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.
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A classic of Japanese blues. Japanese blues to get lost in the sound and vocals (41–50)
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.
A classic of Japanese blues. Japanese blues to get drunk on the sound and vocals (51–60)
Sannomiya BluesMori Yuji to Sazan Kurosu
This is a single by Yuji Mori and Southern Cross, a song set in Sannomiya, the downtown area of Kobe.
It’s a melancholy story in which a woman waits to meet a man, but he never shows up.
Incidentally, Yuji Mori and Southern Cross reunited in 1995.
Ecstasy BluesAoe Mina
When it comes to Japanese blues, you can’t leave her out.
Mina Aoe, known as the Queen of Blues, debuted with “Kokotsu no Blues,” which became a massive hit, selling over 800,000 copies.
The song portrays erotic love, singing about sinking into pleasure.
It might seem risqué by today’s standards, but even now it feels undeniably cool—there’s a certain emotional power to it.
Mina Aoe’s husky voice, delivering the lyrics carefully over a slow tempo, is also captivating.
It’s a richly flavorful track.
Definitely give it a listen.
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.
Harbor Woman BluesMori Shinichi
This is a single released by Shinichi Mori in June 1970, which reached a peak position of No.
2 on the Oricon charts and earned him the Vocal Performance Award at the 12th Japan Record Awards.
The lyrics were written by Rei Nakanishi, who is also active as a novelist.
A film inspired by this song was also released in the same year.
bullfighterChar
Among blues songs with a slightly pop feel, there’s “Matador.” It’s a track released by the singer-songwriter Char.
In the first half, set to a mid-tempo sound, the lyrics liken a heartbroken man to a matador.
That section carries a mood close to Japanese kayōkyoku, but in the latter half the song modulates and shifts into a tougher, weightier blues.
The arrangement matches this change, bringing the man’s sorrow into sharper focus.
It’s great both for quiet, reflective moments and for when you want to get fired up.
Showa BluesAmachi Shigeru
This is a single released in 1973 by Shigeru Amachi, who was also active as an actor.
It was used as the ending theme for the detective drama “License to Kill,” in which Amachi starred.
The lyrics were written by Michio Yamagami, known for writing many commercial jingles.