Kazuyoshi Saito’s masterpieces and popular songs

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.

The Ballad I Want to SingSaitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – Ballad of a Singer (2008 Ver.) [Music Video Short ver.]

Kazuyoshi Saito has a wide repertoire of songs, and among them this is my top recommended love song.

He’s popular across generations, and I think many university students know him as well.

There’s a theory that he wrote the lyrics for his wife; overflowing with love, this is a song I’d love to hear a man sing.

rutSaitō Kazuyoshi

BLIZZAK WZ-1 Birth Chapter (for snowy conditions)

This commercial showcases the car itself to highlight that with Blizzak, you can drive powerfully on any road surface.

The way it plows through the snow and then comes to a stop is particularly striking, and that imagery conveys a sense of security that supports the driver.

The song that strongly emphasizes the power of these visuals is Kazuyoshi Saito’s “Wadachi.” With its bold, resonant band sound and a forceful, almost thrown vocal delivery, you can feel the momentum of pushing forward.

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kappamaki

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HAPPYSaitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – HAPPY [Lyric Video]

Kazuyoshi Saito is a renowned singer-songwriter with a career spanning over 30 years, admired by many fellow musicians for his unique, uncompromising stance that resists trends.

A devoted Loudness fan and former metalhead in his youth, Saito possesses a broad musical range that defies categorization, excelling in rock, pop, and ballads alike.

His subtly awkward, deeply expressive vocals and lyrics are also irresistibly appealing.

Released in April 2025, Saito’s “HAPPY” is an anthemic track propelled by rough-edged guitar sounds, written as the theme song for the TV program “Saturday LIVE News Zigzag.” It’s a song you’ll definitely want to try at karaoke: its wistfully moving melody is sure to resonate across generations.

The rapid-fire vocal line that appears in the chorus takes a bit of practice, but once you get used to it, it isn’t difficult—so sing it repeatedly until you can deliver it smoothly!

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Hey, heartless one.Saitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – Hey, Heartless [Music Video Short ver.]

“Ah, Mujō” is the Japanese title for Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables.

This song—clearly an homage—evokes the lyrical world of a doppelgänger, that other self who occasionally appears in Kazuyoshi Saito’s music.

Setchan’s world feels like a parallel universe that shuttles between “myself,” “my other self,” and “you,” the one I love.

A Soft DaySaitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – Gentle Day [2008 ver].

It begins gently with layered choruses going “pa-pa-pa-pa,” and though the acoustic guitar’s soft strumming keeps the sound unfolding softly, the lyrics are anything but soft.

Kazuyoshi Saito often takes everyday conversation and day-to-day happenings and suddenly steers them toward a big theme; this song follows that progression too, with its big theme being “an incredible love.”

swallowtail (butterfly)Saitō Kazuyoshi

Kazuyoshi Saito – Swallowtail [Music Video Short ver.]

Was it somewhere out on the street that you saw a 21-year-old woman singing and playing guitar? The 21-year-old her is singing today, the 22-year-old her, the 26-year-old her, and the 32-year-old her are all still singing today.

It sounds like an anthem that affirms and cheers on a singer-songwriter who keeps singing to such a “her,” saying “I Like You”—meaning, “I don’t dislike you.” Perhaps the swallowtail butterfly is a symbol of a being that can take flight into the sky.