[Great Lyrics!!] Recommended Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs with Heartfelt, Moving Words [2026]

evening primroseNovelbright

Novelbright – Evening Primrose [Official Music Video]

Let us introduce Novelbright’s love ballad, whose heartrending piano melody seeps deep into your heart.

Released in December 2020, this song delicately portrays the feelings for days spent together and the pain of parting with someone precious.

Vocalist Yudai Takenaka’s soaring high notes stir the listener’s emotions.

In February 2021, it was featured in the weather segment of Fuji TV’s “Tokudane!” and the band also made a live appearance on the program.

The song was showcased on the YouTube channel THE FIRST TAKE, and its streaming plays have surpassed 300 million.

The music video features actress Yumi Wakatsuki, poignantly expressing shared moments and separation.

It’s a perfect track for those experiencing farewells with friends or lovers at graduation, or for anyone about to embark on a new path.

Its lyrics, which convey a bond that remains unbroken even when apart, are sure to bring you to tears.

Daphne (winter daphne)DISH//

DISH// – Sweet Daphne [Official Video]

DISH// is a four-member dance-rock band whose members all balance acting and music.

Their 14th single, “Jindai-ge” (Osmanthus), used as the theme song for the TV drama “The Winner in February: The Classroom of Guaranteed Success,” is a co-written number by vocalist Takumi Kitamura and Hattori from Macaroni Enpitsu.

Released digitally in October 2021 and on CD the following month, the song’s lyrics—about the happiness of having a place to return to and gratitude for those who have supported you—are deeply moving.

It has become a long-loved track, earning platinum certification with over 100 million streams.

While a mid-tempo rock ballad, its sound carries a marching-like forward drive that is especially compelling.

It’s a song that gently encourages not only graduates setting out on a new path, but everyone facing daily pressures.

About meMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE – About Me

A song produced as the official cheer anthem for the 97th All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.

Rather than irresponsibly telling people who are striving to “hang in there,” it carries a message that every single day is a miracle, including the experiences of broken dreams and discouragement.

It sensitively portrays the feelings of acknowledging differences between oneself and others and the resolve to move forward despite anxiety, leaving listeners with a refreshing, positive outlook—an ode to life.

In 2022, an orchestral arrangement was featured as the song for Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s Calorie Mate commercial, drawing renewed attention as a track that supports exam takers.

It’s a song we especially recommend to those marking the milestone of graduation or standing on the brink of a new challenge.

Youth PhotographLittle Glee Monster

[Little Glee Monster] Youth Photograph [Litoguri]

Little Glee Monster delivers the bittersweetness and hope of graduation with powerful harmonies.

Released in March 2015, this single vividly captures the moment of parting over a lively Motown beat.

The music video, produced with full cooperation from junior high and high schools in Tokyo, impressively features real school buildings and everyday scenes of students.

The lyrics express a tender affection for the ordinary days spent with friends and the complex feelings on the eve of stepping into adulthood.

Despite its bright sound, there are moments that suddenly tighten your chest.

In 2024, a lyric movie version included in the album “UNLOCK!” was also released, radiating a timeless charm that doesn’t fade with time.

It’s recommended not only for those with graduation ceremonies ahead, but for anyone who wants to remember those days.

Heralding springyama

yama – Harbinger of Spring (Official Video)

Despite its bright title, yama’s song, which portrays deep loneliness and inner conflict, truly resonates.

Set in late-night Tokyo, the image of a protagonist chasing dreams in a cramped room while confronting harsh realities mirrors the anxieties of anyone trying to take a new step forward.

Written and composed by Vocaloid producer Kujira, the track was released in April 2020 and gained explosive popularity, especially on social media.

By June 2022, it had surpassed 300 million streams and continues to be loved by many.

Its lyrics, where endings and beginnings intersect, are sure to strike a chord with those facing the milestone of graduation.

The resolve to say goodbye to familiar days and move forward—despite the uncertainty of an unseen future—gently gives listeners a push from behind.

Prologue.Yuika

Prologue. / “Yuika” [MV]

There are countless graduation songs themed around high school life, but Yuika’s work is filled with down-to-earth realism.

Released in March 2023 on the very day she graduated from high school, this track became a pivotal song announcing her return after roughly ten months on hiatus.

Everyday moments that everyone can relate to—like goofing around with friends in the classroom and the videos we filmed on our phones—are woven together with delicate wording.

The song was also featured as an insert track on ABEMA’s dating reality show “Koisuru ▼ Weekend Homestay 2023 Spring,” capturing the hearts of many teens.

Its uplifting message views graduation not as an “end,” but as a “beginning,” gently encouraging those about to take a new step forward.

It’s a song that brings not only tears, but also a sense of hope for the future.

End and Beginningkariyushi 58

Kariyushi58 'The End Is the Beginning'

There’s a song that resonates with the question of how to live each day.

Released by Kariyushi58 in February 2010 as the B-side to the single Ame nochi Hare, the track became widely known after being selected as the theme song for Nippon TV’s The Legal Counseling Show with a Long Queue.

It later drew renewed attention as the theme song for the TV Tokyo drama The Three Old Geezers 3: Allies of Justice, Once Again!!, and it continues to be loved more than a decade after its release.

Set to a warm sound that blends Okinawan scales with rock, its unadorned lyrics sing of the value of everyday life and of living without regrets—an approach that holds listeners firmly.

It’s a song we especially recommend to those stepping forward at graduation or to anyone wanting to express gratitude to cherished friends.