[Recommended for High School Students] New Graduation Songs & Classic Tearjerkers Collection

Gazing up, the sky is blueHata Motohiro

Motohiro Hata / Aogeba Aozora Music Video

In the season of departures, even when we part ways with classmates and teachers we’ve spent time with, there are feelings we don’t want to forget.

“Aogeba Aozora,” included on Motohiro Hata’s 2019 album Copernicus, is a song that gives us a chance to appreciate the time we shared.

Its lyrics gently remind us that farewells don’t signal an end, but a new beginning, leaving us with a tender, sentimental feeling.

Why not try singing it for classmates who are graduating, or for your teachers or your loved one?

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mutō

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spring sunlightKanapu × Kujira

[Suite] KAFU × Kujira #97 “Spring Sunlight” [Original MV]

Kaf’s gentle, translucent vocals seep warmly into the heart like spring sunlight in this song.

Born from a collaboration with Kujira, the track delicately portrays the many emotions that overflow in moments of graduation and parting.

Carried by a light, spring-breeze melody, it weaves together fond memories, gratitude, and the anticipation of a new beginning.

Released in March 2022, this piece brims with a kindness that stays close to you with the arrival of spring and gives you a gentle push forward.

It’s a heartwarming song that we hope everyone facing a life transition—not just those in the graduation season—will listen to.

Because we’re friends.Ochiai Wataru

Wataru Ochiai – Because We’re Friends (Music Video)

A song by Wataru Ochiai that focuses on feelings of parting and friendship.

It was released digitally in February 2022.

While looking back on school-day memories and the fun times with friends, it’s filled with the loneliness of saying goodbye and the hope of dreaming about the day you’ll meet again.

With friendly lyrics in the Osaka dialect, it gently embraces memories with friends and the anxieties about what lies ahead.

Centered on days spent in school uniforms and memories of laughing and crying together, it’s a song that will surely make you feel stronger when everyone sings it together.

If it played at a graduation ceremony, it would be a track that lets you feel your connection with your friends.

cherry blossomKALMA

KALMA – Sakura (Music Video)

This is a song that gently accompanies those taking a new step forward with the arrival of spring.

The melodies woven by the three members of KALMA vividly paint the scenes of the cherry-blossom season.

Like petals drifting and swirling in the breeze, it tenderly embraces the emotions where the sadness of parting intersects with the excitement of new encounters.

Released in February 2021, this work gives a gentle push to not only those finishing their high school days but also anyone feeling anxious before a fresh start.

It’s perfect as background music for graduation ceremonies and farewell parties, as well as for everyday moments when you sense the coming of spring.

Along with memories that linger in the heart, it will etch a hopeful future into your chest.

Graduation SongHUNGRY DAYS

HUNGRY DAYS Graduation Song

HUNGRY DAYS was a band that won overwhelming support from teenagers with their straightforward lyrics and melodies, but sadly disbanded in 2006.

In 2005, while they were actually seniors at an Osaka prefectural high school, the members created this graduation song, pouring in their true-to-life feelings.

Its unpretentious, honest message, paired with a catchy melody and powerful sound, lands straight in the heart.

It’s an anthem to youth that assures us our irreplaceable memories of those days will never be forgotten, and will continue to shine deep within us forever.

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hiyori

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When the cherry blossoms bloomPLAYEST

Best graduation song 'When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom' NPV! PLAYEST

PLAYEST’s “Sakura Saku Koro” is a song that lets you express gratitude to friends with whom you’ve made many memories.

It’s included on the 2013 album “one’s life time.” The lyrics trace the day you met your friends, the days you spent together, and the day you parted, and as you sing, your own memories naturally come flooding back.

When being together becomes too natural—and with a bit of shyness—it’s hard to express thanks to friends in everyday life.

But on graduation day, try singing this song together and create a moment where you can all share your appreciation with one another.

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SAKI

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oneselfTani Yuuki

My True Self – Tani Yuuki [MV]

In March 2020, he posted just a single phrase on TikTok, in May he uploaded a full song to YouTube, and by July he had released his debut single—Tani Yuuki seems to be rocketing up a modern-day Cinderella story.

Here is his youth-filled track, “Jibun Jishin” (“Myself”).

The lyrics feel like they’re cheering on high schoolers at graduation: “You’re probably too scared to face your own weakness to really look at it, but if you can get past that, you’ll become an adult too.” In the near future, these words will surely give you courage and, at times, a gentle push forward.

Among the many graduation songs out there, this is a track that’s certain to linger in everyone’s hearts.