Songs to Enjoy in Summer! Classic Hits Special (Showa & Heisei)

Season in the SunTUBE

TUBE 'Season in the Sun @ Yokohama Stadium (2013) LIVE'

TUBE is a band that could be called the embodiment of summer, and among their many summer-themed songs, this track is often cited as one of their signature pieces.

Its refreshing sound evokes images of a calm summer sea and a clear blue sky, making you picture someone feeling the summer breeze with their whole body.

Layered over the gentle instrumentation, the soaring, resonant vocals are another highlight, conveying the excitement of summer and the joy of savoring it.

It’s a song filled with positive emotion, expressing the idea of enjoying the limited time of summer to the fullest and spreading that sense of fun to everyone around.

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fireworksaiko

aiko - “Hanabi” music video

This song portrays a fleeting yet beautiful feeling of love, like fireworks coloring the summer night sky.

Aiko’s delicate vocals and the light, buoyant rhythm capture the bittersweetness of summer.

Released in August 1999 as her third single, it was later included on the album “Under the Cherry Tree,” released in March of the following year.

It’s striking how the song expresses an unspoken love and a romance that shines only within memories, through images of summer constellations and fireworks.

It’s perfect for those who find themselves thinking of someone on a summer night, or carrying a bittersweet love.

Also recommended for a drive with the car stereo playing.

Nagisa’s ‘…..’ushiroyubi-sasaregumi

Nagisa's '.....'

This song has an impressive, refreshing vibe that evokes a summer seaside.

Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi’s vocals convey the sparkle of youth.

It was released in March 1987 and used as the opening theme for the anime High School! Kimengumi.

With its bright, catchy melody, it surely captured the hearts of young people at the time.

It’s a perfect track for summer memories—great for a drive, too.

And if you’re relaxing by the ocean, listening to this song will surely put you in a wonderful mood.

Summer MemoriesKetsumeishi

Ketsumeishi - Summer Memories

A grown-up summer song by Ketsumeishi, released in 2003, the year Roppongi Hills made its grand, glamorous debut.

It was also used in commercials for Vodafone Japan, now SoftBank.

The restrained, dialed-back beat—eschewing hyped-up, in-your-face rhythms—summons refined, adult memories.

The lyrics, with lines like “Every summer holds memories.

The summer I spent with you has grown distant,” evoke a mature love that avoids blunt declarations of like or dislike.

A seamless blend of pop and rap, it’s a track you’ll want to play when summer comes—and share with someone else.

Nagisasupittsu

Spitz / Nagisa

A song by Spitz that evokes a floating sensation as if dazed by the summer heat, with a mysterious worldview.

It’s said that Masamune Kusano created it while experimenting with programming, and the mechanically repeating tones—through which that backstory can be felt—produce a unique sense of weightlessness.

The gradual entrance and assertion of instruments is another highlight, conveying a rising anticipation for summer.

The lyrics focus on words that depict scenery, giving the impression of gentle landscapes that evoke the freshness of summer, along with the accompanying shifts in emotion.

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Sinbad on the Shorepinku redii

Sinbad of the Seashore / Pink Lady

This song portrays the emotions of a woman who has fallen in love, set against a summer seaside backdrop.

Pink Lady’s catchy melody and bold lyrics leave a strong impression.

Released in June 1977, it became one of their signature hits and their first million-seller.

It was reissued as a single in 1993, 1996, and 2006, and was also used as the theme song for the 2005 Nippon TV drama “Otona no Natsuyasumi.” It’s a recommended track for those who want to enjoy a summer seaside romance.

It’s also perfect as driving background music, letting you feel the refreshing summer breeze.

BoyhoodInoue Yosui

Yosui Inoue – Shonen Jidai (Live) NHK Hall 2014/5/22

This is a song by Yosui Inoue that paints a scene starting at summer’s end and circling back to midsummer.

Released in September 1990, it became one of his signature tracks, even appearing in junior high and high school music textbooks from 1994 onward.

Its popularity resurged after it was used in a Sony Handycam commercial, peaking at No.

4 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.

In 1997 it was certified a million-seller, with total sales reaching 1.36 million copies.

The lyrics—striking for their inventive coined words—resonate with the excitement of the night before a summer festival, and with imagery that intertwines joyful summer memories and the fleeting beauty of fireworks.

It’s a recommended listen for anyone who wants to feel the bittersweetness of summer’s end and the nostalgia of youth.