Hidden gems of yami songs. Recommended popular tracks.
I put together a playlist of dark/“yami” songs from Japanese music.
They’re feelings you can’t tell anyone, but everyone has some abnormal emotions.
A lot of the lyrics are scary, but if you listen, I think many people will find them relatable.
It’s a collection of masterpieces that turn messy, irreconcilable emotions—things that can’t be wrapped up with pretty words—into song.
- [Melancholy] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces that depict various kinds of gloom.
- [Yami Song] A mental breakdown track that sings the true feelings of a melancholic heart
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
- [Trash Songs] A carefully curated selection of tracks about the lowest, worst kind of loser—and hidden gems!
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- A masterpiece that sings of loneliness. Recommended popular songs.
- Hidden gems among tear-jerker songs. Recommended popular tracks.
- A spine-chilling scary song: masterful tracks that evoke fear and eerie recommended songs
- Masterpieces that sing about loneliness: J-pop to listen to when you're alone
- [Songs to Listen to When You Want to Die] I want to disappear... A song to support you who feel that way
- A melancholic “yami” song that was a hit in the 2000s. A bittersweet track.
- Stalker’s Song: A Rhapsody of Twisted Love
Hidden gems of “yami songs.” Recommended popular tracks (1–10)
Delusional DiaryShido
A visual kei rock band formed in 2003.
“Mousou Nikki” (Delusion Diary) is a track included on their first album, released in 2004, and is loved as a live staple.
The lyrics depict a girl who is writing a diary of her delusions.
terrorKagamine Rin
I recommend listening to this when you’re having a hard time—when you’re sad, lonely, feeling down, or when nothing seems to be going right.
When the chorus hits, the tempo suddenly picks up and the pitch goes higher.
The rhythm really sticks in your head.
It feels like a song that puts your own emotions into music.
SayokoHatsune Miku
It’s a classic “depressing song.” I OD (overdose) and feel floaty, but the pain and loneliness won’t go away.
All my friends seem busy, and it doesn’t look like they have time to deal with someone like me.
Even if I complain, nothing changes and it doesn’t satisfy me.
That’s what the song is about.
Hidden gems of “yami songs.” Recommended popular tracks (11–20)
mentally unstable personMioyamazaki
Set to a heartrending melody, this song paints a portrait of the heart’s darkness.
Mio Yamazaki’s delicate vocals vividly express the feelings of loneliness and despair.
Included on their first mini-album, “The One Adults Said No To,” released in May 2015, the track has come to be widely known as one of the band’s signature songs.
You’ll likely find deep resonance in the protagonist, who wavers between the desire to be needed and understood by someone and the reality in which that wish goes unfulfilled.
It’s a soothing piece that offers solace to those who can’t find their own worth and to those troubled by love.
voiceAmano Tsukiko
It’s the theme song of the horror game Fatal Frame III: The Tormented.
From the intro, the heavy, brooding piano timbre instantly casts a dark mood, yet the lyrics—faithfully reflecting the game’s story—single-mindedly portray the longing to meet a lover who has passed away once more, resonating deeply in the heart.
Call of the Dungeonitō kanako
The opening theme of the game “ClaDun x2.” It starts with a dark mood right from the intro, but I think this track is fairly easy to listen to even for people who aren’t fond of gloomy songs.
The tone and lyrics are dark, yet it’s rich with fantasy elements, so it feels almost like listening to a fairy tale.
Cardiac DemocracyHatsune Miku Hatsune Miku
The chorus line “I was crying, only crying, in a world unseen by others” is striking, and the lyrics as a whole are wonderfully evocative.
It’s extremely popular, with many singers covering it, and it’s a cool, fast-paced classic of Vocaloid music.