Relive those feelings from back in the day! Youth anthems recommended for the Yutori generation

LA LA LA Love SongKubota Toshinobu

Toshinobu Kubota – LA･LA･LA LOVE SONG with NAOMI CAMPBELL [Official Video Short ver.]

It’s a sweet and heartrending love song that’s vivid enough to wake you up.

Like a carousel, it spins with ever-turning feelings of love, expressed through a catchy melody that lingers in your ears.

Beginning with the two taking shelter from the rain in the city, this sweet romance paints their memories with cinematic clarity and gently sings of their deepening love.

It’s a wonderful classic that leaves listeners with an impression of eternal romance.

Released as a single in May 1996, it drew attention as the theme song for the Fuji TV drama “Long Vacation.” As one of Toshinobu Kubota’s signature works, featuring Naomi Campbell, it’s a refined track with a strong R&B flavor.

Many listeners may find it brings back memories of their youth.

Broken RadioTokunaga Hideaki

Hideaki Tokunaga – The Broken Radio

Like music flowing from a nostalgic radio, a timeless song that seeps into the heart along with memories was created by Hideaki Tokunaga in July 1990.

The track, which overlays the feelings of a boy transitioning from adolescence to adulthood with the image of a broken radio, was used as the theme song for the TBS drama “Tokai no Mori” (“Urban Forest”) and reached No.

5 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.

Featuring a grand arrangement by Ichizo Seo and beautifully harmonized with Tokunaga’s delicate vocals, the song artfully blends elements of pop and ballad into a moving piece.

It was also included on the album “JUSTICE” and performed at NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 2006 and 2009.

Conveying the transience and passion of youth, as well as a yearning for self-renewal, this work gently embraces the emotional fluctuations everyone experiences while growing up—a resonant song that speaks to the heart.

The strong and fleeting onesCocco

Cocco “The Strong and Ephemeral Ones” Music Video

A lyrical melody that portrays the feelings of a traveler setting out to protect a loved one resonates deeply.

It explores the reality faced in a haven of peace and the conflict over what is lost in the pursuit of ideals.

Cocco’s delicate depiction of human strength and fragility shakes the listener’s heart.

Released in November 1997 as her second single, the song was also included on the album “Kumuiuta” and chosen as the CM song for JAL’s Hawaii campaign.

Its delicate yet powerful vocals and poetic expression struck a chord with many, earning it Gold Disc certification.

It’s a song you’ll want to listen to when thinking of someone dear or standing at a crossroads in life.

A youth anthem that particularly resonates with those who grew up in the ’90s.

Blown by the windElefanto Kashimashi

Elephant Kashimashi – Blown by the Wind [Official Video]

This is a coming-of-age song that portrays the premonition of parting and a turning point in life.

Hiroji Miyamoto of Elephant Kashimashi weaves his innermost feelings into lyrics that flow naturally.

Strikingly using the contrast between the sun and the moon to depict a journey of departure that stretches on forever, this work was released as a single in November 1997.

Selected from the album “Run Toward Tomorrow – Moonlit Songs,” it also became a memorable piece as the theme song for Glico Almond Chocolate’s commercial.

It’s a track you’ll want to listen to when you want to linger in the afterglow of a faint romance, when you’re about to take a new step forward, or when a touch of sentimentality finds its way into an ordinary day.

cherrysupittsu

Spitz / Cherry

A song that delicately captures the joys and bittersweet moments of youth was released in April 1996 and continues to be loved across generations.

The magical fusion of Spitz’s gentle melodies and poetic lyrics tenderly embraces a range of feelings—love, parting, and hope for the future.

Included on the album Indigo Chiheisen, it reached No.

1 on the Oricon weekly chart despite having no tie-in.

Since 2019, it has also been used in NTT East’s commercials, continuing to resonate with many people.

It’s a heartwarming track that stays close to those who carry feelings for someone dear and a faint sense of wistfulness, while holding hope for the future.

10-year cherry blossomsAKB48

[MV full] 10nen Zakura / AKB48 [Official]

A song themed around graduation, parting, and reunion has arrived from AKB48 with the coming of spring.

Centered by Atsuko Maeda and Jurina Matsui, it weaves a story of farewells and reunions with fresh, vivid expression.

Set to an upbeat rhythm, its wishes for the future offer a reassuring message that resonates with the graduation scenes everyone experiences.

Released in March 2009, the single reached No.

3 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.

It’s a track you’ll want to listen to during this season when partings and encounters intersect, as you reflect on memories with someone special.

SAKURA GoodbyeSCANDAL

SCANDAL “SAKURA Goodbye” / Sakura Goodbye – Music Video

A number that became one of SCANDAL’s signature early works, beautifully capturing both the bittersweetness and freshness that accompany graduation scenes.

Its message, told from a true-to-life perspective, carries a power that evokes universal empathy.

The song had existed since the band’s formation and drew attention when it was used as the ending theme for Fuji TV’s variety show “Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!” Its up-tempo rock sound and the sense of parting—and anticipation for a new journey—set against the season of cherry blossoms are sure to resonate as spring arrives.

It can be called a gem of a pop tune that colors a page of youth, perfect for listening to at life’s important milestones.