[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 and heartrending tracks that empathize with painful feelings (41–50)
night after nightKurahashi Yoeko
Yona Yona Yona, sung by Yoeko Kurahashi, is a track included on her first album, Fujinyo (For Ladies), released in 2002.
Kurahashi is a singer-songwriter from Aichi Prefecture known for her uniquely captivating worldview.
An unofficial music video uploaded to Niconico in 2007 surpassed one million views, boosting the song’s popularity.
The lyrics—depicting the struggles of a protagonist who can’t find anything good in life and can’t learn to like herself—leave a strong impression, and together with the ominous piano phrase in the intro, they create a dark atmosphere.
It’s a song whose words many can relate to when they’re feeling down, so please give it a listen!
No, noReoNa
If you’re looking for songs that are intensely dark and heavy, I highly recommend ReoNa.
She’s a singer-songwriter who creates many tracks themed around despair.
Among her songs, the one I especially want you to hear is “Nai Nai.” It was written as the theme song for the anime Shadows House.
The lyrics list various things the singer lacks, and the song is put together around that idea.
It’s also packed with tight rhymes, so it becomes addictive the more you listen.
Grim ReaperOmori Seiko
Since the title is “Shinigami,” it’s exactly the kind of song I want to listen to when I’m feeling despair…
Even if I believe that sorrow will clear someday, there are times when you want to listen to a song like this, right? Just be warned: the lyrics are intense, so take them as events happening within the song.
It’s a track where almost no helping hand is extended.
KagomeYuuri
Yuuri, the singer-songwriter known for his hit song “Dry Flower.” He released this track, “Kagome,” in 2020.
Many listeners likely can’t help but resonate with the way the lyrics portray the hardship of living.
The monologue-like phrases and raw cries of the heart turned directly into sound… the more you listen, the more it brings you to tears.
Beyond simply staying close to painful feelings, it also carries a message to live for yourself, making it a song that, somehow, feels healing just by listening.
I’ll wait.amin
Released in 1982, this was Aming’s debut single.
It’s a massive hit that topped Oricon’s yearly sales chart, singing about a girl who decides to wait until the man she likes turns his attention to her.
But when you listen to it again, the lyrics are actually quite dark.
Boukyaku featuring KOHHUtada Hikaru
From the intro, it’s a song that evokes despair.
If you listen to it when you’re struggling, it will lead you even deeper into a world of sorrow.
When people experience great sadness, they forget even their happy memories.
The past is unnecessary.
It sings of such a sorrowful life.
“There isn’t always light beyond hardship,” and right now we are in the dark.
It’s a song that stays close to those going through such difficult times.
Beautiful nameThe Back Horn
An unmistakable masterpiece overflowing with their kindness.
You can feel the swirl of emotions like regret and sadness.
The vocals, carefully sung as if pouring out their feelings, are striking, and although it’s a quiet song, it’s a mysterious one that lets you sense a certain kind of energy.