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 special (11–20)
sunflowerAdo
Like sunflowers blooming toward the summer sun, the hope-filled lyrics resonate in the heart.
Ado’s powerful vocals vividly portray a figure growing straight and true.
Released in July 2023, this song captured many hearts as the theme for a TBS drama.
Miyuhan’s woven poetry and 40mP’s refreshing arrangement match exquisitely, gently coloring the scenes of summer.
While acknowledging one’s timid self, this work gives the courage to keep looking ahead and moving forward.
It’s recommended for those who want to take a new step or express gratitude to someone important.
FANTASYDef Tech
This track from Def Tech is absolutely perfect for summer.
Its breezy melody and comfortable rhythm evoke a Hawaiian vibe.
The lyrics portray summer memories and a longing for an ideal world, gently wrapping the listener’s heart.
Released on July 15, 2024, the song showcases an evolution in their musicality, skillfully incorporating elements of hip-hop and reggae to craft a distinctive sound.
It’s perfect for summer activities like driving or a beachside BBQ.
Listen with friends or a significant other, and it’s sure to become a wonderful memory.
Why not let Def Tech’s music add even more color and joy to your summer?
DESIREKato Miria
This is a song by Miliyah Kato that captures the irresistible sense of freedom of a summer romance.
It’s one of the tracks included on the double A-side single “DESIRE / BABY! BABY! BABY!” released in June 2011, and it was chosen as the opening theme for TV Tokyo’s music program DANCE@TV.
The lyrics beautifully link summer scenery with a rising feeling of love.
You can really feel the protagonist’s emotions accelerating in the sun and breeze.
As a danceable, up-tempo tune, it’s perfect for livening up summer drives and events.
GarnetOku Hanako
It’s a bittersweet yet beautiful song that sparkles deep in your heart like memories of a summer now gone.
Singer-songwriter Hanako Oku, known for moving listeners with her voice and keyboard accompaniment, delivers a piece that centers on the unwavering feelings symbolized by gemstones’ meanings, portraying the radiance of youth, the sorrow of inevitable parting, and how that sorrow transforms into hope that lights the future.
From everyday snapshots to subtle shifts of the heart, the lyrics are woven with care, as if tracing your own summer memories.
A tender, sweet-and-sour emotion spreads warmly through your chest.
Released as a single in July 2006, the song became the theme for the animated feature film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, leaving a deep impression on many hearts.
Revisit your cherished memories—and give it a listen.
The summer you gave meieiri reo
Some of you may have had the experience of a fleeting summer memory resurfacing so vividly it tightens your chest.
This work beautifully captures the memories of a bygone love, the accompanying heartache, and the complex feelings we hold as we grow into adulthood.
It’s a song by Leo Ieiri, a singer-songwriter from Fukuoka Prefecture, released in August 2015 as her 10th single.
It also drew attention as the theme song for the Fuji TV Monday 9 p.m.
drama Koinaka, starring Sota Fukushi and Tsubasa Honda.
On a night when you want to immerse yourself in sweet yet bittersweet memories, why not listen quietly on your own?
fireworksSandaime J Soul Brothsers
A love song that paints the night sky and overlays the fleeting glow that vanishes in an instant with traces of a bygone romance—its bittersweetness presses upon the heart.
Sung by Sandaime J Soul Brothers, this track emotionally portrays, from a woman’s perspective, the blaze of infatuation and the helpless feelings that follow after it ends.
Included on the single “0 ~ZERO~,” released in August 2012, it was used as the ending theme for TV Asahi’s “Onegai! Ranking.” If you’re carrying the pain of a broken heart, this song may gently stay by your side.
Summer songs with great lyrics. Summer tunes that make your memories even more special (21–30)
That gentle girlsupittsu
On a sunny summer day, be sure to give it a listen first thing in the morning.
It’s a song by Spitz, the popular band known for signature hits like “Sora mo Toberu Hazu” and “Cherry.” Released in 2019 as their 42nd single, it was used as the opening theme for the morning drama series Natsuzora.
Since the drama is set in Hokkaido, Ainu language is incorporated into the lyrics.
