Sad Song Rankings [2026]
Here is this year’s ranking of “sad songs.”
We present the most-listened-to tracks of the year in order of their ranking.
Songs created by overcoming experiences of “sadness,” along with their lyrics, seem to resonate with many listeners.
They will surely be music that people keep listening to for years to come.
- Popular Tearjerker Song Rankings [2026]
- Saddest Songs Ranking [2026]
- Crying-Your-Eyes-Out Song Rankings [2026]
- Lonely Song Rankings [2026]
- Popular Depressive Songs Ranking [2026]
- Popular Heartbreak Song Rankings [2026]
- Ranking of Tear-Jerking Japanese Songs [2026]
- [Songs of Bereavement] Songs about losing a loved one. Tracks to listen to while thinking of someone dear
- Popular Moving Songs Ranking [2026]
- [So touching it makes you cry] A heartbreakingly wistful and sad song that tightens your chest
- Ken Hirai’s Tearjerker/Weepy Songs and Popular Tracks Ranking [2026]
- HY’s Tearjerker Songs: Top Cry-Inducing and Popular Tracks Ranking [2026]
- A song I want people who have lost a beloved partner to listen to
Sad Song Rankings [2026] (31–40)
A Naked Heartaimyon31rank/position
Even though I thought I’d been better off without falling in love, I’m repeating the same thing all over again… This is a down-to-earth love ballad that sings just that.
It’s a song by Aimyon, a singer-songwriter from Hyogo Prefecture, released in 2020 as her 10th single.
The gentle melody pairs perfectly with Aimyon’s straightforward vocals.
When you’ve stumbled in love, listening to it will quietly stay by your side.
It might be a good one to sing at karaoke, too.
I became someone else’s girlfriend.wacci32rank/position
One of rock band wacci’s signature songs, its music video on YouTube keeps racking up views, and it became a huge topic not only in the video’s comment section but across social media.
The husky timbre and heartrending vocals of the singer, Hashiguchi, further enhance the song’s appeal.
And when introducing this track, the lyrics are indispensable.
They depict a woman comparing her new boyfriend with her ex, and from them you can keenly sense her lingering attachment to her former lover.
Faced with that unbearably sorrowful message, you’ll likely find tears welling up on their own.
rendezvousshaitoopu33rank/position
This song portrays a bittersweet love, painting delicate scenes like meeting in a veil of clear rain and looking back on the proof of a love once shared.
Released as a digital-only single in April 2023, it was later included on the album “Hors d’oeuvre.” It debuted at No.
1 on the Billboard Japan Heatseekers Songs chart and has surpassed 100 million streams, capturing the hearts of many listeners.
It’s a recommended track for those who have experienced heartbreak or parting, or who want to reflect on past love.
Surrender your heart to Shitoupe’s delicate vocals and try belting it out at karaoke.
RAINSEKAI NO OWARI34rank/position
Starting with a piano melody, this airy song “RAIN” may be familiar to many, as it was the theme song for the animated film Mary and The Witch’s Flower.
While many tear-jerkers are about sad romances or life’s hardships, this one is a song that soothes the heart.
By the time it ends, it leaves your heart feeling a little warmer.
Just being alive is admirable.ReoNa35rank/position
For those shedding tears over days that just won’t go right, this song might be there to comfort you.
It’s a track by ReoNa, a singer known as a “despair-style anisong singer,” included on her fifth single “Nai Nai,” released in 2021.
The lyrics and composition were created by the popular Vocaloid producer Toa Kasamura.
The lyrics, which spill out feelings straight from the heart, are so raw they make your chest tighten just by reading them.
The sorrowful piano and ReoNa’s on-the-verge-of-tears vocals really hit you right in the tear ducts.
Memories from todayAimer36rank/position
Among the songs by the highly acclaimed singer-songwriter Aimer, this one, in particular, depicts a sorrowful, tear-jerking story.
The lyrics portray a farewell to someone precious, which seems less like a breakup and more like a parting by death.
From the title, you can sense the poignant message that no new stories will be created with the person who has passed away, and from today onward, everything will turn into memories.
Reading the lyrics, you can feel a pure love and bond toward the one who is gone—it’s a song that’s impossible to listen to without tears.
even ifHirai Ken37rank/position
It’s a song by Ken Hirai that conjures up the image of a man at a bar counter, tilting his glass and hiding his true feelings as he sits beside someone gazing at their lover’s ring.
You can almost feel the protagonist’s painful frustration as he wishes they’d miss the last train, yet swallows the words instead.
Released in December 2000, the track reached No.
3 on the Oricon weekly chart and is also included on the classic album “gaining through losing.” For those entangled in a forbidden love—knowing it won’t come true yet unable to stop their growing feelings—this song may quietly keep you company.
PretenderOfisharu Higedan Dism38rank/position
I can’t stop crying at this heartbreaking story of someone stepping back on their own.
This is the song that truly made Official HIGE DANDism a nationwide name.
It’s easy to be captivated by Satoshi Fujihara’s beautiful vocals, but the real charm lies in the lyrics that portray the protagonist’s emotions.
Realizing he won’t end up with the one he loves, the song conveys the feelings of a man who chooses to bow out.
He can no longer say “I love you”; all he can do is praise the other person’s beauty.
The world it paints—where dignity and lingering attachment intersect—tightens your chest, doesn’t it? Released as a single in May 2019, it became a massive hit as the theme song for the film The Confidence Man JP, spending 34 consecutive weeks at No.
1 on Billboard Japan’s streaming chart.
On nights when you’re tormented by unrequited love, it’s sure to gently stay by your side.
Marigoldaimyon39rank/position
A love song that became her big hit.
Its nostalgic, retro sound surely helps convey love in a sincere way.
I can easily picture wedding scenes where joyful tears fill the bride and groom’s eyes.
Carried by a refreshing melody, her slightly husky, striking voice is incredibly captivating—and that contrast moves me all over again.
maybeYOASOBI40rank/position
This song by YOASOBI, a unit known for creating music based on novels, has a different vibe from their previous tracks, doesn’t it? It’s a slow-tempo ballad with a remarkably soft sound, yet you can still clearly feel the groove—impressive as always! The lyrics depict the story of a couple who gradually grew apart and eventually broke up.
The words of the protagonist, who blames themselves, saying it was their fault, are heartbreakingly moving.