Cool songs from the Showa era. Masterpieces from Showa that shine with sensuality, passion, and rugged charm.
The Showa era gave birth to a wide range of timeless hits.
With the global city pop boom and more, classic songs from the Showa era continue to attract attention today.
This time, we’ve handpicked especially cool tracks from among those Showa classics!
From the intense coolness of rock to the smooth coolness of city pop, we’ve selected standout songs from a variety of angles.
We’ve highlighted both male and female artists, so feel free to use this as a go-to list for karaoke as well!
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- [Nostalgic Hits] Smash Hits with the Showa Generation! Classic and Popular Songs Sung by Female Vocalists
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Cool songs from the Showa era. Classic Showa masterpieces that shine with sensuality, passion, and rugged charm (1–10)
Burn, you fine womantsuisuto
This single, released in April 1979, became a major hit with sales of 740,000 copies.
Masanori Sera’s powerful vocals and the passionate lyrics leave a strong impression.
The song expresses a yearning for a woman whose fiery gaze seems hot enough to scorch even the summer heat.
Chosen as the campaign song for Shiseido’s ’79 summer campaign “Natsuko no Natsu,” it gained widespread recognition.
With this track, The TWIST appeared in the 1979 Kohaku Uta Gassen for the second consecutive year.
Recommended for those who have experienced heartbreak or who dream of a passionate romance.
It’s a truly cool classic from the Showa era that you’ll want to listen to on a hot summer night.
Light Blue RainYagami Junko
Junko Yagami is known for her strikingly clear, translucent singing voice.
Her fifth single, released in September 1978, became a major hit, selling 600,000 copies.
Covered by numerous artists—including Tatsuya Ishii, Aya Matsuura, and actress Mone Kamishiraishi—it has become a timeless classic that continues to be loved across generations.
The song portrays a lover who gently accepted her without reproach, even when she made mistakes.
After that cherished person leaves, the regret that wells up for the first time is sung over a wistful, melancholic melody.
This work is especially recommended for those who want to heal the pain of heartbreak or reflect on a past love.
MissingKubota Toshinobu
This is one of the signature songs by Toshinobu Kubota, a singer-songwriter often credited with introducing and establishing R&B in Japan.
It’s a ballad that conveys raw, aching emotion, as if expressing the pain of a love that can never be fulfilled.
The quiet soundscape also conveys the torment of regret.
While the overall theme is one of suffering, his soaring, resonant vocals carry a warmth that also communicates deep love and a sense of hope.
Cool songs from the Showa era: classic Showa masterpieces that shine with allure, passion, and rugged charm (11–20)
Two People’s Summer Story – NEVER ENDING SUMMER –Sugiyama Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe
A signature song by Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe, released in 1985.
It’s characterized by lyrics that depict a summer romance and a refreshing melody.
It created a big buzz at the time, ranking No.
2 on TBS’s “The Best Ten” year-end chart for 1985.
The track is included on the album “NEVER ENDING SUMMER,” and Sugiyama has recalled that during production he “wrote a 16-beat song for the first time.” Packed with summer memories—like dates on the beach and encounters at a marina at night—this piece invites you to listen while imagining a special summer day spent with someone important.
BohemianKatsuragi Yuki
When asked, “Who is a genuine singer known for a husky voice?” those from the Showa generation would likely first name Yuki Katsuragi.
Bohemian is her signature hit, released in 1983.
Back then, her husky voice drew great attention, and comedians kept doing impressions of her on variety shows.
The lyrics—about a woman who falls in love with a man who goes from one woman to the next, like a bohemian—resonate with both poignancy and strength.
Remarkably, the lyrics were written by Ryo Asuka of CHAGE and ASKA.
Make it a slow boogie (I want you)Minami Yoshitaka
Even people who normally didn’t read novels picked up Yoshio Kataoka’s Slow na Boogie ni Shite Kure, which became the very image of the youth every young person longed for.
The theme song of the film adaptation, Yoshitaka Minami’s “Slow na Boogie ni Shite Kure,” was also a huge hit.
The record jacket featuring Atsuko Asano, captured as if she didn’t care at all about her long, unruly hair, was incredibly striking.
Perhaps it was this Japanese-language anthem in praise of a slow-paced life that snapped us out of our giddy obsession with Western music and Japanese rock and brought us back to our senses.
It’s a quintessential Showa-era youth anthem—one song that taught us what “cool” looked like, without saying a word.
FriendsREBECCA
A massive hit by REBECCA, a band that’s always near the top of “bands we want to see reunite” rankings.
Even though it was released in 1985, it felt like you were always hearing it somewhere—on the radio or in TV commercials.
The lyrics, about “feeling a bit lonely as friends change with time,” speak directly to youth celebrating their coming of age.
Above all, everyone was instantly captivated by vocalist NOKKO’s voice—so uniquely powerful and evocative that it makes you think, “This is what a true singer sounds like!” I also loved the double A-side ‘Girls, Bravo!,’ with its rallying cry of “Girls, stand up!” If you haven’t heard it yet, definitely give it a listen!