Songs that hit home when you're feeling blue: masterpieces of Japanese music
“I feel a vague sense of anxiety and can’t find any energy.” “I’m struggling with my relationships.” Don’t you have times when you feel so down that you don’t know what to do?
All you want is to live immersed in simple happiness… but it’s so hard.
At times like that, rather than forcing yourself to grit your teeth and endure, it might actually be easier to stop pushing and let yourself cry it all out.
Here, I’ve put together a selection of classic Japanese songs that will stay close to your heart when you’re feeling unbearably blue.
I hope this article can be of help to you.
- [Melancholy] For when you want to sink all the way. Masterpieces that depict various kinds of gloom.
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- [Yami Song] A mental breakdown track that sings the true feelings of a melancholic heart
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- [For High School Students] Melancholy Songs That Stay Close to Your Feelings [Tough Times]
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
- [For when you want to cry or feel sad] Tear-jerking masterpieces that make you cry when you listen
- [When You're Lonely] A Collection of Songs That Resonate With Those All Alone
- [Songs of Worries] Listening will gently lighten your heart. Masterpieces that speak for your feelings
- A masterpiece that sings of loneliness. Recommended popular songs.
- Masterpieces that sing about loneliness: J-pop to listen to when you're alone
- [Cheering Songs] Japanese tracks to listen to when you’re troubled, lost, or feeling anxious
Piercing songs to listen to when you’re feeling blue: Masterpieces of Japanese music (1–10)
The strong and fleeting onesCocco
This is a song by Cocco that simultaneously portrays strength and fragility.
Released in November 1997 as her second major-label single, it is known as one of her signature works.
The lyrics, which express the inner conflicts of human beings and the depth of love, resonate strongly with listeners.
Rich in storytelling, it depicts the complex feelings of a man who has returned from a long journey, skillfully expressing a heart swaying between a new encounter and a past romance.
In 1998, its music video won BEST FEMALE CLIP at the SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards.
It’s a perfect song for when you’re feeling melancholic or struggling with relationships.
Listening to it will surely bring comfort to your heart.
Hello, my friendMatsutōya Yumi
This song gently depicts a wistful scene.
A masterpiece by Yumi Matsutoya, it was released in 1994 as her 25th single.
It was also selected as the theme song for Fuji TV’s Monday 9 p.m.
drama “A Summer with You.” Centered on lost friendships and love, it vividly evokes the loneliness of summer’s end.
There’s also an anecdote that Matsutoya composed it at the Hilton Hotel in Nagoya.
Its gentle melody and poignant lyrics soothe the listener’s heart.
It’s a song that quietly stays by your side when you’re feeling blue or going through a farewell with someone important.
seclusion from the worldElefanto Kashimashi
A rock band formed in the early ’80s.
It seems they’re still actively performing today.
Even people who aren’t fans have probably heard at least one of their songs.
Apparently, the lyrics of this track were written when they were still quite young.
Songs that hit home when you're feeling blue: Classic J-pop gems (11–20)
I want to be loved.Mioyamazaki
This song vividly portrays a heartrending love.
It’s included on the album “choice,” released in October 2017.
A single track that encapsulates Mio Yamazaki’s unique world, it uses skillful lyrics to express the tender sadness of being timid in love and the unspoken truths one can’t confess.
Delicate emotions ride on a dense melody that resonates deeply with listeners.
When you’re struggling with relationships or weighed down by inescapable gloom, listening to it can bring empathy and comfort.
Through this work, you can truly feel the depth of Mio Yamazaki’s musicality.
Drops of the SunAjimine Kiwako
When you’re feeling depressed from the pain of a broken heart, I recommend Kiwa Ajimine’s “Shizuku of the Sun.” She performed this song at a Yamaha-sponsored music contest in 2015, where it won both the Grand Prix and the Audience Award.
Its heartrending melody and Ajimine’s beautiful, gentle voice alone are enough to bring you to tears.
The lyrics convey that while a love that has ended can’t be changed, the happy memories you shared can and should be cherished in your heart.
When heartbreak makes it hard to look forward, keep those joyful memories as they are, let this song help you cry it out, and then start walking forward again.
Room and IllusionYoeko
Yoeko’s “Room and Illusion” is a song that takes a gloomy mood and pushes it to the extreme.
It’s included on the 2000 album “Okaerinasai.” The lyrics portray the protagonist’s despair after having a loved one taken away by someone else and being left alone, along with a simmering, rising anger.
The combination of rhythmic piano passages, languid sections, and grand, expansive parts powerfully conveys Yoeko’s distinctive worldview and the bleak atmosphere of the lyrics.
When something unpleasant happens, maybe one option is to let yourself sink completely into the darkness for a while like this.
Delayed BrainNUMBER GIRL
NUMBER GIRL’s “Delayed Brain” feels like putting the jumbled scenery inside your head straight into words.
It’s included on their 2002 album NUM-HEAVYMETALLIC.
The band’s performance, which gives off an ennui-laden mood, together with vocalist Shutoku Mukai’s voice, evokes a mind so overwhelmed that fatigue has begun to show.
That flowing sound seems to sit close to the listener’s heart and gently soothe its wounds.
It’s a song I recommend for those times when you’re completely worn out, body and soul.