[Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul

Like tonight’s moonElefanto Kashimashi

Like the Moon Tonight / Elephant Kashimashi

This is a single released by The Elephant Kashimashi in 1997, created as the theme song for the drama “Because the Moon Shines at Night.” Its tempo feels like walking through one’s hometown, evoking a lingering scent of youth.

It portrays looking back on days of youth that will never return, while at the same time conveying hope for the future—telling oneself that we are still on a journey and can shine even more from here.

The powerful vocals and sound seem to stir the listener’s heart.

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kappamaki

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Close your eyesHirai Ken

Ayaka / “Hitomi o Tojite” Music Video (Story 3)

A signature song by Ken Hirai.

It was the theme song for the film “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World.” Speaking of Ken Hirai, his distinctive high voice comes to mind, and this track makes full use of that trait.

Although it depicts a sorrowful situation that can be seen as heartbreak, you can still sense the resolve to live positively.

Because it portrays an experience that could happen to anyone, I think that’s why the song has remained popular for many years.

leap day personRADWIMPS

RADWIMPS – Leapling [Audio]

Uruubito by RADWIMPS, the theme song for the film The Last 10 Years starring Nana Komatsu and Kentaro Sakaguchi, was written specifically for the movie and perfectly mirrors its heartrending, tear-jerking story—classic RADWIMPS.

Its piercing lyrics are sure to shatter your tear ducts.

Wanting to simply and ordinarily protect the happiness right in front of you is a feeling everyone shares.

But what if you knew that happiness was going to break…? This is a moving song that captures that feeling so beautifully and forges it into a single, self-contained world.

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utatane

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HitomiFukuyama Masaharu

Masaharu Fukuyama – Hitomi (Drama 'When Spring Comes' Inspire Movie) Theme Song for the Double-Starring Nao × Noritake Kinashi [Mondays 10 PM on Kansai TV/Fuji TV Network]

Hitoshi by singer-songwriter Masaharu Fukuyama was released digitally on February 19, 2024, and has been moving listeners as the theme song for the drama When Spring Comes.

Written and composed by Fukuyama himself, the song celebrates pure love and the importance of human relationships.

It poetically expresses inner beauty and the strength people show when overcoming difficulties, evoking deep empathy in listeners.

Fukuyama’s warm yet powerful vocals deliver a deeply moving experience.

Notably, parts of the lyrics tie into the drama’s content, so knowing the story makes the song resonate even more.

I forget you, who are so quiet, in October.atarayo

Atarayo - Forgetting You, the Quiet One in October (Music Video)

Since its release in November 2020, its bittersweet worldview sparked buzz and spread across social media and streaming services, becoming a long-running hit.

The lyrics—“If it was going to end, I wish it had never begun”—really sink in.

The emotionally charged band arrangement amplifies its highly realistic message about a partner who shows it in their behavior but never says it in words, and the exhaustion of not being able to truly understand each other.

Near the end, the climactic moment when the male and female vocals overlap in a call-and-response practically brings you to tears.

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KEI

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It’s love, right?wacci

wacci 'Koi Daro' Music Video

This heartwarming love song by the pop-rock band wacci offers the most straightforward answer possible to the question, “What is love?” When asked what you like about the person you love, you might come up with many answers—like their attentiveness or their kindness.

But in the end, the simplest and most on-point answer may be, “I just love you, right here in front of me.” Why not listen to this song and take a moment to reconsider: “What is love, really?”

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yuri

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aspiration; longing; ardent desireFukuyama Masaharu

Masaharu Fukuyama – Wishful Longing (Inspire Movie for the film “If Only I Could Meet You Again at the Hill Where That Flower Blooms”) *NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen performance song

A song by Masaharu Fukuyama that also drew attention as the theme for the film “If Only I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms.” It was released as a digital-only single in December 2023.

Written to accompany a story set in wartime Japan, the lyrics gently yet powerfully express the preciousness of life and feelings for a loved one.

This track superbly captures in music the film’s worldview, which explores timeless pure love and the meaning of life.

It may awaken cherished memories that lie dormant in your heart.