appeared on his 1983 album Melodies. It topped the charts in 1990 and has since ranked in the top 100 on the Japanese charts every Christmas season. The song was most famously a commercial song for JR Central's "Xmas Express." It has sold nearly 2 million copies since its release and continues to be sold in small quantities as a limited edition every Christmas season. As a solo artist, Yamashita has released 13 original studio albums, five cover albums, two live albums, multiple compilations, and over 50 singles. He is the most commercially successful Japanese male solo recording artist in the history of the Japanese album chart, selling approximately 9 million albums in total. He has also composed for films and television commercials, and worked on records by other artists. Yamashita frequently collaborated with Alan O'Day, who wrote the English lyrics for some of his most popular songs. He has also collaborated with his wife Mariya Takeuchi, whom he married in 1982. They have one daughter. Discography Studio albums Collaborations Live albums Compilation albums Other releases Following materials are not marketed to the record retailers, though they have been available via mail order to his official fan club. Singles Awards Notes References External links (Japanese) Artist Page in Warner Music Japan An account of Christmas Eve (Made in Japan ONLY) (in English) 1953 births Living people Japanese male singer-songwriters Japanese male pop singers Japanese male rock singers Japanese record producers Singers from Tokyo 20th-century Japanese male singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese male singers 21st-century Japanese singers