Classic songs about school uniforms. Recommended popular tracks.

Mannequin in a uniformNogizaka 46

Nogizaka46 'Seifuku no Mannequin' Short Ver.

This is a song that brings out a new side of Nogizaka46.

The lyrics, written from a male perspective, vividly conjure up the silhouette of a couple, making it easy to picture.

The sense of rebellion against adults evokes images of adolescents in their school years.

The idea of being honest about one’s emotions is present, and “Seifuku no Mannequin” is a title that makes the lyrics very easy to grasp.

High School Rock ‘n’ RollOzaki Yutaka

Yutaka Ozaki High School Rock ’n’ Roll

With the coolness that makes you unwittingly get absorbed in the PV and that charismatic presence, just imagining wearing a tight uniform and getting on a packed train makes you want to take a little breather like in this song.

Yutaka Ozaki was expressing something against the constraints of school life, wasn’t he?

Sakura RabbitKawasaki Takaya

Takanori Kawasaki - Sakura Usagi [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

It’s a heart-wrenchingly bittersweet graduation song that makes you see your timid self in a “rabbit.” After three years of pent-up feelings, all you can manage to say in the end is “thank you.” Doesn’t it make you overlay your own image onto that sweet-and-bitter page of youth? Takaya Kawasaki’s husky yet warm voice gently wraps around the protagonist’s frustrating, unrequited feelings.

Released in January 2021, this song is also included on the album Nukumori (Warmth).

For those who couldn’t say that single word, “I like you,” its message tenderly embraces those painful memories—and if you’ve ever had a one-sided crush, it will surely warm your heart.

Don’t take off my sailor uniformo nyanko kurabu

Onyanko Club - Don't Take Off My Sailor Uniform

It’s a smash hit song by Onyanko Club, who always introduced themselves by stating their member number and name.

They debuted as assistants on the TV show “Yūyake Nyan Nyan,” which began in 1985.

When it comes to songs about school uniforms, this is likely the first one many people think of.

It’s a classic that continues to be sung across generations.

Feathers of the UniformAKB48

[MV full] The Wings of the Uniform / AKB48 [Official]

You can almost picture that bittersweet scene of a secret crush: watching you run across the schoolyard from the classroom window.

This song, which sings of the hope and heartache of sprouting invisible wings on your uniformed back and taking flight toward the future, will make listeners’ hearts skip a beat.

Included on the single “Kibouteki Refrain Type D,” released in November 2014, this track is a special one for Team 8—their very first music video was made for it! When graduation approaches and you feel anxious about becoming an adult, doesn’t this song gently nudge you forward with a reassuring “It’s going to be okay”?

Uniform and the SunKeyakizaka46

[Sakurazaka46 RISA WATANABE GRADUATION CONCERT] Uniform and the Sun [High Quality]

Don’t you ever suddenly feel stifled by the routine of spending every day in a prescribed uniform? Rather than just walking the path laid out by adults, you want to move forward by your own will toward a sunlit future.

This is a cheer song that carries that hidden inner cry on a refreshing sound.

Included on Keyakizaka46’s single Futari Saison, released in November 2016, this track frees the heart from a cramped everyday life.

When you’re unsure about something, you want the courage to follow your true feelings.

If you listen at such a moment, won’t your heart feel a little lighter, as if you took a deep breath under the sky of the schoolyard?

Take off the uniform and say goodbye…Nogizaka 46

Nogizaka46 Taking Off the Uniform to Say Goodbye…

A Nogizaka46 song that portrays the feelings of a girl saying goodbye to the special time called “uniform” and taking her first step into adulthood.

Sung by Asuka Saito and Minami Hoshino, who were both in high school at the time, their true-to-life voices further enhance the song’s fresh, innocent charm.

Listening to this track—which conveys not only hope for the future but also a tinge of sadness at leaving a familiar place—may bring back nostalgic memories of your own youth.

It’s included on the single Taiyo Knock, released in July 2015.

A refreshing, hope-filled anthem that gently supports hearts swaying with expectation and anxiety at the major milestone of graduation.