[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] A summer song that tightens with bittersweet feelings. Classic heart-touching summer hits (131–140)
Song of PointillismMrs. GREEN APPLE
A heartwarming song that’s also well known as an insert track from the youth film Aonatsu: Your 30 Days of Summer, starring Hayato Sano and Wakana Aoi.
The drum sound is striking, and while the melody is gentle, it somehow conveys a sense of strength.
The lyrics—like “This love that began in summer, I’m weak, I’m a burden, but I love you; I wish this summer would last forever”—overflow with the bittersweet feelings of a young girl.
If you’re a student in love right now, its poignancy might even bring you to tears.
If there’s someone you like, it’s the kind of song you’ll want to listen to together.
sea glassSaucy Dog
Saucy Dog, the rock band affectionately known as “Saucy,” drew major attention after performing their songs “Itsuka” and “Yui” on THE FIRST TAKE, a YouTube channel built around one-take recordings.
Their track “Seaglass” is a perfect summer song that showcases the sweet tone of vocalist and guitarist Shinya Ishihara to the fullest.
It’s pop, yet it’s steeped in a moving atmosphere that evokes the Japanese sensibilities of wabi and sabi.
It’s that uniquely Japanese essence you won’t find in Western music—and it’s absolutely electrifying.
Embracing SummerTUBE
It’s no exaggeration to call TUBE the very symbol of summer.
Their song “Natsu wo Dakishimete” (Embrace the Summer) was released in 1994 as the first single marking the band’s 10th year since debut—a ballad packed with feelings for a beloved person.
True to TUBE’s style, it’s a love song brimming with summery scenes, portraying summer lovers, and it became a huge hit.
For those who listened back then, it will feel nostalgic and bring back memories.
It’s a summer song you’ll want to hear while thinking of someone special.
rememberUru
Uru is a singer whose voice moves people to their core—so powerful it can shake your very tear ducts.
Her song “remember” was also chosen as the theme song for the anime film Natsume’s Book of Friends the Movie: Tied to the Temporal World.
Rather than a sorrowful ballad, it’s sung with someone dear—the source of one’s strength—in mind, and by the end it leaves you feeling refreshed and positive.
The summer imagery is also rendered in a way that stirs a gentle nostalgia in anyone who listens, which is truly moving.
Summer Love Lifeaiko
“Natsukoi no Life,” which was featured as the 2022 Calbee Potato Chips commercial song.
It’s said to be a song Aiko wrote when she was 19—a poignant breakup ballad she nurtured for years since her youth.
As the parting approaches, the tenderness of a woman who remains composed even as she becomes certain it was true love leaves a strong impression.
And yet, the fresh sound woven by piano and brass somehow brings a gentle, liberated feeling—curiously soothing.
As summer, a season brimming with heat, draws to a close, why not steep yourself in a sentimental mood by overlaying it with the fleeting scenes of love?
Summer MemoriesKetsumeishi
Ketsumeishi is a four-member music group whose distinctive contrast between hard-hitting tracks and melodious rap creates a one-of-a-kind sound.
Their 10th single, “Natsu no Omoide,” used in a commercial for Vodafone Japan, is a hugely popular song that has become a J-pop staple for the summer season.
As the title suggests, its sentimental lyrics look back on summer memories in a way many listeners can relate to as if they were their own.
With an emotive, unforgettable chorus melody, it’s a quintessential summer pop tune.
Sentimental Ghost feat. OkiishiNatsunose
A bittersweet yet passionate ode to the end of summer, composer Natsunose’s number “Sentimental Ghost feat.
Okiishi.” Released in 2023, this track features vocalist and singer Okiishi.
As the title suggests, it portrays a protagonist who lingers like a ghost, steeped in sentimentality as summer comes to a close, trying desperately to convey feelings to someone precious.
The gently placed, softly spoken words sung by the protagonist make this a song that tightens the chest.
