Warm songs to listen to in winter: a collection of music that will gently warm your heart

IMrs. GREEN APPLE

Watashi

In the cold of winter, songs by Mrs.

GREEN APPLE permeate the heart.

A gem of a ballad released in January 2016 as part of the album TWELVE.

It sings of affirmation in love, lighting a beacon of hope in the listener’s heart.

It celebrates the courage to face hardship and the importance of growing together with others.

The lyrics, imbued with the strength to overcome setbacks and stay true to oneself, are bittersweet yet warm the heart that feels on the verge of succumbing to winter’s chill.

It’s lovely to listen alone, and wonderful to share with someone special.

Be sure to give this track a listen—it will give you the strength to make it through the cold season.

Merry ChristmasBUMP OF CHICKEN

BUMP OF CHICKEN『Merry Christmas』Full Ver.

A band track where dazzling sounds reminiscent of a Christmas streetscape coexist with a hidden sense of poignancy.

Released in 2009 as a double A-side single with “R.I.P./Merry Christmas,” this song was completed by Motoo Fujiwara while grappling with his “resistance to singing about happiness.” The lyrics portray a protagonist who, amid the glittering season, carries loneliness and inner conflict, yet still wishes to be gentle and considerate toward others.

Its Irish-inspired arrangement and richly unfolding structure—spanning over six minutes—are especially compelling.

It’s a song that will resonate both with those who want to spend Christmas night with someone special and with those who feel complex emotions precisely because of the season’s sparkle.

lightSutoreitenā×Hata Motohiro

Straightener, Motohiro Hata – “Akari” MUSIC VIDEO

In the clear winter air, this is a song that lights a warm flame in the heart as you think of someone precious.

As the voices of Atsushi Horie and Motohiro Hata—each with their own distinct appeal—intertwine, you can feel the story gain a striking depth.

The gentle waltz rhythm mirrors the hurried steps on the way home, enveloping listeners in a tender mood.

Released in November 2017 as Straightener’s first collaborative single, it also drew attention for being featured in the winter campaign commercial for Nagasaki Huis Ten Bosch.

It was later included on the album “Future Soundtrack.” Give it a listen on those homeward walks in the season when we long for connection—when you want a quiet warmth to rest close to your heart.

Winter SongSHISHAMO

Winter Song

This song, performed by three girls who were still in high school and included on their self-produced album “Graduation Project,” captivates with a fragility that feels like the crisp clarity of winter air turned into sound.

Its protagonist is a girl with a one-sided crush, and the lyrics intertwine her feelings for someone out of reach with the season’s chill, evoking bittersweet memories many of us share.

Clean guitar arpeggios and the surging dynamics in the chorus create a deeply affecting finish.

The track was included on an album released in January 2013 and was later re-released alongside their major-label debut album “SHISHAMO.” Although it had no tie-in, it has steadily become a seasonal staple.

On a winter night, when you want to quietly reflect on your feelings of love alone, this song is sure to keep you company.

The snow is piercingly coldatarayo

Atarayo – Snow Pierces the Chill (Music Video)

Set against the crisp, piercing air of winter, this work paints a scene of the season’s first snowfall.

Released by Atarayo in December 2022, the song tenderly portrays the ache of memories with a loved one—recollections of the four seasons flashing back like falling snow.

Seasonal images—cherry blossom-lined streets, a seaside café, a field of cosmos—illuminate the feelings of a protagonist who, despite the pain of parting, tries to take a step forward with a faint hope in their heart.

The transparent vocals and arpeggio-driven arrangement delicately capture winter’s quiet and an introspective worldview.

Chosen as the ending theme for ABEMA’s “ABEMA Prime,” it is performed frequently in winter setlists.

On a clear winter night, it will stay close to you as you look back on the past while resolving to face forward.

Lost SheepChatto Monchī

Lost Sheep

Using Christmas-like motifs, it portrays a relationship in a deep freeze, stuck in a period of ennui.

Even though reason says “I’m done,” a single email that just says “thank you” brings you to tears—this contradictory feeling is captured with raw honesty in lyrics by Akiko Fukuoka.

The song was included as the B-side to the 2006 single “Shangri-La,” and can also be heard on the 2010 compilation Hyōjō .

Try listening to it alone on a cold night when your feelings for someone are wavering.

In that moment when you sway between bravado and your true feelings, it will surely stay by your side.

Around the time winter endsberii guddoman

Berry Good Man / Around When Winter Ends (Official Full Version)

A single ray of light offered in a frigid season, this song wraps gratitude born from farewell in a beautiful harmony.

It’s a track from the 2014 album “SING SING SING 2.” Standing on the seasonal boundary where snow turns to rain, it gently accepts a relationship that can never return, while expressing kindness in praying for the other person’s happiness “just as they are.” In 2015, it was chosen as an ending theme for TBS’s “Hiruobi!” and Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting’s “Dooo” among others, etching itself deeply into viewers’ winter memories across regions.

Though originally an indie-era song, it was included in a remastered version on a best-of album in 2018, and remains a staple that unites audiences at winter live shows.

For those trying to move forward while carrying a sense of loss, or when you need gentle words on a solitary night, let this one song by Benri Goodman be your companion.