What does it mean to be 'big in Japan'?

It's always been a rock in-joke. But these days making it in the far east is nothing to be ashamed of'I got the sheets but not the bed/I got the jam but not the bread/But, heh, I'm big in Japan." So sang Tom Waits in 1999's Big in Japan, his nod to the resilient prejudice that success in the far east is cause not for congratulations but for mirth. Retro Brit-soul band Mamas Gun (pictured) recently outsold every other western band to reach No 3 in the Japanese charts, but their achievement is un...

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19:00 on March 22 2010

What does it mean to be 'big in Japan'?

Guardian Music — It's always been a rock in-joke. But these days making it in the far east is nothing to be ashamed of'I got the sheets but not the bed/I got the jam but not the bread/But... more info