Songs you want to listen to at the end of summer: Late-summer classics to look back on the season

Blue Summertime BluesZūkaraderu

Zookaraderu “Blue Summertime Blues” (Official Music Video)

Hailing from Sapporo, Hokkaido, the three-piece rock band ZOOKARADERU is beloved for their breezy pop sensibility and delicate lyrics that resonate with everyday life.

Their 2023 release “Blue Summertime Blues” feels like the perfect track to play at summer’s end.

Opening with a striking guitar arpeggio, the sound exudes a curious charm, blending nostalgia for the passing summer with a resolve to keep moving forward.

Coupled with vocalist Takanobu Yoshida’s slightly wistful tone, it’s like listening to the soundtrack of a page from youth.

Put this song on during a late-summer night as the heat begins to wane, and you’re sure to be swept into a wonderfully sentimental mood.

Only for you, clear skiesYorushika

Yorushika – Just Clear Skies for You (MUSIC VIDEO)

This song evokes scenes of summers gone by and fills you with a certain nostalgia.

One of its great charms is the combination of n-buna’s literary lyrics and suis’s clear, transparent vocals.

The bittersweetness everyone feels while growing up and the longing for days past gently resonate with the listener’s heart.

The track was included on the mini-album “Makeinu ni Encore wa Iranai” released in May 2018, and in December 2019 it was also used as the opening music for a live show by the comedy duo “Tarinai Futari.” It’s a perfect song for a summer drive or for nights when you want to sink into a slightly sentimental mood.

Unchanging ThingsOku Hanako

Unchanging Things

It’s a ballad in which Hanako Oku’s piano tones and clear, translucent voice gently nestle close to the listener’s heart.

The piece centers on treasured memories from days gone by and feelings that never change, and it almost seems to convey the aching wishes of the film’s characters.

Featured as an insert song in the animated film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, released in July 2006, it moved many people and can be heard on the single Garnet and the album TIME NOTE.

If you listen to it when you’re feeling a touch of loneliness at summer’s end, or when reminiscing makes you long to see someone again, the worldview of the lyrics will surely resonate with you.

It’s the perfect song for those moments when you want to tuck away memories of someone dear and indulge in a slightly sentimental mood.

Please take your time and savor it!

End of SummerShimizu Shota

Shota Shimizu “Natsunoowari” from SHOTA SHIMIZU LIVE TOUR 2023 “Insomnia” supported by Taica

This song is a lovely ballad that captures the unique loneliness everyone feels at least once at the end of summer.

Its bittersweet yet beautiful melody seeps deep into the heart, evoking memories of a summer romance that ended too soon and a nostalgia too delicate to put into words.

Shota Shimizu’s soulful, sometimes fragile vocals bring that scene to life with even greater clarity.

The track appears on Shota Shimizu’s fifth album, ENCORE, released in March 2014.

It’s perfect for listening alone on a late summer night.

Season in the SunTUBE

Season in the Sun TUBE (HD quality)

This is TUBE’s quintessential summer anthem, packed with the faint wistfulness that comes as summer draws to a close and the radiant, sun-like energy that still blazes on.

Vivid scenes of the endless blue sea and bittersweet young love unfold in your mind, instantly transporting you to summer the moment you press play.

Released in April 1986 as the band’s third single, it was also included on that year’s album THE SEASON IN THE SUN.

You might recognize it from Kirin Beer and Suntory commercials.

Peaking at No.

6 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, this track is sure to set your heart ablaze whenever you feel like reminiscing about days of youth gone by!

Stand by me, Stand by you.Hirai Dai

Hirai Dai / Stand by me, Stand by you. (Lyric Video)

This is a digital single by Dai Hirai that sings of the love between two people brought together by fate, set to the warm, heartening tones of an acoustic guitar.

You can picture lovers who, against miraculous odds among billions, find each other, feel happiness in everyday moments, and support one another.

As summer draws to a close and a touch of wistfulness sets in, listening to this song may help you reaffirm the bond with the person by your side.

Released in September 2020, the track is also included on the album “Life Goes On.” It has colored many couples’ happiest moments as the CM song for Mynavi Wedding.

It’s a song we hope will be heard by two people who, along with their shining summer memories, wish to stay together forever.

Summertime CinderellaRyokushokushakai

Ryokuoushoku Shakai 'Summer Time Cinderella' Official Video / Ryokuoushoku Shakai – Summer Time Cinderella

It’s a song packed tight with a love that shines like the midsummer sun—dazzling, yet a little bittersweet.

Like Cinderella’s magic, it captures the thrill of a love that sparkles in a fleeting moment, along with the urgency to confess those feelings before summer ends.

The protagonist’s emotions—drawn in despite confusion by a romance sparked by an unexpected encounter—will deeply resonate with anyone who’s experienced unrequited love.

Released first digitally in July 2023 and later as a CD single in September of the same year, the track colored Fuji TV’s Monday 9 p.m.

drama, “Midsummer Cinderella.” It also won an Excellence Award at the 65th Japan Record Awards.

Why not listen to it with someone special as you make summer memories?