Summer songs with great lyrics. Tracks that make your summer memories even more wonderful.
Great lyrics enhance the tone and add even more color to a song, don’t they? Works that take a literary approach as well as a musical one often become classics.
This time, I focused my research on summer songs with outstanding lyrics! Of course, “good lyrics” can mean many things: lines that move you to tears, words that tug at your heart with bittersweet emotion, or lyrics that sparkle with a touch of humor.
From masterpieces that artfully paint summer scenes with words to one-summer love songs, we’ve got them all.
Be sure to find your favorite lyrics!
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Summer songs with great lyrics. Summer tunes to make your memories even better (71–80)
MagicMrs. GREEN APPLE
This one really amps up the excitement of “A long summer vacation—what should I do this year?!” It’s a track by the band Mrs.
GREEN APPLE, known for numerous hit songs like “Dancehall,” released as a single in 2023.
Chosen as the campaign song for Coca-Cola’s “Coke STUDIO,” it became a hot topic.
The dramatic sound pairs perfectly with vocalist Motoki Omori’s bright, clear singing.
Its exhilarating vibe is sure to fill your heart.
Song of PointillismMrs. GREEN APPLE
This song, with its piano timbre and beautiful vocal work, is “Tenbyō no Uta,” created by Mrs.
GREEN APPLE.
It was originally a collaboration featuring singer-songwriter Sonoko Inoue, and later a solo version by Inoue was also released.
Set at the end of summer, the lyrics portray a couple who think sincerely of each other, and many listeners are surely moved by the purity of their feelings.
At the same time, parts of the lyrics can be read as suggesting that their feelings might not be returned, or that the two may someday part ways, adding a touch of poignancy.
It’s a beautiful ballad perfect for late summer—be sure to listen while reading the lyrics.
Summer NudeMagokoro Burazāzu
“Summer Nude,” a classic summer song released in 1995 by Magokoro Brothers.
It’s been covered by numerous artists, and in 2013 a drama inspired by the song, “SUMMER NUDE,” aired and became a hot topic.
While the song doesn’t have the kind of mood you might associate with the word “bittersweet,” as you’ll notice when you listen to the lyrics, it’s actually quite a poignant, aching song.
It’s like being confronted with a harsh dose of reality just as summer is about to hit its peak.
It may be a track that especially resonates with men.
Great summer songs with superb lyrics. Summer tunes that make your memories even more wonderful (81–90)
Everyday, KachushaAKB48
This is a quintessential AKB48 song created by the golden duo: multi-creator and lyricist Yasushi Akimoto and hitmaker Yoshimasa Inoue, who has worked on numerous 48 Group hits.
Although it was released in 2011, the entire 48 Group still treasures and continues to sing this track.
Fans love it, too.
The lyrics, told from “my” perspective about feelings of first love for a girl who looks great in a headband, evoke the timeless, sparkling youth that never fades.
With Atsuko Maeda shining brilliantly as center, it’s a highly recommended summer song!
Ponytail and ScrunchieAKB48
AKB48 groups often hold large handshake events in the summer, and fans eagerly look forward to the summer singles released each year to hype up those events.
Nicknamed “Ponishu” by fans, this song is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at live shows! The lyrics, packed with the feelings of a boy with an unrequited crush on a girl with a ponytail, will make your heart flutter just by reading them.
The first-person “boku” sung by AKB48 always has a touch of bittersweetness, doesn’t it? If there’s a party full of girls, this is definitely a song you’ll want everyone to sing together!
ultra soulB’z
Just hearing the guitar intro makes me go “whoa!” and gets me pumped.
When I looked up the release year, it turned out to be 2001! Even though it’s from quite a while ago, it doesn’t feel dated at all.
It’s well-known as the theme song when the World Aquatics Championships are broadcast on TV Asahi.
The lyric “By winning and losing over and over, people can keep shining forever” feels like it fires you up before a competition or an important match.
And when the song title “ultra soul” is shouted at the end, it leaves you feeling refreshed! Give it a listen whenever you notice your energy’s running low!
Waiting for the windGRAPEVINE
When you feel like taking a breather from days that rush by, GRAPEVINE’s “Kazamachi” is just the thing.
Released in 2001, this song is perfect for those slightly sentimental summer moods.
Sometimes it seems like everyone else is living life better than you, or you find yourself looking back at the past, and people start to feel like a different species altogether.
Summer makes everything look lively and fast-moving, and your eyes can’t help but follow that pace, which can leave you feeling down or oddly out of sorts.
The song captures that hazy, hard-to-pin-down restlessness.
When not just your body but your heart feels tired, put this track on and cool down.
