[Suga Shikao's Masterpieces] A Curated Selection of Big Hits and Hidden Gems!

Sweet fruitSuga Shikao

Shikao Suga / Sweet Fruit

The single released in 1999, “Amai Kajitsu” sung by Shikao Suga.

He sings with a detached tone, as if saying that love is really something ugly.

It feels like something that might cling to you.

And yet the track is funky and has a mysterious appeal.

Maybe the darkness of the lyrics is sublimated somewhere.

Some people say this song came out too early for its time.

SofaSuga Shikao

Sofa – Funkaholic

This is a song included on Shikao Suga’s eighth album.

It’s about a lover who has left, and it lays bare the all-too-common, dependent feelings of a man.

From the C-melody onward, the overflowing emotions for someone precious tighten your chest.

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TOKYO LIFESuga Shikao

Tokyo Life

Suga Shikao is hugely popular as a singer-songwriter.

In addition to his own songs, he’s also known for providing tracks to artists like SMAP.

This song, though simple, is a masterpiece that vividly conjures up life in Tokyo.

AstrideSuga Shikao

Shikao Suga – Astride (Short ver.)

Released in May 2014, this song was used in a commercial for Sony Sonpo (Sony Assurance).

We want to live positively, but that’s not so easy—its lyrics make you think a bit.

The title “Astride” is said to be a coined word, created by combining words like “ashita” (tomorrow), “try,” and “ride.” It’s quite a nice word.

Shikao SugaSuga Shikao

Moon and Knife — Suga Shikao

When you listen closely to Suga Shikao’s songs, many of them sing about darker, inner aspects, yet it’s strange how they come across as something delicate, like beautiful glass.

In this song too, there are lyrics that suggest a slightly pathological kind of love—like in the part about a knife to the heart—but it doesn’t leave a scary impression.

pinky promiseSuga Shikao

Suga Shikao - Pinky Promise (cover by gocyan)

It is included on the 2001 best-of album “Sugarless,” which compiles songs provided to other artists and B-sides from singles.

It’s a self-cover version with revised lyrics of “Mahiru no Hoshi,” a song originally written for Chisato Moritaka.

With lyrics themed around promises that can no longer be kept—mysterious and a bit unsettling—the track has been crafted into a piece that is quintessentially Suga Shikao.

Beyond the night skySuga Shikao

Shikao Suga - Beyond the Night Sky

Because the tempo is slow and calming, I think it’s perfect as a karaoke song to sing on a cold winter night.

This song, “Yozora no Mukou,” was also sung by the hugely popular group SMAP, and since it’s well known, I think if you sing it when everyone gathers for New Year’s, everyone will listen intently.