I can't pick a top 10 worst list... usually if a track doesn't catch my ear, I put it on hold for another occasion like driving, jogging, cleaning, dancing, etc etc ~ ♪
Hard as it is to only decide on 10 Eurobeat songs, here's my list...
Top 10 Best:
1. Ace - Rider of the Sky - I'll start by saying I'm a heavy lyrics person ~ the lyrics don't have to be specifically deep, sophisticated, or intricate... just meaningful, even if it's just on a wacky level, make them personal. I heard Rider of the Sky before it was featured on Initial D, and got heavy Sega After Burner/Top Gun vibes. My first ever cassette tape when I was a kid was the Top Gun soundtrack, and Kenny Loggins's Danger Zone record was the first I could tell my friends at school was my favorite. Rider of the Sky hit all of those magical spots of nostalgia ~ including spending way too much time playing After Burner at the movie theater arcade as a kid!^^
2. Odyssey - On the Moon - The first song I ever heard from our super talented friend Odyssey was The Top back in 2015. But like with Rider of the Sky, I immediately fell in love with On the Moon because the lyrics are lighthearted, yet fantastically meaningful ~ Odyssey's song Adequate evokes a similar feeling in me, but on a more sentimental level. Everything about On the Moon is exquisite ~ from the ooo~ ♪ harmonies sprinkled throughout the song, to the bridge & chorus, the music itself, and the use of the word rabbits!I was sold ~ every time I hear this song, my feet lift off the ground and my soul skyrockets to it's powerful sound, to a world that can't be seen, save only if you open your heart & dream ~
♡
3. Ken Martin - Japanese Girl - This one's one of Saifam's cheesier songs ~ the lyrics, the song title & music, the cheeky way Mauro Farina delivers every word to the beat ~ it's all so... ahhh!yeah gimme a thumpin' bass & a bangin' uptempo kick, and I'll toss my hair around like a rag-doll til my brains splat on the wall. Amazing song and hella sweet ParaPara routine ~
Hey you Japanese gimme your looove !!
4. Lolita - Kiss 2 Kiss - I mentioned this previously and I wholeheartedly agree with Seth & the others ~ some songs just speak to you on such a personal level, they touch your heart and make u think of the person you like. I can't even wax poetic about everything right with this song ~ all I'm thinking about when I hear this record is... thank God I met that person, thank God I see the same moon they see every night, thank heaven I'm breathing, thank heaven I'm alive!^^
5. Mr. Fang - Mr. Fang - Okay so technically not a Eurobeat song, it's SCP Hyper Techno, but ~ I've always loved Ennio, and by pairing him up with a mega talented singer, plus a fun & playful lyricist did him wonders in this song. I love both the original SCP extended version available on digital stores, and the WLTP album radio edit, not to mention the super cool choreography paralists Ryuichi & Shota danced to on the DVD. It's techno ~ done by a Eurobeat studio ~ you bet your bootie this song's super fun!
6. Mark Foster - Spiderman - I learned about this song thanks to our friend Odyssey's blog a couple of years ago ~ what can be said about this song that hasn't already been said... except well, to say it again! Lyrics are playful & kind of seductive ~ the music is what I'd expect a Spider-man movie with a Eurobeat soundtrack to play during an NYC cab-chase scene. And again not one of Saifam's deeper songs, just something extremely・amazingly・uncannily... silly & fun!
Spider-maaaaan ~ ♪
7. Platinum Saber - Lo Squalo - Another non-Eurobeat song by Dima's studio, sung by what sounds like David Dima himself, in Sicilian... the song reminds me of those cheesy piñata parties I went to a lot as a kid, having grown up right at the US/Mexico border. It's an all-around nonsensical drunken night-party at a boat. Either Dima's talking about an actual beach scene from the film Jaws, or a casanova hitting the club at midnight & killing everybody with his dance moves. This could've easily been a Saifam song... but it's Dima in Sicilian, out of all things!
8. Cocoa - Angel Lover - My only Japanese song on this list, and it's more akin to Italo disco than Eurobeat ~ however the words are kind, gentle, and sweet. From the viewpoint of a girl that only wants to love her lover, give him back what he gave her, tell him he's her angel, tell him don't worry... sadness fades away and kindness is the real pleasure we as humans seek. Production by Eurobeat Union member FN2 and vocals by Japanese indy singer Cocoa ~
like a kiss ever so gentle ~ ever so soft & free
♡
9. D-Essex - Tokyo Tokyo - What sold me on this song was the plucky guitar-like synths at the intro ~ then Maurizio floors you with his rock☆star vocals !! Music by Bratt Sinclaire the man himself back when he was starting out at A-Beat C. There's absolutely nothing to dislike about this song, except maybe by all the tropes that've been used time & time after vol. 58 of SEB. The acoustic version of Bratt & Dejo on YouTube is among the most pleasurable things a Eurobeat fan can stumble upon ~
you go re-light my fire! ☆
10. Doll Sisters - Revolution - Last but certainly not least, and one of my favorite Euromach era songs ~ production by Mr. Rimonti, Mr. Accatino, and Mr. Festari with lush vocals by a trio of amazing singers. This song hits all the nostalgia points with me that misses Aqua, Vengaboys, and Hit'n'Hide ~ It's a wild ride in your first car after high school thru some very sketchy mountain passes, you know you're not supposed to drive like that, you know at any second you can tumble down the side of Azusa canyon pass, but you just watched Initial D and fork-it ~ you feel invincible in your car like a thousand foot maple tree !!
(most definitely not speaking from experience) cough*
Honorable mention:
11. Y&Co. - Speedy Cat feat. Erika Mochizuki - I used to be really into rhythm games, DDR and Bemani IIDX specifically. There's something extremely unique about every Y&Co. song, and Erika Mochizuki is a fantastic singer. It's a silly & fun Eurobeat song about driving & cars ~ and when you're in your early 20's/late teen's ~ that's the stuff that dreams are made of... like metal jumping flash mecha bunnies and rock & roll virtual carrot ice-cream cheese ~
*phew* this took a while to write!