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: Classic Japanese tracks (21–30)
Part-time jobresu
Days spent working while chased by rent and utilities, carrying a vague anxiety about the future.
This moving track sung by Resu turns that frustrating reality into song.
Over a conversational rap and alternative sound, it lays bare the lethargy toward work and the inner cry of “What do I want to become?”—so honestly that it hurts in the most relatable way.
Resu handled the lyrics and most of the production herself, and the song was released in January 2025.
As with works like “Ai Sashite,” where she sharply captures subtle shades of emotion, her signature realism hits home here.
Listening to this track, when you’re worn out by daily work and feel your dreams slipping away, you’ll feel a gentle push reminding you: you’re not alone.
IlluminatiMALICE MIZER
One song from a famous visual kei band.
The choice feels a bit dated, but I imagine it was highly regarded by some passionate fans.
From the chord progression to the vocals and even the promotional video, it’s all very well done.
Piercing songs to listen to when you're feeling melancholic: Masterpieces of Japanese music (31–40)
DropCornelius
It’s a song with a mysterious charm that sticks in your head after just one listen.
Released by Cornelius in October 2001, it’s a single cut from the album POINT.
The lyrics are simple, yet the worldview that unfolds from the act of throwing an object is striking.
Combined with its experimental sound, it brings a sense of serenity to the listener.
Perfect for times when you want to ease a gloomy mood or gain a new perspective.
The music video has also been highly acclaimed, winning the Best Audience Award at RESFest in 2003.
An empty houseMUCC
From the songs of a visual kei rock band active since the late ’90s.
Many of their tracks are dark, with gloomy melodies and lyrics throughout.
Is it just me, or do visual kei rock bands tend to write rather morbid music more often than not?
Sunday ParkYEN TOWN BAND
A band formed in the 1990s within director Shunji Iwai’s film “Swallowtail.” The vocalist is none other than Chara.
Their album was actually released and became popular among some fans.
This is a track from that album.
It’s very obscure.
AnswerIkuta Rira
A warm cheering song that gives you the strength to look forward during tough times.
It’s a track by Lila Ikuta, released digitally in March 2021 and later included on her 2023 album “Sketch.” It was featured in a Tokio Marine Nichido Anshin Life commercial.
The song delicately portrays the feelings of trying to move ahead while carrying weakness and loneliness, offering comfort to the doubts and anxieties everyone experiences.
It’s a song I’d like people who are living through days without clear answers, or who are struggling with choices or relationships, to listen to.
golden mudAJICO
The so-called “for those in the know” band formed with UA and Kenichi Asai as members.
It’s said that this song’s lyrics were so controversial that it was effectively banned in the broadcasting industry, and in fact it hardly shows up on sites for acoustic/solo performance tabs when you search for it right now.