No. 1 is that idol who convinced us!　The best 10 idol songs of the ’90s, as selected by experts

In contrast to the 80’s, when national idols such as Seiko Matsuda (64) and Akina Nakamori (60) appeared on the scene like glittering stars, the 90’s were known as the “Idol Winter Era. Popular music programs such as “Night Hit Studio” (Fuji Television) and “The Best Ten” (TBS) were terminated one after another, depriving idols of their active roles. However, even in such times, superstars were born that charmed men and women of all ages. They have been selling million-seller albums in a row, surpassing those of the 1980s.

This time, FRIDAY invited idol critics Akio Nakamori and Fuminori Takakura, and freelance announcer Naoki Yoshida, who is well versed in idol songs, to a roundtable discussion on the theme of “Idol Songs of the ’90s. After a heated discussion, they selected the top 10 best songs of the 90s.

Let’s talk about “Idol Songs of the ’90s! 　Akio Nakamori, Naoki Yoshida, and Fuminori Takakura had a heated discussion.

The tag team of Fukakyon and aiko

Yoshida: We can’t leave out Yumiko Takahashi (52), who is known as “the last legitimate idol of the 20th century. She has that lovely solo look and singing ability. She combined the same elements as the royal idols of the ’80s, such as Seiko Matsuda.

Nakamori: ” Tomodachi de Jikai Kara ” released in 1994 is a great song. As the name suggests, the song was about unfulfilled love and sold over 370,000 copies. The hit TV drama “Minamikun no Koibito” (TV Asahi), of which this song is the theme song, also boosted sales.

Yoshida Although their debut was in 1988, let’s talk about ” Wink,” which became a breakout hit in the ’90s.

Nakamori The most famous song is ” Loneliness Tropical Fish, ” which won the Japan Record Award and was released in 1989.

Takakura “Sexy Music” released in 1990 was a cover of the same title song by the British artist “Nolan’s.” The Japanese lyrics were written by Oikawa Neko, who also wrote “Gonashii Tropical Fish. This song was the last song by “Wink” to reach No. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.

Yoshida As I mentioned earlier, it was also characteristic of the ’90s that many idols released songs after first coming into the limelight as actresses. Fukada Kyoko (43) is one of them.

Nakamori: Fukakyung doesn’t have much of an image of singing, does she?

Yoshida Actually, she released her debut single titled ” The Last Fruit ” in ’99. This song is a remake of a song called “Ashita” by aiko (50), a singer-songwriter.

Rise of the Komuro Family

TakakuraArisa Mizuki (49) also debuted as an actress before her CD debut.

Nakamori She made her debut as a singer with ” Densetsu no Shojo ” in ’91. It became a topic of conversation when it was used in a commercial for a carbonated beverage in which she appeared, but her image as an actress is probably stronger among the public.

Takakura: ” TOO SHY SHY BOY! ” in ’92, which was also used for a commercial song, was also Mizuki’s biggest hit, selling over 360,000 copies. Written and produced by Tetsuya Komuro. Its catchy, groovy sound and lyrics attracted the hearts of many young people.

Nakamori: From the mid to late 1990s, Tomomi Kahara (51) and Namie Amuro, who were known as “Komuro-kei” or “Komuro Family,” appeared on the scene and had a string of mega hits that sold over 1 or 2 million copies. However, these girls are a little different from the “idols” of the high street, aren’t they?

Yoshida That’s right. It would be more accurate to say that they are artists, but they are popular in an idol-like way. I think the 1990s was a time when people with idol-like qualities made their debut without being labeled idols.

Nakamori: Fumie Hosokawa (54), who took the world by storm as a gravure idol, also released several songs.

Takakura: Her debut song ” Sukisuki Sue,” released in 1992, is a good song with the phrase “Sukisu” repeated over an electronic soundtrack. It was subtle in terms of sales, but it had a strange addictive quality.

The supreme idol song is ……

Nakamori: We haven’t talked about it enough, but it’s time to rank them.

Takakura I would like to recommend Ami Suzuki’s “love the island” as No. 1. In the late 1990s, when there were few legitimate solo idols, Ami~go was a star who suddenly appeared on the scene. I think her memorable debut song is an important song for the idol scene as a whole.

Nakamori: I have no objection to that. But on the other hand, the ’90s was also the time when the style of “large female idol groups” that continues to this day was established. Therefore, I think that the songs by “SPEED” and “Morning Musume。 songs in the second and third places.

Yoshida If it were those two groups, I would say “White Love” and “LOVE Machine”. They are the biggest hits of their respective groups.

Nakamori I would like to put Hirosue at the top of the list as well.

Takakura: Then, let’s put them in around the fourth place. As for the music, I would recommend “Kaze no Prism” which matches her image better than her representative song “Maji de Koi suru 5 sakushimae (5 seconds before Koi in Maji).

The table below shows the top 10 “Idol Song Ranking of the ’90s” created by the editorial staff based on a roundtable discussion among three wise idols.

All are classic songs that are still sung at karaoke. After the “winter,” idol songs have entered a prosperous spring.

From the May 15 and 22, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY