Cheering songs recommended for people in their 60s: classic and popular Japanese hits

festivalKitajima Saburō

Festival - Saburo Kitajima [COVER]

These days, Saburō Kitajima is more prominent as a racehorse owner than as a singer.

While many loyal fans love Sab-chan’s demanding enka, this song, Matsuri, stylishly sings of a man’s romance and way of life, making it more popular with men than women.

It’s a perfect number to lift everyone’s spirits.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrowInoue Jun

Jun Inoue Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

This is a song that Junji Inoue, a former member of the GS group The Spiders, released as a solo artist.

He changed his stage name to Jun Inoue to make a fresh start after personally suffering from hemorrhoids and deciding that the character “ji” (痔) was inauspicious.

Released in 1971, the song features a melody anyone can hum and serves as a motivational anthem about looking ahead to tomorrow and moving forward in life, even when times are tough.

Ah, life has its tearsSatomi Kôtarô, Yokouchi Masashi

Ah, life has its tears — including the elusive third verse.

As you know, the theme song of Mito Kōmon—long beloved in living rooms across Japan for its famous lines like “Kakusaan, Sukesaan, that’s enough now”—is, as the title suggests, an anthem that cheers you on in life.

Isn’t it a song of encouragement loved not only by people in their 60s, but also by those in their 70s and 80s?

fast track to successHatakeyama Midori

fast track to success

The 1962 hit song “Shusse Kaidō,” which seemed to cheer on a still male-dominated Japan, became a massive success, with its unusual hakama costume also drawing attention.

Hatakeyama’s singing career went smoothly, and combined with the bubble economy, she became very wealthy.

However, when the bubble burst, she ended up saddled with enormous debt.

Since then, Midori Hatakeyama decided never to turn down any job she was offered, and she has energetically taken on all kinds of work, including variety shows.

Take it easy.Maiku Maki

Departure 1971 Mobil Oil commercial

The 1971 commercial song for Mobil Oil has a wonderfully laid-back feel—if you compared it to life, you might call it “at your own pace.” In the ad, the person singing about an unhurried life—like pushing a car instead of rushing—is Maki Mike, and the one giving it that indescribable flavor is the late Hiromitsu Suzuki from the former rock band The Mops.

He certainly wasn’t what you’d call a handsome man, but he seemed like someone whose good nature just shone through.

Galaxy Express 999Godiego

Godiego ♪Galaxy Express 999♪

The well-known anime’s theme song was used for the movie version, and later it was also adopted as the opening theme for the TV special.

Around this period, Godiego sang about half of their lyrics in English, creating a fresh image even in the anime world.

It’s a song that makes you feel energized, as if your worries were never there, when you listen to it.

Before anything else, from atop the roadIsseifubi Sepia

From the road, with no preamble — Issei Fūbi Sepia

The spirited chants of “Soiya! Soiya!”—and even Yanagiha, who now plays an obnoxious boss in the Lotto commercials—had their time back then too.

Ikkaku Fūbi Sepia was a unit formed out of the theater troupe Gekidan Ikkaku Fūbi, a street performance collective.

When they called for “anyone who wants to sing” within the troupe, these members raised their hands, forming a seven-person group that also included Sho Aikawa.

The song was such a hit that they even received an offer to perform on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen, but four out of the seven members declined, so they didn’t appear.

It’s a track brimming with fighting spirit!