Musume
, a TV animation Sgt. Frog
and so on, was released under the Pony Canyon
label in Japan, it surprisingly hit #6 in the charts and went triple-platinum in Japan within a number of weeks. While the song was intended to be humorous, some viewers outside Japan assumed it to be earnest, perhaps due to the obvious work that went into the special effect
s in the video. The incomprehensibility of such an elaborate video enhanced its popularity among Western audiences who could not understand the Japanese lyric(s).
The song and video have since been used as a web culture in-joke
on many different websites. The actors who performed as Happa-tai were brought to perform "Yatta!" in the US on Jimmy Kimmel Live
. Host Jimmy Kimmel
compared himself to Ed Sullivan
introducing the Beatles
in their first American performance. The band's appearance was referenced again during Kimmel's interview with Masi Oka
.
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
song by a fictional Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
called . The one word in the song title, yatta, is the past tense of the Japanese verb yaru ("to do") and is also the familiar short form of yarimashita, an exclamation meaning "It's done!", "I did it!", "Ready!" or "All right!" The song was first performed as a sketch on the Japanese sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show , known as Silly Go Lucky
Silly Go Lucky
is a Japanese sketch/variety show, akin to Saturday Night Live and MadTV. Outside of Japan, Silly Go Lucky is known to be the television program that produced the popular internet sensation Yatta by Happatai. It also has the most amount of characters in a television show. Mandy, Apple, Peter and...
in the United States, where Happa-tai is portrayed by some of Japan's most well-known comedians.
The video features its members singing and dancing exuberantly while wearing only underwear with a large green leaf on the front. The seven band members' synchronized dancing and personalized poses for the camera parody the boy band craze.
The sketch satirizes many of the stereotypes of Japanese pop culture, including such tropes as a romantic interlude during the song's bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
that takes place on a city street filled with floating sakura
Sakura
A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...
blossoms.
On April 4, 2001, "Yatta!", written by Hideki Fujisawa
Hideki Fujisawa
is a Japanese musician, better known by the stage name . He is very secretive about his identity to the public. He is always seen wearing a huge afro wig and sideburns, matched with sunglasses...
as Dance Man (dansu man;ダンス☆マン), who wrote songs for Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
, a TV animation Sgt. Frog
Sgt. Frog
Sgt. Frog, known in Japan as , is a manga series by Mine Yoshizaki. It was later serialized into a TV anime series directed by Junichi Sato. Both the anime and manga are comedies that follow the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders to conquer Earth...
and so on, was released under the Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
label in Japan, it surprisingly hit #6 in the charts and went triple-platinum in Japan within a number of weeks. While the song was intended to be humorous, some viewers outside Japan assumed it to be earnest, perhaps due to the obvious work that went into the special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s in the video. The incomprehensibility of such an elaborate video enhanced its popularity among Western audiences who could not understand the Japanese lyric(s).
The song and video have since been used as a web culture in-joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
on many different websites. The actors who performed as Happa-tai were brought to perform "Yatta!" in the US on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
. Host Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
compared himself to Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
introducing the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in their first American performance. The band's appearance was referenced again during Kimmel's interview with Masi Oka
Masi Oka
Masayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese-American actor and digital effects artist.He has performed in numerous feature films and TV series, most prominently as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC TV series Heroes from 2006 until its cancellation in May 2010. He resides in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Oka...
.