Ballad songs perfect for autumn. Timeless mellow hits for the fall season.
When autumn comes, many of us find ourselves wanting to listen to ballads, don’t we?
Maybe it’s because the sparkling summer has ended and we feel a touch of loneliness, or because we’re moved by the season’s charm and slip into a calm, reflective mood.
In this article, we’ll introduce some ballads that are perfect for autumn.
These rich, mellow ballads are ideal for those long autumn nights.
We’ve gathered songs you’ll want to listen to as the seasons change.
Enjoy a quiet, gentle moment with music by your side.
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Ballad songs to listen to in autumn: Gentle autumn classics (41–50)
Gray and Blue (+Masaki Suda)Yonezu Kenshi
This is a song by Kenshi Yonezu that drew huge attention through a collaboration with Masaki Suda, who also radiates overwhelming presence as an actor.
The track is included on Yonezu’s fourth album, “BOOTLEG,” released in November 2017.
Looking back on the bygone days of youth, this slightly sentimental piece is perfect for long autumn nights when the clamor of summer has subsided.
It depicts a yearning for those radiant “blue” days and the struggle of living in a “gray” reality, with the poignant feeling of missing an old friend you can no longer see conveyed through their two voices.
It’s a heart-tugging song that, when you listen to it as you recall happier times and feel a bit lonely, seems to awaken emotions tucked away deep in your heart.
Late Summer (A Season for One)Arai Yumi
This is a song by Yumi Arai that overlays the changing seasonal scenery with the end of a romance and the beginning of time alone.
The sight of leaves blazing with color and delicate flowers swaying in the wind seems to reflect the protagonist’s loneliness.
The song was included on the album “The 14th Moon,” released under the name Yumi Arai in November 1976, and it also served as the theme song for the NHK dramas “Natsu no Furusato” and “Maboroshi no Budōen.” Its poignant melody—mingling a lingering affection for the summer that has passed with a quiet resolve for the seasons to come—resonates deeply with listeners.
Whether you play it on a drive while reminiscing about summer or during a slightly chilly evening stroll, it will gently keep you company.
MoonKuwata Keisuke
Keisuke Kuwata, known as the frontman of Southern All Stars, is a singer-songwriter whose trademarks are his freewheeling musicality and soulful vocals.
His fourth single, “Tsuki” (“Moon”), was created as a song to bid farewell to his late mother.
Its fleeting imagery and moonlit lyrics feel mysterious while suffused with deep melancholy.
With an oriental-tinged melody and piano tones that evoke wistfulness, it’s a dreamlike ballad perfectly suited to a moonlit night.
autumn and winterMizue Takada
Singer Mizue Takada, who debuted as an idol after becoming the 18th Grand Champion on the audition show “You Are the Star!”, is known for her 22nd single “Shūtō” (Autumn/Winter), a cover song that has been performed by various artists throughout the 1980s.
The lyrics, which depict a lover’s changing emotions along with the shifting seasons, grow more poignant as time moves from autumn into winter.
It’s a wistful number whose melancholic vocals and ensemble stir the heart.
Ms. SeptemberRADWIMPS
When it comes to songs that evoke the gentle arrival of autumn, “September-san” comes to mind.
It was included on RADWIMPS’ 2006 album RADWIMPS 3: Mujintō ni Motte Iki Wasureta Ichimai, by the rock band that has led the Japanese rock scene since the 2000s.
The song beautifully captures the emotions of welcoming autumn after a passionate summer.
Its warm, mid-tempo band sound is sure to move you.
It’s a love song overflowing with pure feelings for someone dear.
Give this track a listen and let it make you look forward to autumn’s arrival.
Melted body heat, a melting spellsumika
It’s a track from the 2016 album “Answer Parade,” a ballad about how connecting with others can be painful, yet still wanting to understand one another.
Maybe because it compares the two of us to hedgehogs, the lyrics go straight to the heart.
If you listen when you’re struggling with relationships, it might give you strength and make you feel like trying again.
Autumn is also a season when we long for warmth, and this song will make you want to go see someone important to you.
autumn rainSonar Pocket
Released in 2022, Sonar Pocket’s “Akisame” (“Autumn Rain”) is a ballad that depicts the pain of a broken heart.
One of Sonar Pocket’s appeals is their lyrics that resonate with listeners, and this song is no exception—many will read the words, relate them to their own experiences, and feel deeply moved.
The autumn rain referenced in the title is evocatively portrayed throughout the lyrics, further emphasizing the story’s sadness and sense of helplessness.
The reflections on their time together, filled with regret, and the depiction that the beloved person is no longer by their side make your chest tighten involuntarily.
