One of them, "Wine Red no Kokoro" was originally recorded by Inoue's former backing band Anzen Chitai and co-written by the group's frontman Koji Tamaki.

The band rose to fame owing to the hit of "Wine Red no Kokoro", and the song itself won the 26th Japan Record Award for "Gold Prize".

Inoue also wrote the lyrics for some of the group's successful follow-ups to "Wine Red no Kokoro", including "Koi no Yokan" which reached the #2 on the chart in autumn 1984.

Also in the same year, he composed the song "Kazari ja Nai no yo Namida wa" for a pop icon Akina Nakamori who was at the pinnacle of popularity at the time.

[5] Nakamori remade the song for several times in later years, and also covered two of other Inoue's compositions on 9.5 Carats album ("Koi no Yokan" and "Dance wa Umaku Odorenai").