“Holding hands with trembling little fingers, searching for hidden signs, holding onto unforgettable memories” — lyrics from “Go! (ゴォ！)” by Yamase Mami.
The magnificent ’80s! A decade where Japanese music reached a new peak compared to previous decades, with the influence from iconic and important figures as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Masataka Matsutoya and many more, this decade saw the evolution of pop music as a form of entertainment and a staple in Japanese culture;
Today we’re taking a look into one of the most interesting artists from this decade, no other than Yamase Mami! Never heard of her? I don’t blame you, but I hope after you finish reading this you get to give her a chance.
Yamase Mami started her career in 1985 at just 15 years old, when she won the 10th annual Horipro Talent Scout Caravan audition. Next year, on March 21st 1986, she made her official debut with the single ‘Melon no Tameiki’ (メロンのためいき), or in English ‘A Melon’s Sigh’. The single, written by the legendary composer and former member of Tin Pan Alley, Masataka Matsutoya, is a mellow and almost too adorably girlish love song about exhaling a ‘melon sigh’ at the thought of kissing her lover.
‘Melon no Tameki’ tugged the heart strings of the nation and was well received, charting at #24 on the Oricon Charts. For the next two years, Yamase became a famous and beloved figure, notably for her quirky and fun personality which brought her to be invited to as many variety shows as possible. These opportunities led her to voice Princess Peach in the first ever Mario Bros movie. The roles kept coming to her, most notably the cult classic Tsuribaka Nisshi (1988), which also starred Jun Togawa as part of the cast.
Go! (ゴォ！) 1989
After cementing her popularity, 1989 was the start of Yamase’s most interesting and unexpected output when it came to music, completely reversing her too-cute-to-handle image. It was the release of ‘Go!’ (ゴォ！), a track and music video that completely distanced from her idol days. This progressive pop, punk and new wave leaning song and the bizarre avant-garde visuals came to showcase Yamase’s true quirky vocals and personality.
This song was a work of Kenzo Saeki, a friend and frequent collaborator of Jun Togawa. Yamase’s 1989 magnum opus Oyayubihime (親指姫) came out, the album sold more than her previous efforts. Yamase experimented with her looks and sound, adopting a quirky punk style, and experimenting with music genres like punk, heavy metal, hard rock, glam rock, progressive pop and zolo— a chaotic mix of everything. When chaos has gone on for too long, a quiet synth song enters. When it’s been quiet for a while, madness returns, and to break the experimentation, a light pop song comes.
In addition, and totally worth a mention, is the music video for “Go! (ゴォ！)”, is one of the most visceral and incredible music videos to come out of Japanese music industry, especially for its time. Yamase is portrayed in between a holter monitor, lost in space, flying and performing from inside a volcano. She’s portrayed as a fairy, a witch; she references her idol days wearing a baby dress and a curly blonde wig, multiplying herself as clones with their own consciousness. She’s dancing, screaming, flying, running, going totally insane along the upbeat synths. Its also worth mentioning the overall color palette of the clip. From black and white, to the green matrix not dissimilar to a holter monitor, a pastel blue, and the bright orange of the oozing lava when the volcano explodes. Mind you, this music video is from 1989, the VFX and SPX are amazing here, a crazy music video for an also crazy and unhinged song. There’s hasn’t been anything similar to both music video and song ever again, such a gem of music video!
Chaos and madness, a total contrast to her earlier innocent 80’s era, which I don’t think anyone saw coming! Oyayubihime (親指姫) also included figures like Jun Togawa, Tamio Okuda and Atsushi Yokozeki as collaborators, and Yamase’s idol voice shifted to a crazy opera punk girl, full of noise, distortion, screaming, quirky vocals, her vocal range was used at its best, and it was more evidently live.
After this career shift, Yamase just kept going further, and on December 31st 1990, a continuation of Oyayubihime (親指姫) was released— the awesome Oyayubihime Futatabi (親指姫再び). This work saw previous and new collaborators, also a bigger emphasis on metal music, rather than punk and new wave avant garde goodness. This album performed similarly to her previous work, but not as much. For this album, Yamase went to a nationwide sold-out tour along the bands Unicorn, Kinniku Shōjo Tai and Atsushi Yokozeki, performing the album fully and her best tracks from Oyayubihime (親指姫). Yamase’s performance was applauded by Visual Kei fans and became a niche icon for punk and metal enjoyers.
Album cover for “ Oyayubihime Futatabi (親指姫再び)”, 1990
As the tour ended in 1991, Yamase reinvented herself once again and dropped her album MIGHT BABY in 1993. This album experimented with maturer lyrics and a sophisti-pop and jazz sounds. This album didn’t do too well (perhaps one change in direction is all the public could handle?) and Yamase opted to retire from her music career to start as a variety show MC and radio host. It wasn’t until 2011 that Yamase celebrated the 25th anniversary of career and dropped a compilation album. But ever since, there hasn’t been any newer material from her, and she stayed as a prominent and famous figure on TV and radio. Still popular, but not for her music. As of 2026, I wonder myself who will carry on the legacy of these albums, now that Mami Yamase herself has left them behind? Sure, it would be nice to see new artists and styles of music with influences from Oyayubihime, but maybe that would also themselves reduce what makes the album special. What really makes Yamase stand out is the shock that came alongside this totally unexpected and original rebrand. I kind of want both Oyayubihime albums to testify to an inherent madness that (if one can dream) might be within every person, that one can fantasize about when watching any artist perform their material.
Recommended listening:
“Go! (ゴォ！)” from Oyayubihime (親指姫), 1989
“Koibitoyo Nigeyou Sekaiwa Kowareta Omocha Dakara! (恋人よ逃げよう 世界はこわれたおもちゃだから!)” from Oyayubihime (親指姫), 1989
“Buricco” from Oyayubihime Futatabi (親指姫再び), 1990
“198” from Oyayubihime Futatabi (親指姫再び), 1990
“I Want You” from Oyayubihime (親指姫), 1989
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