Tear-jerking classic graduation songs! Recommended tracks for graduation movie BGM

Homeward Road in MarchHirai Dai

Dai Hirai / The Way Home in March (Lyric Video)

This is a memorable ballad that warmly depicts the scenery of graduation season.

With his gentle voice, Dai Hirai delicately sings about the subtle emotional sway that mixes joy and loneliness at the moment of departure.

Expressing the complex feelings that come with life’s milestones like advancing to a new stage or graduating, alongside the calm scenery of spring, the piece is also notable for its elegant arrangement of piano and strings.

Released digitally in February 2022, it is also included on the album “LOVE＋PEACE.” It is a song that resonates with the arrival of spring, offering comfort to those setting off into new environments and to those parting from cherished friends.

End and Beginningkariyushi 58

Kariyushi58 'The End Is the Beginning'

A message song that makes you want to ask yourself, just as the day is about to end, whether there’s anything left undone.

Created by Kariyushi58, a band beloved for their warm sound incorporating Okinawan scales, its lyrics sing of the irreplaceable beauty of everyday life.

Perfect for a graduation milestone, it brings deep emotion to a memory video reflecting on days spent with friends.

Although it was a coupling track to the single “Ame nochi Hare,” released in February 2010, it became widely familiar as the theme song for the Nippon TV show “Gyoretsu no Dekiru Horitsu Sodanjo.” It’s also included on the album “Mensore, Kariyushi,” and was featured in a commercial in 2024, cementing its status as a classic.

Choose this piece as the BGM for your cherished footage—one that gently reminds us that the time we spend with friends is not forever.

Youth PhotographLittle Glee Monster

[Little Glee Monster] Youth Photograph [Litoguri]

With a jazzy arrangement that creates a stylish and cheerful vibe, “Seishun Photograph” is a song released in 2015 by the vocal group Little Glee Monster.

Although its theme is “graduation,” it’s not a somber ballad; instead, it’s arranged to be lively and fun.

Since the title includes the word “Photograph,” it’s perfect for slideshows and the like.

It’s especially recommended when you want to play photos or videos that will make everyone smile!

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Yoimachi Jēn

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Futabaaimyon

Aimyon – Futaba [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This is Aimyon’s warm, encouraging song, woven from and embracing the real emotions of 18-year-olds.

Created based on message videos submitted by 1,000 young people from across Japan, it delicately depicts the unique anxieties and hopes of the transition into adulthood.

Written as the theme song for NHK’s project “Aimyon 18 Festival,” it was released digitally in March 2022.

Later, it was included as the opening track on the album “Hitomi e Ochiruyo Record,” marking it as an important number.

It’s a perfect song for those about to leap into the unknown, or for graduates who, while carrying a touch of loneliness, are determined to look forward.

Be sure to listen to this piece on your special day of new beginnings—you’ll find the courage to break out of your shell and move ahead.

Born on this planetGasshou Kyoku

[Chorus] Born on This Planet (Mixed Chorus in Three Parts)

A classic choral piece that celebrates the preciousness of life and hope, with a majestic melody that resonates in the heart, “Born on This Planet.” Composed by Ryuichi Sugimoto as the theme for NHK’s “Living Planet,” it was released to the world in August 1996 on the album “Born on This Planet: NHK ‘Living Planet’ Soundtrack 2.” Many people may remember this melody alongside the beautiful images on television.

Its themes—courage to pursue one’s dreams and gratitude for the miracle of meeting—make it perfect for graduation season.

If you’ve sung it at a choral competition or a graduation ceremony, the very first notes will bring those scenes flooding back, perhaps even moving you to tears.

It’s a deeply moving song, beloved across generations, that reaffirms the bonds with those you cherish.

YELLikimonogakari

YELL – Ikimono-gakari (Full)

Ikimonogakari’s 15th single, “YELL/Joyful,” was released in 2009.

In contrast to the bright and relentlessly energetic coupling track “Joyful,” “YELL” is a moving song that has become a staple graduation tune.

It was created as the set piece for NHK’s Nationwide School Music Competition, making it a perfect fit as a choral work as well.

Though its tone is subdued, it’s actually powerful—an uplifting song that points toward the future.

It also resonates beautifully as background music.

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utatane

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Letter ~To You at Fifteen~Anjura Aki

Angela Aki “Letter: To You, Fifteen” Music Video (HD)

Angela Aki’s eighth single, “Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~,” released in 2008, is a very famous number both as a graduation song and a moving, emotional song.

Have you ever written a letter to your future self, like for a time capsule? This song features touching lyrics that feel like an exchange between your present self writing to your future self, and your future self writing back to the younger you.

Paired with its beautiful piano melody, it’s also highly recommended as background music.

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utatane

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