Hit Japanese songs of 2004: recommended classics and popular tracks
Mr.
Children, Kishidan, Ken Hirai, Ayaka Hirahara, Hikaru Utada, Tokyo Jihen…
From the many classic and popular songs that colored the J-POP hit charts of 2004 (Heisei 16), our studio staff has selected recommended hits.
A playlist that still doesn’t fade with time—one that represents the Heisei era.
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Male Artists (11–20)
To all living thingsMoriyama Naotaro
This is Naotaro Moriyama’s fifth single, which carries a somewhat mysterious worldview.
In addition to being chosen as the theme song for the drama “To the One I Love,” it was also used as an insert song in “Mr.
Kinpachi in Class 3B.” With themes like vitality and the myriad phenomena of the universe, the song feels grand yet gentle, and imbued with an unfathomable strength.
Male artist (21–30)
Marriage Fighting-Spirit March “Best Buddies”Kishidan
This is Kishidan’s sixth single.
As you can tell from the title, it’s a song with a march-like rhythm, conveying a message to a friend embarking on marriage and to the parents who have supported them.
It also has choreography, making it a wedding staple that can be used for entertainment segments.
cherry blossomKawaguchi Kyogo
This is Kyo-go Kawaguchi’s 6th single, which won the Wired Music Award at the 36th Japan Cable Radio Awards.
For those who remember that time, isn’t this the song most associated with Kyo-go Kawaguchi? It became his biggest hit, reaching No.
4 on the Oricon weekly chart and No.
9 on the year-end chart.
Rainbow ~Another Summer~Fukuyama Masaharu
Following “Niji,” the same song—retitled “Niji: Another Summer” and arranged differently from the single version—was used again as the theme song for the re-broadcast of WATER BOYS 2.
Multiple alternate arrangements and instrumental versions of “Niji” are included.
On the Oricon charts, while it didn’t surpass the original “Niji,” it reached No.
4 on the weekly chart and No.
81 on the year-end chart.
WonderlandInaba Hiroshi
It was born from a kind of question Inaba had while watching a TV special he hosted that featured “hikikomori.” Seeing people around a hikikomori patient desperately trying to force them outside, he wondered, “Does that act really benefit either the person themselves or the other party?”
Song of JoyMONGOL800
In its second week after release, this signature song by MONGOL800 became the first indie single in history to reach No.
1, selling over 200,000 copies.
Releasing it as an 8 cm single—already out of common use by then—was an unusual move at the time.
Incidentally, while the title of the work is “Yorokobi no Uta,” the first track on the CD is a song called “Fuyu no Omoide.”
RewriteASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
The opening theme for season 4 of the anime Fullmetal Alchemist.
It’s one of their most famous songs, and I think many anime fans are familiar with it.
It captures the rock vibe of that era and is really cool.
Blue JeanGLAY
This is GLAY’s 31st single.
It was also used in a beauty salon commercial.
It’s a song full of refreshing vibes that let you feel the summer air; in the music video they’re driving along the seaside, and the scene fits the mood perfectly.
It’s a straightforward song that seems to sing about a summer romance.
The One and Only Flower in the WorldSMAP
Released in 2003, this signature SMAP track continued to sell well into 2004, reaching 11th place on the Oricon year-end chart for that year.
Achieving SMAP’s first double million in sales, the song was initially released as an album track and gained explosive popularity when it was used as the theme song for a drama starring SMAP members.
ignited – イグナイテッド –T.M.Revolution
This is the 20th single, which served as the opening theme for the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY.
With this song, they achieved their first No.
1 on the Oricon charts in six years.
It features a distinctive, fast-paced sound with a somewhat digital atmosphere.
The lyrics are powerful yet tinged with a certain sadness, reflecting the themes of the work.