Hit and popular songs by Kenji Sawada
Let me introduce the songs of Kenji Sawada, a male singer who represents the Showa era.
Even if you didn’t listen to them in real time, you’ve probably heard several of his songs at least once, such as “Katte ni Shiyagare” and “TOKIO.”
Kenji Sawada began his career in the 1960s, during the heyday of Group Sounds, debuting as the lead vocalist of The Tigers, a central band in the Group Sounds scene.
His nickname is “Julie,” which is said to come from the fact that he was a fan of the actress Julie Andrews.
Now, please enjoy these masterpieces that dominated the Showa-era pop scene.
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Kenji Sawada's Classic and Popular Songs (21–30)
Carrying Yousawada kenji
Her solo debut song and an entry in the Nemunoki-no-Sato Popular Festival.
It became a fine work that erased her idol-like image from the Group Sounds era and left a strong impression with the remarkable growth she showed as a vocalist.
In 1990, she re-recorded it herself for use as a Honda Today commercial song.
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The 14th single, released right after his first marriage.
It was conceived as an insert song for the TV drama he starred in, “Akuma no Yōna Aitsu,” and marked his first collaboration with lyricist Akku and composer Ōno, with whom he would go on to form a long-standing team.
Selling 790,000 copies, it became his biggest hit.
It remains one of his most popular songs among fans and has been widely covered by other artists.
This was the last recording to feature his close friend Shūzō Kishibe, who, prompted by his appearance in the same drama, went on to pursue an acting career.
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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.
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36th single release.
The first title from the newly established “Julie Label” within Polydor Records.
The jacket reads “SONGS by KENJI SAWADA with EXOTICS,” reflecting a stance that places greater emphasis on the backing band.
He performed wearing a white Native American feather headdress and Native American-style face paint.
AMAPOLAsawada kenji
43rd single.
The original song is known as a standard number, and this cover used the version featured in the 1984 American film ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ as an image song for its Japanese release.
It was Sawada’s first cover as an A-side track and was also used in a Shiseido commercial.
Despite marking a 180-degree shift from his previous rock-oriented style and generating buzz, sales were sluggish, and it ultimately became his final single released under Polydor.
Darlingsawada kenji
23rd single.
He passionately belts out a song with an intense rhythm while wearing a sailor-style outfit.
The barrage of phrases in the chorus became one of the typical patterns of Sawada’s songs.
It became his fifth song to reach No.
1 on the Oricon weekly chart.
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After the failure of the work before last, ‘Lonely Wolf,’ the Itoi–Kase duo course-corrected to a second installment featuring quintessentially Julie-style psychedelic hard rock and pop.
He shocked audiences with a performance cradling a dummy skeleton guitar, and when he took off his sunglasses, an uncanny look appeared thanks to colored contact lenses.
With this 30th single, his cumulative single sales surpassed 10 million, making him the fourth act in the history of Japanese popular music to achieve this milestone.