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[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.

[Showa-Era Graduation Songs] Nostalgic? Emotional? A Curated Selection of Timeless Classics Loved Across Generations (31–40)

Smiling Backkyandīzu

Candy’s effectively final single, released in February 1978.

With their breakup approaching, the trio poured into this song the sentiment of “giving back with a smile,” making it a culmination of farewell and gratitude.

Lyrics by Yoko Aki, composition and arrangement by Yuyo Oguchi.

The lyrics naturally weave in titles of their past hits, creating a structure that poignantly retraces the journey they walked with their fans.

Beginning with a moving scene of relocation, the everyday-life imagery heightens the poignancy while maintaining an unwaveringly forward-looking tone that never sinks into sorrow.

The single reached No.

1 on the Oricon Weekly Chart, becoming Candy’s only chart-topping single.

It also hit No.

1 on the TV program The Best Ten, becoming a phenomenon that encapsulated the fervor leading up to their breakup.

A timeless classic especially recommended for those facing graduation or a new departure, or anyone wishing to convey heartfelt thanks to someone special.

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Until we meet againOzaki Kiyohiko

Released in 1971, this song was issued as Kiyohiko Ozaki’s second solo single.

The golden duo of Yū Aku (lyrics) and Kyōhei Tsutsumi (composition and arrangement) handled its creation.

Interestingly, the melody was originally written as a candidate for a commercial jingle, but after various twists and turns it was reborn as a song about parting and reunion.

Ozaki’s performance—marked by a resonant, powerful voice and rich vibrato—conveys a sense of forward momentum even amid sorrow.

In the same year, it won both the 13th Japan Record Award and the 2nd Japan Kayō Grand Prize, and in 1972 it was selected as the entrance march for the Spring National High School Baseball Tournament.

Its uplifting quality makes it perfectly suited to occasions of new beginnings and explains its enduring popularity in sports and ceremonies.

It’s a song I especially recommend listening to during graduation season, when many are taking their first steps forward.

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A Lonely Graduation CeremonyMita Hiroko

Released in January 1983, Hiroko Mita’s fourth single is a breakup song that overlays the end of a romantic relationship with the word “graduation.” Rather than a school ceremony, it strikingly portrays the resolve to cut ties with a partner.

Instead of collapsing in tears, the lyrics bid farewell with a touch of irony and stubborn pride, exuding a mature wit that was unusual for idol pop of the time.

Lyrics are by Yoko Aki, and the composition by Akira Mitake—also known in the technopop sphere—features an urban sound that pairs a kayōkyoku-style melody with prominent synthesizers.

It’s an ambitious work that presents a slightly edgy portrayal of a young woman, not just pure sweetness.

The single peaked at No.

58 on the Oricon charts and was included in the 2017 release GOLDEN☆BEST Complete Singles.

It’s a recommended track for those who want to look back on the bittersweet end of a romance at the start of spring.

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When I Become a First Gradersakushi: Mado Michio, sakkyoku: Yamamoto Naozumi

As the footsteps of spring draw near, many of us are reminded of graduation and school entrance ceremonies.

With lyrics by Michio Mado and music by Naotsumi Yamamoto, this song is a children’s tune first released in 1966.

It captures, in words that are easy for children to understand, both the excitement and a touch of anxiety that come with starting a new school life, vividly evoking the image of venturing out into the wider world together with friends.

Its bright, bouncy melody has the lightness of a march that almost makes your steps feel lighter.

Since September 2014, it has also been used as the approach melody for conventional train lines at Tokuyama Station in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Mado’s hometown.

It’s a perfect song for celebrating a child’s new beginning or for anyone taking their first step into a new chapter of life.

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A Lonely Graduation CeremonyAsaka Yui

Yui Asaka – A Lonely Graduation Ceremony
A Lonely Graduation CeremonyAsaka Yui

Yui Asaka’s “Hitoribocchi no Sotsugyoushiki” is a moving song worthy of being called a graduation classic.

Her fresh, emotionally resonant vocals gently accompany the major life milestone of graduation, heightening the song’s sentimental mood.

The delicately drawn lyrics convey both the sorrow of parting and hope for the future, capturing listeners’ hearts.

That’s why this song has been loved by so many people for years.

In particular, those who spent their youth in the 1980s may find their feelings from that time vividly revived.

And those about to graduate will surely discover new emotion in the song’s universal message.

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GraduationTanimura Shinji