Popular Oldies and Classic Songs Ranking: 1970s Japanese Music
We’re excited to present the latest top 100 ranking of nostalgic Japanese pop songs, introduced all at once in order of most views!
We’ve picked out beloved classics that were hits in the 1970s.
Listening again like this, you’ll notice many songs are still enjoying revivals today.
Be sure to check them out.
The playlist is updated every week.
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Popular Oldies and Classic Songs Ranking [1970s Japanese Music Ranking] (71–80)
The Bride of SetoKoyanagi Rumiko71rank/position
A song that captures the feelings of a young bride against the backdrop of the Seto Inland Sea.
Released by Rumiko Koyanagi in April 1972, it is known as a masterpiece in Japanese music history.
The lyrics, which express both the hopes and anxieties of starting a new life with a loved one and the tears of parting from one’s hometown, resonate with many.
The song has been cherished across generations, ranking seventh on NHK’s “200 Showa Songs That Remain in Our Hearts.” It’s best enjoyed while picturing the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea.
A perfect track to listen to at life’s milestones, such as weddings and anniversaries.
youthMorita Kōichi to Toppugyaran72rank/position
The way we remember our school days as adults is different from how we felt while actually attending school, isn’t it? This is one of the signature works by the band Koichi Morita & Top Gallant, released in 1976.
It’s striking for its uptempo yet wistful melody.
The lyrics—suggesting that our feelings about youth change between then and now—are irresistibly relatable.
If you’re a student right now, cherish the “now” you’re living to the fullest.
After you graduate, you’ll surely feel the way this song does.
Summer MissSakakibara Ikue73rank/position
This is a number loved by many as a refreshing pop tune that represents summer.
The lyrics depicting youthful days at the beach and the light, lively melody resonate so pleasantly.
Released in July 1978 as Ikue Sakakibara’s seventh single, it became a hit, peaking at No.
5 on TBS’s “The Best Ten.” It’s a song that makes you feel the fresh summer breeze and brings back the thrills of the season of love.
Great for karaoke and perfect as background music for a drive.
Why not make it your summer companion and give it a listen?
UFOpinku redii74rank/position
This is a smash hit by Pink Lady, distinguished by its innovative sense of rhythm and catchy melody.
Released as a single in December 1977, it held the No.
1 spot on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 10 consecutive weeks and achieved an astonishing sales total of over 1.95 million copies.
It was also used in a Nissin Foods commercial and covered in the anime Crayon Shin-chan, making it beloved across generations.
Their performances in glittering silver costumes, combined with distinctive choreography, became a social phenomenon mimicked by children and adults alike.
If everyone joins in to sing its well-known phrases, it’s guaranteed to get the crowd fired up in an instant.
Suddenly, SinbadSazan Ōrusutāzu75rank/position
Centered around singer-songwriter Keisuke Kuwata—who has released numerous classic songs as a solo artist—Southern All Stars is a rock band that has long been a top runner in the J-pop scene, and this is their debut single.
Set to a passionate Latin rock groove, the song captivates with lyrics that are sexy yet comical, vividly painting scenes in your mind.
Released as a single in June 1978, it was also featured in a commercial for Asahi Soft Drinks’ Mitsuya Cider.
Despite being their debut, it’s known as one of their signature tracks and is an essential classic in the history of Japanese rock.
The call-and-response in the intro chorus and the refrain is guaranteed to get the crowd going when you try it at karaoke!
At the coffee shopabe shizue76rank/position
Shizue Abe made her debut with a song that left an impression for its beautiful vocals and gave her a pure, delicate image.
Many of her fans were men who seemed to want to support her—perhaps they even felt like they were her boyfriend.
That “everyone’s girlfriend” vibe may have been one of her key appeals.
From the northern innMiyako Harumi77rank/position
Harumi Miyako’s “Kita no Yado Kara” is a smash hit released in 1975.
Composed by Asei Kobayashi with lyrics by Yū Aku, this song is a classic enka masterpiece loved across generations.
The image of knitting a sweater despite having no one to give it to conveys the heroine’s deep lingering attachment and loneliness.
The depiction of being unable to shake off one’s regrets after a breakup, with feelings only growing stronger, is a universal theme that resonates in any era.
It’s a song I’d love for today’s young people to hear as well.