| Southpaw | |
| Cover: | Sausupo.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Pink Lady |
| Album: | Best Hits Album (1978) |
| Language: | Japanese |
| B-Side: | Accessory |
| Length: | 6:20 |
| Label: | Victor |
| Composer: | Shunichi Tokura |
| Lyricist: | Yū Aku |
| Producer: | Hisahiko Iida |
| Prev Title: | UFO |
| Prev Year: | 1977 |
| Next Title: | Monster |
| Next Year: | 1978 |
is Pink Lady's seventh single release, released on March 25, 1978. This became their sixth number-one hit on the Oricon Chart in Japan.[1] The single sold 1,800,000 copies, and spent nine weeks at number one on the chart.
According to songwriter Yū Aku, the song was inspired by Crown Lighter Lions pitcher Tamotsu Nagai, who used an underthrow to strike out Sadaharu Oh at the 1977 All-Star Game.
The dance choreography uses a baseball motif. Traditionally, Mie and Kei wear tank tops and shorts patterned after baseball uniforms.[2]
The duo won the 1978 Japan Music Awards with this song.
According to Oricon, this was the second best selling single from 1978, after "UFO".[3]
The duo also recorded a version of the song with different lyrics as a commercial jingle for .
A re-recorded version of the song was included on the 2-disc greatest hits release, INNOVATION, released in December 2010.
In July 2019, the cheering squad for the Chunichi Dragons stopped playing the song when it was decided that one line of the lyrics was offensive. The line in question is ; the use of the term is considered to be rude to players.[4] [5]
All lyrics are written by Yū Aku; all music is composed and arranged by Shunichi Tokura.