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[80s Graduation Songs] Nostalgic Classics & Hits That Have Become Standards
When it comes to graduation songs, choral pieces used to be the standard, but from around the 1970s, pop-style graduation songs began to appear, and by the 1980s, many hit songs related to graduation were being released.
In this article, we’ll introduce standout graduation songs that were released and became popular in the 1980s.
For those who were students during that era, these tracks will feel nostalgic; for those currently in school, they’ll feel fresh and deeply moving.
Enjoy the colorful world of 1980s graduation songs!
[80s Graduation Songs] Nostalgic Classics and Now-Standard Hits (1–10)
Graduationsaitou yuki
Big-name artists like Yutaka Ozaki, Atsumi Kurasawa, and Momoko Kikuchi have all released songs titled “Sotsugyo” (“Graduation”).
It seems everyone has deep feelings about this milestone in life.
Yuki Saito’s “Sotsugyo” is also one of the major hits that brings back memories of the ’80s.
Lyrics along the lines of “On graduation day, if I don’t show tears like everyone else, people might think I’m cold.
But I want to show my tears only to you” capture a time when the era itself was still innocent.
Even just reading the lyrics gives off a nostalgic Showa-era vibe.
It makes me want to listen and reminisce about the old days.
Graduation -GRADUATION-Kikuchi Momoko
“Graduation -GRADUATION-,” released in 1985 as Momoko Kikuchi’s fourth single.
This isn’t a song about the day of the graduation ceremony; it’s a song about thinking of the man she parted with at the same time as graduation.
To support the way he lives, the woman likely let go of his hand.
They broke up while still in love, and the lingering feelings that won’t fade are portrayed with aching tenderness.
The straightforward sentiment of opening the yearbook every spring brings tears to my eyes.
It’s a recommended song for women who can’t forget a love from their youth.
GraduationOzaki Yutaka
This song, which sings about the hazy, helpless frustration of student days, will probably resonate especially with those who had a mischievous school life.
It’s a passionate graduation song by Yutaka Ozaki that speaks for students’ feelings.
Maybe graduating from school is nothing more than a passing point.
In the truest sense, graduation might be being released from the peculiar haze of being a student—the cramped life, the watchful eyes of others—being freed from all that and becoming truly free.
Yet beyond that freedom lies another kind of constraint.
Perhaps the song is teaching us that this is how we grow into adults.
youthMorita Kōichi to Toppugyaran
This is a masterpiece that beautifully captures the unique atmosphere of the pre-graduation season and the bittersweet feelings of leaving a familiar room.
Released in August 1976 as a single by Koichi Morita and Top Gallant, the band led by composer Koichi Morita, it gradually became a major hit over time and earned a spot on the following year’s NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen.
The lyrics by Yuu Aku portray not only the inner conflicts of youth in the thick of their adolescence but also the preciousness of days looked back upon in adulthood, resonating deeply with a wide audience.
In later years, the song inspired a drama and was also embraced as the theme for variety shows.
It’s a track that offers courage and a sense of kinship not only to those who fondly remember their student days, but also to anyone about to leap into a new world.
Beyond the GoodbyeYamaguchi Momoe
This is the final single that symbolizes the Showa-era pop scene, released in August 1980 just before Momoe Yamaguchi’s retirement.
Also included on the album “Legend of the Phoenix,” the song—written by Yoko Aki and composed by Ryudo Uzaki—portrays a quiet resolve toward the future that lies beyond parting.
Transcending the bounds of being a theme song for any particular program, it is deeply etched in many people’s memories as the piece that closed her final concert at the Nippon Budokan.
Its lyrics, which accept farewell and strive to move forward, are sure to resonate with those facing graduation or life’s turning points.
A timeless classic passed down through the years, its vocals—imbued with a calm passion—seem to inspire the strength to take a new step forward when you listen.
The PeopleYamashita Tatsuro
Released in 1988 as a key track that closes out the album “Boku no Naka no Shonen,” this song is, as its title “Sōbō” suggests, a grand and powerful ode to life that affirms the lives of the nameless.
Many may remember it from its use in a JACCS Card commercial at the time.
A new music video was released in November 2020, and the song continues to be loved across generations.
Yamashita Tatsuro’s hallmark, richly layered choral work is breathtaking—it stirs the heart with every listen.
It’s a song that can turn anxiety into hope when you’re at life’s crossroads, such as graduation or starting a job.
A gentle yet strong push on the back for all who are moving toward the future.
Words of FarewellKaientai
A classic of the graduation season, this is a famous song by Kaientai that just about everyone in Japan has hummed at least once.
It carries not only the sadness of parting, but also a profound message that knowing sorrow can make us kinder—one that warms the heart every time you listen.
Released as a single in November 1979, it was used as the theme song for the first season of the drama “Mr.
Kinpachi in Class 3B,” starring Tetsuya Takeda, and it became a runaway hit, reaching No.
1 on the Oricon charts.
It was also included on the album “Wajin-den,” and has been loved for many years.
Though it’s actually a song about heartbreak, its bittersweet yet gentle words offer courage to anyone setting out on a new journey.
It’s truly a Japanese standard, a song passed down across generations.