THE YELLOW MONKEY

Rock outfit THE YELLOW MONKEY pulled liberally from glam, prog, and even disco to become one of Japan’s most popular bands of the ’90s. ∙ Their 1995 album, Four Seasons, included the hit “Tactics,” which appeared as the very first closing theme for the anime series Rurouni Kenshin. ∙ Inspired by Mott the Hoople’s 1972 smash “All the Young Dudes,” the 1996 track “Jam” reached the Top 10 on the Oricon Singles Chart—one of THE YELLOW MONKEY’s nearly 20 songs to do so. ∙ The 1998 release Punch Drunkard became their third chart-topper in a row, thanks to the Platinum-certified “Burn” and lead single “Bulb,” which was their sole No. 1 hit. ∙ After they reunited in 2016, the band received an Inspiration Award at the MTV Video Music Awards, honoring their contributions to Japanese music. ∙ Almost 20 years after their previous full-length release, their 2019 comeback, 9999, won Album of the Year honors at the Japan Record Awards. ∙ Frontman Kazuya Yoshii launched a successful solo career that included such hits as “Cho-Zets Dynamic!,” the longtime theme song for the anime series Dragon Ball Super.