[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 someone dear. Tracks to listen to while thinking of a loved one.
- [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
- A classic song that sings of gratitude to one’s parents. Thank you, Dad and Mom!
- Farewell Song: A goodbye song. A tearful parting song.
[Bereavement Songs] To You I Can No Longer Meet... Tearjerking Songs About Death (21–30)
I want to see you.sawada chikako
I think there are times when you earnestly, desperately want to see someone who has passed away.
Even if you made all sorts of promises while they were alive, when they suddenly die, you don’t know where to direct those feelings, and the frustration wells up.
Chikaco Sawada’s “Aitai” is a song that revisits, one by one, the plans to go on dates and spend happy times with a loved one, letting the frustration toward the person who has passed seep through—it sings of such fleeting, fragile feelings.
YC&K
C&K’s “Y” is a moving ballad with lyrics about a lover who passed away due to illness.
Although he sings of his hopes, as the song progresses her hand grows thin and she disappears, making it a tear-jerking masterpiece.
It’s arranged as a male-female duet, so why not try singing it at karaoke with your partner? It reminds you of the importance of someone’s presence and makes you want to cherish the happiness you have now.
[Bereavement Songs] To you whom I can no longer meet… Tear-jerking songs about death (31–40)
dogwood (flowering dogwood)Hitoto Yo
When the September 11 attacks occurred in the United States, I received an email from a friend living in New York.
It is said that this song was created in response to that message.
A subtle sense of transience permeates the entire piece, as if no one is there, everything is faint, and it hardly seems of this world.
The lyrics, which carry the feeling of “thinking of those who have passed while wishing happiness for the loved one that should have been,” have continued to be cherished by people across generations.
Its tie-ins are countless, from TV drama theme songs to commercials.
This is a song that I hope will be passed down and sung forever.
my starRozarīna
A heart-touching song by Rosalía themed around parting with someone precious.
It portrays, through her warm vocals, the sorrow of suddenly losing a loved one and the strength to keep moving forward while holding onto the light they left behind.
Released in August 2023, the track was chosen as the ending theme for Season 2 of the TV anime EDENS ZERO.
It’s a song that will surely resonate with those who have experienced saying goodbye to someone important, or who continue to cherish a loved one in their hearts.
It is an anthem of encouragement for everyone who, even while carrying sadness, strives to face forward with the light that person left within them.
See You AgainTEE
This song is included on singer-songwriter TEE’s 2017 cover album “MASTERPIECE ~THE WORLD BEST COVERS~.” The original is Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again ft.
Charlie Puth,” a song dedicated to actor Paul Walker, who passed away in 2013.
For the cover, TEE—paying tribute to his senior, Masataka Tsuji, who died in the boxing ring—adapted the lyrics as a memorial.
One more time, One more chanceYamazaki Masayoshi
A classic tear-jerker, Masayoshi Yamazaki’s “One more time, One more chance.” It was released in 1997, but it’s a timeless masterpiece that’s been loved ever since.
It’s also well known as the theme song for the 1996 film “The Moon and a Cabbage,” starring Yamazaki himself, and for Makoto Shinkai’s animated film “5 Centimeters per Second.” It’s a heartbreaking song about knowing that person is no longer here, yet finding yourself searching for them all the same.
In this world without you.fumika
In the moment when you are enveloped by the sorrow of losing a loved one, it can feel as if the world has stopped.
And yet, strangely, time marches on without mercy: people around you keep laughing, and the birds go on singing.
Released in July 2017, this song poignantly portrays the feelings of a woman who strives to move forward even as she confronts such an absurd reality.
Its lyrics, expressing both the pain of loss and the hope for renewal, will resonate with anyone who has experienced the loss of someone dear.