A poignant ballad song. A tear-jerking masterpiece of Japanese pop music.
Let me introduce some heartrending ballads that tighten your chest the moment you listen.
When you part ways with someone important, when a romance fails and leaves you down, or when a sudden memory takes you back to a past you can’t return to…
In the course of life, there are moments when a quiet, melancholy mood washes over you.
In this article, I’ve gathered recommended ballad songs for those very times.
From beloved classics to recent hits, I’ve selected tracks so you can find a song that resonates with your feelings and helps you detox your heart.
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A poignant ballad song. Tear-jerking masterpieces of Japanese music (21–30)
Lovers AgainEXILE
Lovers Again by EXILE is a beloved winter love song and a classic favorite.
Released in 2007, it was EXILE’s 22nd single.
Since it was featured in a commercial, it’s a track widely known across generations.
It’s a heartbreak song—a sorrowful love ballad that perfectly suits snow and cold weather.
Listening to it while watching the snow fall quietly might just bring you to tears.
It’s a song that makes you remember an unforgettable person and past love.
Happy Endingback number
A poignant ballad that makes you reflect on what exactly the “happy ending” in the title really means.
This song is back number’s 16th single, released in 2016.
It portrays the wavering of the heart that makes you think how much easier it would be if you could cleanly, decisively come to dislike someone or part ways.
It conveys, almost painfully, how what you think in your head and what you feel are entirely different things.
The slightly negative emotions are neatly wrapped up as if to hide them, and that’s where the deepest sense of poignancy comes through.
Ferris wheelMy Hair is Bad
This is a track from the album “boys,” released in June 2019, cherished among fans as a hidden gem.
The lyrics are striking, capturing a poignant feeling as a fleeting glimpse of a Ferris wheel during a drive stirs thoughts of a lover and time that won’t return.
There’s no flashy tie-in, but it’s a song that epitomizes their knack for distilling everyday scenes.
With a gentle tempo that swells into an emotionally charged chorus, the dramatic structure is sure to resonate deeply with listeners.
More than vocal range, this ballad hinges on the singer’s expressiveness, so choose it when you want to savor the story in the lyrics or as background music for a nighttime drive.
It will quietly keep you company on nights when you want to linger in a bittersweet mood.
SubtitleOfisharu Higedan Dism
It’s a classic written as the theme song for the drama “silent,” starring Haruna Kawaguchi and Ren Meguro.
The nationally beloved piano pop band Official HIGE DANDism released it in October 2022.
The song expresses the fragility and frustration of words that, like snowflakes, can’t hold their shape and melt away.
The protagonist’s desperate cry—feelings that can’t be conveyed by words alone—rises on a dramatic melody and really hits home.
Alongside the drama’s huge success, it went viral on social media and reached No.
1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
It’s a beautiful ballad that gently stays by your side when you can’t tell the person you love how you feel.
PrologueUru
My heart trembles at its ephemeral worldview.
The song is by singer-songwriter Uru, also known for hits like “Anata ga Iru Koto de,” and it was released as a single in 2018.
It was chosen as the theme song for the drama “Chuugaku Sei Nikki,” which portrays a forbidden love.
That clear, translucent voice—truly quintessential Uru.
It feels as if it permeates to the very depths of the heart.
The lyrics, which faithfully reflect the drama’s story, are also deeply moving.
Love’s Melody and Rainy SkiesAAA
AAA is a dance and vocal group that enjoys strong popularity, especially among young people.
Among their songs, ‘Koion to Amazora’ is probably familiar even to older listeners, as it has been used in Ito-Yokado commercials and on NHK’s Red and White Song Contest.
It’s a poignant ballad I’d recommend to people of all ages.
LeoYuuri
It’s a tear-jerking song told from a dog’s perspective, portraying its bond with its owner and the course of its life.
The track is by singer-songwriter Yuuri, known for the smash hit “Dry Flower,” and is included on the acclaimed album “Ichi,” released in January 2022.
This song tells a bittersweet yet heartwarming story that makes you realize how the ordinary days with an owner were irreplaceable treasures.
The regret and gratitude one feels when the “ordinary” is no longer ordinary seep deeply into listeners’ hearts through Yuuri’s emotionally rich vocals.
The music video, directed by Mai Sakai, also drew attention, with its moving story resonating with many.
It’s a piece not only for pet owners but for anyone who wants to reaffirm the value of someone precious.