Ballads to Listen to in Summer | Exquisite Summer Songs That Embrace Bittersweet Longing
Going to the pool or the beach, having barbecues, heading to music festivals… summer is full of fun things, isn’t it? Precisely because it’s such an open, joyful season, there are moments when you suddenly feel lonely or a touch of wistfulness.
In this article, we introduce mellow ballads that will stay close to those bittersweet summer feelings.
From songs that capture the sadness of summer’s end to tracks themed around love and heartbreak, these warm tunes will wrap you up whenever a sentimental mood unexpectedly arrives.
Give them a listen!
- Songs you want to listen to at the end of summer: Late-summer classics to look back on the season
- [Masterpieces to Enjoy During Summer Vacation] A collection of summer songs bursting with summer vibes
- [Touching the Heart] Timeless Ballad Masterpieces. A Collection of Unfading Classics and the Latest Songs [2026]
- A collection of summer-like songs: tracks that go perfectly with summer, like the sea and the sky.
- Tear-jerking summer classics: recommended popular songs
- [2026] A summer song that tightens your chest with bittersweet feelings. A classic summer tune that touches the heart.
- Summer songs with great lyrics. Tracks that make your summer memories even more wonderful.
- Love songs you want to listen to in summer. Love songs that color the summer.
- Songs of Summer from the Showa Era: A comprehensive introduction, from nostalgic Japanese hits to timeless favorites still popular today
- [Summer Love Songs] Hot and Heart-wrenching! Carefully Selected Summer Tunes of Love That Set Your Heart Ablaze
- [Oldies] Summer Songs Recommended for People in Their 50s [2026]
- Emotional songs you’ll want to listen to in summer: classic tracks by rock bands and singer-songwriters.
- [Summer Classics] When it comes to summer, it’s got to be this song! A roundup from timeless staples to the latest hit tracks.
Ballads to Hear in Summer | Exquisite Summer Songs That Embrace Heartache (1–10)
Point of No ReturnCHEMISTRY
With a title that strikingly means “point of no return” in aviation terminology, this CHEMISTRY track blends lyrics that portray lingering attachment to an irretrievable past and the difficulty of moving forward with beautiful harmonies that resonate with a listener’s sentimental heart.
Released in June 2001, this gem of a ballad was also included on their debut album, The Way We Are.
It topped the Oricon chart for two consecutive weeks and earned Double Platinum certification.
When you feel the loneliness at summer’s end or a sudden pang of wistfulness, this song will gently embrace you.
Just a Kiss feat. AimyonSuda Masaki
A duet by Masaki Suda and Aimyon that gently stays close to that bittersweet feeling that suddenly washes over you on a summer evening.
It’s a mid-tempo ballad that portrays the unspoken, wavering emotions of a man and a woman and their somewhat unreliable, ambiguous relationship.
The delicate yet beautiful melody seeps into your heart, as if you were touching the air at summer’s end.
Featured on Masaki Suda’s July 2019 album “LOVE,” the song reportedly grew out of an impromptu session as the two talked in a park—an origin that seems to deepen its sense of poignancy.
When the loneliness after joyful summer memories have passed, or the frustration of a restless love keeps you up at night, listening to this song will surely make your heart feel a little lighter.
The Sea and the Boyanzenchitai
A work that conjures nostalgic scenes through Koji Tamaki’s deeply emotive vocals intertwined with the delicate performance of Anzenchitai.
It’s a song that gently depicts, as if painting a distant summer memory, the glittering surface of the water and a boy standing by it—awakening a tender longing for the past.
Released as a single in December 1986, it was also included on the masterpiece Anzenchitai V, released the same year.
When a quiet moment brings on a wave of sentimentality, this warm melody will surely wrap around you.
If you feel like immersing yourself in those faint memories of long ago, why not give it a listen?
Ballads to Listen to in Summer | Exquisite Summer Songs That Embrace Heartache (11–20)
fireworksSandaime Jē Sōru Burazāzu fromu Eguzairu Toraibu
A gem-like ballad by Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE that portrays a bittersweet love, evoking fleeting lights that shimmer and vanish in the summer night sky.
Told from a female perspective, the fleeting sparkle of a late-summer romance and the faint premonition of an eventual parting are carried on a beautiful melody that resonates with listeners.
Known as a signature track from the single “0 ~ZERO~,” released in August 2012, it was also loved as the ending theme for Asahi Broadcasting’s “Onegai! Ranking” that same month.
Why not listen to it on a night when you want something to gently accompany the quiet loneliness and lingering ache that follows the bustle of summer?
Summer-patterned catOfisharu Higedan Dism
This song, filled with bittersweet summer memories, might be something you’ve heard somewhere.
It’s included on Official HIGE DANDism’s HELLO EP, released on August 5, 2020.
It’s a gentle ballad featuring Satoshi Fujihara’s memorable piano-and-vocal performance.
The song delicately portrays scenes and emotions that symbolize the beginning of summer, carrying a warmth that resonates with listeners.
With imagery like meeting up with a cat and a pure longing to chase after summer, it can evoke a sentimental feeling when listened to at summer’s end.
It’s a song that quietly stays by your side when you feel a little lonely or wistful.
Song for…HY
A gem of a ballad whose gentle piano melody and bittersweet vocals slowly bloom in your chest.
Based on the real experiences of HY’s keyboardist and vocalist Izumi Nakasone, it portrays a single-minded love that, despite a fateful encounter, runs up against the wall of age and keeps waiting in faith for a reunion.
Many listeners will likely feel their hearts tighten at this earnest devotion.
The song is included on HY’s album “TRUNK,” released in July 2004, which reached No.
1 on the Oricon charts.
On a summer evening, when a sudden loneliness washes over you, this warm melody is sure to echo softly in your heart.
fireworkskyanai
Hanabi resonates with its steadfast vocals and pure, universally relatable lyrics.
After Vanilla drew attention in 2022, singer-songwriter Kyanai paused their activities for a while and resumed in January 2023.
They say this song is packed with all the memories they let go of in the past.
Summer fireworks are beautiful, yet somehow fleeting, aren’t they? In the scenes where we build our lives, parting is inevitable.
While savoring that bittersweetness, the song gently wraps you up, as if to say: with both hope and despair, you are who you are right now.
