Kazuyoshi Saito’s masterpieces and popular songs

I Love MeSaitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito 2008 FIRE DOG - COLD TUBE - I LOVE ME

A funky, high-energy tune that’s guaranteed to hype up any live show.

I don’t think there are many singer-songwriters who can pull off this kind of groove with an acoustic guitar in a band setup.

It’s neither a rock track that makes you nod along vertically nor a ballad that gently moves your heart, yet he can fire up the audience like this—just how deep is Secchan’s range?

I like your face.Saitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – I Like Your Face YouTube

What a shocking title (lol).

Instead of saying “I love you,” it plainly says “I love your face.” In the song, it also says he likes “your hair,” “your shoulders,” and “your fingers,” and that he believes in “things with form.” He even says you can just make up someone’s personality in your head.

But when he says he loves the formless “sound of your voice,” it makes you think, after all, he really is a singer.

Let’s go on the offensive!Saitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – Let’s Go on the Offensive! [Music Video Short ver.]

The latest year-end 2015 single is a cheer song packed with Saito Kazuyoshi’s signature touches throughout.

In its chord progression, its melody, and its lyrics, it’s unmistakably stamped with his mark—overflowing with Setchan—and it makes you think he could now spread his wings freely anywhere.

Even having reached that position, the lines like “if things go well, I can enjoy a good drink” and “that girl’s reward is waiting” make Setchan feel like a relatable musician, and that’s great, isn’t it?

Midnight PoolSaitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – Midnight Pool [Music Video Short ver.]

This song evokes an incredibly nostalgic feeling.

The recorder-like tone and phrases in the intro, the vocal melody, and the lyrics—all of it.

It’s not normal for an elementary schooler to find themselves in a “pool at midnight” situation, but somehow you can imagine it.

And then you hear that the person of the opposite sex with whom you shared that unusual moment is getting married soon.

That would be a deeply nostalgic and sentimental thing.

I’ve always liked you.Saitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – I’ve Always Loved You [Music Video]

A lively rock ’n’ roll rhythm makes this an irresistibly pleasant number.

It’s also known as the song used in Shiseido’s “IN&ON” commercial.

The school’s Madonna from when you were sixteen—surely every man keeps that memory locked away like a treasure in his heart.

This is a song that makes you feel as if you’re peeking into that treasure chest for the first time in a long while.

One more timeSaitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – One More Time [Music Video Short ver.]

The 41st single is the first release marking the 20th anniversary of their debut, and it also serves as the theme song for the film Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea.

As fellow singer-songwriters of the same generation, there’s Masayoshi Yamazaki’s classic “One more time, One more chance.” Giving this title might make music lovers think it’s a show of rivalry toward that masterpiece, wouldn’t you agree?

Someone’s Winter SongSaitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – Someone’s Winter Song [Music Video Short ver.]

Released in 2004, this song also became well-loved as the theme for Tu-Ka Phone Kansai commercials.

The protagonist racing off by car to see the one they love right away resonates as a familiar, relatable feeling of love that everyone has experienced.

The winter scenery passing by on the drive and the sudden flashes of the lover’s expressions are portrayed so vividly, and together with the comfortable folk-rock melody, they sink deep into the heart.

It’s included on the best-of album “Utai-tai 15 SINGLES BEST 1993–2007” and remains a favorite in live performances.

A winter song brimming with lyricism, perfect for those quiet nights when you’re thinking of someone special.