Tetsuji Hayashi is a Japanese composer and arranger who wrote many of city pop’s defining songs, including Miki Matsubara’s “Mayonaka no Door (Stay With Me)” and Mariya Takeuchi’s “September”.[1][2]
Early career
Born in Fuji, Shizuoka, Hayashi attended the Yamaha Music School and in 1972 entered “Sore ga Koi no Owari Nara” in the 3rd World Popular Song Festival in Chile.[1] He debuted as a singer-songwriter in 1973 with the single “Boku no Tonari no Kodoku” and the album Bruges.[2] Retitled “If I Have to Go Away”, his festival song was released by Jigsaw in 1977 and charted in the UK and US.[1][2]
City pop songwriting
Before Junko Ohashi’s 1974 debut he wrote “Kyashī no Uwasa” and “Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break” for her, and in 1979 he wrote Mariya Takeuchi’s third single “September”, which helped her win Best New Artist at the 21st Japan Record Awards.[1] The same year he composed “Mayonaka no Door (Stay With Me)” for Miki Matsubara, with lyrics by Noriko Miura.[1][2] From 1983 he wrote all of S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe’s singles, including “Summer Suspicion”, “Kimi no Heart wa Marine Blue” and “Futari no Natsu Monogatari”.[1] His other works include Anri’s “Kanashimi ga Tomaranai”, Momoko Kikuchi’s “Sotsugyō -Graduation-” and Masaki Ueda’s “Kanashī Iroyane”.[1][2]
Revival
In December 2020 “Mayonaka no Door” topped Spotify’s Global Viral chart for 18 consecutive days, and the record was reissued on vinyl on 10 March 2021.[2] A 2020 cover by Rainych reached No. 49 on Oricon.[1] Having planned to retire by 2008, Hayashi changed his mind after fan support at his 35th-anniversary concert on 23 October 2008; a 50th-anniversary tribute album, Saudade, followed on 8 November 2023.[1]
Discography
- Bruges1973
Notable songs
References
- “Tetsuji Hayashi”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- “林哲司”. Wikipedia (Japanese). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
In the catalogue · 4
From the community
Nothing here yet — be the first to add a photo, a link or a pressing note.
Contribute to this page
Loading…