The Blue Hearts

The Blue Hearts formed in 1985 when four high school friends got together: Hiroto Komoto on vocals and guitar, Masami Yoshino on bass, Ken Yokoyama on guitar, and Toshiyuki Suzuki on drums. They named themselves after a Bruce Springsteen song. Their first album came out in 1987, a self-released effort that found an audience underground.

In 1988, 'Linda Linda' became their breakthrough single. The song is about a young woman who inspires friends to start a band, and it turned into a kind of anthem. It's still a popular karaoke choice in Japan. Other songs like 'Shounen No Uta' and 'Aozora' also became well-known.

Their lyrics sometimes touched on social or political themes, which led to some pushback. In 1989, they were reportedly kept from playing at a festival after members made comments that offended organizers. The band kept putting out albums through the early 1990s, including 'Young and Pretty' and 'Train-Train'.