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 masterpieces (41–50)
Love VacationZa Pīnattsu
The Peanuts are a female duo that represents the Showa era.
The word “vacance,” which is commonplace today, became a hot topic in Japan at the time this song was released as a stylish French term.
A cover version was released in Russia, and the song became a big hit there as well.
lieNakaijō Kiyoshi
With his sweet looks and piercing gaze that make him popular with women, Kiyoshi Nakajo’s hit song paints vivid scenes in the mind by presenting various details that reveal fragments of the life the couple shared, drawing listeners to empathize with a woman mourning the lies of the man she loves.
I love you more than anyone.Wada Hiroshi to Mahina Sutāzu
Released in 1960 (Showa 35).
It won the 2nd Japan Record Award, and with Kazuko Matsuo as the female vocalist, the record sold over three million copies—an astonishing figure at the time.
Kazuko Matsuo was also a leading figure in mood kayō (mood pop), and the perfect match between the song and her image likely contributed to its success.
Even today, it remains a popular duet song among older gentlemen at karaoke.
Love me to the bone.Jō Takuya
It was released in 1966 as Takaya Shiro’s first single under that name.
In the same year, a film titled “Love You to the Bone,” based on this song, was released.
That year, with this song, he made his first appearance at the 17th NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen, and it became one of Takaya Shiro’s signature songs.
The song was created based on lyricist Yasunori Kawauchi’s experience related to the All Nippon Airways crash off Haneda that occurred on February 4, 1966.
Silver Fox of the NightSaijō Shirō
A main characteristic of mood kayō songs released in 1969 (Showa 44) is that, from the 1960s through the early 1970s, many of them—not limited to “Yoru no Ginko” (Silver Fox of the Night)—feature men singing from a woman’s perspective.
They often depict women living in the nightlife/entertainment world, with common patterns where true romance or love is impossible, or if it happens, she gets deceived.
Within that trend, “Yoru no Ginko” is a quintessential mood kayō piece—you can guess that just from the title.
Partway through, there are lyrics in a foreign language that are hard to catch; they’re in Spanish.
That, too, is part of the song’s charm.