Moody Japanese classics: recommended popular songs
I’ve put together a playlist of moody Japanese songs—popular hits, timeless classics, and hidden gems—perfect for twilight or nighttime, when you want to savor some grown-up time.
It’s great for relaxing alone, or for listening quietly with your spouse, partner, or someone special.
Enjoy a wonderful time.
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Moody Japanese Classics: Recommended Popular Songs (51–60)
Hymn to LoveKoshiji Fubuki
When it comes to Japanese chanson singers, I think of Fubuki Koshiji.
She was also a former top otokoyaku (male-role) star of the Takarazuka Revue.
Hymne à l’amour is a song by the French chanson singer Édith Piaf, but the Japanese lyrics sung by Fubuki Koshiji are also passionate and wonderful.
It’s a song I’d like to listen to in a dimly lit bar while enjoying a good drink.
To Marie on Fifth AvenuePedoro & Kapurishasu
The vocalist at the time of this song’s release was Mariko Takahashi.
She performed this song at the 66th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 2015.
Forty-two years after its release, her voice has gained even more depth, giving the performance a richer, more moody quality.
A seagull is a seagull.Naoko Ken
Please take a look at Naoko Ken from back then.
She has a very distinctive face that actually feels quite contemporary.
The contrast between her chatty, childlike manner and the way she is when she sings is striking.
Her expression when she starts singing is mature and sultry.
She’s wonderful in variety shows as well, isn’t she?
Like the flow of a riverMisora Hibari
Hibari Misora, the songstress of the Showa era.
She had many other masterpieces, but the year this song was released, she sadly passed away, making it her final work.
The lyrics, which suit her later years perfectly, are deeply moving—and astonishingly, they were written by Yasushi Akimoto.
All-Night RadioAdo
Singer Ado, who made a sensational major debut in her teens and enjoys immense popularity at home and abroad as a Reiwa-era songstress, has released her 21st digital-only single, “All Night Radio.” The track was written as the theme song for the live-streamed stage drama Ano Yoru de Aetara.
Its lyrics, which capture the unique atmosphere you can only feel from late-night radio, conjure vivid scenes alongside an urban ensemble.
With a breezy arrangement that’s exquisitely nostalgic, it’s a pop tune recommended both as background music and as a go-to karaoke song.
