Classic and hit kayōkyoku songs from the nostalgic 1960s
The 1960s are often remembered for Group Sounds and rock, but in reality, the charts were largely dominated by kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs).
It was also still a time when enka remained popular, and even those who were children back then probably have a rich repertoire of enka and kayōkyoku.
This time, we’re spotlighting nostalgic kayōkyoku from the music of the 1960s.
The 1960s were an era when classic, mainstream kayōkyoku drew the most attention.
If you’d like to look back on memories from that time through music, be sure to read this article to the end.
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Classic and hit kayōkyoku songs from the nostalgic 1960s (21–30)
You are my very lifeMizuhara Hiroshi
This is footage from the 1967 New Year’s Red and White Song Contest.
Even though it’s in black and white, it feels fresh because it captures them just as they were in their youth.
It’s a very Showa-era kind of song: meeting the one you love but stepping back because you met too late, while loving them as much as your own life.
Singers from the 1960s were truly excellent.
12th graderFunaki Kazuo
Released in 1963, there are various theories, but the model for this song is said to be either a private high school or a metropolitan public high school in Tokyo.
Speaking of third-year high school students, it was a time in Japan when the university enrollment rate was still not very high, and choosing between higher education or employment marked a turning point in life.
That’s why the lyrics about deepened friendships lasting forever make this a song we want to keep singing.
Forbidden LoveMoriyama Ryoko
It is a song released by Ryoko Moriyama in 1969, with total sales reaching 800,000 copies, and it topped the Oricon chart.
Thanks to the song’s success, lyricist Michio Yamagami won the Lyricist Award at the 11th Japan Record Awards, and Ryoko Moriyama made her first appearance at the 20th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen with this song.
Black Cat TangoMinagawa Osamu
The original song, released in 1969, was based on an Italian children’s song and was sung in Japan by Osamu Minagawa, who was six years old at the time.
Although records of children’s songs were tax-exempt, this track was classified as a popular song and was taxed.
It was still treated as a children’s song to some extent and was used as an insert song in kids’ programs.
Arranged versions were released around the world, and in Japan it became a massive hit, selling over two million copies.
Otaru no hito yoTsuruoka Masayoshi to Tokyo Romanchika
It was released in 1967 as the debut single of Masayoshi Tsuruoka and Tokyo Romantica.
The song was created based on the real-life experience of a member of Masayoshi Tsuruoka and Tokyo Romantica, who fell in love with a local woman while on tour in Kushiro, and it reached No.
2 on the Oricon charts.
It is a song that is supported as a local anthem of Otaru.
soft; gentle; pliantMisora Hibari
Released in 1964 and winner of the 7th Japan Record Award, this is, in my opinion, an absolutely essential song from the 1960s.
The title evokes the image of judo—expressed as “柔 (ju),” a sport that represents Japan—but the song itself is an anthem of encouragement, whether for the world of competition or for times when one loses their way in life.
I hope athletes will remember the message of this song during the Tokyo Olympics.
The world is for the two of us.Sara Naomi
When the song was released in 1967, you could see Naomi Sagara on every channel, but it seems she’s hardly active in show business now and is working as a businesswoman.
She had a rather androgynous image; although she’s wearing a dress in this picture, she usually wore pants.
The song is simple but a happy tune, so it was often sung at weddings.