[For adults too] Youth songs that let you look back on your memories

CorrectRADWIMPS

RADWIMPS – The Answer [Official Music Video]

RADWIMPS delivers a tender melody with a profound message that resonates deeply during graduation season.

The warm soundscape woven by piano tones and a student choir gently embraces moments of looking back on youthful days.

The lyrics, which depict the search for the right answers in life and the journey to find one’s true self, strike a universal chord that anyone can relate to.

Released for streaming in January 2024 and followed by a limited-production CD in February, this work was born from encounters with the younger generation and takes on a new challenge by incorporating a student choir.

It is a heartwarming song that stands beside young people leaving their schools and those facing turning points in life.

single bedSha ran Q

Sharam Q “Single Bed” (Music Video)

This is a wistful ballad that poignantly sings of lingering feelings for a former lover, a classic that gently teaches the preciousness of love.

As the protagonist looks back on memories left behind on a single bed, they realize that a romance once taken for granted was in fact more valuable than jewels, weaving a moving drama.

Released by Sharam Q in October 1994, the song became a major hit, ranking 24th on the year-end charts.

It was also used as the ending theme for the anime D.N.A²: They Were Once a Thing, and included on the album Inferiority Complex.

It’s the perfect track for reminiscing about youthful love while sharing memories with friends.

Unable to become an adultkujira

Unable to become an adult

This song is striking for its vocals that gently weave a delicate, fleeting sense of longing, paired with a melody that softly wraps around the listener.

It warmly depicts a young person facing forward despite anxieties and confusion about growing up, and the loneliness and ordinariness they carry.

With Kujira’s signature subtle expressiveness, it tenderly renders true-to-life emotions.

The track was written as the theme song for the film “Senpai wa Otokonoko: Ame nochi Hare,” set for release in February 2025.

Kujira also handled both the opening and ending themes for the TV anime series “Senpai wa Otokonoko,” further enriching the world of the work.

It’s a song that gently speaks to those feeling uncertainty or doubt, offering solace while affirming the importance of living true to oneself.

Young PeopleSanīdēi Sābisu

Sunny Day Service – Youths [TOUR 2023]

This is a song whose vocals seep into the heart like gentle sunlight, paired with a strikingly beautiful melody.

Through small everyday moments and scenery, it portrays the delicate emotions of adolescence—anxieties and conflicts about growing up, and the uncertainty of staying true to oneself.

The vocals are understated yet leave a deep afterglow, and the simple but richly expressive performance draws you into its world.

Released in April 1995 on Sunny Day Service’s major-label debut album “Wakamonotachi,” it has long been cherished as one of the band’s signature works.

It’s best enjoyed on a quiet night, alone with your thoughts.

You may find that the unspoken feelings in your heart are gently embraced.

cherrysupittsu

Spitz / Cherry

With its melodious sound and lyrical lyrics, this masterpiece gently stays close to the heart.

While looking back on the days of a bygone youth, the protagonist’s resolve to keep moving forward carries a warmth that invites everyone’s empathy.

Released in April 1996 and reaching No.

1 on the Oricon charts, the song was also included on the album “Indigo Chiheisen,” and has been featured in NTT East’s TV commercials since 2019.

This piece is perfect for moments when you want to take a new step forward while cherishing memories with someone special, or when you feel like linking arms with friends and singing together—any time you need a boost of positivity.

The memories are too beautifulYagami Junko

Memories are too beautiful

Junko Yagami’s major-label debut song, which sings of a love forever out of reach, framed within beautiful memories.

A superb ballad where a sophisticated bossa nova-tinged melody intertwines with her lustrous vocals.

With lyrics that poignantly and beautifully depict a lost love, and a transparent, elegant sound, it can be considered the very essence of classic New Music.

Released in January 1978, it reached No.

25 on the Oricon chart.

It was also included on the album “Omoide wa Utsukushisugite” and selected as the theme song for Nippon Broadcasting’s “Cocky Pop.” This work is a timeless classic that gently accompanies hearts feeling the sorrow of parting with a loved one and the nostalgia for a past that can never return.

Recommended for those moments when you want to surrender to a soothing melody and immerse yourself in memories of days gone by.

GraduationOzaki Yutaka

Yutaka Ozaki – Graduation (Official Music Video)

Yutaka Ozaki delivers a work that captures the clumsy emotions of youth in their entirety with his powerful singing voice.

Frankly portraying the feelings of young people—such as the sense of suffocation in school life and distrust toward adults—this piece carries a universal message about the thirst for freedom felt within the school days that everyone experiences.

Released in January 1985 and peaking at No.

20 on the Oricon charts, it was issued as the lead single from the album Kaikisen (Tropic of Cancer).

Later, in 2016, it was also featured as the commercial song for a web-exclusive short film by a casual clothing chain, continuing to resonate with many people across generations.

It’s a track you’ll want to listen to when you’re wavering between ideals and reality or questioning the norms of society.