[Melancholy] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces that depict various kinds of gloom.
Sad events and days when nothing goes right can happen to anyone.
At times like that, isn’t it music that saves us?
When you’re feeling down, you might immerse yourself in what you love or just take it slow and rest.
On top of that, listening to music that matches your feelings can bring a deep sense of calm.
It’s great to get energy from bright, upbeat songs, but we’re also drawn to darker, more serious atmospheres and lyrics that seem to speak for us.
Here, we’re featuring songs that stay close to a melancholy mood.
Some of them let you feel a light shining in the darkness.
If it’s tough to listen to cheerful music when you’re low, or if you want to let yourself sink all the way down and then reset your feelings, please use this as a reference.
- Songs that hit home when you're feeling blue: masterpieces of Japanese music
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- [Yami Song] A mental breakdown track that sings the true feelings of a melancholic heart
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
- [Songs to Listen to When You Want to Die] I want to disappear... A song to support you who feel that way
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- Hidden gems of yami songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [Relatable Lyrics] Emo songs to listen to when you're stuck after a breakup or relationship troubles
- Masterpieces that sing about loneliness: J-pop to listen to when you're alone
- [For when you want to cry or feel sad] Tear-jerking masterpieces that make you cry when you listen
- [Bereavement Song] To you whom I can no longer meet... Tear-jerking songs about death
- [When You're Lonely] A Collection of Songs That Resonate With Those All Alone
[Gloomy Tunes] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces depicting various melancholies (41–50)
coelacanthMr.Children
This is a song that reflects on the coelacanth, a fish often called a living fossil.
It’s a work by Mr.Children, a rock band that has been at the forefront of the Japanese music scene for many years, and it’s included on their fifth album, Deep Sea, released in 1996.
The feelings vocalist Sakurai had at the time of composing are embedded in it, giving it a very dark impression.
The coelacanth is something you would never encounter in ordinary life, leaving you only to imagine its way of living.
The song is sung as if wringing out the emotion of asking, “Where on earth is the answer?”
worst; minimum; the lowest; awfulIvy to Fraudulent Game
Amid a dreamlike, piano-centered soundscape, this work quietly resonates with self-denial and loneliness.
Included on Ivy to Fraudulent Game’s major-label debut album “Kaiten suru,” released in December 2017, it was written and composed by drummer Yuya Fukushima.
The lyrics, which portray the feelings of blaming oneself for not meeting expectations and the pressure of a cornered heart, really hit home.
Give it a listen on nights weighed down by self-loathing.
Alkalemiamol-74
It’s a song by mol-74 that portrays a powerful sense of regret—by the time you realize it, it’s already too late.
The layering of the piano’s tone with the mechanically repeating guitar phrase evokes a sadness that settles in the heart.
The vocal melody, with its higher register, overlaps with the calm rhythm to clearly convey emotional instability and pain.
Throughout the piece, it depicts the feeling of “if only I could do it over,” and the atmosphere—like a heartbreaking cry from the soul—stirs the listener’s sense of unease.
Write it as “regret,” read it as “future.”mafumafu
A rock ballad by Mafumafu that gently resonates with the hearts of those carrying sorrow and despair.
Through delicate lyrics and an emotional melody, it portrays the inner cries of a protagonist tormented by anguish so deep they wish for death, yet lacking even the courage to end their life.
Released in January 2021 and included on the album “Yoaiseki Universe,” the song was written for the smartphone rhythm game “Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! feat.
Hatsune Miku.” It is a track that tenderly embraces those who are exhausted by living or burdened by pain they cannot share with anyone around them.
There was no meaning to being born.mafumafu
This song is striking for its delicate vocals that surface from the darkness of the heart and its deep lyrics that dwell on nihilism and loss.
While it sings of losing the meaning of life and feeling alienated from society, it also conveys a will to move forward, giving it a philosophical depth.
Released in August 2019 and included on Mafumafu’s album “Kagurairo Artifact,” the piece showcases his finely tuned sensibility and expressive power to the fullest.
The composition is masterful, unfolding from a quiet piano intro into a grand band sound, where elements of emotional rock and balladry fuse in exquisite balance.
It’s a song that lets you feel the presence of someone who shares the same loneliness and sense of emptiness when you’re tormented by them.
Ghostwritersumika
It’s a gentle song that softly wraps around a depressed mood.
It’s a track by sumika, a pop-rock band from Kanagawa Prefecture, included on their second album Chime released in 2019.
It became a topic of conversation when it was chosen as the theme song for the variety show “Tokukai TV Sukatto Japan.” It’s a ballad that sings, “I want to protect the one I care about,” and you can feel your heart warm as you listen.
When you’re having a hard time, you find yourself wishing someone were by your side, don’t you? This is a song I recommend for those moments.
Crescent Moon MelancholyBābī Bōizu
Barbee Boys, a rock band that gained popularity for their distinctive sound featuring intertwined male–female twin vocals and saxophone.
This 1989 November release deftly portrays the unfulfilled complexities of adult love.
Over a floating guitar riff, KONTA and Kyoko’s vocals capture the emotional disconnect between a man and a woman, their bittersweet harmonies resonating deeply.
Released as the band’s 13th single, the song is also known for being featured in a commercial for Meiji’s chocolate bar “body.” It’s a perfect listen when you want to spend a quiet night alone gazing at the city lights or sink into a sentimental mood.
In conclusion
We’ve introduced songs that portray a kind of melancholy that stays by your side when you want to sink all the way to the bottom.
Did you find a track that resonated with your heart? I think there are many songs whose messages come through even in their heaviness, and whose appeal gently saves you precisely because they come from the same place.
It’s okay to feel completely down! I hope your heart finds healing.