A farewell song for a dear friend—an uplifting graduation song that conveys heartfelt gratitude.
Graduation season is exciting as you set off for a new environment, but it also leaves you feeling a bit sentimental about parting with friends.
Even though you know in your head that graduation doesn’t mean saying goodbye forever, it’s natural to feel lonely or anxious.
In this article, we introduce songs that capture the many feelings you have for the friends you’ve always shared fun times with.
We’ve gathered plenty of heartfelt graduation friendship songs that are perfect for telling your friends, “We’ll always be friends even if we’re apart,” and for expressing your gratitude for everything up to now.
Be sure to find your favorite track and send it to your friends.
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A farewell song to give a cherished friend: Graduation songs that convey gratitude (41–50)
treasurewacci
It’s a cheering song that gently affirms the anxiety and impatience you feel while pursuing your dreams, yet also the strong will not to give up.
Included on the album “Kanjō Hyakkei,” released in August 2017, this track features a warm band sound whose words and melody reach straight to the heart.
It became a hot topic when Miho Takagi of speed skating listened to it as her pump-up song during the Pyeongchang Olympics in February 2018, and it spread as a song that gives many people a push forward.
True to wacci’s style, its everyday, empathetic message makes it perfect to give to a friend setting out on a new path at graduation or to teammates who have overcome frustration in their club activities.
It’s a song that helps you reaffirm the “precious things” that will support you in the life ahead.
Ultramarine HymnEVE
Eve’s “Gunjou Sanka” is a heartwarming song perfectly suited to the milestone of graduation.
The refreshing, guitar-driven intro is pleasant to the ear, and the powerful lyrics that renew your resolve to keep moving forward convey gratitude and encouragement to friends as you part ways.
When it was released in 2021, many graduates found strength in this song and were inspired to take a hopeful step into the future.
Believing in friendships bound by strong ties even across distance, send this song from Eve with heartfelt thanks.
When your emotions overflow and you can’t find the right words for your friends, this track makes the perfect gift.
A Bouquet for YouUtada Hikaru
This is a ballad imbued with a warm message that gently accompanies the season of partings.
It paints a bittersweet yet beautiful scene of entrusting gratitude to a loved one and an inexpressible love to a “bouquet,” and offering it as a gift.
Released digitally in April 2016 as Hikaru Utada’s comeback work, it became familiar as the theme song for the NHK morning drama series Totto-chan.
It resonated with those who had long awaited her return, earning high acclaim, including the Excellence Award at the 58th Japan Record Awards that year.
It’s perfect for moments like graduation ceremonies when you want to express thanks to teachers and friends.
This piece, which gently nudges you forward on a new path, will add color to a special day when you bid farewell with smiles through tears.
companion; comrade; friend; fellow; teammate; allyKetsumeishi
For students, a new chapter of life begins the moment they graduate.
Some friends may leave their hometowns and set out alone for places they’ve never known.
For friends like that, I’d love for you to gift them Ketsumeishi’s “Nakama” (“Friends”).
When you’re caught between anxiety and hope—and the friends who’ve supported you so far are no longer nearby—it can be really tough.
But when you listen to “Nakama,” the faces of those friends who keep cheering you on come to mind.
Send this song, which teaches the true meaning of “nakama,” and let it convey the message: I’ll always be on your side.
It’s okayji ma ma
Many of you probably remember that gentle singing voice from the commercial! This song by jimama, a singer-songwriter from Okinawa, is a warm ballad that seems to wrap listeners’ anxieties in comfort.
The words, inspired by “the precious person who always supports you,” resonate deeply with hearts facing graduation or a new departure.
Released as a single in April 2009, it was featured in a Taiyo Yakuhin Kogyo TV commercial at the time and played in living rooms across the country.
It topped the charts in Okinawa and was rediscovered after a 2014 TV appearance, remaining a beloved classic.
It’s also included on the album “BEST OF jimama ~Kimi ni Okuru Uta~.” As spring brings changes, it’s perfect for friends who are feeling anxious.
Rather than forcing encouragement, it’s filled with a gentle presence that simply stays by your side—sing it at a farewell party or karaoke, and the whole room is sure to be wrapped in a warm atmosphere!
Don’t Worry My FriendHEY-SMITH
If you’re looking for a song to give to a friend when you’re going your separate ways, how about “Don’t Worry My Friend” by HEY-SMITH? Its hard-hitting sound will strengthen your resolve, and the refreshing melody will put a spring in your step.
The lyrics are filled with the desire to encourage a friend, making it the perfect cheer song for someone who’s about to walk a different path.
And if you feel shy about expressing your feelings directly, the fact that the lyrics are in English makes it easier to convey your message naturally.
Loved oneFOMARE
This song by FOMARE, a rock band from Takasaki, Gunma, channels their overflowing feelings for the places and people they love in a straightforward way.
With a driving band sound, it powerfully sings of the preciousness of everyday life we once took for granted and of bonds that remain unchanged even when we’re apart.
Released in June 2021 and later placed as the opening track on the album “midori,” the song also drew attention as the CM song for Universal Studios Japan’s “Uniharu 2022.” It’s a perfect track for graduates who want to express gratitude to friends, teammates, and the places that supported them.
As listeners leave their familiar days behind and step into a new world, the song offers a warm cheer to gently push them forward.