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 that make your memories even more wonderful (151–160)
Trace that dreamYOASOBI
YOASOBI is a music duo that made a striking debut with their smash hit “Yoru ni Kakeru,” gaining popularity both in Japan and abroad, especially among younger listeners.
Their second digital-only single, “Ano Yume o Nazotte,” based on the novel The Droplet of a Dream and the Star Flower, later drew attention again when a ballad version was released.
Its liberating melody riding on a driving piano phrase feels perfect for coloring a summer road trip.
The lyrics, which make you want to head somewhere far away, lift your spirits—a refreshing pop tune through and through.
Summer Soulcero
“Summer Soul,” included on cero’s third album “obscure ride,” released in 2015 by the band from the Kakubarhythm label based in Tokyo! Their sound—drawing influences from funk, hip-hop, and a wide range of Black music—paired with bittersweet Japanese lyrics, perfectly suits a lazy summer afternoon.
It’s ideal chill-out music to play on a seaside drive with friends or a lover on your day off—highly recommended!
First NightYorushika
The song “Daiichi-ya” paints summer scenes with emotional depth, and its lyrics are sure to grip your heart.
Many listeners will likely relate to the way it recalls someone who’s no longer by your side, bringing that person to mind in various moments.
Those memories of someone you loved surface at unexpected points in everyday life.
With vocalist sui’s voice and the melody working together, the sense of longing swells even more—making this a ballad you’ll want to listen to on a summer night.
trumpet vineAndō Yūko
A masterpiece by Yuko Ando that you can’t listen to without tears.
From the opening that feels like a whispered conversation, the beauty of its metaphors and the way it frames each scene make this a wonderful ballad.
It’s performed as a simple piano-and-voice piece, which lets her vocals shine; her falsetto, in particular, seems to convey a delicate, fragile state of mind.
It’s a song I especially recommend to those who love literary lyrics.
Like a sail waiting for summerZARD
Let me introduce the gently embracing ballad “Like a Sail Waiting for Summer.” This song was written by ZARD and is also known as the theme song for the summer-set film Detective Conan: Strategy Above the Depths.
Its lyrics depict the hesitation to take that first step by likening it to a ship waiting for the wind.
However, it’s not a sad song; it leaves a refreshing impression.
The overall range is high, so if you want to showcase your vocals, give it a try.
She04 Limited Sazabys
She by 04 Limited Sazabys evokes that special summer of our youth spent with the childhood friend you loved.
The song was released as the third installment of KIRIN LEMON Tribute, a 2019 project by Kirin Lemon to unveil a new “Kirin Lemon Song.” The product name is seamlessly woven into this refreshingly vibrant track.
Sharing the same time, seeing the same scenery—those days were fun, yet the feelings were never confessed, and those happy times were left behind as summer memories.
Won’t you sing along to this song and set your own sweet-and-sour memories—ones that could rival that unforgettable summer’s Kirin Lemon—to music?
Summer songs with great lyrics. Summer tracks that make your memories even more wonderful (161–170)
Midsummer Planetchay
When it comes to songs that make you impatient for exciting summer events, “Midsummer Planet” is the one.
It was included on singer and fashion model chay’s 2017 album “chayTEA.” It’s an upbeat tune featuring rhythmic guitars and synth tones.
The lyrics, which depict a protagonist rising up after a heartbreaking breakup, are easy to relate to.
Its passionate message blows away melancholy.
Be sure to give this summer song a listen—it’s a perfect match for seaside and sandy beach scenes.
