Best City Pop Classics: Recommended Popular Songs [Timeless & Modern]
City pop has been gaining momentum, especially overseas, after Mariya Takeuchi’s “Plastic Love” exploded in views on YouTube.
Originally, it referred to songs from the late 1970s to the 1980s that emphasized a sophisticated, urban vibe, but over time its definition and interpretation have gradually expanded.
Since the 2000s, it’s also been discussed in terms of its stylish, moody image, and perceptions vary from person to person.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of tracks—from classic, beloved city pop that laid the foundations of modern pop music to songs that capture a fresh, contemporary feel.
- Classic and hit Japanese pop songs from the nostalgic 80s
- [BGM] Attractive City Pop
- City pop perfect for creating a romantic date atmosphere (Adults Only)
- A collection of nostalgic hit songs and classics from the 70s
- Classic and hit J-pop songs from the nostalgic ’90s
- [Revisited] A roundup of popular and classic Showa-era songs that are trending now [2026]
- [Japanese Music] Masterpieces of 2000s Pop: A roundup of hit songs from 00s J-POP
- From City Pop to Ballads!! Mariya Takeuchi’s Easy-to-Sing Songs
- From Japan! Technopop masterpieces and recommended popular tracks
- Popular Showa-era pop. Timeless hit songs.
- Memorable Youth Songs: Looking Back on New Music Masterpieces from the 1970s–80s
- A Classic of Korean City Pop [KOREAN CITY POP]
- Nothing but iconic hits that defined an era! 2000s classics popular on TikTok
Best City Pop Classics: Recommended Popular Songs [Classics & Modern] (21–30)
4:00A.M.Ohnuki Taeko
This is a track that brilliantly captures the taut air before dawn, where silence and tension coexist.
Ryuichi Sakamoto’s arrangement deftly places piano and synthesizer tones to evoke an urban yet somehow wistful scene.
Taeko Onuki’s translucent vocals quietly bring to the surface emotions like inexpressible restlessness and a faint fever, seeping into the listener’s heart.
Included on the classic album MIGNONNE, released in September 1978, it has been cherished worldwide alongside the renewed appreciation for city pop.
Its glow continues to grow across eras, with a re-edit issued on 7-inch in 2025.
It’s an exquisite song for adults—one that keeps you company through sleepless, lonely nights and leaves a subtle afterglow.
SeptemberTakeuchi Mariya
Standing alongside Yumi Matsutoya as a leading female artist in city pop is Mariya Takeuchi.
“September” is her third single, released in August 1979.
It peaked at No.
39 on the Oricon charts, sold a total of 100,000 copies, and won the New Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards that year.
Best City Pop Classics: Recommended Popular Songs [Classics & Contemporary] (31–40)
246:3AMInagaki Junichi
Released as a single alongside the debut album in July 1982, this song stands out with its distinctive title that blends National Route 246 and 3 a.m.
The lyrics were written by Reiko Yukawa, the music composed by Kazuhiko Matsuo, and the arrangement handled by Akira Inoue, making it a defining track of Junichi Inagaki’s early AOR sound.
The album features accomplished musicians such as Tsuyoshi Kon and Tatsuo Hayashi, contributing to its sophisticated production.
Its bittersweet melody and restrained vocals harmonize beautifully, capturing the poignancy of the city at night.
Highly recommended for city pop enthusiasts and anyone seeking the roots of early-’80s Japanese-language AOR.
The Last Holy NightSugiyama Kiyotaka
Kiyotaka Sugiyama, who had been active as the vocalist of Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe since their 1983 debut, went solo in 1986.
In November of that same year, he released “Saigo no Holy Night” as his second single.
This urban-style Christmas song resonated with the times, reaching No.
2 on the Oricon chart and selling a total of 253,000 copies.
Fade-out (in a wavering heart)Inagaki Junichi
Opening with images of a broken-heeled high heel and a parting scene, this piece is a number steeped in the ache of adult romance, portraying a wavering man’s heart caught between turmoil and forgiveness.
The lyrics weave delicate words to express complicated feelings toward a lover, and the gradual fade-out at the end beautifully echoes the title.
The samba-tinged rhythm is soothing, and together with its modern chord progression it creates an urban, mellow atmosphere.
Although it wasn’t released as a single, the track—featured on the February 1983 album “Shylights”—has maintained enduring popularity, later being selected for the best-of compilation “REVELATION.” It’s a quintessential early city-pop song by Inagaki, perfect for a drive or for contemplative, quietly reflective nights.
Midnight PretendersAran Tomoko
A city pop classic by Tomoko Aran that gained global reappraisal after being sampled by The Weeknd.
As a founding member of Being, Aran weaves delicate lyrics that meld exquisitely with a melody crafted by Tetsuro Oda.
The gently drifting synthesizers and smooth, subdued bass line evoke both the glitter of the city at night and the loneliness that lurks beneath it.
Though the lovers know it’s a “deceptive affair,” a series of secret trysts, they surrender themselves to those fleeting moments—an unstable passion that tightens the listener’s chest.
It’s a timeless track whose undimmed brilliance makes its enduring love easy to understand.
Wind like musicEPO
A work imbued with such chic sensibilities that you could mistake it for a Swing Out Sister track.
When it comes to EPO, there’s the massive hit “U Fu Fu Fu,” which is of course a city pop classic, but in terms of sophistication, “Ongaku no Yo na Kaze” comes out on top.
It’s a 1986 release that conjures vivid scenes before your eyes—a song perfect for early spring listening.