Recommended breakup songs for women in their 50s: classic and popular Japanese tracks

Let's Count Your Kisses ~You were mine~NEW!Yuki Koyanagi

[Official] Yuki Koyanagi “Let’s Count Your Kisses ~You were mine~” (Music Video) / Anatano Kiss wo Kazoemashou (1st Single)

This is the song Yuki Koyanagi debuted with in 1999, and I think it’s a ballad everyone admires.

Some of you might have listened to this track on repeat, right? Even if you think you’re tone-deaf, songs you’ve listened to a lot tend to stick in your memory, so when you actually sing them, you’ll often find you can surprisingly stay on pitch! So don’t be afraid to give it a try.

The A and B sections sit in a relatively calm range, but the pitch jumps up quickly from the chorus into the C section, so it feels great if you adjust the key to one that’s comfortable for you and sing the English parts too.

The accompaniment is solid, so you should still be able to sing it coolly even if you lower the key.

Overall, there’s no need to belt—sing with a light touch, keeping a head-voice feel in mind, and give it a try.

Cheer upMariya Takeuchi

Cheer Up – Mariya Takeuchi

Originally a track from Hiroko Yakushimaru’s 1984 album “Kokonshū,” this classic became a long-running hit when the artist herself re-recorded it in 1988.

While it’s a breakup song, it’s quite rare in that it takes a woman’s perspective to encourage another woman who’s heartbroken.

Each word offers gentle support and courage, making it a song you’ll want to listen to not only after a breakup but also whenever you’re struggling with anything.

Lingering Snowdolphin

Nagori-yuki – Iruka

When it comes to quintessential breakup songs for people in their 50s, it has to be this one.

The other day on a quiz show, I saw a chart that listed memorable classic songs by age group, and Nagori Yuki was ranked No.

1 for both people in their 50s and 60s.

It’s a breakup song from a male perspective, but the vivid farewell scene draws in women as well, and it continues to resonate with younger generations even today.

I'm sorryMariko Takahashi

I'm sorry…

A song depicting a heartrending farewell and lingering regret, released in May 1996 by Mariko Takahashi as the theme for Tuesday Suspense Theater.

With a clear, translucent voice, it poignantly conveys the feelings of a woman who has hurt someone precious and committed an irreparable mistake.

The portrayal of regret over romantic missteps, the plea for forgiveness, and the earnest love for someone dear is deeply moving.

It is a piece that offers profound empathy to those struggling with relationships or who have experienced a painful parting.

A masterpiece that everyone who has known heartbreak or separation should hear.

An Afternoon Spent Watching the SeaYumi Arai

An Afternoon Spent Watching the Sea

Even though it’s been over 40 years since this song was released, the Dolphin restaurant that appears in the lyrics is still bustling with pilgrims visiting the sacred site—truly a classic.

If you don’t listen closely, it sounds almost a cappella, with hardly any backing track audible.

With just soda water and a paper napkin—such simple props—Yuming manages to evoke a profoundly deep heartbreak.

She really is a genius.

I can't stop this sadnessAnri

I can’t stop the sorrow — I CAN’T STOP THE LONELINESS

A gem of a love song by Anri that conveys the poignant emotions of a woman whose boyfriend has been taken by her best friend, expressed through an urbane melody and sophisticated arrangement.

With her warm vocal timbre and graceful singing, your heart aches for the heroine who loses both her lover and her friend at once.

Released in November 1983, the song was issued as an advance single from the album “Timely!!” and reached No.

4 on the Oricon weekly chart.

Bolstered by its tie-in with a Shiseido commercial, it generated a huge response.

It’s a song that stays close to your heart when you want to heal the pain of a breakup—something everyone experiences at least once—while reflecting the complicated feelings stirred by the evolving relationship between friend and lover.

I am a piano.Mizue Takada

I am the Piano — Mizue Takada.flv

From folk songs to New Music—from Takuro to Yumi, to Miyuki Nakajima, and then to Southern—the generation in their fifties spent their youth sensing these shifts in popular taste.

Southern All Stars’ debut single “Katte ni Shindobaddo” shot into the Top Ten in no time at all, not so much for the meaning of its lyrics as for its freshness as a new sound.

They’ve remained active ever since, but back at their debut they were almost too blessed with hits; perhaps the pressure to produce another hit each time was so strong that their songwriting stalled.

There was even a time on the TV music show The Best Ten when they changed some lyrics and kept repeating “neurosis.” That said, Mizue Takada’s “Watashi wa Piano” is superb in both words and melody, a masterful portrayal of how parting arrives without warning and everything crumbles away.