Masterpieces that sing about loneliness: J-pop to listen to when you're alone
This is a carefully curated playlist of Japanese songs that sing about loneliness.
Even when we say “loneliness,” there are many ways to feel it and many forms it can take.
Sometimes you despair at being alone, sometimes you want to be alone, and sometimes you feel the ache of not being able to see someone.
The feeling of pressing on even without someone precious by your side might also be a kind of loneliness.
Here are timeless songs you’ll want to listen to in those lonely moments.
Beyond the massive hits, you’ll also find tracks with a different kind of impact—songs that quietly support you at your core.
Every song here is a wonderful piece that stays close to the listener, so give them all a listen.
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- When you want to be alone: recommended masterpieces and popular songs for times you crave solitude
- Masterpieces that sing of despair. Recommended popular songs.
- When you want to immerse yourself in music alone! Tear-jerker songs released in the Reiwa era
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- A famous song about setbacks. A song that stays by your side when times are tough or you feel like giving up.
- [For when you want to cry or feel sad] Tear-jerking masterpieces that make you cry when you listen
- [Yami Song] Fight darkness with darkness!? Deep tracks that stay close to your pain
- [Bereavement Song] To you whom I can no longer meet... Tear-jerking songs about death
- Songs that hit home when you're feeling blue: masterpieces of Japanese music
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
A classic anthem of loneliness: J-Pop to listen to when you're alone (21–30)
Night of 15Ozaki Yutaka
Even younger people at least know the name of Yutaka Ozaki’s “15 no Yoru” (“15 Nights”).
No matter how times change, it never loses its luster and continues to move people’s hearts.
When they were young, many surely felt, upon hearing this song, that it must be singing about them.
Resignation from being humanboku no ririkku no bouyomi
A powerful track by Bokuriri.
The title alone is something else, isn’t it? The lyrics are pretty extreme too, hurling scathing words at humanity, yet they depict the agony of struggling with exceptional talent or a uniqueness that’s yours alone.
Sometimes not being able to fit in leaves you feeling isolated.
When the pain of not belonging races through your whole body, you might even feel like quitting being human altogether.
This is a song that sinks in so sharply it hurts, especially when you just can’t bear that loneliness or the weight of society.
Fragment of SolitudeAnjura Aki
A number that captivates the heart with Angela Aki’s grand yet warm vocals.
Written specifically to match the story as the theme song for the drama “A Solitary Bet: My Beloved” starring Hideaki Ito.
The CD also includes a coupled piano version of the track.
It portrays someone who has long felt lonely gradually being freed from that loneliness after meeting someone special.
By being with someone important, loneliness fades and happiness naturally follows—an uplifting song that conveys the hope that lies beyond solitude.
EveryhomeOnitsuka Chihiro
No matter how much two people love each other, there will come a time when they part ways or grow apart.
Even when you’re together, even when it feels like it could last forever, there are many things you have to face on your own.
At such times, her song speaks of human loneliness, telling us that we can’t always be with someone, and that there are times when we must become strong standing only on our own two feet.
Under the big onionbakufū suranpu
The rock band Bakufu Slump’s ballad “Under the Big Onion.” It’s a song that captures a solitary page of youth: a boy promises to meet his pen pal at the Budokan, but they never meet.
When it was released in 1989, it became a big hit.
For example, if I were to dieMorita Doji
For example, Morita Doji’s “If I Were to Die,” a song by a charismatic folk singer whose legacy transcends time.
It’s also known for having been covered by numerous artists.
It truly feels like a classic Showa-era song that sings of solitude.
Just… I want to see youEXILE
“Tada… Aitakute” (“I Just… Want to See You”) is a ballad by the dance-vocal unit EXILE, whom many of you may already know.
The song’s biggest highlight is undoubtedly vocalist ATSUSHI’s sweet, soaring voice.
It’s an unforgettable masterpiece once you’ve heard it.