Ballads to Listen to in Summer | Exquisite Summer Songs That Embrace Bittersweet Longing

horizonYahagi Moeka

TV Anime “Sorairo Utility” Non-Credit Ending Video | Moeka Yahagi “Suiheisen” (Horizon)

How about a ballad whose melody blends warmth with a touch of poignancy and resonates in the heart? Sung by Moeka Yabana, this song served as the ending theme for the TV anime “Sky-Color Utility,” which began airing in January 2025.

It’s a track that teaches the importance of walking proudly down the path you believe in, no matter what others think, and of staying true to yourself.

The piano-centered band sound and the vocals that carefully weave each word soak deeply into your chest.

Give it a listen when you’re about to take on a challenge or feel like you’re losing sight of who you are.

Stand by me, Stand by you.Hirai Dai

Hirai Dai / Stand by me, Stand by you. (Lyric Video)

This is a digital single by Dai Hirai that sings of the love between two people brought together by fate, set to the warm, heartening tones of an acoustic guitar.

You can picture lovers who, against miraculous odds among billions, find each other, feel happiness in everyday moments, and support one another.

As summer draws to a close and a touch of wistfulness sets in, listening to this song may help you reaffirm the bond with the person by your side.

Released in September 2020, the track is also included on the album “Life Goes On.” It has colored many couples’ happiest moments as the CM song for Mynavi Wedding.

It’s a song we hope will be heard by two people who, along with their shining summer memories, wish to stay together forever.

First NightYorushika

The First Night

The song “Daiichi-ya” paints summer scenes with emotional depth, and its lyrics are sure to grip your heart.

Many listeners will likely relate to the way it recalls someone who’s no longer by your side, bringing that person to mind in various moments.

Those memories of someone you loved surface at unexpected points in everyday life.

With vocalist sui’s voice and the melody working together, the sense of longing swells even more—making this a ballad you’ll want to listen to on a summer night.

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utatane

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Life is BeautifulHirai Dai

Hirai Dai / Life is Beautiful (Music Video)

A heartwarming song that’s perfect for peaceful moments by the sea.

Dai Hirai’s gentle voice, paired with soothing sounds of ukulele and acoustic guitar, quietly reminds us just how precious the small joys of everyday life are.

The message embedded in this piece—“Life is beautiful”—guides the heart toward those sparkling moments we tend to overlook in our busy days.

Released in June 2016 as the title track of the acclaimed album “Life is Beautiful,” it also became well-loved as the theme for House Foods’ “Java Curry” commercial.

Whether you’re lost in thought on a beach at sunset or standing at a turning point in life, this song is sure to resonate deeply with the listener.

NatsuneGLAY

GLAY / Summer Sound

Released as a single in 2006, it was selected as the theme song for TBS’s variety show “Koisuru Hanikami!” from July to September.

It’s a fan-favorite, grand-scale summer ballad that topped the Oricon chart.

A dramatic number perfect for listening to while walking along the summer coastline.

Sound of SummerGReeeeN

GReeeeN – Summer Sound

GReeeeN’s “Natsu no Oto” depicts a delicate yet bittersweet story set against the backdrop of a summer festival.

Written as a campaign song for Kirin Namacha, it was released as a digital-only advance single ahead of its inclusion on the 2015 album “C, D desu to!?” From the intro, the song already carries a tinge of sadness that tightens the chest as you listen.

“Natsu no Oto,” or “the sound of summer,” most likely refers to fireworks—the fleeting bursts of light mirroring the transience of the singer’s own love.

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Hamada Takuya

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Lamp starharuka nakamura + suis from Yorushika

[MV] Akari-boshi (Lamp Star) / haruka nakamura + suis from Yorushika

You’re drawn into its delicate, lyrical sound.

It’s a collaboration between composer haruka nakamura and suis, the vocalist of Yorushika.

The song was written as the theme for the film “Kono Natsu no Hoshi o Miru,” set to be released in July 2025.

suis’s crystalline voice gently accompanies the quiet, beautiful piano melodies woven by haruka nakamura, creating an immersive feeling as if you were inside a planetarium.

The story—tinged with the ache of an irretrievable past and the discovery of a small light of hope in the darkness—perfectly matches the film’s worldview.

Listen, and you’ll find yourself forgetting the daily bustle and quietly looking up at the night sky.