[Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
There are times when something tough or sad happens and you just feel down, right?
In those moments, listening to overly positive songs like “Keep your head up!” or “You can do it!” can actually make things harder for some people, surprisingly.
So in this article, instead of upbeat tracks, we’ll introduce songs with a darker mood that gently sit with your more negative feelings.
By intentionally listening to songs with heavy or heartbreaking lyrics, you might find your feelings become just a little easier to bear.
- [Melancholy] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces that depict various kinds of gloom.
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- Songs that hit home when you're feeling blue: masterpieces of Japanese music
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
- [For High School Students] Melancholy Songs That Stay Close to Your Feelings [Tough Times]
- [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
- [Yami Song] A mental breakdown track that sings the true feelings of a melancholic heart
- [So touching it makes you cry] A heartbreakingly wistful and sad song that tightens your chest
- Hidden gems of yami songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- [Songs of Bereavement] Songs about losing a loved one. Tracks to listen to while thinking of someone dear
- [Bereavement Song] To you whom I can no longer meet... Tear-jerking songs about death
- [Relatable Lyrics] Emo songs to listen to when you're stuck after a breakup or relationship troubles
[Dark Songs] A curated selection of deeply dark or heartrending tracks that resonate with painful feelings (81–90)
Live.Suiyōbi no Campanella & yahyel
The title carries a powerful yet simple message.
This is a collaborative track by Wednesday Campanella and yaehel.
It contains graphic expressions, so please be cautious if you’re sensitive to such content.
The song was created based on a real scene Kom_I encountered at Shinjuku Station: a person jumping onto the tracks.
The somewhat mysterious melody signifies life and death, and the looping structure represents a cycle of suffering.
It’s heavy, but overwhelmingly beautiful, with outstanding artistic quality.
My own crossF.Chiriāno
“My Own Cross,” sung by the Italian singer Cilliano.
It was the theme song for the popular detective drama Special Investigation Frontline, which began airing in 1977.
Starting with a guitar intro, this song is a masterpiece with a dark and dramatic tone and lyrics.
HeavenMrs. GREEN APPLE
This is a deeply moving song written as the theme for the film “I Will Tell You the Truth,” starring vocalist Motoki Omori.
It begins in a sacred stillness, unfolds dramatically, and then ends abruptly—an unpredictable structure that defines the track.
The work portrays not only human beauty but equally the ugliness that lies behind it, seeming to reflect complex emotions such as despair and inner conflict in the face of an inescapable reality.
Released in May 2025, this song gently stays by your side and resonates deeply when you’re weighed down by helplessness or a sadness too difficult to put into words.
Hated by life.Kanzaki Iori
When confronted with the abyss of suffering, any words can be a source of encouragement.
Kanzaki Iori’s “Hated by Life Itself” is a song that stands by you at precisely such moments.
Its weighty piano melodies and poignant strings are gentle on the ears yet resound powerfully in the heart.
The lyrics are also striking—like a single beam of light piercing the dark night, they stir the listener’s emotions and give the courage to rise again.
With a wide range of cover versions available on YouTube, this is a track I’d recommend to anyone seeking hope to keep on living.
YayoiNaoko Ken
Lyrics by Yoko Aki, music by Ryudo Uzaki.
The song sings of atonement toward a child who, due to circumstances, could not be born, as well as feelings of apology toward the family formed afterward, self-admonition, and sorrow.
It’s a song so shocking that you may be taken aback when you hear the lyrics.
I will fly.Yamazaki Hako
A track from her first album, “Tobi-ma-su,” released in 1975.
While the melody’s darkness and sadness are striking, the lyrics boldly proclaim her determination to move forward in life as a singer.
Pay attention to the memorable lines.
[Dark Songs] A curated selection of deeply dark and melancholy tracks that resonate with painful feelings (91–100)
Azure Daysplenty
Even when you give it your all, your efforts don’t always pay off.
In times like that, the song I want to introduce is “Aoki Hibi.” It portrays the despair you feel when you pour yourself into something and it still ends in failure.
There are various interpretations, but the title is said to refer to the days when you were working hard with excitement and anticipation.
It’s a track overflowing with a sense of futility, yet in the final chorus it gently gives you a push forward.
If you like it, be sure to check out the music video featuring an a cappella performance.
