Turning Japanese by The Vapors Lyrics Meaning – A Cultural Reflection on Identity and Obsession
Lyrics
Of me and you
You wrote “I love you”
I wrote “me too”
I sit there staring and there’s nothing else to do
Oh it’s in color
Your hair is brown
Your eyes are hazel
And soft as clouds
I often kiss you when there’s no one else around
I’ve got your picture, I’ve got your picture
I’d like a million of you all ’round my cell
I want the doctor to take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You’ve got me turning up and turning down, I’m turning in, I’m turning ’round
I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
I’ve got your picture, I’ve got your picture
I’d like a million of them all ’round my cell
I want a doctor to take your picture
So I can look at you from inside as well
You’ve got me turning up and turning down, I’m turning in, I’m turning ’round
I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women
No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it’s dark
Everyone around me is a total stranger
Everyone avoids me like a cyclone ranger
Everyone
That’s why I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
(Think so think, so think so, think so)
Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so
When The Vapors released ‘Turning Japanese’ in 1980, it became a formidable earworm with its catchy riff and enigmatic chorus. The ostensibly peppy track has been a point of debate and misinterpretations over the years. While many linked it to racial stereotypes or salacious rumors, the song remains a fixture in the story of New Wave’s invasion of pop culture.
Taking another dive into the haunting refrain of ‘I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so,’ we attempt to peel back the layers of the track’s narrative, which speaks to broader themes of personal transformation, obsessive love, and cultural dislocation.
An Ode to Obsession: Far Beyond the Lens Filter
At first listen, ‘Turning Japanese’ appears as a jovial song, with the jagged edge of punk guitar lines blending into a song of devotion. The speaker holds onto ‘your picture,’ an emblem of affection, yet the repetition signals an unnerving fixation. The act of staring at a photograph until the physical world blurs into the background highlights an obsessive state—one where reality can’t compete with the image of a lover.
Such fixation also hints at the onset of emotional turmoil. It’s not solely about the act of looking at a picture but rather the desperation to merge with it on a cellular level. ‘I want the doctor to take your picture / So I can look at you from inside as well’ speaks to a yearning to internalize this obsession, to make it an inseparable part of one’s being.
The Chorus Conundrum: Unraveling the Orientalist Misunderstanding
Amidst the pulsating beat, the chorus stands out as both a hook and a head-scratcher. ‘I’m turning Japanese’ has often been misread as embracing racial stereotypes or reflecting fetishization. However, lead singer David Fenton has clarified that the intention was about the feeling of helplessness and change experienced in particularly intense, personal moments.
In fact, the phrase ‘turning Japanese’ was a metaphor for personal transformation—the way one might feel detached and completely different from their former self in the throes of obsessive love or deep emotional upheaval. The cultural reference, perhaps clumsily appropriated, was meant to evoke a sense of becoming something entirely new and alien to oneself.
The Isolation Anthem: A Labyrinth of Loneliness
Within the vivacious soundscape lies a darker undercurrent reflective of isolation: ‘Everyone around me is a total stranger / Everyone avoids me like a cyclone ranger.’ These lines are confessions which reveal the inner turmoil that contrasts sharply with the song’s outward jauntiness.
It’s a stark depiction of someone who finds themselves utterly alone even amidst a crowd—turned inward by their infatuation and, as a result, isolating themselves from the world. The song aptly captures the dichotomy of desiring closeness while being trapped in the solitary confinement of one’s mind.
Memorable Lines: Hazel Eyes and the Quest Within
The imagery found in the verses provides a poetic contrast to the febrile energy of the chorus. ‘Your eyes are hazel / And soft as clouds’ is a delicate homage to the subject of obsession. It’s these snapshots of infatuation that give The Vapors’ song a relatable edge—a love so profound that it brings a vision of the beloved everywhere.
When coupled with ‘You’ve got me turning up and turning down, I’m turning in, I’m turning ’round,’ we see the embodiment of the emotional rollercoaster that love can induce. It captures the disorientation of being lost in one’s sentiments, a compelling metaphor for anyone who’s ever been consumed by another person.
The Hidden Meaning: A Reflection of Self in the Other
Beyond the controversy and the catchy chorus, ‘Turning Japanese’ endures as a study of human emotions and the way we perceive ourselves through others. The ‘Japanese’ aspect can be seen as symbolic of the ‘other’—a state of being so far removed from one’s own reality that it seems foreign and inscrutable.
What’s compelling is this song’s timeless quality in capturing the essence of how our identities can become entangled with that of those we adore. It explores the universal theme of human obsession and the lengths one will go to hold on, even if it means metamorphosing into something completely unrecognizable.
