Masaki Makihara’s famous and popular songs

You are my treasure.Makihara Noriyuki

Noriyuki Makihara - You Are My Treasure

It’s included on his third album, “Kimi wa Boku no Takaramono” (“You Are My Treasure”).

Since the song shares the same title as the album, you can tell it was a track Noriyuki Makihara felt very strongly about.

There are plenty of songs about realizing you like someone, but noticing that the other person likes you—and turning that into lyrics—is rare.

You could say, “This is Makky Magic at work!”

MILKMakihara Noriyuki

MILK Makihara Noriyuki

In the lyrics, sometimes MILK refers to actual cow’s milk, and other times it appears as a metaphor for warmth and affection, and it’s that ambiguity about MILK that makes me think, “That’s nice.” That’s Makihara’s magic.

A girlfriend and someone who seems to be a mother also appear, but what comes through in common is a kind of “affection” that goes beyond love.

Every line of the lyrics evokes a realistic, everyday life—it’s a wonderful song.

I won’t fall in love anymore.Makihara Noriyuki

[Official] Noriyuki Makihara “I Won’t Fall in Love Again” (Music Video) [5th Single] (1992) Noriyuki Makihara / Mou Koi Nante Shinai

It’s a heartbreak song, yet it doesn’t feel the least bit damp or gloomy in the way breakup songs often do.

On the contrary, the upbeat lyric—“I won’t say ‘I’ll never fall in love again,’ because it would make you sad”—sounds as if it could save anyone who’s been through a breakup.

Released in 1992, this song is still frequently heard in TV commercials.

It also served as the theme song for the Nippon TV drama “Kodomo ga Neta Ato de” (After the Children Are Asleep).

The One and Only Flower in the WorldMakihara Noriyuki

The Only Flower in the World.flv

A smash hit by SMAP that needed no explanation or reviews.

With this song, SMAP swept every award there was.

The SMAP version where all five members sing different parts is great, but the version performed solely by Noriyuki Makihara himself is also fantastic! Makihara’s vocals feel as if they adjust to the listener’s ears; rather than simply enjoying a song, it feels like a powerful message is being delivered.

It’s now even included in school textbooks—a timeless masterpiece that speaks to the Japanese heart!

The thing I wanted mostMakihara Noriyuki

Noriyuki Makihara The Thing I Wanted Most 2004 Nippon Budokan

This is a self-cover of “THE GIFT,” a song provided to the British group Blue in 2003.

Its lyrics, which remind us of the happiness that comes from making someone else happy and of things we’d forgotten, are deeply moving.

It was used as the theme song for the drama “Last Present: The Last Summer Living with My Daughter.”

her boyfriendMakihara Noriyuki

[Official] Noriyuki Makihara “Her Lover” (Music Video) [7th Single] (1993) Noriyuki Makihara / Kanojo no Koibito

This track is characterized by a sound that feels like a fusion of Black music and pop.

The lyrics, which focus on falling for a girl who’s actually a friend’s girlfriend—along with the feelings of an unrequited love and the frustration of being powerless to change it—are also a standout.

Winter is starting.Makihara Noriyuki

[Official] Noriyuki Makihara “Winter Begins” (Music Video) [4th Single] (1991) / Fuyu ga Hajimaru yo

It’s the kind of exciting track that makes you think, “How does he always manage to write such catchy hooks?”—I bet plenty of artists envy that talent.

There’s even a lyric about giving his girlfriend both a short-sleeve and a long-sleeve shirt because he wants to be with her across the seasons… it’s definitely the sort of thing that tugs at a girl’s heart.

It’s a song that, if anything, makes the more goofy side of Noriyuki Makihara look cool!