80s Western pop hits featured in commercials. A roundup of nostalgic CM songs.
“What was that song they used in that commercial again…?” Everyone’s had that moment at least once.
And when it’s a Western song, you might only remember the lyrics vaguely.
In this article, we’re rounding up and introducing popular tracks from the 1980s—the so-called golden age of Western music—that were featured in Japanese commercials!
The lineup includes not only nostalgic commercials from the ’80s for those who remember the era, but also recent ads that have revived ’80s hits.
Younger readers might even discover that a familiar commercial jingle was actually a hit from the 1980s.
Enjoy!
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80s Western pop hits featured in commercials. A nostalgic collection of CM songs (11–20)
Let’s GrooveEarth, Wind & Fire
The song Let’s Groove, with its striking vocoder phrase at the beginning, was used in a Honda Edix commercial that aired around 2004.
The track was included on Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1981 album Raise!.
In addition to the opening vocoder line, the brass-infused groove, vocals, and performance make it a particularly captivating piece.
It is one of their signature songs and a massive hit worldwide.
Uptown GirlBilly Joel
“Uptown Girl” is a song by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1983.
It reached number 3 on the U.S.
Billboard charts.
It’s a catchy pop tune with a memorable opening chorus, influenced by doo-wop, a choral style.
In Japan, it has been used in many commercials; more recently, it was featured in Suzuki’s “Spacia” commercial in 2017.
I.G.Y.Donald Fagen
It’s one of Donald Fagen’s signature songs—after his success as a member of Steely Dan, he went on to leave behind numerous classics in his solo career.
The track appears on The Nightfly, his first solo album released in 1982 after Steely Dan went on hiatus, and it’s widely hailed as a quintessential AOR anthem.
Interestingly, the song was used in an IBM commercial that aired in 1996.
The ad, featuring actress Ryo, was composed of cool black-and-white visuals that matched the song’s vibe perfectly, making for a very stylish commercial.
GhostbustersRay Parker Jr.
This song, the theme from the 1984 American film Ghostbusters, is probably one that even younger generations who haven’t seen the movie have heard somewhere.
It’s sung by American musician Ray Parker Jr.
The track is used in many different contexts, and it’s also featured in commercials for the Spacia.
With its catchy, fun vibe, it’s a perfect fit for Spacia’s many cheerful, family-oriented ads!
CelebrationKool and The Gang
This is the song that played in the Daiwa Securities Group commercial in collaboration with the charity campaign PLAYING FOR CHANGE.
The ad showed children around the world performing this piece.
The song is by Kool & the Gang and is included on their 1980 album “Celebrate!”.
Its funky groove is the biggest draw, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who can’t help but start moving to it when I listen! It’s a timeless classic and truly one of the defining hits of the ’80s.
Karma ChameleonCulture Club
This is a song by Culture Club that was featured in commercials for NEC’s ValueStar desktop computer series.
The song is also known in Japan by the title “Karma wa Kimagure” (“Karma is Capricious”), and many people have probably heard it somewhere besides this commercial as well.
In particular, the chorus used in the ad is extremely catchy—once you hear it, you can’t help but want to sing along! Incidentally, there are comments online saying people mix it up with Yuji Oda’s “Love Somebody,” so it might be fun to listen to both and compare them.
1980s Western pop hits featured in commercials: A nostalgic roundup of CM songs (21–30)
Waiting For The Green LightOur Town
This song is by Our Town, titled in Japanese as “Koi no Green Light” (“Green Light of Love”), and it has an early-1980s-style sound.
The following year, in 1984, it was used as the jingle for Takara canned chuhai in the “John Travolta” commercial.