Bittersweet songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: recommended masterpieces and popular tracks
While it’s great fun to sing crowd-pleasers that get everyone hyped at karaoke, it can be just as nice to connect over a poignant, melancholic ballad.
So this time, we’ll introduce a selection of bittersweet songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke all at once!
Unlike upbeat tracks that amp up the energy, melancholic ballads tend to be slower in tempo and feature lots of long sustained notes.
That’s why they feel so good to sing!
And above all, many of these songs invite you to empathize with the lyrics and pour your emotions into them, so you’re sure to bond and get excited with the people you’re with through that shared connection to the music.
Let’s dive in.
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Heart-wrenching songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (31–40)
See you againSEAMO
This is the fourth single by rapper and singer-songwriter SEAMO, released on April 5, 2006.
It’s a breakup song that expresses a man’s feelings after a love he thought would last forever comes to an end, and how he can’t simply forget it so easily.
The track is a medium-tempo piece that incorporates rap.
Time goes byEvery Little Thing
Released on February 11, 1998, this is Every Little Thing’s best-selling single.
It’s a slow-tempo ballad that talks about a former lover after a breakup and builds steadily toward a powerful finale.
balladKetsumeishi
A love ballad from Ketsumeishi that offers a different flavor from their usual cheerful image.
It’s a tear-jerker that gently yet poignantly sings of unfulfilled feelings for someone special, carried by a tender, aching melody.
With rap kept to a minimum and piano and strings that seep into the heart, this piece also surprised longtime fans as a bold departure.
Released in January 2011 as one half of a double A-side single and included on the classic album Ketsunopolis 7, it was also used as the theme song for Nippon TV’s information program Sukkiri!!.
If you sing it softly at karaoke—where upbeat tracks usually steal the show—its contrast will draw everyone in.
Why not showcase a new side of yourself with this hidden gem?
wedgeOku Hanako
A signature ballad by Hanako Oku that depicts undying feelings for someone you can’t forget.
The delicate piano tones express the unfillable hollow and sense of loss after parting from a lover.
Hanako Oku’s crystal-clear voice gently sinks into the heart, doesn’t it? Sung since her indie days, this piece was released as a 10th-anniversary single in July 2015 and is also included on the album Prism.
Despite having no tie-ins, it resonated online and became a hidden gem, amassing a total of 15 million video views.
It’s a heartbreak song, but perfect for creating a moving, mellow atmosphere.
With few key changes and easy emotional delivery, why not choose it as a song to touch the heart of someone you care about?
Donut holehachi
This is a Vocaloid song produced by Hachi, posted in 2013.
Hachi is Kenshi Yonezu’s producer name for his Vocaloid works, and if you listen closely, you can sense Yonezu’s signature style even in his songs from that time.
The track is upbeat and catchy, yet somehow bittersweet…
Please give it a listen—and try singing it, too.
Poignant songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (41–50)
tear(s)Ketsumeishi
Ketsumeishi’s 9th single.
Released on April 21, 2004.
A slow-tempo encouragement song packed with messages set to a simple melody, telling you that it’s okay to cry when you feel like it—every tear helps you grow.
It’s a song you’ll want to sing when you feel stuck in life.
I’m glad I met you.Koizumi Kyoko
Kyoko Koizumi’s 32nd single, released on May 21, 1991.
The lyrics look back on a past romance with the sentiment, “I’m glad I met you.” Despite the bittersweet words, it’s a medium-tempo self-empowerment song that also conveys a forward-looking spirit.