Linda! Linda! Lin-daaa!

September 30, 2007 12:09 AM

In 1995 a Japanese pop punk band called The Blue Hearts wrote a song called "Linda, Linda". In 2005 came the film Linda, Linda, Linda, about a group of Japanese schoolgirls (plus one Korean) who have to master the song in time for their school's rock festival. Do they perform it triumphantly in an awesome final scene? Not telling.

Learn the lyrics to "Linda, Linda" thanks to the green. The band from the film went on to record an official video. Another catchy tune by the Blue Hearts, "Train-Train."

posted by Bookhouse (20 comments total)

The last link is proof that Japanese teenagers, just like their counterparts in many other nations, will basically ignore music up until the point that it gets really loud and fast. Then they'll notice it!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:27 AM on September 30, 2007

I love the Blue Hearts so much! Linda linda is one of my fav karaoke songs. It's so... bouncy....

Thankies!
posted by gomichild at 12:30 AM on September 30, 2007

This is a really good movie. It's sort of like if Jim Jarmusch directed a Japanese high school movie, what with all the awkward silences and such. And the last scene is really great.

Also, if you've seen The Host, the archer girl in that plays the Korean exchange student in Linda. Yeah!
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 12:52 AM on September 30, 2007

I wasn't a huge fan of the movie itself but liked the music. Then discovered that the rest of the music was composed by James Iha the Smashing Pumpkins dude.
posted by pantsrobot at 1:28 AM on September 30, 2007

This is a great movie which managed to be compelling and quirky while genuinely feel-good and G rated. There is a huge rock scene in Japan with a lot of genuine talent, and this movie turned me on to it. There is life beyond j-pop.
posted by mek at 2:05 AM on September 30, 2007

the dvd i watched from greencine had a really misleading blurb-description of the film on the label, such as saying the original guitar player quits because she is afraid of breaking her nails, when actually she had broken fingers. so i was expecting something very zany and sort of stupid. the movie is much better than that. it is far too slow, but there is a purity to it and it does get into your brain, and linger awhile. and that song, it's so freakin' catchy!
posted by lapolla at 2:45 AM on September 30, 2007

Ha! This song is also in the excellent game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan
posted by pantsrobot at 3:21 AM on September 30, 2007

I thought that was the same girl, Karlos. Thanks for verifying.
posted by malaprohibita at 4:14 AM on September 30, 2007

Oh, and: damn that song rocks. I love it, and shall look for a copy. Great post!
posted by malaprohibita at 4:24 AM on September 30, 2007

Check out Train Train, a great song to sing at Japanese karaoke.
posted by cazoo at 5:46 AM on September 30, 2007

Oh whoops, didn't see that bottom link there. :) If you dig The Blue Hearts, check out The High-Lows, a band comprised of some of the members after their break up.
posted by cazoo at 5:52 AM on September 30, 2007

Oh, hey, it's the theme to Ctrl-Alt-Chicken. Awesome.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 6:53 AM on September 30, 2007

There was also a pretty long homage to that scene in the anime Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
posted by bobo123 at 7:43 AM on September 30, 2007

I defy anyone to see Linda Linda Linda and then not walk around for days if not weeks afterwards singing the chorus under their breath.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 7:55 AM on September 30, 2007

This totally brightened my day - thanks!
posted by Ira.metafilter at 8:38 AM on September 30, 2007

Insanely cute!
posted by Faustino at 12:55 PM on September 30, 2007

for the same sort of feeling as linda, linda, linda, I would highly recommend waterboys.
posted by dorian at 1:09 PM on September 30, 2007

also also (also also also), the ost from the film is pretty awesome. please do check out base ball bear. james iha can be sorta hit or miss, but in this case is not bad. paran maum ftw.
posted by dorian at 1:32 PM on September 30, 2007

Yep. Saw it at the 2006 Calgary IFF. Very cute movie.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 7:14 PM on September 30, 2007

I mentioned this in an AskMe thread before, but I translated the English subtitles for this film a couple of years ago and it makes me very happy to see that people are still seeing it and enjoying it.

The former lead vocalist and guitarist from The Blue Hearts are playing in a band called The Cro-magnons now, and here is their latest release, called "Giri giri gagangan". As you can see, they haven't changed much over the years and I love them for it.
posted by misozaki at 6:18 AM on October 1, 2007