Best Songs and Popular Tracks by Male Singer-Songwriters: 2026 Rankings

GraduationOzaki Yutaka43rank/position

Yutaka Ozaki – Graduation (Official Music Video)

Yutaka Ozaki delivers a work that captures the clumsy emotions of youth in their entirety with his powerful singing voice.

Frankly portraying the feelings of young people—such as the sense of suffocation in school life and distrust toward adults—this piece carries a universal message about the thirst for freedom felt within the school days that everyone experiences.

Released in January 1985 and peaking at No.

20 on the Oricon charts, it was issued as the lead single from the album Kaikisen (Tropic of Cancer).

Later, in 2016, it was also featured as the commercial song for a web-exclusive short film by a casual clothing chain, continuing to resonate with many people across generations.

It’s a track you’ll want to listen to when you’re wavering between ideals and reality or questioning the norms of society.

Christmas EveYamashita Tatsuro44rank/position

Christmas Eve – Tatsuro Yamashita (Full)

Thanks to being featured in a JR commercial, Tatsuro Yamashita’s “Christmas Eve” has become a full-on Christmas staple, but it’s actually a heartbreak song.

It lightly disses Christmas—basically saying, “Even now, when my love is ending and this moment might make the breakup final, the city streets of Christmas couldn’t care less and keep cheerfully playing Jingle Bells”—while singing, “Precisely at a time like this, the heartbreak hits even harder.”

celeryYamazaki Masayoshi45rank/position

Masayoshi Yamazaki / Celery

While the version sung by SMAP is also famous, Masayoshi Yamazaki is the original.

Personally, I prefer Masayoshi Yamazaki’s “Celery.” It conveys a lovely spirit: even though we may sometimes miss each other because our upbringings and paths are different, we do our best for the other person because we have feelings of love.

It was all you.Yamazaki Masayoshi46rank/position

Masayoshi Yamazaki – Zenbu Kimidatta

This song by Masayoshi Yamazaki, which portrays a heartrending love, delicately expresses passing seasons, memories, and a love that has been lost.

Sounds like the rain and the cold light of morning are depicted as elements that evoke a former lover, emphasizing deep affection and the melancholy of a love gone by.

Released in March 2003, the work is Yamazaki’s 14th single and his first original single in about two years.

The first-press limited edition included a DVD with bonus footage, marking his first release to come with a DVD.

Celebrated as a masterpiece that resonates with those in love, it’s also perfect as wedding background music or as a message to someone special.

No matter what I do, it’s no good.Okazaki Taiiku47rank/position

Okazaki Taiiku “Nothing I Do Works” Music Video

A song by the musician OKAMURA Taiiku, who’s known for his distinctive sense of humor.

This track, too, blends his signature humor, yet if you really listen to the lyrics, there’s something mysteriously moving about it.

The words, which can come across as a kind of bold defiance, feel refreshing, and even the surreal music video gives you a little boost when you watch it.

Also, the chorus makes it feel like it’s telling you, “If you give up, that’s where it ends!!,” which makes me think, “Alright, I can push a little harder!!”

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Hane Keisuke

Report a problem

POP STARHirai Ken48rank/position

Ken Hirai – POP STAR @ Ken’s Bar 2011

Ken Hirai is known for many ballads, but as the title suggests, this song is quite pop and up-tempo.

The music video also features pop-style dancing, revealing a new side of him.

Personally, I thought, “Pop songs suit him too, kind of like Noriyuki Makihara.”

You are my friend.Hirai Ken49rank/position

Ken Hirai – You Are My Friend

“Kimi wa Tomodachi,” the 21st single by Ken Hirai released in 2004, is a song written around the theme of friendship and was used as the theme song for the drama “Wonderful Life.” It conveys warmth of heart and the importance of friendship, delivered through Hirai’s vocals that are both wild and gentle.