Beautiful tear-jerking songs / songs that make you cry your eyes out

For When You Need a Good Cry: Soul-Soothing Tearjerker Classics — Life, Love, and Work

DancerFukkun:)Tatsuki Fukuda
Primarily active in Tokyo, I have experience as a backup dancer for artists, a music video dancer, and a commercial dancer. I continue to work as a dancer while also engaging in article production. After discovering Michael Jackson in junior high school, I began dancing in my second year of high school. Since starting dance, in addition to the J-Pop and Japanese rock I had been listening to, I began exploring Western R&B, rap, alternative music, and other tracks commonly used for dance. In elementary school, I spent three years in a choir, and because I love singing, I often go to karaoke for fun. These days, I enjoy a wide range of music, from Japanese rock and rap to K-pop.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

There are moments in life when you just feel an overwhelming urge to cry, aren’t there?

In this article, we introduce songs that are guaranteed to make you cry and tracks to listen to when you want to let the tears flow.

We’ve gathered classic songs and masterpieces that support your desire to cry from various angles—heartache in love, the difficulties of life, the hardships of work, and more.

Anyone’s heart can get worn down if they push themselves past their limits.

If you’re feeling tired, please give these a listen.

I’m sure these wonderful pieces of music that gently stay by your side will bring you comfort.

[For When You Want to Cry] Tearjerking Songs That Heal the Heart: Life, Love, and Work (111–120)

spin; weave; compose (e.g., a story)tota

Tsumugu / Tota

spin; weave; compose (e.g., a story)tota

A gemlike love song woven from evanescent yet beautiful poetic expressions and a crystal-clear singing voice.

While skillfully depicting scenes from nature, it delicately conveys the feelings of thinking about someone dear.

When Tota posted it on social media in June 2021, it quickly sparked a huge response.

In December 2022, it was selected as the tie-in song for a Pure Gummy web commercial, and the full version was released in February of the following year.

Recommended for those who want to face everyday reality while feeling the sorrow of losing someone precious and the strength to keep looking forward.

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sympathetic tearsHitoto Yo

Yo Hitoto / Borrowed Tears

sympathetic tearsHitoto Yo

A debut work by Yo Hitoto that delicately portrays people’s emotions in our lonely modern society.

Amid an information-saturated daily life, the protagonist searches for a place to belong, gently expressing the warmth of a heart that empathizes with others’ tears and stays by their side.

Its original sound weaves together elements of gospel, R&B, and oriental influences, beautifully harmonizing with her crystal-clear vocals.

Since its release in October 2002, the song reached No.

4 on the Oricon weekly chart.

The following year, it won the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist and was performed on the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen.

It’s a song I sincerely want to share with those struggling with human connections or those who feel the urge to be there for someone.

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SymphonyHirai Dai

Hirai Dai / Symphony (Music Video)

SymphonyHirai Dai

Characterized by warm, heartfelt vocals and a grand orchestral arrangement, this gem of a love ballad gives voice to the universal longing for a hero and the resolve to protect the ones we cherish.

Infused with Dai Hirai’s perspective as a father, it carries a powerful message brimming with hope and love for the future.

Released in April 2023 as the theme song for the film TOKYO MER: Mobile Emergency Room – The Movie, it marked Hirai’s first theme for a live-action film.

The song is also included on his best-of album LOVE＋PEACE, released in May of the same year.

This track is perfect for new beginnings with someone special, pivotal moments in life, or any time you need the courage to face forward.

Wrapped in its warm vocals, it’s sure to help you take that first step toward tomorrow.

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A Gentle BallAimer

Aimer “Gentle Ball” Lyrics/English/Indonesian | NHK “Minna no Uta” | 25th single “SCOPE”

A Gentle BallAimer

Set to the strains of a dreamlike waltz, a mysterious tale unfolds on the stage of a nighttime ball.

Aimer’s husky, lustrous voice gracefully paints a fantastical scene bathed in moonlight.

The feelings of a girl who keeps dancing within the fleeting hours of the night, searching for faint memories and traces of the past, will resonate deeply with us as adults.

This piece is included on the single “SCOPE,” released in February 2025, and was newly written for NHK’s “Minna no Uta” broadcasts for February and March.

It’s a song you’ll want to savor at the close of the day, in a quiet room—one that will gently accompany and soothe a heart tired from work.

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the red threadKobukuro

Kobukuro “Red Thread”

the red threadKobukuro

Kobukuro weaves an epic, nearly seven-minute story, singing of a fateful bond with beautiful harmony.

It portrays a year in the lives of two people who once drew a line in their relationship and decided not to see each other for a while.

Some listeners may see themselves in the protagonist, who believes and keeps waiting until the other person’s heart arrives at an answer—reflecting a complex love that continues even after a breakup.

After being included on the indie release “Root of my mind,” this song was covered by Yui Aragaki and also used in a Nippon Life commercial.

Choosing to part ways yet still thinking of the other person somewhere in your heart is proof of how deeply you loved, isn’t it? This song seems to gently embrace that painful feeling and affirm the meaning of taking time apart.

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Last Love SongSuperfly

Superfly Last Love Song

Last Love SongSuperfly

Love songs and ballads often make you cry, and Superfly’s “Last Love Song” is another heart-wrenching love ballad that aches with longing.

The piano is unhurried and beautiful, and her voice loosens your tear ducts.

It’s a song packed with the sorrow and tenderness of thinking about someone you didn’t break up with because you disliked them—one that brings you to tears.

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Sorrow like snowHamada Shogo

Sorrow Like Snow (ROAD OUT “MOVIE”)

Sorrow like snowHamada Shogo

When it comes to Shogo Hamada, this is the song that defines him.

The cool voice and guitar sound have an appeal that resonates even with today’s youth.

What I want you to focus on is his solid vocal ability, even with that deep, rugged tone.

It’s a song I’d love people living with sadness or loneliness to hear.

It tells you it’s okay to cry—everyone does sometimes.

It’s a song that makes you want to forgive yourself.

If you’re an adult, it’s the kind of track you’ll want to listen to with a whiskey on the rocks in hand.

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