Recommended ballads for men: classic songs about love, encouragement, and youth.

Midnight ExpresswayFurawā Kanpanī

Flower Companyz “Midnight Highway (25th Anniversary Mix)”

A youthful rock anthem brimming with momentum and emotion, painting a grand portrait of life.

Powerfully delivered by The Flower Companyz, this song radiates a warmth that lights a ray of hope in an uncertain life.

Released in September 2004 as a track on the classic album “Setagaya Yoake Mae” (Before Dawn in Setagaya), it has continued to resonate closely with many hearts.

When you stand at a crossroads, when you feel anxious about the future, and for all who are doing their best to live in the present, this is an encouraging song that will gently push you forward.

roomshaitoopu

Shayteop - Room (Official Music Video)

This is a rock ballad that portrays someone spending the night alone in their room, thinking about an ex.

Released in June 2022 by Shytope, a three-piece band from Kyoto, the song was later included on the album Hors d’oeuvre.

Because Sō Sasaki, who wrote both the lyrics and music, drew from his own heartbreak, the raw, regret-laden words are deeply affecting.

On nights when unattainable wishes circle in your mind, listening to this track might move you to tears.

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.

Gray and Blue (+Masaki Suda)Yonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Gray and Blue (+Masaki Suda)

This is a song by Kenshi Yonezu that drew huge attention through a collaboration with Masaki Suda, who also radiates overwhelming presence as an actor.

The track is included on Yonezu’s fourth album, “BOOTLEG,” released in November 2017.

Looking back on the bygone days of youth, this slightly sentimental piece is perfect for long autumn nights when the clamor of summer has subsided.

It depicts a yearning for those radiant “blue” days and the struggle of living in a “gray” reality, with the poignant feeling of missing an old friend you can no longer see conveyed through their two voices.

It’s a heart-tugging song that, when you listen to it as you recall happier times and feel a bit lonely, seems to awaken emotions tucked away deep in your heart.

CITRUSDa-iCE

Da-iCE / “CITRUS” (Theme song for the Nippon TV Sunday drama “The Way of the Househusband”) Lyric Video

A gem of a ballad that can be called one of Da-iCE’s signature songs.

The lyrics, which convey that small, often overlooked moments of happiness, kindness, and love are close at hand, leave a strong impression.

Released on November 25, 2020 as the theme song for the drama “The Way of the Househusband,” it created a huge buzz, even winning the 63rd Japan Record Award.

Its total streaming plays have surpassed 100 million.

It’s a song that will truly resonate when you want to take a step toward mastering the path you believe in or when you need a positive boost.

This work is packed with a new side of Da-iCE—be sure to give it a listen.

Dried flowersYuuri

Yuuri “Dry Flower” Official Music Video (Short ver.)

Yuuri, the singer-songwriter who made a huge breakthrough with “Kakurenbo,” wrote this song from the perspective of the woman who appears in the lyrics of “Kakurenbo.” If you know the story told in those lyrics, it’s sure to move you even more deeply.

It’s a heartbreaking tale—not that they fell out of love, but that they just couldn’t make it work together—and it’s guaranteed to bring tears.

The melody and Yuuri’s voice are both stunning, further coloring that bittersweet story.

It’s the kind of love ballad you can belt out with all your heart.

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Hane Keisuke

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Ikuriipuhaipe

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This track is a newly produced song based on “Douse, Ai da,” which we created in collaboration with rapper Sorane.

Whereas the previous work leaned heavily into hip-hop elements, this one shifts into a gentle, heartfelt ballad.

We also trimmed detailed story descriptions to focus more on the feeling of love, making it easier to relate to.

And since there’s no rap section, it’s easier to sing at karaoke.

Alternatively, you could practice both and perform them back-to-back.

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yamamoto

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