Classic and hit songs by nostalgic Japanese bands from the 1990s
The 1990s were an era when countless bands across a variety of genres were thriving.
Starting with the Being-kei bands, many visual-kei bands also emerged, and it was around the mid-90s that the melodic hardcore scene really took off in Japan.
Among them, quite a few bands are still active on the front lines today.
In this article, we’ll introduce classic songs by 90s bands that anyone who lived through that era will likely find “so nostalgic!!”
Of course, there are plenty of songs that feel nostalgic, but many of them are still beloved as timeless staples even now.
Please enjoy these tracks packed with the unique charm of that era.
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Classic and Hit Songs by Nostalgic Japanese Bands from the 1990s (41–50)
Until the World Ends…WANDS
This song could be called the signature track of WANDS, a rock band active since 1991.
It became the theme song for the anime SLAM DUNK and remains beloved as a classic anime song—a mid-tempo rock ballad.
It also represents the 1990s, and its sound, which reflects the music scene of the time, evokes a sense of nostalgia when you listen to it.
Despite lineup changes and periods of inactivity over the course of their career, the band relaunched in 2019, drawing significant attention.
Winter，againGLAY
This is GLAY’s 16th single.
It seems that TAKURO intentionally composed the intro with Celine Dion’s 1997 Titanic theme song, “My Heart Will Go On,” in mind.
The song uses many difficult words that you rarely encounter in everyday life.
Come see me, I NEED YOU!GO-BANG’S
It was released as GO-BANG’S fifth single.
With this song, they made their first appearances on Music Station and Uta no Top Ten.
It reached No.
2 on the Oricon weekly chart and No.
19 on the 1990 year-end chart, making it GO-BANG’S biggest hit.
Youth Frenzysanīdī sābisu
Sunny Day Service is a band formed around vocalist and guitarist Keiichi Sokabe.
They were popular for their somewhat nostalgic sound, and the band reunited in 2008.
This song is their second single, released in 1995.
It has a warm atmosphere.
Love Is the Last Fairy Talesukanchi
Scanch is a band from Osaka led by ROLLY.
Because of ROLLY’s eccentric persona, they’re often treated as a novelty act, but the craftsmanship of their songs—showing clear influences from Queen and glam rock—is remarkably high.
Not only the music, but this song in particular warrants close attention to its lyrics.
Kafu TsumuGUNIW TOOLS
GUNIW TOOLS, who debuted in 1990 with a unique musical style and visuals that were like rock, like industrial, and like visual kei, made a strong impression.
This track is included on their third album, and its calmly flowing, steady progression is striking.
The music video’s quality was high for its time and became a hot topic.
innocent worldMr.Children
Released as Mr.Children’s fifth single, it was used as the commercial song for Japan Coca-Cola’s “Aquarius Neo/Aquarius Iosis.” It became their first number-one on the Oricon chart and also ranked number one on the 1994 Oricon annual singles chart.