[Summer Classics] When it comes to summer, it’s got to be this song! A roundup from timeless staples to the latest hit tracks.
When you hear “summer songs,” what tracks come to mind? Is it a hit from your youth, a classic you hear somewhere every year once summer arrives, or the latest chart-topper? In this article, we’ll introduce timeless summer-song masterpieces that instantly bring the season to mind.
From tracks that amp up your energy to songs that take you back to a page of your youth, it’s a lineup that captures many shades of “summer.” With your favorite summer tunes, let’s power through the hot season!
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[Summer Classics] When it comes to summer, it’s got to be this song! A comprehensive roundup from timeless staples to the latest hit tracks (81–90)
Season in the SunTUBE
This is TUBE’s quintessential summer anthem, packed with the faint wistfulness that comes as summer draws to a close and the radiant, sun-like energy that still blazes on.
Vivid scenes of the endless blue sea and bittersweet young love unfold in your mind, instantly transporting you to summer the moment you press play.
Released in April 1986 as the band’s third single, it was also included on that year’s album THE SEASON IN THE SUN.
You might recognize it from Kirin Beer and Suntory commercials.
Peaking at No.
6 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, this track is sure to set your heart ablaze whenever you feel like reminiscing about days of youth gone by!
Summer is comingDaikoku Maki
With the crisp, catchy rhythm of timbales that seems to herald the arrival of summer, this is a standout track by Maki Ohguro.
Released in April 1994, the song is also included on the album “Eien no Yume ni Mukatte.” Its charm lies in the straightforward lyrics that capture the slightly stubborn feelings of a protagonist who can’t quite be honest despite the expectations around marriage.
It also reached living rooms nationwide as the opening theme for COUNT DOWN TV and as a Sapporo Beer commercial song.
It’s a perfect pick to amp up a summer drive and to give courage to anyone who wants to move forward at their own pace.
Youth and youth and youthaimyon
This is a song by Aimyon that was used in 2021 as the commercial theme for Kirin Beer’s “Tanrei Green Label.” The track originally appeared on her single “Kimi wa Rock wo Kikanai,” released in August 2017.
The imagery of a love for someone you can only meet in dreams mingling with the languid air of summer is striking.
Many listeners likely relate to those bittersweet feelings that resurface from everyday triggers—like how the smell of curry can make you feel fond of someone.
Perhaps the song’s true meaning resonates even more deeply when you listen to it as an adult.
NatsuneGLAY
It’s a heart-stirring ballad where summer scenery intertwines with a past love.
The lyrics convey the narrator’s helpless feelings as every touch of the beautiful summer landscape brings back memories of an unforgettable lover.
This beautiful melody was released as a single in September 2006 and became widely beloved as the theme song for TBS’s “Koisuru Hanikami!” It debuted at No.
1 on the Oricon chart, marking the remarkable achievement of GLAY’s tenth consecutive year with a No.
1 single.
It’s the perfect song for those moments when you want to reminisce about a summer love that has slipped away.
HOTEL PACIFICSazan Ōrusutāzu
This number perfectly fuses passionate Latin rhythms with the familiar melodies of Japanese pop, conjuring images of a blazing sun and an endless blue sea.
It was written for a large-scale outdoor concert held in the summer of 2000 in Chigasaki, the hometown of Southern All Stars.
Released in July 2000 as their 45th single, it also brightened living rooms across Japan as the theme song for WOWOW’s “Summer Campaign” commercials.
It’s the perfect track to lift your spirits even higher when you’re heading out for a seaside drive or a barbecue with friends.