[2026] A summer song that tightens your chest with bittersweet feelings. A classic summer tune that touches the heart.
When you think of summer, many people imagine a season of fun at the beach and festivals! That said, have you ever felt the unique wistfulness or loneliness that only summer brings? Precisely because it’s such a hot, blazing time of year, the quiet of the night can squeeze your heart with a pang of sorrow, and the end of summer can leave you feeling lonely…
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of songs filled with that bittersweet, sentimental feeling that’s unique to summer.
Experience another side of summer—one that’s not just about fun.
- Songs you want to listen to at the end of summer: Late-summer classics to look back on the season
- Heartbreak songs to listen to at the end of summer. Classic and popular summer tracks.
- Tear-jerking summer classics: recommended popular songs
- Ballads to Listen to in Summer | Exquisite Summer Songs That Embrace Bittersweet Longing
- [Heart-throbbing] Cute summer classics. The charm of adorable summer songs [2026]
- Summer songs with great lyrics. Tracks that make your summer memories even more wonderful.
- [Summer Love Songs] Hot and Heart-wrenching! Carefully Selected Summer Tunes of Love That Set Your Heart Ablaze
- Unrequited love songs you’ll want to listen to in summer. Classic summer hits and recommended popular tracks.
- Classic nostalgic summer hits from the ’80s. A roundup of summer songs.
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- 1990s J-Pop to listen to in summer: classic and hit summer songs
- [Summer Classics] When it comes to summer, it’s got to be this song! A roundup from timeless staples to the latest hit tracks.
- [Classics] Timeless Summer Hits Recommended for All Ages [Summer Songs]
[2026] Summer songs that squeeze your heart with bittersweet feelings: classic, soul-stirring summer masterpieces (71–80)
Goodbye Sunset feat. Emi OkamotoRIP SLYME
Featuring Emi Okamoto as a guest vocalist, this is a bittersweet yet groovy disco track.
It nostalgically portrays the end of a summer romance from both male and female perspectives.
While the man reminisces from the present, the woman sings as if she were still in that moment, like in a dream—an arrangement that further highlights the emotional distance between them.
Released in July 2022 as part of a series from the trio lineup, this piece is perfect for those evenings at summer’s end when an old love crosses your mind—the mellow beat will gently wrap your aching heart.
It’s a song that lets you sink into your feelings, yet makes your body sway before you know it.
Because of the summerRADWIMPS
RADWIMPS is a rock band that has been active since 2001.
Their 2020 release “Natsu no Sei” features a floating, beautiful melody that stands apart from their early, rough-edged sound.
Centered on piano with subtly blended band elements, it has a rich, nuanced flavor.
If you’re looking for a song with a mysterious charm that’s different from a typical pop summer tune, this one is highly recommended.
Its calm mood also makes it a perfect BGM choice for those hot summer nights when it’s hard to sleep.
Tears of Tropical FishFlower
This is “Netsujou no Namida” (Tears of a Tropical Fish), a song released in 2014 by Flower, a female dance and vocal group that sadly disbanded in 2019.
It depicts a woman’s feelings as summer brings back memories of a past lover.
It seems to have been a painful romance; although she tells herself she won’t go back to those days, the way she likens herself to a fish in a tank shows she’s still trapped in the past.
Since it was her first love, it’s only natural she can’t forget.
A classic by Flower that you’ll want to listen to when summer comes.
[2026] Summer songs that tug at your heartstrings. Timeless, soul-stirring summer classics (81–90)
summer hazeatarayo
Atarayo is a band known for its many emotionally charged songs and its well-regarded, heartrending love tunes.
Their track “Natsugasumi” is included on their first album, “In the Polar Night, the Moon Remains Silent,” released in 2022—a summer-themed song, as the title suggests.
With male and female twin vocals, it feels as if you’re hearing the story from both perspectives, stirring an indescribable feeling.
It portrays that universal experience of an ‘unforgettable love,’ making it a chest-tightening number.
Spicasupittsu
This is “Spica,” a song released in 1998 by the rock band Spitz.
It was issued as a double A-side single along with one of their signature songs, “Kaede.” Many of you have probably heard it, as it was used in JAL’s “Resocha” commercials and as an insert song in the anime Honey and Clover.
Although the song has a very gentle and soft atmosphere, its profound lyrics can unexpectedly bring you to tears.
Give it a listen when you’re feeling anxious or lonely.
Lamp starharuka nakamura + suis from Yorushika
You’re drawn into its delicate, lyrical sound.
It’s a collaboration between composer haruka nakamura and suis, the vocalist of Yorushika.
The song was written as the theme for the film “Kono Natsu no Hoshi o Miru,” set to be released in July 2025.
suis’s crystalline voice gently accompanies the quiet, beautiful piano melodies woven by haruka nakamura, creating an immersive feeling as if you were inside a planetarium.
The story—tinged with the ache of an irretrievable past and the discovery of a small light of hope in the darkness—perfectly matches the film’s worldview.
Listen, and you’ll find yourself forgetting the daily bustle and quietly looking up at the night sky.
Sunflower FireworksAile The Shot
A bittersweet, stylish summer tune where an urban groove reveals the scenery of a summer dusk.
It’s a track by Aile The Shota, produced by ☆Taku Takahashi of m-flo, released in June 2025.
It portrays the frustration of a love where the person can’t confess their feelings, and the lyrics tighten your chest in contrast to the song’s pleasant vibe.
The delicate vocals and wistful melody create a sentimental summer mood, making it impossible not to dwell on its story.