A famous song about setbacks. A song that stays by your side when times are tough or you feel like giving up.
While living, there are happy moments, but there are surely many times when we feel crushed, too.
I researched songs about the theme of setbacks—ones that can give you encouragement.
Rather than songs that just say “Keep it bright and push through!”, I mainly picked tracks that stay close to those frustrating feelings during a setback and the tough times.
So when nothing seems to be going right, please give them a listen.
May setbacks become the seeds of success.
I’m sure music will give you plenty of strength!
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Masterpieces that sing of setbacks: songs that stay by your side in tough times or when you feel like giving up (71–80).
Where does our sorrow go?Harukamirai
Harukamirai’s soul-stirring cries, rooted in their unique worldview, strike straight to the heart.
While reflecting the anxieties and chaos of society, the song carries a strong will to keep moving forward and a desire to protect cherished companions.
Conveying the importance of holding on to hope even amid struggle, this work fuses punk rock with emotional elements to deliver a powerful sound that shakes the listener.
Included on the album “Living Is About Holding Onto a Hope as Small as a Booger,” released in February 2025, it marks a new frontier for a band with a track record that includes theme and insert songs for the film “Rin.” This is a message song that resonates with everyone who, despite feeling loneliness and anxiety, still wants to face forward and live.
MindsetKamikita Ken
A ballad that evokes deep empathy, woven from tranquil acoustic guitar and delicate vocals.
In this piece, Ken Kamikita turns inward, expressing the emotions and conflicts that lie deep within his heart.
It portrays a heartfelt plea to have one’s existence acknowledged, the anxiety and confusion of searching for the meaning of life, and the complex state of finding a kind of solace in the world’s indifference.
Released in April 2017 on the mini-album “LAYERED” and unveiled alongside a concept book, the work drew attention as an ambitious project that fused music and literature.
When you face hardship and feel on the verge of losing your sense of purpose, this song will stay close to your heart and give you the courage to confront yourself.
AnswerIkuta Rira
Lila Ikuta delivers a heartwarming medium-tempo ballad that gently stays close to the anxieties and uncertainties of one’s future.
Amid a grand, dramatic arrangement, its warm melody stands out—offering the courage to take a step forward toward tomorrow while facing loneliness and pain.
It’s an encouraging song that softly nudges those who are unsure of their path.
Released in March 2021, the piece was also featured as the CM song for Tokio Marine Nichido Anshin Life’s “Disability Income Insurance,” resonating with many listeners.
It’s a moving, tear-evoking track we hope those searching for their own way, or spending days without clear answers, will hear.
A masterpiece that sings of setbacks. Songs that stay by your side in tough times or when you feel like giving up (81–90)
Why Don’t You Play in Hell?Hoshino Gen
This is a celebrated masterpiece by Gen Hoshino, praised as a soul-baring song that candidly voices profound despair and loneliness.
Born from his time battling illness in a hospital room, the piece powerfully portrays a person struggling on in the face of hopeless circumstances.
Though a pop song, its sophisticated arrangement deftly weaves in elements of jazz and funk, brilliantly expressing emotions swaying between life and death.
Released in October 2013, it was created as a movie’s theme song and carries Hoshino’s earnest feelings as he awaited surgery.
The grand soundscape, adorned with lavish strings and a horn section, conveys a fierce will to claw one’s way back from the brink of despair.
It’s a track you should listen to when you’re exhausted by life and on the verge of breaking.
It will surely resonate with anyone who, even while confronting harsh realities, still strives to look ahead and keep moving forward.
BOW AND ARROWYonezu Kenshi
A new song by Kenshi Yonezu written as the opening theme for the TV anime “Medalist.” The protagonists, who push forward without fearing failure, are depicted with powerful imagery likening them to a bow and arrow.
The story of companions who overcome setbacks and strive to regain their brilliance on the ice is deeply moving.
Released as a digital-only single in January 2025, the piece was written and composed by Kenshi Yonezu himself, who also created the cover illustration.
It’s a song that stays by your side at life’s turning points—when you’ve worked hard yet can’t find confidence and feel like breaking—and gives you a gentle push forward.
It’s fine for now.MIMI
A ballad whose beautiful, heartrending melody and striking piano sound gently stay by your side.
Wrapped in a warm, tender tune, it sings as if offering a quiet hand to someone weary of putting on a brave face.
There are nights when we can’t sleep, unable to accept our failures, setbacks, or our own frailty.
This song encourages you to keep moving forward at your own pace, embracing even past tears as cherished memories.
Released as a single in December 2022, it is also included on the album “When I Embrace the Night.” out in March 2025.
It’s a song to listen to softly when you’re hurting or feel like you’re trying too hard on your own.
Until your night breaks (into dawn)Kasamura Tōta
A song by Tōta Kasamura that begins by questioning a broken or misguided world.
It’s a ballad notable for its gentle, delicate piano melody and its wistful sound arrangement.
The lyrics portray the protagonist’s strong determination to overcome parting from a loved one, lost time, and the pain of that loss.
Included on the February 2021 album How to Become a Wonderful Adult, this track is also known as a counterpart to “Lily of the Endless Night.” Accompanied by a beautiful melody like waiting for dawn, it tenderly weaves a state of mind that seeks a glimmer of hope even amid deep despair—a song that stays close to you in dark times.