But in future generations it resurfaced in new forms: mashups with famous Western songs fan-made English-language lyrics and most prevalently, retro-futuristic вЂvaporwaveвЂ™ takes, which circulate ubiquitously on the internet. вЂPlastic LoveвЂ™, arguably her most euphoric number, initially featured an extended mix by her producer and spouse Tatsuro Yamashita upon its single release. Inevitably, the all-embracing international sensation came to be linked to other forces. Variety, however, was an individual creative achievement, stemming from a diverse fascination with music at an early age and guided by the authentic emotions that lyrically shine through.

The beginnings of Mariya TakeuchiвЂ™s 43-year career showed the direct involvement of surrounding musicians who were spearheading Japanese pop, from Yellow Magic Orchestra members Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, and fellow city-pop idol Taeko Onuki, to Shigeru Suzuki of Happy End. вЂLets Get MarriedвЂ™ takes inspiration from 1950s doo-wop, вЂOne Night StandвЂ™ has the feel of a country bar at night, and вЂSing with Mersey BeatвЂ™ pays tribute to the 1960s scene in Liverpool. The album journeys through a range of genres, masterfully united by velvety choruses and impeccable instrumentation. Having always been at the centre of JapanвЂ™s A-list musical scene since her debut, Variety became Mariya TakeuchiвЂ™s favourite, written and arranged entirely by herself. But in the present, especially with the 50 million views on Youtube amassed by fan-made versions of вЂPlastic LoveвЂ™, unbridled happiness and hope in her musicВ has come to have added meanings. At the height of the bubble decade, JapanвЂ™s financial boom, and the golden decade of idol culture, Mariya TakeuchiвЂ™s post-hiatus album became her instant #1, and she one of the best-selling artists in Japanese chart history. With the album Variety, her voiceВ overflows from the computer screen, melodically transporting listeners all at once to the magical bliss of Japan in the year 1984.ДЄsk any Japanese listener, whether or not they directly bear memories of the time, and they will immediately recognise her as the iconic singer-songwriter that produced radiant city-pop classics next to her husband, Tatsuro Yamashita. The music of singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi has a way of captivating digital explorers in dazzling realms within a single, curious click. Here are some of the more interesting videos that I found.Cover of Mariya Takeuchi's вЂVarietyвЂ™ (1984). And yet, given city popвЂ™s prevalence in the vaporwave and future funk genres, it feels surprisingly contemporary, and maybe even a wee bit futuristic.ДЄnd so I recently found myself going down a вЂњPlastic LoveвЂќ-inspired rabbit hole on YouTube. And IвЂ™m no different every time I listen to the song, I feel like IвЂ™m opening a time capsule into another era.

(The song ends with the following refrain, sung in English: вЂњIвЂ™m just playing games/I know thatвЂ™s plastic love/Dance to the plastic beat/Another morning comes.вЂќ)Дespite being 35 years old, the song has taken on a life of its own in recent years, with adoring fans gushing about the song and the nostalgic urban fantasies that it inspires in YouTube comment sections. Originally released on TakeuchiвЂ™s 1984 album, Variety, вЂњPlastic LoveвЂќ feels like the platonic ideal of city pop thanks to its breezy horn and string arrangements, some tasteful guitar licks, and funky rhythmsвЂ‰-вЂ‰and all of it wrapped up in production thatвЂ™s been polished to within an inch of its life.ДЄnd then, of course, thereвЂ™s TakeuchiвЂ™s lovely voice, which walks a fine line between coy, plaintive, and heartbroken, which makes sense given that вЂњPlastic LoveвЂќ is about a woman coping with heartache by indulging in shallow, empty behavior. ThereвЂ™s a lot of great music to be found in the genreвЂ‰-вЂ‰a YouTube search for вЂњcity popвЂќ will return any number of mixesвЂ‰-вЂ‰but for my money, one of the definitive city pop songs is Mariya TakeuchiвЂ™s вЂњPlastic Love.вЂќ About this time last year, I discovered вЂњ city pop,вЂќ an ultra-slick and highly polished form of pop music that emerged from Japan in the early вЂ™80s, and served as a celebration of the upscale, urban living brought on by the countryвЂ™s economic success.

Mariya takeuchi plastic love album art