Ranking of Popular Band Songs Among University Students [2026]

summer festivalWhiteberry96rank/position

NatsuMatsuri

A coming-of-age love song that portrays a summer festival night spent with a sweetheart in a yukata.

Interwoven with nostalgic scenes like goldfish scooping and sparklers, it captures, in a true-to-life way, the frustration of being unable to confess one’s feelings, the pangs of regret, and the fleeting nature of young love.

Released as a single in August 2000, it became a major hit, peaking at No.

3 on the Oricon weekly chart.

Its sweet-and-sour lyrics and sound make it perfect for school cultural festivals where students are in the thick of youth.

ApollodorusMrs. GREEN APPLE97rank/position

Mrs. GREEN APPLE “Apollodorus” Official Lyric Video

This work is a grand composition that expresses the athlete’s inner “calm” and “motion.” It delivers deep inspiration and courage to listeners—truly an anthem for everyone who takes on a challenge.

Released in July 2024, it was also used in broadcasts of the Paris Olympics.

It portrays the pain and anxiety experienced on the path toward a goal, as well as the strength to overcome them.

It’s a song we especially want students dedicated to their club activities and anyone striving toward their dreams to hear.

It’s a piece that lets you feel the breadth and depth of Mrs.

GREEN APPLE’s musicality.

Wherever you areONE OK ROCK98rank/position

Wherever you are

A ballad filled with gentle affection and vows.

The desire to always be by someone’s side and make them smile, along with the resolve to pledge eternal love, resonates deeply.

Though simply arranged around piano and acoustic guitar, Taka’s emotive vocals leave a strong impression.

Featured on the album “Niche Syndrome,” the song was used in 2015 as NTT Docomo’s commercial theme for the “Family” campaign, capturing the hearts of many.

It’s also highly popular as a wedding staple, taking first place in the ISUM Bridal Music Awards in both 2017 and 2018.

This is a perfect song to perform on stages at school cultural and campus festivals—events that can’t be created without bonds among friends and teachers.

You and the summer music festivalSHISHAMO99rank/position

SHISHAMO “You and the Summer Festival”

A three-piece girls’ rock band from Kanagawa, SHISHAMO’s track.

With bittersweet lyrics that capture a page of youth and an exhilarating sound, it’s a truly comfortable number.

The guitar and bass parts are simple outside of the interlude, making them easy to tackle, but a short bass solo appears during the interlude.

If you’re not used to playing solos on bass, you might feel nervous, but the phrases themselves aren’t difficult, so you can finish the song if you relax and play.

The drums feature many tight hits, but the overall rhythm pattern is simple, so focusing on dynamics that suit the song rather than fine techniques will get you closer to the original performance.

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Hoshino Takashi

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loveback number100rank/position

back number – Love (Short ver.)

A gem from back number that captures bittersweet, tenderly aching emotions swaying in the limited time before graduation.

The lyrics, which freeze a youthful moment—like following your crush with your eyes from a classroom window—are sure to make anyone overlay their own memories.

Released in March 2012, this song overflows with warmth that gently nudges men who are thinking of confessing on White Day but can’t quite find the courage.

On a night when you want to reaffirm your feelings for someone special, be sure to listen closely.