[Bereavement Song] To you whom I can no longer meet... Tear-jerking songs about death
I thought it was only natural for you to be by my side, but one day you suddenly disappeared…
If you’ve experienced the death of someone dear, you probably can’t help but feel, “No matter how much time passes, I can’t forget,” and “I wish I could see them once more.”
At the same time, you might be trying to move forward by putting a lid on your grief and forcing yourself to face ahead.
In this article, we introduce songs themed around “death,” told from a variety of perspectives.
Surely there will be a song that stays close to your sorrow.
When times are hard, please give them a listen.
- [Songs of Bereavement] Songs about losing a loved one. Tracks to listen to while thinking of someone dear
- [Memorial Song] A moving classic and love song dedicated to a beloved person embarking on a journey to heaven
- A song I want people who have lost a beloved partner to listen to
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- Songs to Play at My Own Funeral: Timeless Gems to Make Farewells Uniquely My Own
- A song about losing a friend: bereavement, betrayal, and separation.
- [Music Funeral] BGM to Remember the Deceased | Spotlight on Requiems and Dirges Praying for Peace
- [So touching it makes you cry] A heartbreakingly wistful and sad song that tightens your chest
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
- Love, bonds, parting, cheers… songs so moving they pierce the heart and make you cry uncontrollably
- [Thank You] A classic song expressing gratitude to one’s parents. A number loved across generations.
- Farewell Song: A goodbye song. A tearful parting song.
[Bereavement Songs] To you whom I can no longer meet… Tear-jerking songs about death (91–100)
touch-me-not (balsam flower)Nakajima Miyuki
Released in 1978, Miyuki Nakajima’s song “Housenka” is a masterpiece filled with poignancy and deep emotion.
The piece was created as a tribute to a friend, portraying the sorrow and heartache of facing the sudden death of someone dear.
Its warmly enveloping melody and lyrics that sink into the heart are sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced heartbreak or the loss of a loved one.
I hope that listening to this song will help ease your pain, even just a little.
Memorial addressHamasaki Ayumi
“Memorial Address” portrays the feelings when someone precious disappears from right before your eyes.
It is the title track of the mini-album released in 2003 by Ayumi Hamasaki, a singer who also thrives as an actress and model.
The band arrangement gently enfolds the loneliness and anxiety of no longer being able to see a loved one.
Through her vocals—laid bare as if revealing her innermost heart—you can feel the unbearable ache.
It’s a song overflowing with the feeling of “If only I could have said just one more word…”
[Bereavement Songs] To you whom I can no longer meet... Tear-jerking songs about death (101–110)
Hey…Makihara Noriyuki
I think it’s pretty rare for the word “die” to appear so straightforwardly in a song.
Many people probably assume that songs dealing with life and death are, as expected, dark and heavy.
But Makihara Noriyuki—better known as Makki—created an outlier with his song “Hey…”.
He sets a theme that tends to feel somber to a bright, up-tempo melody that nudges you toward a more positive outlook.
Even the title “Hey…” carries a bittersweet lightness, as if casually calling out to someone who has passed away.
It’s a song that makes the image of someone trying to hold back their tears—“I won’t cry”—feel all the more lonely.
AND I LOVE YOUDREAMS COME TRUE
DREAMS COME TRUE’s “AND I LOVE YOU” is a song that gently stays with you in the sorrow of losing someone dear.
In fact, this piece is sung by vocalist Miwa Yoshida to her late husband.
It’s included as the final track on the album of the same name, “AND I LOVE YOU,” and, as the lyrics say, it has apparently never been performed in front of fans.
The feelings are expressed so directly that it’s impossible to listen without tears.
When you’re alone and overwhelmed by grief, it quietly stays by your side.
Your body temperatureKuwagata P
Farewell songs tend to be rather wistful, but Kuwagata-P’s “Kimi no Taion” is an up-tempo number.
Even so, it feels like a struggle between the wish to shake off the pain of missing someone and the desire to never forget them.
It reveals things you didn’t notice, things you didn’t think much of when you were together, making the importance of those shared moments sink in.
It’s a song that powerfully conveys both the dizzying speed at which the seasons pass after that person is gone and the lingering sense of emptiness.
I don’t knowHoshino Gen
A song released before the big breakthrough with “Koi,” which has maintained strong popularity among fans.
There’s even an anecdote that it was inspired by a real-life experience—“Something shocking happened in my private life…” The lyrics are somber, as if mourning someone who has passed away, saying, “Even if you’re gone, my feelings for you will never disappear…” It carries the feel of Hoshino’s way of consoling himself, slowly transmuting sorrow all the way through.
It also gently suggests that when you’re sad, it’s better to fully allow yourself to be sad.
If tomorrow comesJUJU with JAY’ED
The collaborative single Ashita ga Kuru Nara by JUJU and JAY’ED features poignant yet powerful vocals from the two artists, expressing profound love and the sorrow of parting within a limited time.
It also gained attention as the theme song for the film April Bride.
The piece delicately portrays the fleeting happiness shared with a loved one and the melancholy of the parting that eventually comes, leaving a deep impression on listeners’ hearts.
In the moments when we mourn lost love and renew our feelings for someone we hold in our memories, this song will surely give us the courage to look forward.