Recommended autumn songs for people in their 70s: A collection of nostalgic fall tunes

Fallen leaves in the snowFuse Akira

Fallen leaves in the snow

A signature song by Akira Fuse that delicately portrays the changing of the seasons.

Released in October 1976, it was also used in a commercial for Suntory Gold Label.

The song expresses feelings of loneliness and the transience of life, carried by a gentle, soothing melody.

Its lyrics, imbued with deep emotions—such as nostalgia for days gone by and conversations with one’s other self—are sure to resonate with many listeners.

Fuse’s clear, expansive vocals further enhance the song’s world.

Why not listen to it slowly on a quiet autumn night? It will surely be a piece that stays close to your heart.

The wind is autumn-colored.Matsuda Seiko

Seiko Matsuda - The Wind Is Autumn-Colored

This song captures the poignant melancholy of autumn.

Seiko Matsuda’s clear, expansive vocals beautifully express both the pain of heartbreak and the hope of new encounters.

Released in October 1980 as her third single, it was performed on programs like NHK’s “Let’s Go Young” and won the hearts of many.

I recommend listening to it while strolling through a seaside town at autumn dusk.

Wrapped in the gentle autumn breeze, you may find yourself reflecting on past love or sensing the arrival of a new season.

Why not spend a heartwarming moment, wrapped in nostalgia and fond memories?

Ya Ya (I Won’t Forget That Time)Sazan Ōrusutāzu

Yaya, I Won’t Forget That Era — Southern All Stars

A song filled with nostalgia and warmth.

Released in October 1982, this heartwarming ballad gently embraces memories of youth.

Weaving college-era friendships and bittersweet love into its lyrics, it resonates deeply with listeners.

Chosen as the theme song for a Mazda MPV commercial, it has been loved by so many that it even appears in high school music textbooks.

It’s best enjoyed on an autumn evening by the window, listened to at a relaxed pace.

Why not bask in fond memories and reflect on cherished moments with someone special?

white guitarcherisshu

white guitar

This song features a heartwarming melody that gently enfolds the melancholy of autumn.

Cherish’s warm vocals tenderly sing about the subtle changes between two people in love.

Released in September 1973, the song reached No.

5 on the Oricon weekly chart and became a major hit, selling a total of 800,000 copies.

It also won a Japan Record Awards Vocal Performance Award.

It’s best enjoyed while imagining a happy moment spent with your loved one in a sunlit autumn meadow.

Along with nostalgic memories, it’s sure to bring a sense of calm to your heart.

Cosmos Highwaykaryūdō

Cosmos Kaido (2015 Remaster)

The Hunters’ classic “Cosmos Kaidō.” As it paints vivid cosmos flowers blooming along the highway—right leading to Echigo, left to Kiso—its wistful melody tracing memories of lost love strikes the heart.

You can picture the protagonist setting off alone, harboring a bygone romance, while gazing at cosmos swaying in the autumn breeze.

Released in 1977, it remains an unfading ballad that symbolizes Japan’s autumn.

It’s the perfect song to listen to on a bright autumn afternoon, letting your thoughts drift to a landscape of blooming cosmos.

Burning Autumnhaifaisetto

Moeru Aki

Released as a single in 1978, this piece continues to be loved by many as an autumn song that resonates with the heart.

Hiroyuki Itsuki’s poetic lyrics and Toru Takemitsu’s beautiful melody come together to create a work in which autumnal scenery and emotion are delicately interwoven.

It’s striking how the song vividly captures the complex movements of the heart—encounters and partings of lovers, among other facets of life—amid the changing seasons.

Its melodic character and refined choral work quietly seep into the listener’s heart.

It’s a masterpiece that leaves a deep afterglow, the kind you want to pause and listen to at life’s turning points.

red dragonflySakushi: Miki Rofū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku

Red Dragonfly | With Lyrics | 100 Selected Japanese Songs | Red Dragonfly of the Evening Glow

This is a nostalgic work that layers feelings of longing for childhood while gazing up at a red dragonfly flying in the sunset sky.

Rofu Miki infused the poem with memories of his hometown in Hyogo Prefecture, and Kosaku Yamada set it to a beautiful melody.

The poem was published in 1921 and set to music in 1927, and it has been sung across generations ever since.

It was featured in the 1955 film “Koko ni Izumi Ari” and on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1965, and has long been widely cherished.

On an autumn evening, why not hum it as you watch the red dragonflies by the window? Its gentle triple-meter melody is easy to sing, and if you gather to sing it together, it’s sure to spark fond reminiscences.