【コラム】日本の70年代Discoと赤ラーク ― 音楽と煙草が描いた夜の美学

Column en 70s Citypop Disco

01 Nov 2025

Japan’s 70’s Disco and Red Lark - A nighttime aesthetic drawn by music and cigarettes

Text: mmr

Theme: A record of Japan’s 1970s era, when disco and Red Lark advertisements intertwined.Reminiscing about the night when music, fashion, and the smell of cigarettes intersected

Japan in the 1970s.Shinjuku, Akasaka, Roppongi. The night city was trying to gain unknown freedom through the word “disco.” The atmosphere was filled with glowing mirror balls, Soul Train-like grooves, and Red Lark’s red packaging.

1. A cross-cultural device called “disco” that was born at night in the city

In the early 1970s, urban areas in Japan were dotted with clubs opened by young men returning from the United States. Discotheques such as Mugen'',Cleopatra’’, and ``Space Capsule’’ are not just dance floors; It was a comprehensive experience space where music, scents, lighting, cigarettes, and fashion intermingled.

1970s Tokyo Disco ▲ Disco floor in Roppongi, Tokyo.Neon and smoke intersect, and red larks shine on the hands of the dancing people.

At the time, the musical focus was soul-disco with bands such as The Trammps, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Donna Summer. However, Japanese DJs don’t just play imported records; I honed my pre-YMO ``urban acoustic sense’‘. BPM sense, bass handling, and lighting synchronization. At night, “sound” and “light” became a breathing organism.

2. Red lark, a “symbol of the city”

In 1972, Japan Monopoly Corporation (predecessor of JT) released the LARK'' series.Red Lark’’ was particularly popular among young people. The design, with white letters on a red background, was a symbol of freedom,''the city,’’ and ``cool,’’ a precursor to the American spirit.

Red Lark is more than just a cigarette. In magazines such as Heibon Punch'',POPEYE’’, and non-no'' at the time, **It has appeared as anurban accessory’’ that can be seen in discos, jazz cafes, nightclubs, and fashion snaps**.

“I felt like the night was starting if I lit the red lark before dancing.”

The red color of this cigarette resonates with the reflected light of the mirror ball, A contrasting color palette of red and silver was carved into the night of the city.

3. Fusion of fashion and night culture

Around 1975, disco culture rapidly expanded. MUGEN'' in Akasaka,Space Capsule’’ in Shibuya, and ``Suntory Bar Moon’’ in Shinjuku. Young people at the time wore lame shirts, flared pants, and platform shoes. They danced with the smell of cigarettes and perfume in the air.

Disco Fashion 1970s Japan ▲ 1970s disco fashion.It became popular to use the same red as the Red Lark package as an accent color.

The advertising strategy at the time was based on the image of Red Lark = an urbane, free man.'' The poster features a man and a woman holding cigarettes in their mouths under the lights of a jazz club. In the background are Fender Rhodes keys and the sound of ice melting in a glass. Everything was designed as amusical visual expression’’.

4. Japanese reception of disco music - From “enka rhythm” to “soul breathing”

In the mid-1970s, there was a strong image of disco=Western music entertainment in Japan, but In fact, the Japanese music industry also absorbed its influence.

For example:

Hiromi Go’s ``240 Million Eyes’’ (1984) has its roots in the exhilaration of 70’s disco.
Pink Lady “UFO” (1977) is a successful example of domestic production of Donna Summer-style synth disco.
Hiroshi Sato’s ``Awakening’’ (1982) sublimated the memories of Akasaka’s night scene into city pop.

It cannot be overlooked that the disco space of the 1970s was the starting point for this trend.

5. Red Lark advertising strategy and visual design

Aka Lark’s advertisements are influenced by graphic designers Masayoshi Nakajo and Mitsuo Katsui. Neon, motion blur, photo collage, and “glossy red.”

Red Lark Ad 1978 ▲ 1978 Lark advertisement (reproduced image).The red gradation and the night view of the city are integrated.

This design philosophy would later lead to City Pop record jackets (Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi, Toshio Kadomatsu). In other words, Red Lark’s visual musicality'' anticipated the latermusical visual design.’’

6. Timeline: The intersection of 1970s disco and Red Lark

timeline title Chronology of Japan's 70's Disco and Red Lark 1970: Club “MUGEN” is established in Akasaka, Tokyo 1972: Red Lark is released and becomes popular among young people. 1973: The movie "Saturday Night Fever" became a hot topic in Japan. 1975: Prototype disco “Maharaja” opens in Roppongi 1977 : Pink Lady “UFO” hit 1978: DJ culture is incorporated into Red Lark advertisements 1979: Shibuya "Navana" opened, laser lighting introduced 1980: Disco culture inherited by city pop

7. Intersection of sound and smoke: night as sensuality

Nights in Japan in the late 1970s are remembered for the density of sound and smoke. Perfume, alcohol, and the sweet smoke of red lark. They diffuse in the space and mix with the bass of the speakers.

DJs sometimes say they can ``read BPM by the flow of smoke.’’ A time when the air itself was the media. Vinyl records and cigarettes were burning in the same rhythm.

8. Post-disco generation and the reverberations of Red Lark

In the early 1980s, large discos such as Maharaja'' andKisanadu’’ were born, Over time, the music evolved from city pop to eurobeat. However, the ``smell of urban decadence and freedom’’ at its origin was engraved in the red color of Red Lark.

Even today, there are vintage magazines and coffee shop walls. The “LARK” logo remains quietly. It’s not just nostalgia, The aesthetics of the night = a symbol of urban sentiment.

9. Conclusion: Red and silver afterglow

In Japan in the 1970s, disco and Red Lark were the two wheels of the night. Sound and smoke, light and red. The scenery created by these works is still alive in city pop and revival fashion.

When you light up the Red Lark, the Tokyo nights of the 1970s come back to you for just a moment.

Appendix: List of reference disco songs

Song title	Artist	Year	Notes
Stayin’ Alive	Bee Gees	1977	“Saturday Night Fever” signature song
Disco Inferno	The Trammps	1976	Standardized in Japanese clubs
Boogie Wonderland	Earth, Wind & Fire	1979	Popular on MUGEN
Soul Dracula	Hot Blood	1977	DJ purveyor at the time
Corrida of Love	Quincy Jones	1981	An extension of the Japanese disco feel

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Column en 70s Citypop Disco