A classic, bittersweet youth song. Recommended popular tracks.

Youth SicknessFuji Kaze

Fujii Kaze – Seishun Sick (Official Video)

This song, aptly titled “Seishun-byo” (Youth Sickness), feels like a quintessential Fujii Kaze coming-of-age anthem.

The title might make you expect something breezy, and it is easy to be swayed by that freshness, but if you listen closely, it sounds like a song about parting ways with youth.

Youth is a vague concept we tend to equate with being young, and this track slices through that vagueness, urging you to take a step forward.

It’s a slightly unconventional youth song that I’d especially like those in that hazy in-between—caught between being a child and an adult—to hear.

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utatane

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That paper airplane splits the cloudy sky19

19 (Juke) That Paper Airplane Piercing the Cloudy Sky

The lyrics about making a paper airplane out of a test sheet and throwing it made me think, “They’re so young,” because they’re putting off studying and getting lost in what they want to do.

I used to do the same kind of thing, so it felt really youthful to me.

Listening to this song makes me want to go back to being a student.

NO MORE CRYD-51

D-51 / NO MORE CRY Gokusen theme song

When I first listened to this song, I thought it was a song about youth.

The main reason is the line in the lyrics, “You can’t run with your shoelaces untied.” To me, youth strongly evokes the image of running forward, so I love how this lyric feels like the very essence of the youth I imagine.

A Restless Stirring of YouthAwesome City Club

Awesome City Club – The Restless Thrill of Youth (Music Video)

It’s a slightly bittersweet city-pop number that makes you want to cherish the present and spend your youth with no regrets.

It’s a track by Awesome City Club, a band praised for their broad, deep musicality, included on their 2017 album “Awesome City Tracks 4.” The effortlessly relaxed sound is stylish and soothing—something you’ll want to listen to before going to sleep.

The lyrics, which express a longing to return to those fun, youthful days, are sure to resonate even more once you’ve grown up.

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Araki Jakkan

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BELOVEDGLAY

GLAY / BELOVED

It’s hard to define a “youth anthem,” but I think it refers to songs people spent their youth with, or songs aimed at those in the midst of their youth—songs they resonated with.

For a certain generation, GLAY is probably the most important band.

Blue-Sky Unrequited LoveSKE48

SKE48 “Blue Sky Unrequited Love” (Blue Sky One-Sided Love)

If it’s a youth song, you can’t not sing about bittersweet love.

And unrequited love or getting rejected is more youthful than mutual love.

This is a wonderful idol song that perfectly speaks for those feelings.

A must-listen for young people.

rose flowerkururi

Quruli – Rose Flower | Trailer

If you’re going to talk about Japanese indie guitar rock, you can’t leave out this band.

Their influence goes far beyond their sales, and this song, too, somehow captures the feeling of youth.

The band members themselves have a youthful energy reminiscent of their own adolescence, which might make that feeling even stronger.