Masterpieces and hit songs of 80s Japanese pop (kayōkyoku)
The ’80s were full of hit songs, weren’t they?
Here are some especially recommended classics and hits from the era’s signature kayōkyoku tunes.
It’s a timeless, legendary playlist that rewrote the history of Japanese music—one we want both those who spent their youth back then and those who didn’t to listen to.
We feature a wide range of artists, from bands and singer-songwriters to idols.
A karaoke contest limited to this decade would be a blast, wouldn’t it?
- Popular Nostalgic Hits and Classics Ranking [1980s Japanese Music Ranking]
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- [Songs from the Showa Era] Introducing classic tracks that are easy to sing at karaoke.
- Classic and hit songs by nostalgic Japanese pop idols of the 80s
- Top 1980s Female Singer-Songwriters: Popular Songs Ranking [2026]
- Recommended youth songs for people in their 80s: A collection of nostalgic classics
- A special feature on classic and hit songs by bands that were active in the 1980s
- Nostalgic yet fresh!? Classic masterpieces of Japanese rock from the 1970s and 1980s
- Classic nostalgic summer hits from the ’80s. A roundup of summer songs.
- [1980s J-Pop] Popular winter songs: from chart-toppers to hidden gems!
- Including global hits! 80s songs popular on TikTok
- Thrilling to Cool Showa-Era Tunes! Classic Songs from Female Singers and Artists of the Showa Period
Masterpieces and Hit Songs of 1980s Kayōkyoku (71–80)
MasqueradeShonentai
This song was released as a single in 1986.
I’m sure some of you sing it often at karaoke.
It’s Shonentai’s debut track and one of their signature songs.
Even now, the melody in the chorus sounds really cool.
I wish you would hold me.Kudō Shizuka
It was released in 1988 as Shizuka Kudo’s third single.
The song was created by the star-studded duo of lyricist Goro Matsui and composer Tsugutoshi Goto, and it reached No.
3 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
Contrary to the mature lyrics, Shizuka Kudo was 17 at the time and reportedly went to the studio wearing her high school uniform.
If I Could Play the PianoNishida Toshiyuki
Released as a single in 1981, it was used as an insert song for the drama “Ikenaka Genta 80-kilo II,” in which he himself starred.
It was originally the B-side of the single, but due to the strong response, there’s a story that the A-side and B-side were swapped and it was re-released.
Set to a beautiful piano melody, the song gently portrays a man living awkwardly, in his own clumsy way.
Masterpieces and hit songs of 80s kayōkyoku (1981–1990)
Don’t take off my sailor uniformo nyanko kurabu
It was released in 1985 as Onyanko Club’s debut single, with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto.
There’s an anecdote that the song’s unveiling event drew more fans than expected, causing chaos at the venue and leading to its cancellation.
This song became the catalyst for the Onyanko Club boom.
My loverGorin Mayumi
It was released in 1980 as Mayumi Itsuwa’s 18th single.
It is said to be a song she wrote in memory of Takasuke Kida, her producer at the time of her debut, who died in a traffic accident that spring.
It is a heavy, weighty song of tragic love.
While shining…Tokunaga Hideaki
This song was released as a single in 1987.
The supple, soaring vocals make it a pleasure to listen to.
Although it was the breakout work that made Hideaki Tokunaga’s name widely known, he has said that he felt “conflicted” at the time because it wasn’t a song he had written himself.
A long nightMatsuyama Chiharu
It was released in 1981 as Chiharu Matsuyama’s 10th single.
It reached No.
1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
Because it had an unusually rock-oriented style compared to Matsuyama’s many folk songs, there were reportedly voices opposing its release as a single, and the fact that it became a big hit was said to be unexpected even for Matsuyama himself.