[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)
Violet-colored tearsIwasaki Hiromi
Celebrated as a classic that captures the ache of unrequited love, this song continues to resonate with many.
It depicts the loneliness and sorrow that love can bring through the beautiful phrase “violet-colored tears,” and Hiromi Iwasaki’s pure, translucent voice perfectly conveys the song’s world.
Released in June 1981, it was also featured in a commercial for Fuji Heavy Industries (now Subaru), making it beloved by a wide audience.
It’s recommended listening when you want to heal the pain of heartbreak or when you’re mourning a farewell with someone dear.
Why not let Iwasaki’s voice envelop you as you face the emotions deep within your heart?
The last spring breakMatsutōya Yumi
A song from Yumi Matsutoya’s “Yuming” era, included on the album OLIVE.
Released in 1979 (Showa 54), it’s a cherished piece filled with memories.
It delicately portrays the bittersweet feelings of a girl on the verge of graduation.
The lyrics vividly conjure scenes from the final spring break of her school days, and the gentle melody resonates in the heart.
It has remained a beloved classic, even inspiring a 1991 (Heisei 3) TBS drama adaptation, “Rouge no Dengon.” A perfect song for those who want to bask in the warmth of spring and sink into nostalgic memories.
Please give me wingsakai tori
A refreshing song that evokes a page of youth right before your eyes—blue skies, a gentle spring breeze, and a shimmering sun.
With freedom and hope as its themes, it portrays the delicate hearts of young people.
Released by Akaitori in February 1971, this piece has been featured in educational settings and has long been beloved by many.
Parting from friends with whom you can speak openly about anything is deeply sorrowful, but beyond painful farewells, wonderful encounters that will color your life surely await.
As you listen to this piece, why not etch the best memories with your best friends deep in your heart and take a step toward the next stage?
I can’t put it into wordsOda Kazumasa
It’s a song that gently embraces the complex emotions that words can’t fully express—like the end of a romance or parting ways with close companions.
Kazumasa Oda’s clear, translucent vocals and the melody that seeps into the heart move every listener.
Released in February 1982 during the Off Course era, it was also used in a Meiji Life Insurance commercial, etching itself into the memories of many.
Not limited to graduations, this heartfelt piece offers comfort to anyone who has experienced a farewell with someone important or carries feelings they can’t put into words.
Lingering Snowiruka
A song by Kaguyahime written and composed by Shozo Ise in 1972 (Showa 47).
Two years earlier, in 1970 (Showa 45), Iruka’s cover single became a huge hit.
The lyrics begin with phrases so beautiful they read like a literary work from the very first line.
This simple, lyrical poem depicting a young person setting off on a journey resonates with anyone about to take a new step forward.
It’s deeply heartrending, and precisely because of that, the vivid, beautiful scenes rise before your eyes and move listeners’ hearts.
Even now, it continues to be covered by many artists—such as Ken Hirai and Hideaki Tokunaga—and is truly a timeless masterpiece loved across generations.
Spring sceneryMinamino Yoko
This gem of a love song by Yoko Minamino portrays the bittersweet feelings of a young woman entering university and her boyfriend who has become a ronin student after failing his entrance exams, set in the spring of graduation.
Initially included on the April 1986 album “Gelato” and later featured as the B-side of “Kanashimi Monument” in July of the same year, the song delicately captures the subtleties of youth against the backdrop of Kobe.
Amid warm sunlight and fluttering cherry blossoms, the couple’s confusion about their changing circumstances resonates with a nostalgic melody.
Celebrated as a classic idol song, it continues to be loved as a piece that stays close to the heart at life’s milestones—love, parting, and setting out on new journeys.
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.