Recommended breakup songs for high school students: classic and popular J-pop tracks

SNOW SOUND[Alexandros]

[Alexandros] – SNOW SOUND (MV)

Rather than a song about heartbreak itself, the lyrics portray the struggle to move on afterward, and that earnest resilience is so poignantly moving—making it a heartbreak song I’d recommend to high school students.

The vocalist, Yohei Kawakami, is also an artist whose fashion sense has made him a charismatic figure among high schoolers.

Hand in handkuriipuhaipe

CreepHyp – Hand in Hand

This is a song that makes you realize, after breaking up, the importance of the person who used to be by your side every day, and makes you remember how just holding hands was enough to make you happy—one I can’t listen to without tears.

It’s one of CreepHyp’s signature songs, a heartbreak tune that portrays the bittersweet feelings of a man thinking about the girlfriend he lost.

If I Hadn’t Met You ~Summer Snow Winter Flower~Aimer

Aimer - Had I Not Met You ~Summer Snow, Winter Flower~

Many people have experienced the feeling that if they had made a different decision back then, their present might have turned out differently.

In this song, that sentiment intertwines with the theme of heartbreak.

Notably, it does not dwell on regretting the past; instead, it carries a forward-looking nuance that suggests people can grow through the experience of a broken heart.

Things that have formShibasaki Kou

Ko Shibasaki – Something That Has Form

This is the song used as the theme for “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World,” and Kou Shibasaki’s steadfast, resonant voice is striking.

In a world where someone who had always been there is gone, when your heart feels lost, listening to this song gives you the strength to go on.

The season of farewellSHISHAMO

SHISHAMO “Season of Goodbyes”

These days, the songs covered by high school girls are almost all theirs—SHISHAMO has grown into artists who could be called the charismatic icons of high schoolers.

This is their bittersweet breakup song.

Its catchy melody pairs perfectly with the poignant lyrics themed around graduation, and I highly recommend it.

Love StoryAmuro Namie

Love Story – Namie Amuro (Full)

This song was a major hit and has been featured in multiple commercials, so many people have probably heard it at least once.

Although it’s a heartbreak song, the lyrics are marked by a strong determination to move forward beyond that experience.

The song was written as the theme for the TV drama “The Reason I Can’t Love.”

Happy Endingback number

back number – Happy End (full)

Produced in November 2016 as the theme song for the film “My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday,” this piece portrays the poignant feelings of a woman who has decided to part ways.

Though her love remains, she suffers because she must leave the person she cares for.

Inside, the pain makes her want to cry, yet she puts on a brave face and pretends to be fine with a smile.

These complex emotions are expressed with delicate nuance.

Written and composed by Iyori Shimizu and co-arranged with Takeshi Kobayashi, the song reached No.

3 on the Oricon weekly chart and was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

It is a song that deeply resonates with those who, despite the pain of heartbreak, are trying to move forward, and with anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear.