The Music of NPB
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Re: The Music of NPB
Re: The Music of NPB
[ Author: Yakulto | Posted: Jul 1, 2005 10:33 AM
| TYS Fan
]
Most players have their own choice of "theme music" played as they walk to the plate, as in MLB. For example Kazuo Matsui used to have the opening theme for "Enter the Dragon" played everytime he stepped to the plate at Seibu Dome. (I'm not sure if he continued this in New York. If not, it may help explain why he fell off so badly.)
For Yakult this year at Jingu Stadium, for the first time, players get a generic introduction theme played over the PA (the same for every player) with fancy graphics introducing the player on the big screen. The players do have their own intro movie with unique music which is played if there is a little more time to spare before they come up to bat. I believe all the music this year at Jingu has been supplied/arranged by Japanese Hip Hop star Zeebra.
While the generic intros lack individuality, they do add a much needed sheen of professionalism and team identity to the proceedings at Jingu. Players often made bad choices when chosing their walk on theme, so you could hear all sorts from Freddie Mercury to some Japanese Animation theme tune, which could often be an offense to the ears, not to mention more than a little cheesy.
With regard to the oen-dan songs, most players have their own song that is sung while they are at bat in addition to a number of generic chants which just require the player's name to be inserted. Examples of these at Jingu are "FU-RU-TA" or "A-O-KI" (breaking the players names down to sylables), "Home run, home run, Ramirezu!" (usually reserved for the foreign players), and "Katobasen, katobasen Suzuki!" (which as far as I know just means, "hit it hard/strong"). These chants are repeated 3 times and followed by another chant or the player's song. These are repeated until the player is out or get on base.
There is also a song/tune played every time someone gets on base and every time an opposition batter gets out.
Each team also has their own "theme song" which is sung every time a run is scored and during the 7th inning stretch. Yakult's is "Tokyo Ondo" (see Latham-san's site).
Well, that's probably more information than you really need! And also, I can only speak for Yakult. Other teams do it their way (though most are roughly similar).
[Editor's note: I believe it's "kattobase" (pronounce the final "e") not "kattobasen." The "ka!" (the '!' makes a sharp pause, causing emphisis and doubling the next character) is the cracking sound of the ball hitting wood, the "tobase" means "make it fly!" (tobasu is the dictionary form of the word, tobase has more emphisis, so the '!' becomes a part of the meaning).]
For Yakult this year at Jingu Stadium, for the first time, players get a generic introduction theme played over the PA (the same for every player) with fancy graphics introducing the player on the big screen. The players do have their own intro movie with unique music which is played if there is a little more time to spare before they come up to bat. I believe all the music this year at Jingu has been supplied/arranged by Japanese Hip Hop star Zeebra.
While the generic intros lack individuality, they do add a much needed sheen of professionalism and team identity to the proceedings at Jingu. Players often made bad choices when chosing their walk on theme, so you could hear all sorts from Freddie Mercury to some Japanese Animation theme tune, which could often be an offense to the ears, not to mention more than a little cheesy.
With regard to the oen-dan songs, most players have their own song that is sung while they are at bat in addition to a number of generic chants which just require the player's name to be inserted. Examples of these at Jingu are "FU-RU-TA" or "A-O-KI" (breaking the players names down to sylables), "Home run, home run, Ramirezu!" (usually reserved for the foreign players), and "Katobasen, katobasen Suzuki!" (which as far as I know just means, "hit it hard/strong"). These chants are repeated 3 times and followed by another chant or the player's song. These are repeated until the player is out or get on base.
There is also a song/tune played every time someone gets on base and every time an opposition batter gets out.
Each team also has their own "theme song" which is sung every time a run is scored and during the 7th inning stretch. Yakult's is "Tokyo Ondo" (see Latham-san's site).
Well, that's probably more information than you really need! And also, I can only speak for Yakult. Other teams do it their way (though most are roughly similar).
[Editor's note: I believe it's "kattobase" (pronounce the final "e") not "kattobasen." The "ka!" (the '!' makes a sharp pause, causing emphisis and doubling the next character) is the cracking sound of the ball hitting wood, the "tobase" means "make it fly!" (tobasu is the dictionary form of the word, tobase has more emphisis, so the '!' becomes a part of the meaning).]
Re: The Music of NPB
[ Author: MHtrStevie | Posted: Jul 1, 2005 9:58 PM
| CLM Fan
]
- For example Kazuo Matsui used to have the opening theme for "Enter the Dragon" played everytime he stepped to the plate at Seibu Dome. (I'm not sure if he continued this in New York. If not, it may help explain why he fell off so badly.)
Actually, Kaz did continue to use the "Enter the Dragon" opening music for the Mets, so we can't blame this for his travails.
- With regard to the oen-dan songs, most players have their own song that is sung while they are at bat in addition to a number of generic chants which just require the player's name to be inserted. [...] These are repeated until the player is out or get on base.
Do the teams or anyone else typically release CDs with these player themes, or are these things worked out by the oen-dan itself? I actually got a hold of a 1992 Yakult Swallows CD which seems to have these individual player songs, introduced by a live recording of (I assume) the Jingu PA announcer calling the player to bat.
Thanks for the help!
- Stevie
Actually, Kaz did continue to use the "Enter the Dragon" opening music for the Mets, so we can't blame this for his travails.
- With regard to the oen-dan songs, most players have their own song that is sung while they are at bat in addition to a number of generic chants which just require the player's name to be inserted. [...] These are repeated until the player is out or get on base.
Do the teams or anyone else typically release CDs with these player themes, or are these things worked out by the oen-dan itself? I actually got a hold of a 1992 Yakult Swallows CD which seems to have these individual player songs, introduced by a live recording of (I assume) the Jingu PA announcer calling the player to bat.
Thanks for the help!
- Stevie
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From a used place, though, I was also able to get a very different type of CD for a few teams - they are for one team only, but feature many shorter (90 second) tracks which seem to focus on each player on the team. Are these the cheering songs used by the fans when they come up to bat? From reading a couple of the older interviews, it sounds like the oen-dan serenades each player with a song in this fashion, though my NPB videogame features more chanting of players' names than actual singing.
On a related note, do the NPB players have "theme" songs which play them to the plate like the MLB players have? If so, does the player get a choice? For example, I notice in MLB that Godzilla now comes to the plate with Tomoyasu Hotei's famous instrumental featured in "Kill Bill Vol. 1." Are there examples of this in NPB, such as players coming to the plate with a popular pop song of their choice?
Thanks for your help! I know this is only tangentially related to baseball, but since the game atmosphere is one of the intriguing differences between NPB and MLB, I thought this might be interesting to discuss.
- Stevie