Showa-era masterpieces roundup: A must-listen collection of nostalgic oldies and hit songs
In the Showa era, countless masterpieces were created across genres, from pop kayokyoku to enka.
Many of them are still loved today, and we have plenty of chances to hear them.
In recent years, it’s not uncommon for Showa-era songs to experience a revival hit, and I think many younger listeners are also interested in these classics.
In this article, we’d like to reintroduce a generous selection of Showa masterpieces.
We’ve gathered many songs from various genres, so please take your time and give them a careful listen.
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Showa Era Masterpieces: A Must-Listen Selection of Nostalgic Classics and Hit Songs (51–60)
My good friendKamayatsu Hiroshi
Released in 1975 (Showa 50).
Hiroshi Kamayatsu, famous as “Monsieur,” was a former member of the Group Sounds band The Spiders.
He later went solo and remained active, exploring various musical genres.
This particular song, however, has both lyrics and music by Takuro Yoshida.
Within the slightly wordy lyrics that reminisce about old friends, the feelings portrayed are those of a man from an earlier generation than Kamayatsu himself.
The term “bankara,” for instance, is probably almost archaic now.
windhashida norihiko to shuuberutsu
Released in 1969 (Showa 44).
Even within folk music there are different genres—some anti-war, others about everyday life—and among them, Norihiko Hashida’s songs stood out for their wistful quality, using nature as a theme.
His beautiful melodies helped further popularize folk music among the masses.
Afterward, Hashida continued to change members and group names, producing numerous hit songs.
Children Who Don’t Know WarJirōzu
Released in 1971 (Showa 46).
This song was written in the midst of the Vietnam War.
It remains a representative anti-war song that is still sung today.
When we reflect on its meaning even now, I feel that, because there were people in Japan who had experienced war at that time, the song could convey the horrors of war all the more powerfully.
I hope it will continue to be sung in the future.
Let yourself go with the flow of timeTeresa Ten
This was Teresa Teng’s 14th single, released in 1986, and it won the 19th Japan Cable Radio Awards.
It was performed twice on the Kōhaku Uta Gassen, and even after Teresa Teng’s passing, many artists have covered it.
Akihide Tokunaga performed the song on the 2010 Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
The Never-Ending SongTHE BLUE HEARTS
Being a misfit in society is overwhelmingly more sad than not, but when it comes to listening to this song, it’s designed so that people who have lived in such circumstances come out ahead.
There’s probably no other song where slang like “piece of crap” or “scum” sounds this gentle.