Old songs from the Showa to Heisei eras: a collection of timeless classics loved across generations

The Days of Rainbows and Sneakerschūrippu

Tulip - Back When It Was Rainbows and Sneakers

It’s a song with striking opening lyrics that really stick in your head.

After a period without major hits, Tulip apparently wrote this one with an eye toward making a hit again.

Back then, it often played on late-night radio and stayed in the request rankings’ top 10 for quite a while.

Not even worth confessingKitahara Mirei

No Worth Even in Confession — Mirei Kitahara

When I listened to this song, released in October 1970, I was still just a child—barely in middle school—and I remember it being a shocking song, interpreted in my own childish way.

What is now called the “phantom fourth verse” seems to exist, and I recall the word “iron bars” sticking in my ears back then, so I believe it was sung at the time.

From the standpoint that it wouldn’t see the light of day in today’s world, I consider it a hidden masterpiece.

Northern SpringSen Masao

Spring in the Northern Country / Masao Sen (with lyrics)

This is one of Masao Sen’s signature songs, filled with feelings for his hometown.

It portrays a protagonist living in the city who, with the arrival of spring, finds himself longing for his northern homeland.

Springtime scenes—blue skies, southern breezes, and cherry blossoms—are depicted with watercolor-like vividness, conveying a poignant yearning to return to a distant home.

Released in April 1977, the song became a massive hit, selling over three million copies, and was performed multiple times on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

It’s a song to listen to when you step away from the city’s clamor and, in a quiet moment, find yourself missing the warmth of your hometown.

Don’t say anything.Sono Mari

Don’t Say Anything — Mari Sono, 1964

Mari Sono, who was active at the forefront of Showa-era kayōkyoku with songs like “When the Acacia Rain Stops” and “Aitakute Aitakute,” also recorded this piece, which has been overshadowed by her more famous hits.

Released in 1964 (Showa 39), it became a hit and followed the so-called Japanese pop style, a trajectory that later led to Yukari Itō’s “Koyubi no Omoide” becoming a massive success.

Goodbye to sorrowanzenchitai

Kanashimini Sayonara

Released in 1985 as Anzen Chitai’s ninth single, it became a big hit thanks to Koji Tamaki’s gentle, translucent voice.

The song also marked their first appearance on the Kohaku Uta Gassen.

It continues to be passed down through covers, including by EXILE’s ATSUSHI and various female artists.

Beyond the GoodbyeYamaguchi Momoe

Beyond Goodbye [Momoe Yamaguchi]

Released two months before her retirement, this song—fitting for a final farewell—begins with a whisper-like delivery over a gentle tempo, as if summing up a person’s entire life, and then unfolds dramatically.

Even after retiring, she never appeared on television again—an admirable resolve befitting a charismatic, Showa-era megastar.

Red spider lilyYamaguchi Momoe

Momoe Yamaguchi – Legendary Performance: Manjushage (Red Spider Lily)

This is a song included on the B-side of the 1979 record “Bi・Silent.” With lyrics by Yoko Aki and music by the married duo Ryudo Uzaki and Yoko Aki, it’s a majestic masterpiece worthy of its title.

The album of the same name also includes “Ii Hi Tabidachi,” and it became the biggest hit on the album.

At this time, she was, as the spoken line says, just 20 years old, yet she had an astonishing presence.