[Must read] Songs with great lyrics. Moving songs you’ll want to listen to while reading the lyrics

DancerFukkun:)Tatsuki Fukuda
Primarily active in Tokyo, I have experience as a backup dancer for artists, a music video dancer, and a commercial dancer. I continue to work as a dancer while also engaging in article production. After discovering Michael Jackson in junior high school, I began dancing in my second year of high school. Since starting dance, in addition to the J-Pop and Japanese rock I had been listening to, I began exploring Western R&B, rap, alternative music, and other tracks commonly used for dance. In elementary school, I spent three years in a choir, and because I love singing, I often go to karaoke for fun. These days, I enjoy a wide range of music, from Japanese rock and rap to K-pop.
POPS writer/editorKEI
Since discovering music during my school days, I’ve mainly listened to Japanese and Korean pop. I have experience writing articles for sites like Utaten. 2000s J-pop and 2010s K-pop were especially the soundtrack of my youth. With the mindset that “good is good,” I enjoy music across genres. Thanks to past work environments and their influence, I was exposed to lots of classic rock and kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs), which may have broadened the scope of what I love. At RAG MUSIC, I currently focus on K-pop and J-pop. I strive to edit with a feel for the scene and an eye for hit potential.

From among the many masterpieces Japan is proud of, we’ve carefully selected songs with outstanding lyrics to introduce to you.

We’ve gathered “once-heard-never-forgotten” message songs that speak straight to the heart, ranging from universally acclaimed classics to the latest hits.

If you’re looking to listen to music that will make you cry, move you, or lift your spirits—or songs that might even influence your life—these picks are perfect.

Please give them a listen.

I believe you’ll find songs that will stay by your side, encourage you, and become a source of emotional support when times are tough.

[Must-Read] Songs with Great Lyrics: Moving Tracks You’ll Want to Listen to While Reading the Lyrics (61–70)

day by dayYoshida Yamada

Hibi / Yoshida Yamada [MUSIC VIDEO]

day by dayYoshida Yamada

This is “Hibi” by Yoshida Yamada, a song told like a story centered on the grandparents’ life in the present.

It’s well known as a tear-jerker, a moving piece.

It portrays a slightly quirky, stubborn grandfather and the grandmother who stays by his side.

Packed with tenderness, it’s a song that makes you want to go see your grandpa and grandma right away.

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A bouquet of flowers with loveSuperfly

Superfly “A Bouquet With Love” Music Video

A bouquet of flowers with loveSuperfly

A single released by Superfly in 2008.

Carried by Shiho Ochi’s powerful vocals, it unfolds movingly with the joy of finding a place where the heart can return.

After taking many detours, getting hurt, and still moving forward, it sings grandly of a love found with one’s dearest person.

It also feels like an encouraging song that lifts your spirits, reminding you that everyone will surely meet someone special.

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IHoshino Gen

Gen Hoshino – Watashi [Official Video]

IHoshino Gen

A folk song of exceptionally high purity in both arrangement and lyrics by Gen Hoshino, an artist who, after the 2010s, gained cross-generational support and broke beyond the bounds of pop musicianship.

The latter half of the 2010s could be described as an era of division, and this song’s appeal lies in lyrics that gently nudge you forward—not with harsh expressions, but with unadorned, kind words—against an aggressive, unforgiving, and difficult world.

It lets you fully savor the unique turns of phrase only he can deliver, and when you’re worn out, you might find comfort in its warm words that offer modest courage and hope.

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Spring Dayaimyon

Aimyon – Harunohi [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

Spring Dayaimyon

When it comes to distilling the unadorned breaths and atmospheres of everyday life into words without embellishment, isn’t it fair to say no one surpasses her? The lyrics, which strike a perfect balance between vivid, scene-painting descriptions and unpretentious feelings for “you,” sketch a modest happiness between two people—something perhaps only she could capture.

Moreover, as it served as the theme song for the 2019 film Crayon Shin-chan: Honeymoon Hurricane ~The Lost Hiroshi~, it weaves in expressions that evoke the Nohara family, the main characters of Crayon Shin-chan, making it an ideal track for savoring her unfathomable expressive power.

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Ms. Hanako on a high pedestalback number

Back Number – Hanako-san on a High Pedestal

Ms. Hanako on a high pedestalback number

When it comes to love songs, you simply can’t leave out back number.

Their song “Takane no Hanako-san” is the band’s eighth single, released in 2013.

It’s an unrequited love song, but it’s filled with an adorably earnest male perspective that makes you want to root for him.

The lyrics feel very real—rather than being purely heartbreaking, the daydreams and “we’ve all been there” moments of a crush are a little chuckle-worthy yet still resonate deeply.

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