The 10 Best SMAP Songs (SMAPの名曲ベスト10)

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When it comes to Japanese music, one group that had a dominance not just on the musical space, but also on television, magazines for many years would be SMAP.

Even though the group disbanded in 2016, members of SMAP (which stands for Sports Music Assemble People) still have a major influence in the entertainment industry.

The Johnny’s Jimusho group which first released music back in 1991 dominated the music charts between 1994 through 2016 featured leader Nakai Masahiro, Kimura Takuya, Inagaki Goro, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and Katori Shingo (there is also a sixth member who retired in 2006, Katsuyuki Mori).

Many other members from popular Johnny’s groups were background dancers for SMAP at one point, including members of V6, TOKIO, KinKi Kids and more. As SMAP were background dancers to popular ’80s Johnny’s group, Hikaru Genji as far back as 1988.

And to this day, fans show their appreciation for SMAP, holding hashtag events commemorating the anniversary of SMAP.

Unfortunately, as the disbanding of SMAP didn’t end as civil as one would have hoped and chances of a reunion are possibly never going to happen, fans will take anything SMAP related including members playing their songs on the radio to even members mentioning anything SMAP related.

While putting together the list was a challenge, because there are so many awesome songs by SMAP. Part of the challenge is also because Johnny’s Jimusho doesn’t allow for many of their past groups to have a YouTube presence, and so their music videos are not up on YouTube. So, we will feature whatever we can find on YouTube (even though the live performance may sound different from the original songs).

While fans picked their top songs for inclusion in the best album compilation “SMAP 25 YEARS” (2016), because SMAP has created a lot of songs throughout their career, we decided to focus on A-side songs that were released by SMAP as singles.

Here are our picks for “The 10 Best SMAP Songs”!

10. たぶんオーライ (Tabun Orai – Maybe, Alright)

SMAP’s 15th single “Tabun Orai” was released back in December 1994. During this time, SMAP would experiment by utilizing the top musicians in the world for their music especially for their album “SMAP 007 ~Gold Singer~”. Thus setting a major change for SMAP’s dance idol music and showing a sense of maturity.

For this single, working with musicians Dennis Chambers (drums), Michael Campbell (guitar) and Bob Berg (tenor sax).

While the sales was not as dominant as their previous 14th single “Ganbarimasho” (which sold 720,000 copies), “Tabun Orai” still did well at no.1 on the charts and earning selling over 636,000 copies.

The song was used on the variety show which SMAP appeared in, “Yume ga MORI MORI”.

9. がんばりましょう (Ganbarimasho – Let’s Do Our Best)

If there was a song that showcased the potential of SMAP, it was their 14th single from 1994, “Ganbarimasho”.

While their 12th single “Hey Hey Oki ni Maido Ari” was the first single to reach no. 1 on the Oricon Charts with 401,000 copies sold, SMAP’s “Ganbarimasho” sold 720,00 copies which was amazing for a boys idol group at the time.

The song was quite popular that SMAP sung it at both 1994 and 1995 “Kouhaku Uta Gassen” and “FNS Kayosai” for two consecutive years. The only time this was ever done by the group.

8. 俺たちに明日はある (Oretachi ni Asu wa Aru – There’s a Tomorrow For Us)

With their 19th single “Oretachi ni Asu wa Aru”, the song would feature the group continue their style of working with top musicians and the song would be used for Kimura Takuya/Hamada Masatoshi drama “Jinsei wa Jojoudo”.

The song marks the only time a SMAP song would be used for a Kimura Takuya drama and is a song that showcased Kimura with a solo and is often performed by Kimura as a solo artist.

The song also marks the best selling song featuring the original six members with 785,000 copies sold.

7. Dynamite

With the departure of Katsuyuki Mori, SMAP was now five members and “Aoi Inazuma” showed how awesome they could be with just the five.

But by 1997, it was a competitive music market with the TK family dominating the charts thanks to Amuro Namie, globe, TRF, Kahala Tomomi, hitomi to name a few and the up-and-coming visual rock scene with GLAY, L’Arc~en~Ciel, LUNA SEA leading the charge.

SMAP had one of their best selling singles with “Dynamite” but yet came at no. 3 on the Oricon Charts which sold 731,000 copies.

The song was the first to feature a solo part other than Kimura Takuya, in this song, featuring Katori Shingo.

By the time SMAP disbanded, “Dynamite” would be the fifth largest SMAP selling single ever.

6. セロリ (Serori – Celery)

When it comes to music collaborations, “Serori”, a song by Yamazaki Masayoshi was one of SMAP’s most popular collaborations.

While Yamazaki released it as an indie track, SMAP did a cover and their 25th single reached no. 2 and sold 732,000 copies and it would be featured in Kusanagi Tsuyoshi’s drama “Ii Hito”. The song features a solo by Kimura, Inagaki and Kusanagi and would be about the likes/dislikes a couple may have.

While the song will be known as a major SMAP and also Yamazaki Masayoshi song, the biggest SMAP music collaboration would happen in 2003.

5. 青いイナズマ (Aoi Inazuma – Blue Lightning)

There was a lot of uncertainty of how SMAP would be without vocalist Katsuyuki Mori.

Katsuyuki and Kimura were the primary vocalists of SMAP but when SMAP released their 22nd single, “Aoi Inazuma”, the song would debut at no. 1 and would set a reord for SMAP as their biggest selling single at that point, selling over 814,000 copies.

The song would be their theme song for their variety show “SMAP x SMAP”, the song was a cover of Hayashida Kenji’s 1994 single.

And the person who would get a solo part aside from Kimura would be Inagaki Goro.

And for worried fans, would show that the group without Mori, would do just fine!

4. SHAKE / Original Smile (Tie)

With SMAP having their best selling single in the ’90s at that point in time with “Aoi Inazuma”, their next single, “SHAKE”, their 23rd single would outperform “Aoi Inazuma”.

Also, would feature one of the coolest choreography performances on Kouhaku Uta Gassen.

The song would be a huge hit selling 878,000 copies and fans voting it as their 27th best SMAP song. And when the group disbanded, the single has sold 1.05 million copies, making it the 4th best selling SMAP single ever.

It also was featured as a built-in music for SEIKO alarm clocks.

While we try to avoid ties, “Original Smile” (1994) we would put at No. 4.

Smap’s 13th single is possibly the song that many fans identify as the definitive SMAP song. In fact, for their 2011 best album “SMAP AID”, it was selected as the no. 1 SMAP song, because it’s a song that encourages everyone to be positive and smile.

And it’s a song that SMAP sung at the 2011 Kouhaku Uta Gassen, 17 years after the song’s original release.

According to Mori Hiromi, who has worked for SMAP for a long time, she wanted to create a song, knowing that the group was struggling to have a major hit song during the idol ice age of the early ’90s.

In addition, SMAP would end their performances in concert singing “Original Smile”.

3. らいおんハート (Lion Heart)

Having a single that surpasses over a million copies sold is a major challenge and to kick off 2000, SMAP achieved another million seller with “Lion Heart” with 1.56 million copies sold and the group debuting at no. 1.

The song was the theme song for Kusanagi’s drama “Food Fight” but the lyrics for “Lion Heart” appealed to many about a man protecting a woman and will do all he can to protect her.

So popular, the song has been a staple at weddings. By the time the group disbanded, the song has shipped over 1.75 million copies, making it the third largest SMAP single ever.

In addition, we just have to say that “Lion Heart” is also an awesome single that happens to be included with the best SMAP c/w song ever made, “Orange”. Even better than SMAP’s other awesome c/w song “BEST FRIEND” (c/w for the group’s fourth single “Makeru na Baby! ~Never give up”).

2. 夜空ノムコウ (Yozora no Mukou – Beyond the Night Sky)

For a music artist, selling over a million copies is a major challenge and for SMAP they did it in 1998.

Their 27th single “Yozora no Mukou” sold over 1.6 million copies and was also in chart rankings as the #1 song of 1998.

The song was written by Suga shikao and composed by Kawamura Yuka and when the music video was released, it was a melancholic song and for Kimura, it’s also a painful song because he ate oysters before the recording and got so sick that he endured major abdominal pain through the recording and fainted due to the pain. So painful that Kimura said he would never eat oysters.

Kimura still sings the song as it was voted by fans as no. 1 SMAP song that Kimura should sing the song along with “SHAKE” for his solo tour.

1. 世界に一つだけの花 (Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana – A Flower Unlike Any Other in the World)

SMAP was able to achieve two million hit sellers in the ’90s and 2000’s, which is a major accomplishment to achieve a million seller during that musical era.

But SMAP did something unprecedented in 2003. Their 35th single “Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hanna” would not just surpass a million, two million but they would surpass three million copies sold. As of their disbandment, 3.008 million copies were shipped.

Written and composed by Makihara Noriyuki (becoming the biggest musical collaboration for SMAP), the song was an enormous hit.

According to Makihara, the song wrote the song as he encountered Buddhism (after being arrested for narcotics) and according to Makihara, “I was sleeping on the floor of my room with my dog, and when I woke up, it was raining beautifully in the morning. I didn’t feel like I wrote it just by writing the scenery that came to my mind”.

In fact, when SMAP announced they were disbanding in 2016, the single re-entered the Oricon Charts top 10 for the first time in 12 years.

The song was the first in Johnny’s history for an artist/group to reach two million copies sold.

The song would feature Kimura Takuya and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi with solo parts, but for the first time, Nakai Masahiro received a solo part since “Kimi iro Omoi” (1994).

The song would be featured in Kusanagi Tsuyoshi’s drama “Boku no Ikiru Michi”.

The song is also the last song that SMAP ever performed in public together on their show “SMAP x SMAP”.