A roundup of hit love songs from the ’90s
The 1990s were a decade that produced countless million-selling hits.
TV dramas were also hugely successful, and it wasn’t uncommon for theme songs to sell big alongside the shows themselves.
In this article, we’re shining a spotlight on love songs from that era.
We’ve gathered a variety of romantic tunes: theme songs from blockbuster romance dramas, wedding classics, and timeless love songs cherished across generations.
It’s a lineup that longtime fans who experienced the era firsthand will enjoy—as well as younger listeners who didn’t live through it.
Be sure to check it out!
- Iconic ballads of 90s J-pop: nostalgic mega-hits and fan favorites
- A heartbreak song that was a hit in the 90s. Classic and popular tracks in Japanese music.
- Showa-era love songs: A roundup of timeless love songs cherished across generations
- [Heisei Love Songs] A carefully selected collection of gem-like love songs that continue to be cherished even in the Reiwa era!
- Tear-jerking J-pop from the ’90s. Hit songs and real tearjerkers.
- Love songs recommended for women in their 40s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- Recommended love songs for people in their 90s: A collection of classic Shōwa-era romance songs
- Songs to give to your lover or someone you like. Love songs devoted wholeheartedly to your boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Love songs that were hits in the 2000s. Classic and popular Japanese songs.
- Love Hit Song Collection for Gals [A Must-Listen for Heisei-Era Gals]
- Ranking of Popular Songs by Female Singer-Songwriters of the 1990s [2026]
- Winter songs in 90s J-pop: a roundup of popular winter tunes
- Heisei-era heartbreak songs: A roundup of classic tracks from the ’90s to the 2010s
Romance Songs That Hit in the ’90s (21–30)
LA LA LA Love SongKubota Toshinobu/Naomi Campbell
Toshinobu Kubota is known as the originator of R&B in Japan and a pioneer who brought authentic Black music into J-pop.
With his overwhelmingly powerful, distinctly non-Japanese vocal ability and rhythmic sensibility, he created a new form of J-pop different from the typical kayōkyoku style—he’s truly a great singer-songwriter.
Speaking of Kubota’s major hits in the ’90s, there’s “LA·LA·LA LOVE SONG,” released as a collaboration with Naomi Campbell.
It became a huge success alongside the TV drama Long Vacation and stands as one of the quintessential love songs of the 1990s.
If you can sing this perfectly at karaoke, your feelings might just reach that special someone.
Poem of SunlightLe Couple
With the cast from the previous series, including Yosuke Eguchi and Masaharu Fukuyama, kept intact, the drama Under One Roof 2 became another massive hit—practically a social phenomenon.
The insert song Hidamari no Uta was also a big hit.
Its lyrics, written solely with gentle feelings of caring for the other person just like in the drama, are wonderful.
It also made headlines when the singer flubbed the opening line during that year’s NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen on New Year’s Eve.
By the way, “Le Couple” means “couple” or “married couple” in French!
Love Story Comes SuddenlyOda Kazumasa
The moment that ultra-famous guitar cutting in the intro hits your ears, you feel like you’ve slipped back to 1991! Chosen as the theme song for the classic drama “Tokyo Love Story,” which sparked an unprecedented boom at the time, it was released in 1991 as a double A-side single with “Oh! Yeah!” and went on to sell an astounding 2.7 million copies.
It’s no exaggeration to say the song had an enormous impact on J-pop history, with countless artists covering it and sampling it afterward.
With melody and lyrics by Kazumasa Oda, whose voice is naturally beautiful, and an urbane, elegant ensemble that vividly captures the romance of adults, the track perfectly embodies the very essence of the golden age of trendy TV dramas.
Kiss me here.Shiina Ringo
Even looking back now, among songs like the debut track “Koufukuron (Theories of Happiness)” and “Kabukichō no Joō (Queen of Kabukichō),” which made Ringo Sheena a hot topic among music fans as a maverick singer-songwriter, the song that first brought her name to wider public attention was surely “Koko de Kiss Shite.” With a band ensemble that reflects the influence of alternative rock, lyrics that freely weave between English lines and Japanese lines imbued with literary sensibility, and a voice that’s instantly recognizable, plus a melody with real pop appeal, there was no way this song wouldn’t be a hit.
The protagonist of the song feels very much like Sheena herself, and in the music video—where she’s bound from neck to chest with rope and fiercely plays a Duesenberg guitar—legions of women and men alike found themselves captivated.
SAY YESCHAGE and ASKA
Not only did it cement the popularity of CHAGE and ASKA, who had been active since the 1970s, but “SAY YES” is also known as a blockbuster hit that stands as a milestone in J-POP history.
Released in 1991 and used as the theme song for the drama The 101st Proposal, it sparked a boom that could be called a social phenomenon.
For those in their 40s and older, the song is strongly tied to the drama—bringing to mind Tetsuya Takeda’s passionate performance and that unforgettable line.
Now that we’ve entered the 2020s, we hope you’ll take the time to rediscover the song’s inherent brilliance.
With its dramatic structure, ASUKA’s one-of-a-kind vocal phrasing, and CHAGE’s flawless harmonies, it’s an eternal love song.