Hidden gem tearjerker songs. Recommended popular tracks

SAD SONGchanmina

Sad Song

An artist who captivates countless fans with her overwhelming vocal prowess and expressive power, Chanmina.

This song, quietly included only in the first limited edition of the album “Never Grow Up,” portrays the ache of realizing that even at the height of happiness, it won’t last forever.

Knowing the delicate backstory—that it was created in a six-tatami room—and the paradoxical feeling of being “so happy it hurts,” makes your chest tighten, doesn’t it? Originally a bonus track from an August 2019 release, it captured many hearts following its digital release in January 2025 and her performances on popular video platforms.

It’s a masterpiece that gently stays by your side on nights when time with someone precious feels both cherished and fleeting.

A rolling rock, morning falls upon youASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION 'Rolling Rock, Morning Falls Upon You'

The rock band ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s 2008 track “Rolling Stone, Morning Falls on You.” I remember being struck by its rather long title.

As for the song itself, it gives off the vibe of guitar rock with a calmer feel.

Unlike their signature song “Rewrite,” which spits out words with emotional intensity, the lyrics here are delivered slowly, almost as if in self-questioning, and that’s part of their appeal.

When you’re feeling down, I think it’s absolutely fine to draw strength from the rock music you listened to back then.

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Murakami Shinpei

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Promise in Madder Redikimonogakari

Ikimonogakari 'Akane-iro no Yakusoku' Music Video

It was released in 2007 as Ikimonogakari’s seventh single.

The song was used in a commercial for au’s “LISMO!” and is themed around weddings.

It was performed at vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka’s brother’s wedding, making it a moving number that resonates as a wedding song.

the same storyHanbaato Hanbaato

The Same Story / Humbert Humbert

Humbert Humbert is a married duo of Ryonari Sato and Yuho Sano.

Heavily influenced by folk songs of the ’60s and ’70s, the two perform with folk instruments such as acoustic guitar and fiddle.

Their signature song, “Onaji Hanashi” (“The Same Story”), is simple yet powerful, warm, and never without humor.

The way the song unfolds like a dialogue between a man and a woman is intriguing on its own, and it gently seeps into your heart as if you were reading a novel.

It’s a track that quietly keeps you company in everyday life and makes the ordinary just a little more beautiful.

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Murakami Shinpei

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The reason I was bornTakahashi Yuu

Yu Takahashi – “The Reason I Was Born” MV short ver.

It was released in 2016 as Yu Takahashi’s 14th major-label single.

The song was created in response to the marriage of a staff member who had worked with Takahashi since before his debut, and from the groom’s perspective it reflects on meeting people, marriage, the birth of life, and happiness.

setting sunToukyou Jihen

Rakujitsu -Dusk-

The third track on Tokyo Jihen’s 2005 single “Shuraba,” “Rakujitsu” (Setting Sun).

This is truly a hidden gem.

A gritty, hard-edged ballad sung by Ringo Sheena—at this point, she’s the only one who could deliver this song with that timbre.

It seems like a calm, slow-tempo piece at first, but as you’d expect from Tokyo Jihen, it unfurls a succession of dynamic contrasts, and with Sheena’s superb vocal technique, your emotions end up shaken before you know it.

It’s an intense ballad that hardly feels like a mere B-side.

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Murakami Shinpei

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Only by livingKiroro

Kiroro – Live to the Fullest (Music Video)

It was released in 2005 as Kiroro’s 15th single.

The song was used as the opening theme for the anime “Mushiking: The King of Beetles — Legend of the Forest People,” and it expresses gratitude to their parents—feelings the two members of Kiroro came to understand after getting married, becoming pregnant, and experiencing motherhood themselves.