Classic and popular ballad songs recommended for high school students

spring melancholyMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE – Spring Melancholy

Mrs.

GREEN APPLE delivers a deeply personal song written the day after a graduation ceremony.

It’s a heartwarming track that carefully weaves together the transience of youth and the preciousness of everyday life.

Set to a subtly wistful melody, it portrays time spent with friends in high school, the sadness of parting, and the difficulty of being honest with one’s feelings—beautifully capturing the complex emotions of adolescence that everyone experiences.

Released to the world in February 2018 as the B-side to the single “Love me, Love you,” it was also featured in a commercial for Suntory’s Craft Boss.

Embracing all who cherish everyday life, this work gently rekindles memories you want to keep tucked away in your heart.

It’s sure to resonate not only with high school students in the midst of their youth, but also with anyone who nostalgically looks back on their school days.

DarlingMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE "Darling" Official Music Video

A coming-of-age song that delivers the importance of embracing your true self on a refreshing melody.

The protagonist portrayed by Mrs.

GREEN APPLE carries a earnest resolve to keep looking forward while battling self-denial.

Gratitude and hope toward someone who accepts their true self gently envelop the listener, together with a melody that resonates in the heart.

Released in January 2025 as the theme song for NHK General’s special program “Mrs.

GREEN APPLE 18-sai-sai,” it was performed together with 1,000 members of the 18-year-old generation.

It’s a track recommended for moments when you want to face yourself with a gentle gaze, or when you want to share your feelings with someone important.

Dear Sir or Madam, on this day when cherry blossoms fluttermafumafu

[MV] Dear Sir/Madam, On This Day When Cherry Blossoms Flutter Down / Mafumafu [Shonen Janmaga Gakuen]

A heartwarming coming-of-age story by Mafumafu that vividly captures the emotion of spring as cherry blossoms dance in the air.

The song’s structure is striking, beginning with gentle piano melodies and unfolding into an exhilarating, fast-paced rhythm.

It delicately weaves universal themes of school-day memories, friendship, and farewells, highlighted by a warm vocal delivery that feels close to the listener’s heart.

Included on the album “Kagurairo Artifact,” released in October 2019, it was also used as the theme song for the website Shonen Janmaga Gakuen.

It’s a track to listen to when you want to feel the tender memories of student days, the arrival of spring, or when you’re going through a parting from someone important.

horizonback number

back number – Horizon

A gem of a ballad delivered by back number, a band that captures listeners’ hearts with poignant lyrics.

Beginning with a gentle piano melody, this song weaves a story about the pain of dreams and hopes suddenly collapsing, and the will to look forward and begin anew.

Many will find their own experiences reflected in the raw, urgent feelings—like a cry for one’s existence—born from unnoticed loneliness.

Created for high school students whose Inter-High was canceled, the song was released on YouTube in August 2020.

It’s a classic that quietly stays by your side when summer fun has passed and a faint loneliness sets in.

My BooShimizu Shota

Shota Shimizu 'My Boo' Short Ver.

This is a 2017 number by singer-songwriter Shota Shimizu, and it’s a romantic love song.

Mirei Toyama’s female-perspective answer song, “Dear My Boo,” is also super cute, so I recommend listening to them as a set!

Wish: To You Back ThenMirei Touyama

Mirei Touyama “Wish ~To You Back Then~”

This is a 2017 track by Mirei Toyama, a singer hugely popular among teens.

It’s a rearranged answer song to a track originally released by Dohzi-T in 2008, with the lyrics rewritten from a female perspective.

Be sure to listen to it alongside the original.

Promise of SunflowersHata Motohiro

Himawari no Yakusoku – Motohiro Hata (Full)

Released in 2014 as the 14th single, it has been used across many forms of media, including Toho’s 3DCG animated film STAND BY ME Doraemon.

The vocals have been highly praised by many musicians for being both gentle and powerful.

It became the artist’s biggest hit and significantly increased their recognition.