A roundup of classic Showa-era kayō songs: a comprehensive introduction to timeless tracks loved across generations.
Songs released in the Showa era—what we call Showa kayokyoku—are truly full of timeless masterpieces!
If you’re an adult born in the Showa period, you probably know just how wildly popular Showa kayokyoku was with the entire nation back then.
Meanwhile, even for younger people born in the Heisei era and later, there are still plenty of Showa kayokyoku songs you hear all the time today, and I’m sure many of you can sing quite a few of them without looking at the lyrics.
In this article, we’ll introduce a whole lineup of Showa kayokyoku classics that have continued to be loved across generations.
Take this opportunity to listen again with fresh ears and immerse yourself fully in the world of kayokyoku.
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A roundup of classic Showa-era kayōkyoku hits: a comprehensive introduction to timeless songs loved across generations (41–50)
The Ugly DucklingNaoko Ken
Miyuki Nakajima, who wrote the song, also recorded a self-cover in 2002, but Naoko Ken released it in 1978, at a time when the Showa-era pop scene was just beginning to shift.
It became a huge hit for its portrayal of a woman’s sorrow and pride after being dumped in Nakajima’s “Abayo.” Though slightly up-tempo, it’s a poignant classic that expresses both the words a woman least wants to hear from the man she loves and her own feelings.
Compilation of Showa-era kayō classic hits: A comprehensive introduction to timeless songs loved across generations (51–60)
Tokyo Boogie-WoogieKasaogi Shizuko
Sung during a performance in a Japanese stage play, this song rode the then-trendy boogie rhythm, and the sight of Shizuko Kasagi singing while dancing comically left a strong impression, bringing smiles across Japan.
As an aside, Miracle Hikaru’s impersonation—capturing even the texture of an old SP-recording—was also outstanding.
In a Tokyo like a desertishida ayumi
About three years after the hit “Blue Light Yokohama,” which made her a popular beauty with a cute charm and impeccable fashion sense among men, this song released in May 1971 may have been Ayumi Ishida’s attempt at an image change.
Although she’s now active as an actress, back then she was a hit-making singer.
Still, whether the makeover succeeded is debatable.
I personally liked this song with its calm, understated delivery, but at the time it overlapped with Chiyo Okumura, who was working in a similar style, and it ended up leaving a weaker impression.
As long as the sun is in the skynishikino akira
As a bona fide singer known for more than just his looks, Akira Nishikino delivers a clear, soaring vocal while maintaining a cool expression in this signature song.
From this footage—featuring the already-popular group Four Leaves on backing vocals—you can clearly sense just how widespread his popularity was at the time.
Les MisérablesAn Ruisu
It was a hit in 1986, five years after giving birth.
Like Roppongi Shinju, it was a song that was really often sung at karaoke.
The lyrics work precisely because it’s Ann Lewis.
Her marriage to Masahiro Kuwana lasted four years, but I still vividly remember when both of them performed at an outdoor concert in Osaka while their son, Miyuji—now a musician—was a baby: when one was playing, the other would hold him and watch the stage from the wings.
In 2013, after releasing a CD made by the three of them as a family, Ann Lewis retired completely.
It’s a shame.
Beautiful NameGodaigo
This is Godiego’s ninth single, released in 1979.
As a supporting song for the International Year of the Child and through NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” it was frequently heard in living rooms across Japan.
Let your body sway to the pleasant sound that blends Japanese and English.
triggertsuisuto
This is Twist’s smash hit, known for the episode where they declined the New Artist Award at the 1978 Japan Record Awards and didn’t perform.
People said at the time that the lyrics were ordinary for such a song, but Masanori Sera was just so cool that I was glued to the TV.