Classic enka songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: recommended popular tracks

Like the flow of a riverHibari Misora

Like the Flow of the River by Hibari Misora

As healing music for moments when I want to feel calm and composed, the song I want to sing is “Like the Flow of the River.” Its gentle, subtly nuanced tone has a melodic charm that soothes the heart.

“Like the Flow of the River” is also the last single released by Hibari Misora, who was active during the Showa and Heisei eras.

My daughter,Gannosuke Ashiya

Gannosuke Ashiya: 'My Daughter'

This work is sung by Gannosuke Ashiya with a father’s love.

It gently expresses the complex emotions he feels before his daughter’s marriage.

Released in February 1984, the song quickly became a major hit and stayed on the Oricon charts for an extended period.

It also garnered numerous honors that year, including an appearance on the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen and a Special Award at the Japan Record Awards.

With lyrics that evoke the warmth of family love and Ashiya’s gentle voice, it’s a song that resonates with many.

It’s a perfect choice for those who cherish the parent-child bond or want to convey their feelings to a loved one through song.

Lament of ResentmentKeiko Fuji

Keiko Fuji - Grudge Song

If lately he keeps showing up late to dates and you feel like he’s treating you a bit carelessly, try singing Keiko Fuji’s “Urami-bushi.” The title sounds scary, but the lyrics themselves aren’t that frightening.

If your lover hears this song, he’ll surely find you endearing.

And he’ll go back to being the kind, good person he was before.

Speaking of Keiko Fuji, she was famous as a singer, and in real life she was also Hikaru Utada’s mother.

From the northern innHarumi Miyako

Harumi Miyako / From the Northern Inn (Full with Lyrics) Harumi Miyako / Kita no Yado Kara

It was released in 1975 as Harumi Miyako’s 66th single.

The song won the 18th Japan Record Award and became Miyako’s third million-selling hit.

It also received the 9th Japan Cable Music Award.

Written by Yū Aku and composed by Asei Kobayashi, this luxurious collaboration produced one of Harumi Miyako’s signature songs.

abandonedYoko Nagayama

Yoko Nagayama “Suterarete” Music Video

It was released in 1995 as Yoko Nagayama’s seventh single.

The pose where Nagayama herself spreads her arms and waves them during the “demo ne” lines at the beginning and in the chorus became a major talking point.

The song won the 28th Japan Cable Radio Awards, and at the end of 1995 she made a comeback appearance—her second time after a two-year gap—on the 46th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

Yagiri no Watashi (Yagiri Ferry)Naomi Chiaki

Naomi Chiaki – Yagiri no Watashi

In the early 1980s, Takashi Hosokawa’s song “Yagiri no Watashi” became a huge hit.

However, the song had actually been the B-side of Naomi Chiaki’s record “Sakabagawa,” released in October 1976.

The production team had planned to release “Yagiri no Watashi” as the A-side single, but at Chiaki’s strong request it was included as the B-side instead, ultimately altering the fate of the hit songs for both Hosokawa and Chiaki.

companion on the road; fellow traveler; taking someone along (often unwillingly)Hiroshi Miyama

companion on the road; fellow traveler; taking someone along (often unwillingly)

A song by Hiroshi Miyama that portrays the bond between a man and a woman walking together through life’s ups and downs.

It expresses a fate that drifts like floating weeds in a gentle ballad.

Miyama’s powerful yet warm voice resonates deeply with listeners.

Originally released in 1978 as a song by Mieko Makimura, Miyama’s cover is included on the album “Utaitsugu! Nihon no Ryūkōka Part 5,” released in June 2024.

It’s a perfect track for times when you feel lost in life or want to feel the bond with someone important.