1970s Female Singer-Songwriters: Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

contrailArai Yumi66rank/position

Yumi Matsutoya – Vapor Trail (Yumi Arai The Concert with Old Friends)

The story of a boy drawn on a white slope reflects Yumi Arai’s inner landscape from her youth.

With a clear, crystalline voice and beautiful piano lines, she gently sings of a longing for the heavens and a parting from the earthly world.

Inspired by feelings for a classmate from her elementary school days, the piece takes flight on a fragile yet refreshing melody, brimming with the radiance of life and hope for liberation.

Released in November 1973 as the title track of the album “Hikōki Gumo,” it drew renewed attention in 2013 as the theme song for Studio Ghibli’s “The Wind Rises.” It is a gem of a song that tenderly supports those who have experienced the loss of someone dear, as well as young people standing at a crossroads in life.

No reply needed.Arai Yumi67rank/position

No Need To Reply / Henji Wa Iranai

This is the memorable debut single by Yumi Arai, known as Yuming, who would go on to lead the later J-POP scene.

Produced by Hiroshi Kamayatsu, with illustrious musicians like Yukihiro Takahashi participating, it’s an astonishingly polished track for a debut.

Its light, American rock-style sound pairs perfectly with her urbane, slightly cool vocals.

The lyrics, in which she senses the end of a romance and draws the curtain herself by saying “I don’t need an answer,” also feel like a brave front masking held-back loneliness.

That precocious sensibility may well have been the glimmer of the talent that would later give rise to countless masterpieces.

Late Summer (A Season for One)Arai Yumi68rank/position

Late Summer 2021 Yumi Arai

This is a song by Yumi Arai that overlays the changing seasonal scenery with the end of a romance and the beginning of time alone.

The sight of leaves blazing with color and delicate flowers swaying in the wind seems to reflect the protagonist’s loneliness.

The song was included on the album “The 14th Moon,” released under the name Yumi Arai in November 1976, and it also served as the theme song for the NHK dramas “Natsu no Furusato” and “Maboroshi no Budōen.” Its poignant melody—mingling a lingering affection for the summer that has passed with a quiet resolve for the seasons to come—resonates deeply with listeners.

Whether you play it on a drive while reminiscing about summer or during a slightly chilly evening stroll, it will gently keep you company.

Demon-Counting SongKarashima Midori69rank/position

Showa 60 Horror Anime Song [Yoma Counting Song] With Lyrics

Even Midori Karashima, famed as a master of winter ballads like “Silent Eve,” sang spine-chilling songs like this in her early career.

With each number counted—one, two—the song depicts a curse-like world where a burning love plunges into hell and the underworld.

Her pure, beautiful voice only heightens the icy despair in the lyrics, and that contrast sends shivers down your spine.

This piece was produced in February 1989 as an insert song for the OVA “Yoma.” Listen to it on Halloween night, and its beautiful melody may amplify the terror so much that you won’t be able to spend the night alone!

I won’t forgetTakayama Iwao70rank/position

I Won’t Forget – Iwao Takayama @ Tokyo Club, Live on 2011/1/29

Iwao Takayama formed the group Banban with Hirofumi Bamba and Hiroshi Imai in 1971, and after leaving the band in 1975, he made his solo debut with this song.

The lyrics and music were written by Takayama himself, and he has since been actively working as a solo singer.