Songs for summer: Popular Artist Rankings [2026]

clear skiesOrangestar1rank/position

Orangestar – Clear Skies (feat. IA) Official Video

A track by music producer Orangestar, who also works under the alias Mikanboshi-P.

Its striking guitar arpeggios evoke the summer sky, making it a clear, refreshing number.

The lyrics, steeped in bittersweet memories, and the pop, exhilarating sound are irresistibly catchy—so much so that you forget it’s a Vocaloid song and find yourself immersed in its world.

What’s more, the key change in the latter half and the speedy guitar solo in the outro give it both a breezy feel and plenty of substance, making it a truly compelling summer tune.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Girl RayMikito P2rank/position

Mikito-P “Shoujo Rei” MV

Contrasting the freshness of summer, this one song strikes the heart with a poignant story.

Crafted by Mikito-P, it rides on a beautiful melody to sing of precarious emotions and tragedy, as well as the protagonist’s possessiveness and regret.

Mikito-P has said the piece was inspired by the drama “A Human Failure: Suppose I Were to Die” (“Ningen Shikkaku ~ Tatoeba Boku ga Shindara”), and the use of acoustic guitar draws from the show’s featured song “A Hazy Shade of Winter.” It’s perfect for moments when you want to sink into a bittersweet mood on a summer day, or if you love music rich in storytelling.

The contrast between the beautiful melody and the lyrics will surely pull you in.

Give it a listen!

Blue and SummerMrs. GREEN APPLE3rank/position

Mrs. GREEN APPLE – Blue and Summer

It’s a sparkling number that conjures up a piercing blue sky and dazzling sunshine.

The protagonist, who had always felt a bit cool toward summer, begins to take center stage in their own story as a new romance starts.

It vividly captures a single scene of youth like that.

It’s not just bright; the fleeting pangs of sadness and the anxieties about the future that arise in certain moments are portrayed as well, which is why it resonates so deeply.

This track was released in August 2018 and was written as the theme song for the film “Ao-Natsu: Kimi ni Koi Shita 30-Nichi” (Blue Summer: 30 Days I Fell in Love with You).

Use it as background music for casual times with friends or for a drive, and your summer memories are sure to become many times more vivid.

Dawn and Firefliesn-buna4rank/position

Dawn and Fireflies / n-buna

Ahead of autumn, if you’re unsure how to move forward and feel troubled about the path ahead, I recommend “Yoake to Hotaru” by n-buna.

It’s a track included on his 2015 solo album “Flowers, Candy and the Last Train,” released by the guitarist and composer of Yorushika.

Sung with the same kind of poetic expression found in Yorushika’s music, the song depicts someone hesitantly searching for a way forward yet gradually discovering a light toward the future.

It’s a bittersweet piece that still manages to evoke hope.

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SAKI

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Season in the SunTUBE5rank/position

Tube Season in the sun

The third single overall by TUBE, the four-piece rock band still known today as a byword for summer.

Released in April 1986, it became a major turning point for the band.

Composer Tetsuro Oda is said to have infused it with his own longing for the sea, and the result is an exhilarating number.

Its lyrics, which depict the bittersweet feeling of lamenting the passing summer under the dazzling sun, and its uplifting melody can still set your heart ablaze even now.

It’s perfect not only for summer drives but also for those slightly sentimental moments at dusk.

For those who heard it in real time, it’s an immortal summer song you can’t help but hum along to.

All of the YouthFujifaburikku6rank/position

Fujifabric – Youth of Everything

This is a classic song by Fujifabric that you suddenly feel like listening to in the season where summer ends and autumn begins.

The longing for the passing summer and the brilliance of youth that will never return are layered over the image of the “last fireworks,” and its bittersweet melody sinks deep into the heart.

Released as a single in November 2007, the track later stayed with many listeners as an insert song in the drama SUMMER NUDE.

There’s also a lovely anecdote that in the composer’s hometown, the song was played as the evening chime for three days in December 2012.

On nights when you want to bask in summer memories, or on a sentimental walk home, why not give it a quiet listen?

The Story You Don’t Knowsupercell7rank/position

Supercell – The Story You Don't Know

This song captures the aching feeling of a love that can’t be confessed.

Created by the creator collective supercell led by composer ryo, their first single—released in August 2009—was used as the ending theme for the TV anime Bakemonogatari.

It opens with a gentle piano melody and expands into a brisk, driving band sound, giving it a refreshing vibe that’s perfect for summer.

Under a star-studded night sky, it portrays the bittersweet inner struggle of a protagonist who keeps their feelings for someone hidden.

The track was later included on the album Today Is A Beautiful Day.

Vocalist Yanaginagi’s clear, translucent voice conveys pure, youthful longing and is sure to add a moving touch to reels that capture cherished summer memories.