Turning Japanese is one of New Wave's biggest hits

The Vapors : Turning Japanese

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In February of 1980 The Vapors released "Turning Japanese", one of the decade's most memorable new wave songs. Produced by The Jam's main man ,Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, the single reached number 3 in the UK and number 1 in Australia. It was also a top-ten hit in Canada and New Zealand, and reached the top 40 in the United States.

I remember hearing that the song was about masturbation when it was playing on the radio, though I never understood the reference. Singer Dave Fenton says such rumors are wrong: "Turning Japanese is all the clichés about angst and youth and turning into something you didn't expect to." 

In so many ways, The Vapors seem to be following The Knack's model. The line "I’ll get the doctor to take a picture so I can look at you from inside as well" is just twisted enough to come from the mind of Doug Fieger and the not so subtle racism makes me wonder if this song would ever get radio airplay today.

The single came from The Vapors album New Clear Days (Nuclear Days, get it?) and was parodied brilliantly by SCTV: