Happy End (band)
Happy End (Japanese: はっぴいえんど, Hepburn: Happī Endo) was a Japanese folk rock band, which existed from 1969 to 1972. Composed of Haruomi Hosono, Takashi Matsumoto, Eiichi Ohtaki and Shigeru Suzuki, the band's pioneering avant-garde sound is highly revered and they are considered to be among the most influential artists in Japanese music. Credited as the first rock act to sing in the Japanese-language, their impact has led to them being referred to as the "Japanese Beatles".
History
Career
In October 1969, Haruomi Hosono and Takashi Matsumoto formed a group named Blue Valentine (ヴァレンタイン・ブルー) right after their previous psychedelic rock band Apryl Fool disbanded. In March 1970, Hosono, Matsumoto and Shigeru Suzuki contributed to Kenji Endo's album Niyago. The group also changed their name to Happy End and were the backing band for Nobuyasu Okabayashi, performing on his album Miru Mae ni Tobe (見るまえに跳べ). The band began recording their own album in April 1970.
Their self-titled debut album (written in Japanese as はっぴいえんど) was released in August on the experimental record label URC (Underground Record Club). This album marked an important turning point in Japanese music history, as it sparked what would be known as the "Japanese-language Rock Controversy" (ja:日本語ロック論争, Nihongo Rokku Ronsō). There were highly publicized debates held between prominent figures in the rock industry, most notably the members of Happy End and Yuya Uchida, regarding whether Japanese rock music sung entirely in Japanese was sustainable (previously, almost all popular rock music in Japan was sung in English). The success of Happy End's debut album and their second, Kazemachi Roman released a year later, proved the sustainability of Japanese-language rock in Japan.
Happy End
Happy End may refer to:
- Happy End (1970 album), written はっぴいえんど, their debut album
- Happy End (1973 album), their third album
See also
Happy End (2003 film)
Happy End is a 2003 French film written and directed by Amos Kollek. It stars Audrey Tautou, Justin Theroux, Jennifer Tilly and Jim Parsons.
External links
Happy End (2009 film)
Happy End (French: Les Derniers Jours du monde) is a 2009 French apocalyptic film that depicts the story of a man, Robinson, who travels across France and Spain during the end of the world.
The film is inspired by the novel "Les dernieres jours du monde" by Dominique Noguez, which is officially credited in the production brochure, however in the film credits also "Amour noir" is noted as an inspiration.
Plot
The film flips back and forth between events that take place one year apart from each other.
In the present, Robinson Laborde (Mathieu Amalric) lives in Biarritz in his parents' apartment, has one hand and a prosthetic. One year before, while visiting his parents with his wife Chloé (Karin Viard) and daughter, he sees on the beach a very attractive woman, Laetitia (Omahyra Mota), and falls hopelessly in love with her. He starts an affaire and as the film develops, it is evident that he has left his family to be with her.
In the present, Robinson is looking for a notebook, the sales lady, Ombeline (Catherine Frot), tells him that paper has become scarce and all she can offer is a cooking book with blank spaces for notes. Later on Ombeline happens to meet Robinson at a bar and starts small talk with him, since she seems to know him but he does not remember.
Podcasts:
