[Showa-Era Graduation Songs] Nostalgic? Emotive? A curated selection of timeless classics loved across generations
Graduation songs are ones you start hearing everywhere from around February.
Every year, numerous tracks related to graduation are released.
And many people can vividly remember the songs that were hits when they graduated.
In this article, we’ve gathered graduation songs that were released during the Showa era and became hits.
Among these classics are songs that are still beloved decades after their release, as well as tracks experiencing revival hits on social media.
If you’re from the Showa generation, enjoy the nostalgia; if not, discover them with fresh ears and enjoy these Showa hit songs.
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[Showa-Era Graduation Songs] Nostalgic? Emotional? A curated selection of timeless classics loved across generations (41–50)
Goodbye once moreChekkāzu
A gem-like ballad that gently weaves the pain of parting, set against a scene of lights drifting beyond the window and ice clinking in a glass.
Among The Checkers’ band sound, it’s a masterpiece that delicately portrays the feelings of a grown-up love.
Fumiya Fujii’s poignantly resonant vocals and Naoyuki Fujii’s beautiful melodies tenderly enfold the end of a love that still lingers with regret.
Upon its release in November 1990, the song reached No.
7 on the Oricon charts, and it was also included on the album “THE CHECKERS THE BEST,” soothing the hearts of many listeners.
It’s a track I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who has experienced parting from someone dear with the arrival of spring.
Why not listen alone on a quiet night and immerse yourself in cherished memories?
Amy’s GraduationKaoru Sudo
Kaoru Sudō’s “Amy’s Graduation.” While incorporating elements of city pop that color a moment of youth, this song sings of the bittersweetness of graduation as a turning point and the hope of taking a new step, and it must have resonated with many graduates.
Sudō’s delicate expressiveness and distinctive melodic lines convey the emotion of the graduation moment even today.
No matter how many years pass since its release, this timeless classic will surely give strength to students who are about to leave their schools.
Its universal message will continue to be loved by many people in the future.
MY GRADUATIONChekkāzu
A gemlike ballad that richly portrays the milestone of graduation.
Set to a gentle melody, it tenderly depicts scenes like exchanging buttons on school uniforms and walking together to the station.
Looking back on memories from ages 16 to 18, it masterfully conveys both the sweetness of young love and the poignancy of parting.
Included on The Checkers’ album “GO” and released in 1987, it was the group’s first self-produced work, with lyrics by Fumiya Fujii and music by Susumu Takeuchi.
Deeply rooted in Japan’s music scene as a staple to hear during graduation season, this song is wholeheartedly recommended for anyone who cherishes memories of their youth.
Don’t give up on your dreamsOkamura Takako
A timeless, heartwarming classic by Takako Okamura.
With its powerful melody and lyrics that resonate, it gives you the courage to pursue your dreams.
Since its release in February 1987, it has been beloved as a cram school commercial song and as an insert song for “Nettou Koshien.” Whether at graduation or at a crossroads in life, listening to this piece mysteriously gives you the strength to look ahead.
It’s a highly recommended song not only for young people chasing their dreams, but also for anyone feeling lost in life.
Let Okamura’s gentle voice give you a push to take that first new step.
Graduationsaitou yuki
Yuki Saito’s “Sotsugyo” is a song released in 1985 that symbolizes a page of youthful days.
It captures the fleeting emotions at the end of school life and the start of something new, leaving a strong impression on many people.
Saito’s pure, soothing voice carries a refrain that evokes farewells at graduation ceremonies, rekindling the emotions of that moment for listeners.
This song, which colored an era, still feels fresh today, and it conveys the precious “Showa emo” blend of transience and hope.