[Winter Songs] Classic Showa-era masterpieces. Popular songs you’ll want to listen to in winter.

Snow, fall.Gam

Let it Snow / Gam

This song, which opens Gam’s December 1981 album Kazabana, by the lyrical folk duo renowned in the 1980s, is a winter ballad that echoes with bittersweet feelings entrusted to gently falling snow.

Carried by soft guitar tones, it delicately portrays the tremor of a heart thinking of someone amid a scene of swirling snow.

The transparent harmonies and introspective lyrics weave a world imbued with Gam’s signature lyricism, offering a warmth that seems to nestle into winter’s stillness.

It’s a track that seeps into the heart when, alone in the cold season, you find yourself recalling days gone by or someone dear.

Sorrow like snowHamada Shogo

Sadness Like Snow (ON THE ROAD 2011 “The Last Weekend”)

This is Shogo Hamada’s 14th single, released in 1981.

Eleven years later, in 1992, it was re-released as his 23rd single after being chosen as the theme song for the drama “Ai to Iu Na no Moto ni,” starring Honami Suzuki.

The lyrics are said to reflect Hamada’s own experience: while he was overwhelmed with deep sorrow and despair after his mother suffered a cerebral infarction, he found himself becoming kinder toward others.

Though everyone lives with loneliness in their heart, there is always someone watching over you somewhere.

It’s a classic in which a rugged vocal delivery carries a gentle warmth.

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Winter LightningArisu

You’re Rollin’ Thunder

This is the 11th single by Alice, the folk group fronted by vocalists Shinji Tanimura and Takao Horiuchi.

It broke into the Oricon Weekly Top 10 and marked their first appearance on the popular music program “The Best Ten,” becoming the group’s first hit song after struggling to score a success since their 1972 debut.

The song portrays a heartbreaking farewell that leaves a deep scar on the heart.

From the rich, rugged vocals, you can feel a range of romantic pains—emptiness, frustration, and loneliness.

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White Winterfuki no tō

☆彡 White Winter / Fukinoto ≪Lyrics≫ (1974) ≪No.1♪≫

Set against the shifting season from late autumn into winter, this work gently sings of the bittersweet ache of a love now past.

Released in September 1974 as Fuki no Tō’s debut single, it reached No.

14 on the Oricon weekly chart and sold approximately 185,000 copies.

Rooted in a simple acoustic guitar arrangement, the interwoven harmonies of the duo’s voices delicately portray the deepening loneliness of autumn and the arrival of a white winter.

Its unadorned, pure folk sound quietly evokes nostalgia for lost time, making it a timeless classic.

Perfect for nights when you reminisce about a former love, or for lingering by the window as the snow falls.

snow-cappedTeresa Ten

snow-capped

This is a single released in October 1974 by Teresa Teng, known as the Diva of Asia.

With lyrics by Michio Yamagami and music by Kosho Inomata, the song was performed on music programs such as “Hachiji da yo! Zen’in Shugo” and “The Best Ten,” and has long been cherished as a winter classic.

It depicts a woman gazing at fine snow quietly piling up outside the window while burning a love letter in the fireplace.

The lingering attachment to a lost romance—and the aching resolve to move forward nonetheless—is conveyed with rich emotion through Teresa Teng’s clear, translucent voice.

This gently enka-tinged melody that seeps into the heart is sure to resonate deeply with anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear.

snow-cappedMatsuyama Chiharu

snow-capped

A beloved winter song by Chiharu Matsuyama, a singer-songwriter from Hokkaido, first released to the world on his 1978 album “Arukitsuzukeru Toki” (When You Keep Walking).

It opens with the quiet image of white snow falling steadily, and gently sings of the feelings that well up while alone in a cold room.

There’s nothing in particular to be sad about, yet the restrained, powerful lyrics leave an impression as they convey the earnest wish to simply hold someone dear.

In 1997, it was remade as the B-side to the single “Christmas,” and was also used in a commercial for Corona heating appliances.

It’s a piece that stays close to you on a silent winter night, when the falling snow mirrors your thoughts, offering quiet companionship as you think of someone special in a warm room.

Ballad of the Rainbow and SnowTo wa e mo wa

1971 Towa et Moi – Ballad of Rainbow and Snow (Single Version)

The famous song by Towa Teu Moi, created for the 1972 Sapporo Olympics, is a winter anthem that carries hope across the northern land.

Lyricist Bunichiro Kawamura was given three conditions by NHK—“a song that would be sung for many years after the Games,” “a song that expressed the feelings of Sapporo’s citizens,” and “a song ordinary people could easily sing.” After about two weeks of deliberation, he completed the lyrics.

Through the contrasting motifs of snow and rainbows, the piece conveys both the strength of people living amid harsh nature and a wish for peace that connects nations around the world.

Released in August 1971, it was also performed at that year’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

It’s a perfect song to listen to when visiting Sapporo in winter or when you want to face forward without yielding to the cold.