[Timeless and Unfading] Ah, the Youthful Singers of the Showa Era

Four Requestschiaki naomi

Naomi Chiaki / Four Requests [Official Audio]

Actor Eiji Go’s wife is Naomi Chiaki.

After Go passed away, she stopped all her show-business activities, which effectively became her retirement.

Losing a loved one must be that profound.

It’s a story very characteristic of Chiaki, who kept singing songs of love.

Incidentally, Go’s older brother is Jo Shishido, and the actor Kai Shishido is Chiaki’s nephew by marriage.

The classic farewell song “Kassai” (Applause) is Chiaki’s signature piece.

She also won that year’s Japan Kayō (Popular Song) Award with this song.

When it was a hit, I didn’t think much of it, but “why is parting from a loved one met with ‘applause’?”—it’s kind of mysterious, isn’t it? It’s a song I’d like to listen back to with that in mind.

Also, if you haven’t heard them yet, please try “Waltz” and “Benitonbo.”

Stars on EarthNakajima Miyuki

Stars on the Ground / Miyuki Nakajima [Official]

Let me introduce the celebrated song “Stars on the Ground,” sung on a grand scale.

Miyuki Nakajima’s “Stars on the Ground” was used as the opening theme for the documentary program Project X: Challengers.

Both the lyrics and music are by Miyuki Nakajima.

Released in 2000, the song leaves a lasting impression with its expansive lyrics and storytelling.

Delivered in her powerful, one-of-a-kind voice, it’s deeply moving.

It’s a song that gives you a push when you’re feeling down or want to do your best.

I look up as I walkSakamoto Kyu

Sukiyaki

They say K-pop artists plan their activities with the entire world in mind from the very beginning.

That’s because the domestic market in Korea is small.

It’s a mindset you don’t see as often among Japanese artists.

Here’s a question: Who is the only Showa-era singer to make it into the American Billboard Top 10, the world’s most prestigious chart? The answer is Kyu Sakamoto.

“Ue o Muite Arukō” reached No.

1 in the U.S.

under the title “Sukiyaki.” Kyu Sakamoto was active not only as a singer but also as a TV personality and actor.

Affectionately known as Kyu-chan, his songs surely encouraged many people born in the Showa era.

Goodbye once moreOzaki Kiyohiko

Sayonarawo Mouichido

Let me introduce the Showa-era classic “Say Goodbye Once More.” Sung by Kiyohiko Ozaki, “Say Goodbye Once More” is a well-known masterpiece.

The lyrics were written by Yū Aku, and the music was composed by Makoto Kawaguchi.

Released in 1971, this song is characterized by lyrics about the breakup of two lovers, conveying both the sorrow of parting and a desire to move forward.

Ozaki’s expansive, soothing voice is one you can listen to forever.

It’s a perfect song to sing slowly and with feeling at karaoke.

The Color of WinterYamaguchi Momoe

Momoe Yamaguchi - Winter Colors

Momoe grew up in an environment that wasn’t what you’d call a “typical family.” When she retired, she said something like, “I want a home where, when I come back, my mother is there.” Of ‘Sayonara no Mukōgawa,’ ‘Playback Part 2,’ and ‘Yokosuka Story,’ which is your favorite? I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who sensed that subtle, unmistakably Momoe-like melancholy in each of those songs.

In a world where some entertainers announce “I’m retiring” and then make multiple comebacks—a kind of retirement fraud, you might say—Momoe’s retirement was pure and thoroughly dignified.

Fallen leaves in the snowFuse Akira

Fallen leaves in the snow

Let me introduce the classic song that captures the changing seasons, “Fallen Leaves Turn to Snow.” Akira Fuse’s “Fallen Leaves Turn to Snow” is one of those masterpieces you want to listen to from autumn into winter.

Both the lyrics and the music were written by Akira Fuse.

Released in 1976, the song is said to have become a major hit partly because it was featured in a commercial.

The lyrics use evocative words here and there that conjure vivid scenes, letting images play in your mind like a film.

It’s a track you’ll want to listen to on a day when you can feel winter’s chill.

Do whatever the hell you want.sawada kenji

Do whatever the hell you want.

There are many people who were moved to tears again and again by Kuniko Mukoda’s scripted series Terauchi Kantaro Ikka—actually, you might wonder if there’s anyone who could watch that drama without crying.

Among its many scenes, the moment where Kirin Kiki writhes with excitement in front of a Kenji Sawada poster, calling out “Juliieee,” would be what we’d call a massive viral hit today.

Kenji Sawada, aka Julie.

At a time when men wearing makeup wasn’t as accepted as it is now, he blazed ahead of the era with his own unique values.

The hat he throws to the audience in “Katte ni Shiyagare,” the parachute costume in “TOKIO”—maybe it was Julie who set the trends in the entertainment world.