Enthralling mood kayō: A collection of classic Showa-era songs
Suddenly, but what kind of image do you all have of “mood kayō” (mood ballads)?
If you’re from a younger generation, you may not have even heard of the genre “mood kayō” in the first place.
Born in the postwar era, mood kayō is, as the name suggests, a form of kayōkyoku (Japanese popular song), but its definition is actually quite ambiguous.
You could say it’s a genre that values sentiment—indeed, the very “mood”—more than strictly musical elements.
This time, we’re focusing on this uniquely alluring, adult music born of the Shōwa era—mood kayō—and have gathered some representative classics.
Whether you’re a young music fan curious about Shōwa-era kayōkyoku or someone who lived through those times, please enjoy!
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Enthralling mood kayō: A collection of Showa-era classics (71–80)
Raised in ShinjukuTsuyama Yōko, Ōki Hideo
Among the many place names, choosing to compete on the grand stage of metropolitan Shinjuku means subjecting oneself to equally intense scrutiny, yet they deliver a performance so outstanding it blows away that risk.
You can hear the results of their training—their perfectly synchronized breathing and vocal delivery are truly pleasing.
This is goodbye today.Sugawara Yoichi
Released in 1967 (Showa 42), she is still active today, singing beautifully, but I chose this because there was footage from her younger days.
As the title suggests, the lyrics are a farewell poem.
While farewells are commonplace, this song became a huge hit thanks to her outstanding vocal ability and beautiful voice, to the point that it became synonymous with farewell songs.
SubaruTanimura Shinji
This is a song released by Shinji Tanimura in 1980, with both lyrics and music written by Tanimura himself.
Seven years after its release, in 1987, he performed this song at the 38th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, marking his first appearance on the show.
Covered by many artists, it has become one of Tanimura’s signature songs.
Freeze my heartTakayama Iwao
It was released in 1992 as Iwao Takayama’s 13th single.
It was chosen as the theme song for the Yomiuri TV-produced, Nippon TV network morning serial drama “Shugyoku no Onna,” and it won many awards, including the 26th Japan Cable Radio Awards and the Lyrics Award at the 35th Japan Record Awards.
With this song, he made an appearance at the 44th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, where he performed it.
Love is overŌyō Fifi
Released in 1979 (Showa 54), this is a wonderful song about lovers separated by distance singing earnestly about the end of love.
There are many breakup songs, but this is surely one that represents the Showa era.
Ouyang Fei Fei debuted with “Ame no Midosuji,” and at the time she could hardly speak Japanese, so her pronunciation sounded a bit different for a Japanese song.
While her pronunciation in “Love Is Over” isn’t perfect, she delivers it superbly with outstanding vocal power.
It’s a classic that has been covered by many artists, including JUJU and Takeshi Tsuruno.