Summer songs with great lyrics. Tracks that make your summer memories even more wonderful.

Fanfaresumika

sumika / Fanfare [Music Video]

A refreshing song that carries a powerful message about breaking through the darkness of night to welcome a new morning.

It’s striking how the protagonist, once shut inside their shell, musters the courage to take a step into the outside world.

Many listeners will likely feel encouraged by the resolve to overcome hardship and trials and meet a new self.

Released in August 2018, the track was used as the opening theme for the anime film “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.” It’s also included on the album “AMUSIC” and is known as one of sumika’s signature works.

A perfect song to listen to before heading out for warm-weather activities, and recommended for those moments when you need courage to try something new.

fireworksAdo

[Ado] Fireworks

Summer often carries a strong image of being fresh and fun, but as it draws to a close, there’s a certain indescribable sadness, isn’t there? The song “Hanabi” captures that unique, hard-to-put-into-words atmosphere of summer’s end.

It’s written and composed by the Vocaloid producer Kujira, and sung by Ado.

The scenery is depicted in novel-like detail, letting you dive into the story and enjoy it.

Though the melody jumps up and down dramatically, the slow tempo should make it relatively easy to sing.

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yamamoto

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Sama☆LoveAnge☆Reve

[Ange☆Reve] “Sama☆Love” (Short Ver.) [MV]

Even when we say “the lyrics are good” in a single phrase, there are many kinds—lyrics that are profound, lyrics you can relate to, and so on.

Ange☆Reve’s “Sama☆Love” is a summer song with good lyrics in the sense that it puts you in a fun mood.

It has that uniquely summery party vibe, and listening to it really lifts your spirits.

Definitely consider it as BGM for your summer parties.

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Saitō Ayumu

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Ghost of the SeaYonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Spirits of the Sea

What makes the view of a pitch-black summer night sea and the starlit sky above it even more dreamlike is Kenshi Yonezu’s “Umi no Yuurei” (“Spirits of the Sea”).

Released digitally in 2019, the song was chosen as the theme for the animated film Children of the Sea.

Yonezu’s crystalline falsetto evokes a mysterious world, and as you listen, you feel as if you’ve warped into another realm.

The lyrics convey fond memories of summer, along with the hope that “next year will bring more wonderful memories.” Summer passes in an instant, almost like a ghost, and this song captures the beauty of that unreal atmosphere.

As summer draws to a close, try singing it while layering it with your own cherished memories.

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SAKI

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summer festivalw-inds.

summer festival

The exhilaration of a summer festival and the sudden pangs of nostalgia—w-inds.

delivers those scenes through a beautiful melody.

In this song, the story unfolds from launching bamboo leaf boats on the hometown river to fireworks blossoming in the night sky.

The protagonist senses personal growth and a step toward their dreams in the fireworks, and a call from family reaffirms a warm bond.

Fresh yet somehow nostalgic tones richly color these scenes.

This heartwarming number is included on the single “LOVE IS THE GREATEST THING,” released in July 2007.

On summer evenings—when you want to linger in memories or think of someone dear—it will gently stay by your side.

Aoba Castle Love Songsatou muneyuki

Aoba Castle Love Song

This song, Masayuki Sato’s major-label debut, was released as a single in May 1978 and became a smash hit, selling over one million copies and earning him the New Artist Award at that year’s Japan Record Awards.

It vividly conjures images of Sendai’s beautiful cityscape and the flow of the Hirose River, and can be called a masterpiece that resonates deeply with listeners.

The lyrics portray the aching feelings of someone thinking of a loved one, leaving a poignant afterglow reminiscent of the quiet that follows a lively summer festival.

It was once used as the departure melody at JR Sendai Station, so many people may have heard it before.

If you enjoy lyrical songs that evoke the timeless scenery of Japan, or if you want to bask in gently nostalgic summer memories, this is a piece you should definitely listen to.

Midsummer OrionMorimoto Namua

Morimoto Namua – Midsummer Orion

On slightly grown-up summer nights, those bittersweet memories suddenly come rushing back.

Namua Morimoto captures such sentimental scenes beautifully through R&B sounds.

In the quiet after the bustle of a summer festival, under a beautiful night sky, budding feelings of love and fleeting thoughts—etched as if into the stars—tighten the chest.

As she herself has said, she created the piece “while feeling the sweet and fleeting climate of summer,” and the work is suffused with the moist atmosphere and nostalgia unique to summer nights.

Released as a digital single in July 2018, this is a labor of love for which she also wrote the lyrics and composed the music.

On long summer nights, when you want to sit quietly and sink into memories of a love that has passed, this one track may seep straight into your heart.