A classic of Japanese blues. Japanese blues that lets you get drunk on the sound and vocals.
What songs come to mind when you think of the blues?
Originally, it was music born from African peoples who had immigrated to America, beginning with songs that expressed the sorrow and laments of the poor.
Compared to jazz, which is centered on instruments, I think the blues has a special appeal in that you can enjoy it mainly with guitar and vocals.
Japanese blues is very rich in flavor and is perfect for listening to at a relaxed pace!
That groove that makes you drunk on the sound and the singers’ emotive expressiveness—blues moves the heart in every era.
- Classic and popular blues songs to sing at karaoke
- Ranking of popular blues songs
- A collection of enka songs with “Blues” in the title: masterpieces that sing of sorrow
- The Appeal of Japanese Blues Rock: A Collection of Classic Japanese Blues Rock Albums
- Blues masterpieces—from prewar blues to blues rock
- Masterpiece Japanese Blues Albums: Must-Listen Recommendations
- The soul’s cry woven into Japanese elegies: unraveling supreme masterpieces that resonate with the heart.
- Today's recommended ballads: A carefully curated selection of heartwarming, gem-like masterpieces!
- A Japanese blues band. The roots music of contemporary pop.
- [Tear-Jerking] Classic and Recommended Love Ballads
- A classic Japanese song that sings of sorrow
- [Western Music] Classic Blues Rock Songs: A Summary of Recommended Popular Tracks
- [2026] A Collection of Classic Japanese Ballads with a Jazz Flavor
A classic of Japanese blues. Japanese blues to get lost in the sound and vocals (41–50)
The Loser’s SongKawatani Takuzō
This is a single released by Takuzo Kawatani in 1976, and the word in the title, “唄,” is read as “Blues.” For fans of the Hissatsu series, it’s a familiar song as the theme for both Hissatsu Karakurinin and Hissatsu Karakurinin: Kippū-hen.
Adolescent BluesGOING UNDER GROUND
A number that grabs you with its youthful energy and that pure, quintessential GOING UNDER GROUND vibe.
“Shishunki no Blues” is a track from their indie-era second mini-album of the same name, released in 1999.
It’s a song that lays out feelings for someone you like, and it really gives off a coming-of-age vibe.
That final shout is fiery! It’s hefty yet has a comfortable groove that makes your head start bobbing without thinking.
It kind of makes you want to listen while gazing out at nature.
This kind of blues is fun, too.
Rainy Day BluesNAGISA YŪKO
It is a single released by Yūko Nagisa in August 1971, which peaked at No.
8 on the Oricon weekly chart and won the Broadcast Music Award at the 2nd Japan Kayō Awards.
In the same year, it was covered on Reiko Ike’s album Ecstasy World.
Blues of the DawnItsuki Hiroshi
“Yoake no Blues” is a local song about romance in the bustling entertainment district of Nibancho in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture.
Thanks to this song, he was appointed a tourism ambassador for Matsuyama City.
Hiroshi Itsuki’s sultry vocals are absolutely enchanting—so wonderful and suave! With a pop-leaning accessibility, it’s a track people of any generation can enjoy.
In the music video, Hiroshi Itsuki himself shows off a guitar solo, which is really cool, so be sure to check that out too!
Shianbashi BluesNakai Akira, Takahashi Masaru to Kororatīno
The debut single by Akira Nakai, Masaru Takahashi, and the Koloratino, “Shian-bashi Blues.” Alongside Hiroshi Uchiyamada and the Cool Five’s rival hit “Nagasaki wa Kyou mo Ame Datta,” it became one of the era’s big Nagasaki-themed local songs, and this track also gained huge popularity.
With a wistful, gently mellow atmosphere, it’s full of mood.
I’d love to listen to it in Nagasaki.
It has been loved and passed down by many artists, with covers by Hibari Misora and Kiyoshi Maekawa, and in more recent times by Kaori Mizumori and Hiroshi Miyama, among others.