Kenji Sawada Popular Song Rankings [2026]

You are paradise.sawada kenji31rank/position

Kenji Sawada – You Are My Paradise

32nd single.

For the first time, Tokuko Miura—who had been writing lyrics for a series of idol pop songs—was brought on as the lyricist.

The musical style made a dramatic shift toward hard rock, and the performance intertwined with the backing band, along with the mid-to-low register shouts in the vocals, clearly marked a turning point.

Unrewarded Wednesdaysawada kenji32rank/position

Kenji Sawada “Unrewarded Wednesday” from the CD “He Can’t Sleep”

Even though Julie was blessed with hit after hit, in his private life he went through a divorce from Emi Ito and, in 1989—the year his affair with his current wife, actress Yuko Tanaka, was finally settled—released the album “Sleepless Night,” which includes a song that many might relate to.

A younger woman takes a liking to him; he’s fine if it’s just a fling, but a serious romance is a problem, and he’s fed up with her persistent phone calls—a song that exposes a man’s slyness.

Still, it suits Julie perfectly.

Do not stop; do not look back.sawada kenji33rank/position

Don't stop, don't look back (Kenji Sawada) covered by MarryBorns

Released in 1976, this was the single that followed “Tokino Sugiyuku Mama ni.” Like his biggest hit “Tokino Sugiyuku Mama ni,” it was created by the golden duo of lyricist Yū Aku and composer Katsuo Ōno.

However, it peaked at only No.

8 on the Oricon charts and became a hidden gem overshadowed by that masterpiece.

Beautiful personsawada kenji34rank/position

Reijin (Kenji Sawada) covered by MarryBorns

The 35th single, released in 1982.

Julie composed the music himself, with lyrics by Yū Aku.

The cover art features a design that blends Taisho-era romanticism with pop culture, reminiscent of artists like Tadanori Yokoo and Suehiro Maruo.

It was a smash hit, selling 200,000 copies.

I don’t even feel like saying goodbye.sawada kenji35rank/position

Kenji Sawada / I Don't Even Feel Like Saying Goodbye (1977)

The 18th single.

Amid a release pattern that alternates between rhythmic rock/pop numbers and emotionally rich ballads, this track successfully fuses both elements.

The high notes in the chorus are striking and are often used as material for impersonations.

From Yamato with lovesawada kenji36rank/position

With Love from Yamato / Kenji Sawada

This was Kenji Sawada’s 24th single, released on August 1, 1978.

It served as the theme song for the hugely popular anime of the time, Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love.

As of 2022, when this article is being written, I imagine many people in their 50s were captivated by this anime.

It featured an unforgettable ending in which the Yamato, battered and barely holding together after enemy attacks, makes a kamikaze run at the enemy’s super-dreadnought to save Earth.

I think I saw this film in theaters when I was in the fourth grade, and that scene still remains vividly in my memory.

Because this song plays as the Yamato self-destructs, it has become a deeply nostalgic piece for me.

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Kei Takahata

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Alone in Parissawada kenji37rank/position

Kenji Sawada / Alone in Paris (1975)

This is the 13th solo single, released in May 1975.

In January of the same year, a French-language version of the song was released in eight European countries, marking a worldwide debut.

In France, it reached No.

4 on the charts and became a major hit, selling 200,000 copies.

A mellow, romantic mid-tempo ballad.

Fugitive of Lovesawada kenji38rank/position

Kenji Sawada / The Fugitive of Love (1974)

This single, released in 1974 with an eye toward breaking into the global market, features both the A-side “Ai no Tōbōsha” and the B-side “I Was Born to Love You” sung entirely in English.

With its exotic melody, ska rhythm, and shouts of “Woo-ha!,” it comes together as a tricky, playful piece.

I don’t care if I die.sawada kenji39rank/position

Kenji Sawada / I Would Die (I Would Die For Your Love) (1972)

This is Julie’s fourth solo single, following the breakup of The Tigers in 1970 and the short-lived PYG, a new band launched in 1971, which quickly fell apart, leading him to go solo.

It was released in 1972.

It’s a passionate kayō rock ballad with a tear-jerking melody.

Forbidden lovesawada kenji40rank/position

Kenji Sawada - Unforgivable Love

Released in 1972 as Kenji Sawada’s second single, this song became his first to enter the Oricon Top 10.

It won the Vocal Performance Award at the 14th Japan Record Awards and the Excellence Award at the 5th Japan Cable Awards, and it marked his first appearance on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.