[Yumi Matsutoya’s Masterpieces] A Collection of Heart-Touching Gems: Yuming’s Finest Hits

GirlfriendsMatsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya – Girlfriends (from “Japanese Love and Yuming.”)

This is a track from the 15th album, VOYAGER, released in 1983.

The protagonist has been dumped, and their friends act cheerful around them.

The girlfriends who say “We told you so” actually think of her in their hearts; the story is about the protagonist sensing that kindness.

Girlfriends like this are wonderful, aren’t they? It was used as a commercial song for Naeba Prince Hotel in 1989.

Matsutōya Yumi

[Look-alike Sings] A Midsummer Night’s Dream / Yumi Matsutoya (cover) [Uchimura’s Tsuboru Video]

Yumi Matsutoya’s songs are full of hits everyone knows, making them perfect for livening up parties and gatherings.

There’s even a makeup style—a sort of “template for doing a Matsutoya impression”—that uses bold blush to sharpen the face, so beginners can get into character just by nailing the look.

It’s also an impression that Michiko Shimizu and Ryuji Aoki are known for, so be sure to check out their videos for reference.

Her distinctive high-pitched yet slightly nasal voice is surprisingly easy to imitate, so give it a try!

ANNIVERSARY ~ Infinitely Calling YouMatsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya – ANNIVERSARY ~Endlessly Calling You~

The 23rd single by Yumi Matsutoya, released on June 28, 1989.

As the protagonist looks up at their lover and feels eternal love, their feelings unfold into a deep and beautiful landscape.

It’s a love song that lets you feel love expanding without end!

Cinderella ExpressMatsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya - Cinderella Express (from “Love in Japan, and Yuming.”)

It skillfully weaves a fairy-tale dream into modern society and sings it with finesse.

The kind of superb melody that makes you want to hum along is seasoned to further solidify the world-building, evoking a curious sensation like encountering a flavor you’ve never tasted before.

Once in infinityMatsutōya Yumi

Yumi Matsutoya – Once in Infinity (YUMING SPECTACLE SHANGRILA 1999)

“Once in Infinity,” the first track on Yumi Matsutoya’s 24th album TEARS AND REASONS, released on November 27, 1992, was also featured in a Kirin Lager Beer commercial.

Perhaps because of that, it has a slightly beer-tinged atmosphere—an adult love song.

The lyrics portray the passion and poignancy of love, where you give it your all even though you knew how it would end, and the song carries a gentle, mature air—an adult-tinged track through and through.

Christmas Waiting at the LodgeMatsutōya Yumi

Christmas At The Lodge / Lodge De Matsu Christmas

Yumi Matsutoya’s song delicately depicts the quiet of a moonlit ski slope and the aching feelings of the protagonist waiting in the lodge.

The way the heart alone seems to glide—chasing a distant echo of a lover’s voice, slipping past windows and doors—symbolizes just how strong the longing is for someone far away.

Included as the opening track on her 1978 album “Ryūsenkei ’80,” the piece was also used as an insert song in the 1987 film “Take Me Out to the Snowland.” It’s a perfect song for that special scene of waiting for someone dear at a ski resort on Christmas night.

End of WinterMatsutōya Yumi

End Of The Winter / Fuyu No Owari (2022 Ｍix)

A track included on the album TEARS AND REASONS, released in November 1992.

It was selected as the ending theme for the Fuji TV drama Stolen Hearts, which began airing that same month.

The song portrays a story of youthful turmoil and jealousy that begins with a letter suddenly handed over in a classroom.

Its lyrics delicately express the complex feelings toward a hardworking friend and the loneliness of feeling left behind.

When sung, the distinctive lyricism of Yumi Matsutoya vividly brings back the poignant emotions of those days.