[2026] A collection of heart-wrenching BGM that makes your chest tighten
When you hear “melancholic BGM,” what comes to mind?
For generations older than Millennials, it probably evokes background music that simply tightens the chest with emotion.
But for Gen Z, in addition to that image, they might also picture melancholic BGM with a cute, endearing quality.
In fact, on TikTok and YouTube Shorts, you often see videos that pair deadpan, absurd mishaps with melancholic background music.
This time, we’ve selected melancholic BGM for a wide range of situations—from the kind you’d hear on social media to the kind that simply tugs at your heartstrings.
Be sure to check them out.
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- The nostalgic atmosphere tugs at your heartstrings. Tear-jerker songs from the Showa era.
- [Music Funeral] BGM to Remember the Deceased | Spotlight on Requiems and Dirges Praying for Peace
- Emotional songs from the Heisei era. Nostalgic tracks that really hit you.
- Colorful coming-of-age songs perfect for autumn listening
- [Classic and Contemporary Hits] Emotionally Stirring, Heart-Touching Songs
[2026] Heart-tightening, bittersweet BGM | Compilation (41–50)
Blue BenchSasuke
This song brings back memories of a bittersweet love from my school days.
It sings about not being able to fully express those feelings of love in the end.
The lyrics are heartrending, but the overall tone of the music is upbeat, so it’s a great one for everyone to sing along and get excited.
[2026] Heart-twisting, poignant BGM | Compilation (51–60)
Hyperventilation LoveTonbokōpu
Tonbocorp is a four-piece rock band whose genre-defying sound has been generating buzz, especially on social media.
Their song ‘Kokyūai’ (‘Hyperventilating Love’) from their first mini-album ‘Uka’ (‘Eclosion’) was selected as the opening theme for the TV drama ‘Yawao to Katako’.
The lyrics evoke the image of someone regretting an irrevocable relationship yet drawing a line and trying to move forward, making your chest tighten with that unrequited feeling.
It’s a lyrical rock tune whose poppy, light-footed melodies and ensemble only heighten the sense of melancholy.
Night journeyYorushika
A quintessential Yorushika song that captures the end of summer—refreshing yet tinged with a certain melancholy.
It’s a featured track in the film “A Whisker Away.” The lyrics evoke the close of summer and the parting of people, tightening something deep in your chest.
They carry a nostalgic feel that recalls memories from student days—experiences everyone has had.
What’s more, suis’s vocals are even more powerful than usual in the chorus, heightening the sense of bittersweetness.
Please forget it.Yorushika
A song that portrays the struggle of being unable to forget past memories that cling to the heart.
Packed with Yorushika’s distinctive worldbuilding, this work was released digitally in July 2024.
Despite its poppy melody, the lyrics are marked by deep despair and introspection.
Through the metaphor of a “record,” it expresses events that replay in one’s mind and ways of confronting one’s past self.
Many of us have likely wished to escape the pain and failures of the past, yet found them impossible to forget.
This piece is a track that gently accompanies those complex feelings of wanting to forget but being unable to.
NonfictionHirai Ken
I’d like to introduce “Nonfiction” as a song that conveys the preciousness of life.
This track was created by Ken Hirai as the theme song for the drama “A Small Giant.” It’s written from the perspective of those left behind, asking the person who has passed away about the meaning of life.
I hope you’ll listen while reflecting on that answer.
Also, be sure to note the overwhelming performance—the relentless drive of the final chorus and the contemporary dance in the music video.
Thinking of youMatsushita Kohei
Amid the many heart-stirring songs that take heartbreak and parting as their themes, Kohei Matsushita’s “Kimi o Omou” stands out.
The gentle piano melody and the poignant strings strike a chord, quietly staying close to the listener’s heart.
The song speaks of that bittersweet feeling of being more than friends but not quite lovers.
Its delicacy resonates with many people’s experiences and evokes empathy in those carrying a quiet ache.
His warm voice sinks deep into the heart, offering a soft source of strength in difficult times.
It’s truly a recommended track for releasing your emotions.
The sky is fallingmizuumo
This is a song that tightens the heart and stirs a bittersweet ache.
Released by Suiun in May 2024, it’s marked by a strikingly transparent melodic line.
Through poetic words, it weaves the anxieties and loneliness of daily life and the inner struggle that sways between ideals and reality.
It’s a work that anyone standing at a crossroads in life can relate to, leaving a deep afterglow.
Please take your time and really listen to it.