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Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Meiko Nakahara
Person · female · Japan · Yotsukaidō-shi · born 1959 · recording since 1982
Japanese singer
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Listen on SpotifyYouTube Music
Also known as Meiko Nakahara · Nakahara Meiko · Obara Meiko · なかはら めいこ · なかはらめいこ · 中原 めいこ · +4 more
Timeline
13 events▣ Album 11◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1950s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: 76/45
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
Biography
English biography292 words · 3 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1374590331
Biography
Meiko Obara (小原 明子, Obara Meiko), known publicly as Meiko Nakahara (中原 めいこ, Nakahara Meiko), (born May 8, 1959), is a Japanese former singer and composer. Active from 1982 to 1992, she was known for her music in the city pop genre. She also created the opening and closing songs for the Dirty Pair and Kimagure Orange Road anime television series.
Early life and career
Meiko Obara was born on May 8, 1959, in Chiba Prefecture. She began composing music while in Junior High School.
She debuted in 1982 with the single Kon'ya dake Dance Dance Dance (今夜だけDANCE DANCE DANCE) and the album Coconuts House
Coconuts HouseSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1今夜だけDance・Dance・Dance3:51A2Sunset Freeway3:37A3バカンス3:29A4涙のスロー・ダンス4:59A5恋はサンバにのせて・・・4:20B1タイムリミット3:49B2GEMINI4:16B3ほんのちょっぴりOld Man3:56B4City Night3:50B5Come Back To Me4:25 (ココナッツ・ハウス). Her 1984 single Kimitachi Kiwi Papaya Mango dane (君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。) was the 50th best-selling single of the year in Japan, with 237,000 copies sold. She became instantly popular.
Her song Ru-Ru-Ru-Russian Roulette (ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアンルーレット) was the opening theme and Uchū Ren'ai (Space Fantasy) (宇宙恋愛(スペースファンタジー)) was the ending theme for the 1985 anime television series Dirty Pair. Ru-Ru-Ru-Russian Roulette won the award for Best Song at the 8th Anime Grand Prix in 1986. For the 1987–1988 anime television series Kimagure Orange Road, Kagami no Naka no Actress (鏡の中のアクトレス) was the third opening theme song and Dance in the Memories (ダンス・イン・ザ・メモリーズ) was the third ending song.
The 1992 live tour was the last public performance from her and her singing career is considered to have ended around this time.
Later career and Legacy
After ceasing her singing career, Nakahara worked as a composer for groups and singers like Checkicco and Vivian Hsu. She has mostly faded out of public eye since 1992. A tribute band to her called Lotos was formed in 2010 and was still active as of 2019. In an article for Sankei Shimbun, Nakahara was recognized as a significant artist in the city pop genre.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 12 | 64.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 36 | 91.9th |
| Studio albums | 11 | 91.9th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 13 | 89.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 22 | 49.6th |
| Genres | 6 | 91th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (36 release groups · 11 studio albums)
Albums · 11
1982 · studio album
1982 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 40:32
A1今夜だけDance・Dance・Dance3:51A2Sunset Freeway3:37A3バカンス3:29A4涙のスロー・ダンス4:59A5恋はサンバにのせて・・・4:20B1タイムリミット3:49B2GEMINI4:16B3ほんのちょっぴりOld Man3:56B4City Night3:50B5Come Back To Me4:251982 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 39:56
1FANTASY4:222ジゴロ4:163ココナッツの片想い3:134パールのマニキュア4:055Go away4:186FRIDAY MAGIC3:297恋の余韻4:088ステキなじゃじゃ馬ならし3:199ダイヤルまわして…4:15102時までのシンデレラ4:311983 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks
A1渚のDaydreamA2ふたりのRainy dayA3眠り姫A4ケンカのあとの口づけA5恋のバースデイB1月夜に気をつけて!B2Sexy dandyB3ジャグラーB4アナタの魔法にかかりそう...B5ペパーミントの朝1984 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 39:16
1魔法のカーペット3:482ロートスの果実3:573エモーション3:324I Miss My Valentine4:415メランコリーTea Time3:346君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。3:137こんな気分じゃ帰れない3:408スコーピオン4:129気まぐれBad Boy4:0210Cloudyな午後4:371985 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 36:17
1宇宙恋愛3:212やきもちやきルンバ・ボーイ3:213Kiss In The Morning Light4:074サンバでも踊ろう4:085ホットラインは内線4243:266夜はMusical4:377ルナルナ・TIKI TIKI2:568恋の秘訣3:169ハートエイク3:1610フレンチ・バニラ3:491986 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 41:43
1Gimme, Gimme Motions4:392極楽鳥のテーマ(Bird of Paradise)5:153So Shine4:464We Were In L.A.5:115Number 14:096こわれたピアノ(Broken Piano)4:187Lonely Woman4:038ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレット[LP Version](Russian Roulette)4:269New Yorkでサルサ(Salsa In N.Y.)4:561987 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 37:42
1THE OVERTURE–Merry Train3:252Studio 544:123TOKYO GAME4:044PUZZLE4:065UNBALANCE–ZONE3:426HALLELUJAH・ANYWAY3:547マスカレード（仮面舞踏会）4:248カーニバル4:429Happy birthday, Love for you5:131988 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 44:13
1Dance in the memories4:202What's going on5:003Don't be silly (冗談じゃないわ)4:274Infinite Love (無限の愛)4:595鏡の中のアクトレス3:346Paradise Island4:527Caribbean Night4:038ビーチ・バーからの手紙3:409CASANOVA5:0810In your eyes4:101990 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks · 51:27
1ダイヤモンド見分けなさい-Is it true love-4:282ナッソーの月4:313Day break in N.Y.6:184What do you want me to do-どうして欲しいの-4:165CON GAME（取り込み詐欺）5:10634F-雨のSunday Noon4:157BOYFRIEND5:028Private Beach5:369アリーシャ4:3810最後のX’mas eve5:0511Day break in N.Y. (reprise)2:081991 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 50:33
1サバンナの夢5:132To the Storm -嵐の中へ-4:113Everlasting Love5:014Miami Dream ‐Don’t be shy-5:195ABCD!5:466Special Feeling 1024:427Fairly Tale6:418サンバ・セニョリータ4:149Imitation Lover4:3210Fortune -銀の月夜のハネムーン-4:54
Single · 17
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 今夜だけDance・Dance・DanceSearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | 21 April 1982 | ||
| 1982 | Go AwaySearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | 21 September 1982 | ||
| 1983 | 76/45 for VIPSearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | 1983 | ||
| 1983 | Friday MagicSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1フライデイ・マジック 2ステキなじゃじゃ馬ならし | 21 March 1983 | ||
| 1983 | 月夜に気をつけて!Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 7:421月夜に気をつけて!3:53 2アナタの魔法にかかりそう……3:49 | 21 July 1983 | ||
| 1983 | スコーピオンSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1スコーピオン 2ペパーミントの朝 | 21 November 1983 | ||
| 1984 | 君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music | 5 April 1984 | ||
| 1984 | エモーションSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1エモーション 2こんな気分じゃ帰れない | 21 September 1984 | ||
| 1984 | Meiko's Special Party VersionsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | 21 November 1984 | ||
| 1985 | やきもちやきルンバ・ボーイSearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | 1 May 1985 | ||
| 1985 | ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレットSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレット 2宇宙恋愛（スペースファンタジー） | 21 July 1985 | ||
| 1986 | こわれたピアノSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1こわれたピアノ 2Destination | 1 February 1986 | ||
| 1987 | アンバランス・ゾーンSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1アンバランス・ゾーン 2PUZZLE | 1987 | ||
| 1988 | 鏡の中のアクトレスSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1鏡の中のアクトレス 2Dance In The Memories | 25 January 1988 | ||
| 1990 | BOY FRIENDSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksABOY FRIEND BBOY FRIEND GROOVERS | 1990 | ||
| 1990 | ダイヤモンド見分けなさい —Is it true love—Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 11:221ダイヤモンド見分けなさい —Is it true love—4:30 2Daybreak in N.Y.6:52 | 21 February 1990 | ||
| 1991 | Fortune ―銀の月夜のハネムーン―Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 10:221Fortune ―銀の月夜のハネムーン―4:59 2Miami Dream ―Don't Be Shy―5:23 | 27 September 1991 |
Album · 8
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Meiko’s BEST SELECTION 10+1Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 48:051Funky Christmas (Short Version)5:16 2エモーション3:31 3月夜に気をつけて!3:56 4フライデイ・マジック3:31 5GEMINI4:20 6Go qway4:22 7君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。3:11 8ふたりのRainy day4:47 9涙のスロー・ダンス5:03 10渚のDaydream3:45 11今夜だけDance・Dance・Dance3:52 12Funky Christmas (Reprise)2:31 | Compilation | 21 November 1984 | |
| 1986 | MOGA —Best Collection—Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks · 40:301Passion3:21 2Gimme gimme motions4:39 3ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレット (Single Version)3:42 4やきもちやきルンバ・ボーイ3:22 5こわれたピアノ4:17 6今夜だけDance・Dance・Dance (Ethnic Version)5:19 7君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。2:56 8ルナルナ・TIKI TIKI3:11 9I Miss My Valentine4:39 10Destination5:04 | Compilation | 3 September 1986 | |
| 2004 | TWIN BEST 中原めいこSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 30 tracks · 1:58:56Disc 1 1君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。3:13 2鏡の中のアクトレス3:35 3今夜だけDance・Dance・Dance3:53 4涙のスロー・ダンス5:02 5Go Away4:18 6Gemini4:18 7Funky Christmas5:15 8ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレット（Single Version）3:44 9Friday Magic3:29 10Dance In The Memories4:12 11エモーション3:30 12渚のDaydream3:45 13月夜に気をつけて!3:54 14やきもちやきルンバ・ボーイ3:23 15ふたりのRainy Day4:44 Disc 21こわれたピアノ4:20 2Unbalance Zone3:43 3Fantasy4:25 42時までのシンデレラ4:32 5ジゴロ4:17 6恋の余韻4:07 7パールのマニキュア4:03 8タイム リミット3:51 9ステキなじゃじゃ馬ならし3:18 10スコーピオン4:13 11ココナッツの片想い3:13 12Sunset Freeway3:39 13Passion3:23 14宇宙恋愛3:23 15ダイヤルまわして…4:14 | Compilation | 1 April 2004 | |
| 2004 | HIGH ENERGY‐Remixed in N.Y.-Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 7 tracks · 41:241Caribbean Night (garage mix)5:47 2BOYFRIEND (red zone mix)7:00 3Don’t be silly (saint mix)5:55 4Sexy dandy (after hours mix)4:46 51019 Medley7:59 6BOYFRIEND (dub mix)5:29 7Sexy dandy (instrument mix)4:28 | Remix | 1 April 2004 | |
| 2004 | Happy birthday, Love for youSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks · 1:06:201Happy birthday, Love for you5:14 2Cloudyな午後4:38 3涙のスロー・ダンス5:02 4ケンカのあとの口づけ4:33 5マスカレード（仮面舞踏会）4:25 6Infinite Love（無限の愛）5:01 7PUZZLE4:07 8We Were In L.A.5:13 9極楽鳥のテーマ（Bird Of Paradise）5:17 10So Shine4:48 11夜はMusical4:38 12I Miss My Valentine4:42 132時までのシンデレラ4:32 14In your eyes4:10 | Compilation | 1 April 2004 | |
| 2004 | 中原めいこ ニュー・ベストナウSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 49:471今夜だけDance・Dance・Dance3:55 2Go Away4:22 3Friday Magic3:31 4月夜に気をつけて!3:57 5スコーピオン4:15 6君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。3:13 7エモーション3:32 8やきもちやきルンバ・ボーイ3:24 9ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレット（Single Version）3:44 10こわれたピアノ4:18 11Unbalance Zone3:44 12ファンキー・クリスマス（Long Version）7:52 | Compilation | 1 April 2004 | |
| 2004 | 2000 BEST（ミレニアムベスト）中原めいこ ベストSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 15 tracks · 58:461鏡の中のアクトレス3:35 2ふたりのRainy Day4:46 3涙のスロー・ダンス5:01 4渚のDaydream3:45 5今夜だけDance・Dance・Dance3:53 6Go Away4:21 7Friday Magic3:29 8月夜に気をつけて!3:55 9スコーピオン4:13 10君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。3:12 11エモーション3:31 12やきもちやきルンバ・ボーイ3:23 13ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレット (Single Version)3:43 14こわれたピアノ4:17 15Unbalance Zone3:42 | Compilation | 1 April 2004 | |
| 2004 | ゴールデン☆ベストSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 18 tracks · 1:16:291今夜だけDance Dance Dance3:54 2Go away4:18 3フライデイ・マジック3:29 4月夜に気をつけて!3:54 5スコーピオン4:13 6君たちキウイ・パパイア・マンゴーだね。3:12 7ふたりのRainy Day4:45 8エモーション3:30 9やきもちやきルンバ・ボーイ3:23 10ロ・ロ・ロ・ロシアン・ルーレット3:44 11こわれたピアノ4:19 12アンバランス・ゾーン3:43 13鏡の中のアクトレス3:35 14Dance In The Memories4:12 15ダイヤモンド見分けなさい4:29 16Fortune-銀の月夜のハネムーン-4:56 17Funky Christmas(Long Version)7:51 18GEMINI5:02 | Compilation | 17 November 2004 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Meiko Nakahara head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 12 | 64.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 36 | 91.9th |
| Studio albums | 11 | 91.9th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 13 | 89.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 22 | 49.6th |
| Genres | 6 | 91th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6cbac548-3b1f-49db-a028-b73906e25011discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6cbac548-3b1f-49db-a028-b73906e25011core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11363105genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11363105seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiko_Nakaharabiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiko_Nakahara
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Japanese singers
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q11363105 · MusicBrainz: 6cbac548-3b1f-49db-a028-b73906e25011
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