Hit J-Pop songs from 2002. Recommended classics and popular tracks.
Dragon Ash, Chitose Hajime, Ketsumeishi, Hikaru Utada, Porno Graffitti, MISIA, Kishidan…
From among the many classic songs that lit up the J-POP charts in 2002, our studio staff have selected their recommended hits.
It’s a moving playlist that still hasn’t lost its luster.
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Women Artists (1–10)
STARSNakajima Mika
This was Mika Nakashima’s debut release, which entered the Oricon chart at No.
3 and ranked No.
34 for the year.
Remarkably, it became her best-selling song.
It was tied in as the theme song for the Fuji TV/Kansai TV drama “A Love Song Bruised All Over,” in which she also appeared, marking her simultaneous debut as an actress.
Feel Fine !Kuraki Mai
Mai Kuraki’s 12th single, which debuted at No.
2 and ranked No.
16 for the year.
Even more noteworthy is that with this No.
2 debut, she achieved the remarkable feat of setting the all-time record for the most No.
2 debuts by a Japanese artist.
It’s an upbeat guitar-pop track that’s a joy to listen to.
lightUtada Hikaru
It was used as the theme song for the Kingdom Hearts game series.
It was a time when the sound was shifting from a strong R&B feel to electro.
The music video is distinctive for featuring dishwashing, and it was reportedly shot in a single take with no cuts.
Sleepless nights are because of you.MISIA
MISIA’s 10th single, which reached No.
1 weekly, No.
5 monthly, and No.
28 annually.
Even before its release, it was featured in a Kirin “RAKUDA” commercial starring MISIA herself, and upon release it was also chosen as the theme song for the Fuji TV drama “Love Deviation.”
A maiden with flaxen hairShimatani Hitomi
The original song is Michi Aoyama’s “Kaze Fuku Oka de.” The vocal group Village Singers released it as “Amairo no Kami no Otome,” and this track is Hitomi Tōya’s cover of that version.
Initially, there were no plans to release it on CD, but due to the huge response when it was used as the CM song for Kao’s Essential Damage Care, they decided to go ahead with production.