Yatta is a 2001 song by a Japanese comedy band called はっぱ隊 (Happa-tai; literally “Leaf Squad” in Japanese, though they called themselves “Green Leaves” in English). The song was first performed as a sketch on the Japanese sketch comedy show “笑う犬の冒険” (Warau Inu no Bōken; Adventures of a Laughing Dog), where Happa-tai, a sendup of a stereotypical boy band, is portrayed by some of Japan’s most well-known comedians. It became extremely popular on the Internet through the distribution of its music video.

The sketch appears to be at least partly ironic commentary on attempts by the Japanese government and others to maintain optimism in the face of Japan’s severe economic troubles, depicting men impoverished to the degree of having no clothing but the figurative fig leaf (though in this case the leaves are attached to white briefs) yet maintaining an irrational, irrepressible belief in their own potential for success. The sketch satirizes many of the stereotypes of Japanese pop culture, including such tropes as a romantic interlude during the song’s bridge that takes place on a city street filled with floating sakura blossoms.

Here are the translation of the lyrics