Southern All Stars Love Songs: Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Christmas Love (After the Tears, White Snow Falls)Sazan Ōrusutāzu8rank/position

Christmas Love (After the Tears, White Snow Falls) – Southern All Stars – COVER

Among the many major summer hits by Southern All Stars, this is a very rare Christmas song.

It’s a perennial favorite that enjoyed a long run on the charts: a beautiful ballad that paints a wintry, snow-filled scene, perfectly matched with Keisuke Kuwata’s sweet, bittersweet vocals to gently move the heart.

Be sure to listen for his wife Yuko Hara’s backing vocals as well.

Lovers’ quarrel in ParisSazan Ōrusutāzu9rank/position

Keisuke Kuwata Appears in Sapporo Premium Alcohol Free Commercial, Pens New Song for the Ad

With rhythmic lyrics and a light, breezy melody.

As the title suggests, it’s about a “lovers’ spat”—the kind of quarrel that “even a dog wouldn’t bother with,” and after making up, the two will probably be more lovey-dovey than ever.

Even in the middle of a fight, listening to this song somehow lightens the mood and makes it feel like the couple can easily get through their rough patch.

Welcome to BluesSazan Ōrusutāzu10rank/position

Welcome to the Blues / Southern All Stars (1997)

This is a song that weaves the challenging theme of homosexuality into its lyrics.

It is included on Southern All Stars’ album “10 Numbers Karat” and was released in December 1979.

Keisuke Kuwata’s distinctive word choices and Kansai dialect phrases are notable, making it a groundbreaking work for its time.

The blues-influenced melody and rhythm mesh exquisitely with the lyrical theme, showcasing the musical diversity of Southern All Stars.

This piece is recommended for those who wish to challenge social taboos or who want to explore the depth of the band’s musicality.

Sakura, flutterSazan Ōrusutāzu11rank/position

Southern All Stars – Sakura, Hirari [Official Visualizer]

Southern All Stars’ new song is themed around cherry blossoms, a symbol of spring’s arrival.

Set to a breezy sound that evokes the gentle spring wind, it layers hope onto the fragile yet beautiful sakura blossoms.

Released as a digital-only lead single from the album “THANK YOU SO MUCH” on January 1, 2025, the track was announced on the first anniversary of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, a timing believed to reflect sentiments for the disaster-affected areas.

With a finish that conveys the seasonality of spring and the sensibility of Japan, it’s recommended for anyone who wants to feel the arrival of a new season.

Tearful KissSazan Ōrusutāzu12rank/position

Tearful Kiss

A heartbreaking farewell song with a constricting, bittersweet melody and Keisuke Kuwata’s wistful vocals that pierce the heart.

You can keenly feel the protagonist’s helpless emotions as they sense an impending breakup yet can’t let go of their lingering attachment.

The lyrics, written entirely in Japanese with great care, are filled with straightforward words that resonate deeply—so much so that if you’ve just had your heart broken, you may not be able to listen without tears.

Released as a single in July 1992, it’s also famous as the theme song for the drama “I’ve Always Loved You,” which became a social phenomenon.

It became Southern All Stars’ first million-selling record and continues to be loved by many to this day.

It’s a masterpiece that offers healing—belt it out at karaoke with all your emotions, and it feels like the tears will wash away the sadness along with them.

I Want to Be Embraced in a Sea of Tears ~Sea of Love~Sazan Ōrusutāzu13rank/position

Southern All Stars – I Want to Be Embraced in a Sea of Tears ~SEA OF LOVE~ [Official Music Video]

Set against a summer seaside backdrop, this song richly evokes the complexities of a heart in love.

While portraying a man and woman drowning in a mermaid-like, heartrending love, it expresses both the pledge of love exchanged on a pure white beach and the fragility of that promise.

Chosen as the theme song for Fuji TV’s Monday 9 p.m.

drama “My Only Madonna,” starring Hideaki Takizawa and Kyoko Hasegawa, it harmonizes beautifully with the story of a college student studying architecture and his one-summer romance with an enigmatic woman.

Selling 365,000 copies in its first week, it reached No.

1 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.

Its refreshing melody and bittersweet lyrics are sure to bring back memories of summer love.

LOVE AFFAIR ~ Secret DateSazan Ōrusutāzu14rank/position

LOVE AFFAIR ~Secret Date~ [2024 Remaster]

Even knowing it’s a forbidden love, you can’t help but be drawn to it.

This Southern All Stars piece can be heard as a song about that dangerous longing, or as the anguish of having your heart stolen by someone else while you already have someone important.

Released in February 1998 as their 41st single, it also served as the theme song for the TBS drama “Sweet Season.” Set against the nightscape of Yokohama, the protagonist’s wavering feelings will deeply resonate with anyone who has ever harbored an impossible love.

If you listen on a night when you feel like surrendering to a sweet hell, it might gently envelop those complicated emotions.