![[Heisei-Era Summer Songs] A curated selection of timeless summer tunes loved across generations!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0xSiBpUdW4E/sddefault.jpg)
[Heisei-Era Summer Songs] A curated selection of timeless summer tunes loved across generations!
A summer when you hung out with friends and made tons of memories, a summer of passionate love, a summer when you poured your sweat into club activities and studying.
What kind of memories do you have of summer?
In this article, we’ll introduce summer songs released during the Heisei era.
We’ve gathered a variety of Heisei summer tracks, including songs by artists strongly associated with summer and timeless summer classics loved across generations.
You might even find a song that colored your own Heisei summers!
If you spent the Heisei years with the songs we introduce, take a trip down memory lane.
And if you’re discovering them for the first time, find your favorites and be sure to give them a listen this summer!
[Summer Songs of the Heisei Era] A handpicked selection of timeless summer tunes loved across generations! (1–10)
Marigoldaimyon
It’s a gem of a love song that’s quintessential Aimyon, blending a nostalgic folk aroma with J-pop sensibilities.
Released in August 2018, the track beautifully captures the tenderness of days spent with a lover and a faint, bittersweet sense that such happiness may not last forever.
Though it had no specific tie-ins, the song resonated widely on its own strength, and by July 2019 the official music video surpassed 100 million views.
It’s perfect for listening at a late-summer dusk when you want to reminisce about moments with someone dear, filling you with a warm sense of nostalgia.
A timeless ode to universal love, it stands as one of the defining masterpieces of the Heisei era.
You and the summer music festivalSHISHAMO
Although it was released in 2014, this masterpiece went viral in the 2020s and is now passed down as a classic summer anthem.
For the hugely popular three-piece band SHISHAMO, this was their first single, and it’s also known for its music video being filmed at the VIVA LA ROCK music festival in May 2014.
The lyrics charmingly capture the bittersweet, heart-fluttering feelings of the protagonist swaying between the frenzy of the music and budding romance at a festival with someone they like.
The song is also included on the album “SHISHAMO 2” and was used as the ending theme for “JAPAN COUNTDOWN.” It’s a perfect track for anyone who wants to feel the exhilaration of new love and the sparkle of summer.
Ms. Hanako on a high pedestalback number
This is a signature summer tune by back number, a band unrivaled when it comes to singing about the frustration of unrequited love.
You want to see them but you can’t, you know they don’t think of you that way, and yet your daydreams and hopes keep swelling.
The protagonist’s feelings come across so vividly it’s almost painful, and it tightens your chest.
Released in June 2013, this track was also included on the classic album “Love Story.” In 2019, it drew attention again when it was used in a Kirin Brewery commercial, featuring a solo acoustic performance by vocalist Iyori Shimizu himself.
It’s a timeless song, perfect for summer drives or when you want to bask in bittersweet memories of youth.
HOT LIMITT.M.Revolution
One of the signature songs from Takanori Nishikawa’s solo project T.M.Revolution, it’s also beloved as a summer classic.
The unique outfit Nishikawa wears in the music video draws attention, and you can feel the exhilaration and carefree mood of summer in many aspects.
With the fast-paced, digital sound that’s quintessentially T.M.Revolution, it conjures an image of ramping up your excitement for the season.
It’s also fun that producer Daisuke Asakura’s name appears in the lyrics, and together with that, the lively words give a straightforward sense of summer’s joy.
Paradise, babyRIP SLYME
This is the song that helped cement a summer image for the group RIP SLYME and can be considered one of their signature tracks.
It captures summer scenes with a laid-back vibe, giving the impression of savoring the season’s fun.
With a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere—like watching waves crash along the shore—the sense of exhilaration gradually builds.
The clear, easy-to-follow rap and the delivery that highlights the rhymes are standout features, expressing the joys of summer in crisp, unmistakable language.
It’s a track that also conveys a kind of mature composure, suggesting that fun isn’t only about charging ahead at full throttle.
secret base ~What You Gave Me~ZONE
Released by ZONE in 2001, this song is carried on as a signature track for the band.
It gained attention when it was used as the theme song for the drama “Kids War 3: Don’t Mess With Me,” and it gradually became established as a quintessential summer anthem.
It has been widely covered as a song that portrays summer youth; in particular, the 2011 cover featured in the anime “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day,” released ten years after the original, drew significant attention.
With a calm sound that feels like looking back on fleeting summer memories, the mellotron tones at the beginning convey a sense of poignancy.
While the lyrics express sorrow over time slipping away and depict a vow to meet again, they also convey the finite nature of youth and a sense of hope for the future.
Swaying feelingsZARD
A gem that vividly captures the sparkle of summer and the sweet-and-sour stirrings of young love, this song stands as one of the defining numbers of the Heisei-era J-pop scene.
Released in May 1993 as ZARD’s eighth single, it gained immense popularity as the theme for Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s Pocari Sweat commercial.
The track became a major hit, topping the Oricon chart for two consecutive weeks, and it’s no exaggeration to call it one of ZARD’s signature songs.
Izumi Sakai’s delicate lyrics, expressing the growing feelings and emotional fluctuations toward a loved one, pair perfectly with the refreshing melody, gripping listeners’ hearts and never letting go.
It’s the perfect tune for a summer drive or for those moments when you want to sink into slightly bittersweet memories.