When it comes to songs that make you cry, there are many that rely on sweeping, grand music to stir your emotions, but there are also plenty of works that move you from a more literary perspective.
Pay close attention to every word and phrase—the unique points of view and the precise choice of words that express feelings so accurately are truly striking!
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- Popular Japanese songs among men in their 20s. Recommended masterpieces and classic tracks.
- Songs that men in their 20s should sing [Popular & Classic Hits]
- Recommended for the Yutori generation! Tear-jerking masterpieces from the J-pop scene
- Tear-jerking songs recommended for men in their 40s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- [Tear-Jerking] Classic and Recommended Love Ballads
- Tear-jerking songs recommended for men in their 50s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- Recommended love songs for men in their 20s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- Mutual love songs recommended for women in their 20s: classic and popular Japanese hits
- [Just the Lyrics Make Me Cry] Tear-Jerking Songs That Touch the Heart
- [Tearjerker Guaranteed!] A Heartbreak Song Told from a Male Perspective
- Tear-jerking masterpieces sung by male artists that I’d recommend to Gen Z
- Karaoke songs popular with women that they want men to sing
Tear-jerking songs recommended for men in their 20s: Classic and popular Japanese tracks (1–10)
Mikan HeartC&K
There’s nothing more painful than knowing your feelings won’t reach the person you love.
This is a song by the male music duo C&K, made up of CLIEVY and KEEN, released in October 2013 as their 10th single.
It’s a ballad marked by a poignant piano and deeply emotive vocals.
Centered on the theme of an “unfinished heart,” the lyrics portray longing and hurt for someone special, leaving a deep impression on listeners.
Many of us have probably had moments—on the way home from work or alone at night—when a sudden memory of someone brought us to tears.
CLIEVY’s high tone layered with KEEN’s warm voice amplifies the heartache.
The music video, featuring Haruma Miura and Naoko Watanabe, also drew attention for its dramatic depiction of the song’s worldview.
Included on the album “CK AND MORE…,” it remains a beloved classic.
It’s a must-listen for adult men who can’t cut off lingering feelings—when your head says you shouldn’t fall in love, but your heart can’t keep up.
umbrellaKing Gnu
This is a mid-tempo track that resonates with King Gnu’s signature sophisticated sound, linking rainy scenery with a sense of emotional loss.
Daiki Tsuneta’s wistful melodies intertwine with Satoru Iguchi’s crystal-clear vocals to beautifully portray the helplessness of a love that has ended.
Released in October 2019 and included on the album CEREMONY, the song also drew wide attention as the commercial theme for Bourbon’s Alfort featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.
The lyrics, which express the loneliness of a man left behind in a room after his partner is gone and the unfillable void in his heart, may be painful for some to hear.
If you listen quietly alone on a sleepless night, the tears you’ve been holding back might begin to flow.
me me sheRADWIMPS
Let me introduce a classic ballad that sings of a man’s aching heart, still thinking of his former lover even after the breakup.
Created by RADWIMPS, one of Japan’s leading popular bands, this track is included on their landmark album “RADWIMPS 4: Okazu no Gohan,” released in December 2006.
Despite never being released as a single, it has long enjoyed overwhelming support among fans.
The lyrics vividly depict the lingering attachment to a love that has ended, as well as the ego that, while wishing for the other’s happiness, can’t help but prioritize oneself.
The world of Yojiro Noda’s honest and complex emotional landscape—so distinctly his—will pierce the hearts of adults who usually put on a brave face.
On nights when you carry a weakness you can tell no one about, why not listen to this song alone in silence and let yourself cry your heart out?
The song that comes afterback number
back number portrays lingering attachment and regret after a breakup in unadorned, down-to-earth words.
“Ato no Uta,” included on their indie-era album Ato no Matsuri, is a hidden gem released in June 2010.
The lyrics describe the ironic psychology where deliberately avoiding reminders in an effort to forget only makes you more conscious of the other person’s presence.
By refusing to dress up the pain of heartbreak and instead depicting it as traces that remain in everyday life, the song’s words carry a wrenching sense of reality.
It’s a track you’ll want to listen to on nights when the sadness of parting hasn’t healed and memories resurface in unguarded moments.
If you’re standing still, unable to sort out a past love, this song will gently stay by your side.
Happinessback number
Back number, known for lyrics and melodies that ache and tighten the chest, has won wide support.
This work is the B-side track included on their major-label debut single “Hanabira,” released in April 2011.
It was later included on the album “Superstar,” released in October of the same year, and has continued to be cherished by fans as a hidden gem.
Realizing that the person you love is thinking of someone other than you, yet being able to stay by their side only by wishing for their happiness—these painfully selfless feelings and inner conflicts are depicted in the lyrics, piercing listeners’ hearts.
The beautiful arrangement incorporating strings further stirs the emotions.
For those suffering from unrequited love or who have once prayed for a loved one’s happiness from afar, this is a song that will bring you to tears.
Close your eyesHirai Ken
The moment that poignant piano intro begins, many of you may feel your memories from that time come rushing back.
This is the 20th single by singer-songwriter Ken Hirai, who continues to captivate countless fans with his overwhelming vocal prowess and expressive artistry.
Written as the theme song for the 2004 film “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World,” it became a historic hit, topping the year-end charts.
The lyrics, which portray the sorrow of mourning a lost lover and the resolve to go on loving them in memory, never fail to bring listeners to tears.
Also included on the album “SENTIMENTALovers,” this ballad gently accompanies the heart of a man living on while carrying an unforgettable love.
On a night when you want to quietly lose yourself in memories alone, give it a listen.
Promise of SunflowersHata Motohiro
A singer-songwriter with a voice of “steel and glass” that resonates in the heart, Motohiro Hata delivers a moving ballad.
Its lyrics, which depict the warmth of those who stay by your side and the unchanging bonds that endure even when you’re apart, gently accompany the season of farewells.
Released as a single in August 2014, this song was created as the theme for the film STAND BY ME Doraemon.
Its messages, which overlap with the film’s story, struck a chord with many people, and by 2015 it had become such a massive hit that it dominated the karaoke charts.
No matter if the paths we walk diverge in the future, our hearts will always remain connected—this is a song that inspires that kind of hope.
Sing it arm-in-arm with friends at graduations or farewell parties as they set off on new journeys, and it will surely become a memory that lasts a lifetime!