Tear-jerking summer classics: recommended popular songs
When you think of summer songs, many people might imagine upbeat, catchy tracks that everyone can sing and dance to together.
However, there are times in summer when you feel like listening to tearjerkers—like bittersweet love ballads or breakup songs.
So in this article, we’ll introduce a wide selection of moving, cry-worthy songs with a summer theme, spanning different eras and genres!
We’ve picked not only heartbreak songs, but also tracks that express a variety of emotions and situations.
Be sure to read the lyrics and listen closely!
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Tear-jerking summer classics: Recommended popular songs (11–20)
rememberUru
A bittersweet yet heartwarming ballad, this song showcases Uru’s crystal-clear vocals at their finest.
With a quiet piano accompaniment, the moving melody evokes the cool breeze at summer’s end.
Chosen as the theme song for the anime film Natsume’s Book of Friends the Movie: Tied to the Temporal World, it was released in September 2018 as her sixth single.
Its profound emotion, perfectly matched to the story’s worldview, truly stands out.
Like a clear summer night sky, the lyrics resonate deep within, awakening each listener’s nostalgic memories and, though introspective, giving the courage to accept something with a forward-looking heart.
summer rainPan no Mimimi
A single that Mimimi Panno poured her heart into as her first attempt at writing lyrics.
Blending summer rain and romance, the lyrics brim with aching tenderness and the sparkle of youth.
Released in August 2023, the song is a collaboration with Tomo Wakabayashi.
Since hosting her first solo concert in 2022, Mimimi Panno has steadily broadened her musical activities.
On a summer night, if you open the window and listen to the rain while playing this track, it might bring back your own bittersweet memories.
WILLNakajima Mika
WILL is the fifth single by the charismatic and hugely popular singer Mika Nakashima, released on August 7, 2002.
It was used as the theme song for the Fuji TV drama Observatory, and with this track she made her first appearance at the 53rd NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen.
As a drama tie-in, the lyrics evoke summer stargazing with imagery like telescopes and constellations.
It’s a captivating song where her aching vocals intertwine with bittersweet memories of love.
Be sure to give it a listen on late summer nights or as summer draws to a close.
planetariumOtsuka Ai
Ai Otsuka has released many love songs over the years, but when it comes to a moving summer ballad, this is the one.
While her own bright personality—and upbeat, glamorous image from popular tracks like “Sakuranbo” and “LOVE POP”—often stand out, this song features a gently poignant, tender vocal performance that’s especially memorable.
The lyrics use words anyone can relate to, speaking straight to our emotions.
Released in September 2005, this is a song I especially recommend to those feeling down after a breakup or holding onto feelings they can’t quite let go of.
End of SummerShimizu Shota
A gemlike ballad that overlays the bittersweet end of summer with the end of a romance.
Shota Shimizu’s powerful yet delicate vocals vividly paint the memories of a summer fling.
The track is included on the album “ENCORE,” released in March 2014.
With lyrics packed with youthful memories—like summer festival fireworks and kisses on the beach—many listeners are sure to relate.
While it conveys the loneliness of summer’s end, this is an uplifting breakup song that also sings of the joy of having met and feelings of gratitude.
It resonates even more deeply when listened to at the turn of the seasons.
secret base ~What You Gave Me~ZONE
ZONE is a girls’ band that sadly disbanded in 2013.
Their signature song is “secret base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~.” Although it was released in 2001, it’s still loved across generations as a classic summer song.
Many will also remember that in 2011 it was used as the theme song for the TV anime Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, which depicts a bittersweet summer romance.
The lyrics don’t just evoke heartache—they also convey hope for the future, making it perfect for a summer night.
Tear-jerking summer classics: recommended popular songs (21–30)
fireworks (launched into the sky)DAOKO × Yonezu Kenshi
This is a collaboration song by DAOKO and Kenshi Yonezu.
It drew attention when it was chosen as the theme song for the film “Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?” Centered around the piano, the sound has a gentle atmosphere, while the accented guitar tones echo with a touch of loneliness.
When it moves into the chorus, the arrangement blooms brilliantly—its vigor and fleeting quality evoke the instant sparkle of fireworks.
The lyrics, which feel like a tender reflection on summer memories, are also striking, finely expressing the many emotions felt within those recollections.
The wish from back then for happy times to last, and the pain and poignancy of knowing they still slipped away, resonate deeply in this song.
