[Gratitude, Encouragement, Memories] Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs You Can’t Listen to Without Crying [2026]

Youth and a momentmakaroni enpitsu

Macaroni Enpitsu “Youth and a Moment” MV

An ode to youth by Macaroni Empitsu, with lyrical guitar phrases that resonate in your chest.

Included on their 2019 mini-album “season,” this track was written as the theme song for McDonald’s “500 Yen Value Set” commercial.

The lyrics capture the moment you realize that the days you once thought were boring were actually priceless treasures—something that will surely strike a chord with anyone facing graduation.

Hattori’s emotional vocals and the music’s driving energy vividly reflect the brilliance of school days slipping by.

Time spent with friends as if it were a given, casual conversations, goofing around after class—this song reminds you just how precious those everyday moments were.

In this season when anxiety and anticipation mix as you step onto a new path, give this rock tune a listen—it will gently nudge you forward.

evening primroseNovelbright

Novelbright – Evening Primrose [Official Music Video]

A gem-like ballad by Novelbright that presses on the chest with the bittersweetness and tenderness of parting.

Released in December 2020 as their fourth major digital single, it’s also included on the album “Kaimaku Sengen.” Its dramatic, piano-centered arrangement is striking, and vocalist Yudai Takenaka’s soaring high notes delicately convey feelings of loss and gratitude.

In February 2021, it was featured in the weather segment of Fuji TV’s Tokudane! and the band also made a live appearance on the program.

The song has surpassed 300 million streams, capturing the hearts of many listeners.

With lyrics that make you look back on days spent with someone dear and inspire you to express thanks, it’s a perfect companion for those facing graduation.

An ideal track to listen to quietly on the eve of taking a new step forward.

Daphne (winter daphne)DISH//

DISH// – Sweet Daphne [Official Video]

There are moments, wrapped in the scent of early spring blossoms, when you feel compelled to convey your gratitude to someone dear.

DISH//’s 14th single, released in October 2021, is a number co-written with Hattori from Macaroni Enpitsu.

It also drew attention as the theme song for the NTV drama “The Winner in February: The Classroom of Guaranteed Success.” The lyrics tenderly depict the happiness of having a place to return to and the gratitude that’s hard to express—feelings of frustration that overlap with the words left unsaid at graduation.

In 2024, the song surpassed 100 million streams and was certified Platinum.

Beginning with gentle guitar arpeggios and piano, then adding strings as it builds toward the chorus, its warm sound softly tugs at the heartstrings.

It’s a song that gently stays by your side when you want to say “thank you” to your parents or mentors.

Bye-Good-ByeBE:FIRST

BE:FIRST / Bye-Good-Bye -Music Video-

Rather than ending a parting in sadness, BE:FIRST’s second single and title track has captured many hearts as a song that transforms farewells into the strength to take a new step.

While honestly depicting the pain and lingering attachment of letting go of the past, its forward-looking perspective—seeing goodbye not as an end but as a starting line—resonates deeply.

Released digitally in March 2022, it drew attention as the theme song for the drama “Sayonara no Sono Mae ni Fantastic 31 Days” within NTV’s ZIP!.

It debuted at No.

1 on the Billboard Japan Streaming Songs chart and surpassed 100 million streams by September of the same year, becoming a truly phenomenon-level hit.

It’s a song that gently gives you a push when the loneliness wells up the moment you get home alone after graduation.

Farewell, Youth (Chatmonchy cover)Rīgaru Rirī

Farewell, Youth

Regal Lily, a junior band on the same label, has covered a beloved classic by Chatmonchy, who disbanded to much regret in 2018.

Released digitally in March 2025, this track is the second installment of the three-month spring cover series “Memory.” The original song, included on the 2005 mini-album “chatmonchy has come,” has long been cherished as a graduation anthem and was also used in Recruit’s “Sotsu-ome 2007” commercial.

For the cover, Naho Utagawa (formerly of Akai Koen) joins on drums, resulting in an emotional arrangement that fuses Regal Lily’s signature wall-of-sound guitars with crystalline vocals.

The lyrics, which make you realize how special the ordinary days truly were, will resonate across generations.

After your graduation ceremony, when you find yourself alone, press play quietly and let it sink in.

pedestrian overpassNogizaka 46

Nogizaka46 “Footbridge”

Haven’t we all experienced those moments when we find ourselves stopping at a crossroads in life? This song, released by Nogizaka46 in December 2024 as their 37th single, delicately portrays that very hesitation of the heart.

Should we take a step toward our dreams, or stay where we are? The protagonist’s inner conflict is expressed through gentle piano and dramatic strings.

The lyrics are by Yasushi Akimoto, and the music is composed by Katsuhiko Sugiyama, known for Kimi no Na wa Kibou and Kikkake.

In its first week, it sold 484,000 copies on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, achieving the group’s 36th consecutive No.

1.

It’s a track we especially recommend to those who are about to graduate and can’t find the courage to leap into a new world, or to anyone standing at a turning point in life.

Gray and Blue (+Masaki Suda)Yonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Gray and Blue (+Masaki Suda)

A collaborative song by singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu and actor Masaki Suda.

With verses kept understated that surge into an explosive chorus, it links to the wish that even as we grow, some things will remain unchanged—a number that feels like the heart’s cry of those about to graduate.

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Hoshino Takashi

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