Here are some classic and popular sad songs recommended by our studio staff for your karaoke picks.
This is a sorrowful playlist whose heartrending melodies will capture the listener’s heart.
- Classic and popular love songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke
- Heal your heart with love ballads: A collection of pure love and heartbreak songs.
- Popular songs that are easy to sing at karaoke. Recommended classics and hit songs.
- [I want to sing out loud] Songs that feel great to belt and are fun for karaoke
- Bittersweet songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: recommended masterpieces and popular tracks
- Classic and popular karaoke songs to sing when you’re feeling lonely
- Tear-jerking songs I want to sing at karaoke
- Breakup songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke. Heart-healing songs about parting ways.
- A ballad that will definitely make you cry at karaoke
- [Karaoke] Classic and Popular Ballad Songs You’ll Want to Sing at Karaoke
- Breakup songs that are easy to sing at karaoke. Recommended classics and popular hits.
- A masterpiece that sings of loneliness. Recommended popular songs.
- A poignant ballad song. A tear-jerking masterpiece of Japanese pop music.
Sad songs I want to sing at karaoke (1–10)
NAOHY
This work, which vividly portrays the pain of unrequited and unattainable love, is a ballad that brings listeners to tears.
The lyrics are based on the real-life experience of vocalist Izumi Nakasone’s close friend, and the aching feeling of not being noticed by the one you love comes through painfully clearly.
Included on the album “Confidence,” released in April 2006, it’s a timeless classic that has long been cherished by many fans.
It is also featured on the best-of album “STORY ~HY BEST~,” and has become established as a signature heartbreak song by HY.
Set to a piano accompaniment that lets you sing your heart out, it’s perfect for those times when you want a good cry to feel refreshed.
If there’s someone you just can’t forget, why not sing this song at karaoke and let all your feelings out?
me me sheRADWIMPS
A ballad by the rock band RADWIMPS whose aching melody and candid lyrics pierce the heart.
The title is read as “Memeshii,” and it portrays a complex state of mind where lingering attachment to an ex and a self-centered kind of love are intertwined.
Many listeners will likely relate to the contradictory feelings of acknowledging one’s own weakness as “memeshii” while still wishing happiness for the other person.
Included on the classic 2006 album RADWIMPS 4 ~Okazu no Gohan~, it’s not a single, yet it has remained beloved for years.
When you want to let your overflowing emotions out through song, or sink fully into the pain of heartbreak at night, try singing it at karaoke—you might find your heart feels a little lighter.
Song of the Eternal NightKami wa saikoro o furanai
On sleepless nights, I suddenly remember someone precious who’s no longer by my side.
This is a tear-jerking rock ballad that sings of a heartbreak so intense it feels like your chest might burst.
It’s a work by the Fukuoka-born band God Doesn’t Roll Dice, included on their mini-album “A View on Lambda,” released in May 2019.
Starting with an intro that feels like turning back the hands of a clock, it builds to a dramatic chorus where emotions spill over all at once, sending shivers through your heart.
It also served as the theme song for the film “Little Subculture Wars: The Rebellion of Village Vanguard!” released in October 2020.
It’s a song that gently stays with you on nights when you can’t let go of a love you can’t forget, or when you want to sing your heart out and cry at karaoke.
nape (of the neck)aiko
Opening with the sound of a beautiful piano, this is a supreme ballad from aiko.
The lyrics delicately trace lingering feelings for a past lover and memories that don’t fade even as the seasons turn, gently comforting hearts fresh from heartbreak.
While accepting the breakup, the earnest wish to meet again in a few years with a smile is a message that’s sure to tug at anyone’s heart.
Released in November 2003, this song was a lead single from the acclaimed album “Akatsuki no Love Letter” and was also performed at the 54th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
It’s a piece that suits the quiet winter air—on nights when you want to cleanse your sadness, try singing it out and letting your overflowing emotions flow with it.
I forget you, who are so quiet, in October.aratayo
There’s a bittersweet breakup song that you find yourself humming when you feel that somewhat melancholic air of the season.
Created by Atarayo, known as a “band that grows by feeding on sorrow,” this piece features vocalist Hitomi delivering an emotional performance that lays bare the lingering attachment and pain of a relationship coming to an end.
When the music video was released in November 2020, it quickly resonated across social media, becoming a hit with over 100 million total views for related videos on TikTok.
It was also selected as the theme song for the ABEMA drama “The Night I Became a Beast,” tightening our chests with its dramatic progression and lyrical worldview.
If you let your emotions flow and sing it out at karaoke, it might help you let go of a bit of the heartache of a breakup.
Choose this song when you want to let the tears stored in your heart flow.
Tearful KissSazan Ōrusutāzu
A heartbreaking farewell song with a constricting, bittersweet melody and Keisuke Kuwata’s wistful vocals that pierce the heart.
You can keenly feel the protagonist’s helpless emotions as they sense an impending breakup yet can’t let go of their lingering attachment.
The lyrics, written entirely in Japanese with great care, are filled with straightforward words that resonate deeply—so much so that if you’ve just had your heart broken, you may not be able to listen without tears.
Released as a single in July 1992, it’s also famous as the theme song for the drama “I’ve Always Loved You,” which became a social phenomenon.
It became Southern All Stars’ first million-selling record and continues to be loved by many to this day.
It’s a masterpiece that offers healing—belt it out at karaoke with all your emotions, and it feels like the tears will wash away the sadness along with them.
Lingering Snowiruka
Iruka’s song “Nagori Yuki,” long cherished as a classic in Japan.
Released in 1974, it’s rooted in the then-popular folk music genre, and while it’s moving, it retains a certain folk-like poignancy.
It was originally a Kaguyahime song, but many people are probably more familiar with Iruka’s cover.
The song’s vocal range is relatively narrow, from mid1 D to mid2 G.
With the highest note at mid2 G, few should find it difficult to sing in the original key.
The A verse is somewhat spoken in style, so there are slightly fewer breakpoints, but as long as you don’t push your voice too hard, it shouldn’t be a problem.
