Tear-jerking summer classics: recommended popular songs

Shadows of SummerMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE “Summer Shadow” Official Music Video

Mrs.

GREEN APPLE, known for popular songs like “Lilac” and “Dancehall,” released a perfect end-of-summer track in August 2025.

It’s their first summer-themed song in about seven years since “Ao to Natsu.” The lyrics capture an indescribable, sentimental feeling that comes with the changing seasons.

There’s a bittersweetness in the way the protagonist blames their pounding heart and hesitation on the summer heat and the lengthening shadows.

Give it a listen as you savor the passing days of summer.

silver vineSato Chiaki

Chiaki Sato – Matatabi (Lyric Video)

Chiaki Sato—known as the former vocalist of Kinoko Teikoku and a multitalented solo artist—released Matatabi in July 2024, the theme song for the film Bake Neko Anzu-chan.

Set to warm, country- and folk-tinged guitar tones, the song gently sings of summer days gone by.

Images like festival sounds and lukewarm ramune soda are sure to stir listeners’ unforgettable memories of summer.

It’s a gem of a track to revisit cherished memories with, especially as the days begin to grow shorter.

Fireworks in Augustmurasaki ima

Fireworks in August

It’s an emotionally rich ballad that gently stays by your side through that indescribable loneliness at summer’s end.

Composed by Shikon, it was released in August 2025.

The fleeting fireworks that bloom and fade in the night sky are layered with memories of a summer that will never return.

Her signature husky vocals intertwine with the mellow melody, tightening something deep in the listener’s chest.

On a night after the bustle has faded, try listening in quiet solitude, lost in thought.

Writing down the summerrokudenashi

Writing down the summer

A song carefully woven like writing a diary entry about an ordinary summer day.

Scenes come to life—the flowers blooming by the roadside, the fireworks rising over the neighboring town’s sky—stirring both tenderness for the shining season and a looming sense of its eventual end.

The appeal also lies in vocalist Ninjin’s steady, resonant voice and the nostalgic rock sound.

Featured on the EP “Hikage,” released in July 2025, this track is a work that will stay by your side throughout your summer.

OathBEGIN

BEGIN / Oath

With its beautiful piano melody and powerful vocals, this uplifting anthem fuels the resolve to face any hardship.

Even when you feel discouraged by a horizon that seems to recede no matter how far you walk, it conveys in straightforward words the importance of never giving up and continuing toward tomorrow.

Released in August 2004 as a single by BEGIN, the song was used as the ending theme for the summer tradition “Netto Koshien.” If you’re hitting walls on the path to your goal and feel your spirit wavering, this is the song you need to hear.

Listen, and you’ll find yourself thinking, “I’ll give it one more try,” ready to look ahead and take a strong step forward.

Tears of Tropical FishFlower

Flower “Tropical Fish’s Tears” — 2nd album “Hanadokei (Flower Clock)” out March 4

This is “Netsujou no Namida” (Tears of a Tropical Fish), a song released in 2014 by Flower, a female dance and vocal group that sadly disbanded in 2019.

It depicts a woman’s feelings as summer brings back memories of a past lover.

It seems to have been a painful romance; although she tells herself she won’t go back to those days, the way she likens herself to a fish in a tank shows she’s still trapped in the past.

Since it was her first love, it’s only natural she can’t forget.

A classic by Flower that you’ll want to listen to when summer comes.

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I’ve listened to so many heartbreak songs, and I’m done with being someone who just keeps crying.riria.

riria. / Listening to lots of heartbreak songs, I'm always just crying already. [Audio Video]

On a summer night, with a refreshingly cool breeze, Riria’s heartrending vocals resonate in the air.

The song’s warm arrangement is memorable, gently embracing the feelings of those bearing the pain of heartbreak.

Released in July 2022, this piece was selected as the ending theme for the second cour of the anime “Summer Time Rendering.” The lyrics, reflecting the heroine’s bittersweet love, are impossible not to empathize with.

It’s a perfect track for anyone who has experienced a breakup and hasn’t yet sorted out their feelings.

How about listening quietly on a summer night? It’s sure to be an experience that seeps into your heart.