Tear-jerking classic graduation songs! Recommended tracks for graduation movie BGM
At graduation, it’s common to give a graduation video: from graduates to the teachers who supported them, from teachers to their students, or from current students to the graduating class.
A slideshow that looks back on memories or a message video dedicated to those who helped you is perfect for expressing gratitude.
But one thing many people struggle with when making such videos is choosing the BGM.
So, here are some songs that are perfect for the upcoming graduation season! Pick one track that conveys your feelings.
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Burst into tears with classic graduation songs! Recommended tracks for graduation movie BGM (71–80)
Promise of SunflowersHata Motohiro
Himawari no Yakusoku is a song filled with gratitude toward those who have supported us, along with the message that it’s our turn to help someone else.
It was originally written by singer-songwriter Motohiro Hata as the theme song for the film STAND BY ME Doraemon.
Because of that, the lyrics contain many words that evoke summer, but it still feels perfectly suitable for a graduation video.
In particular, I think it’s an ideal choice for a video from current students to graduating students.
Close your eyesArai Yumi
This song was created after a female student from a certain high school in 1974 wrote to the All Night Nippon segment “We’ll make a personal image song just for you,” asking them to compose a school song.
Although it did not become the official school anthem, it came to be treated as a beloved song, and in that region it is played not only at graduation ceremonies but also when ships depart carrying island residents who are leaving the island.
I should be able to fly (in the sky).supittsu
Although it doesn’t explicitly sing about graduation, Spitz’s “Sora mo Toberu Hazu” is also very popular as a graduation song.
It became known as such after being used as the theme song for the coming-of-age drama Hakusen Nagashi starring Tomoya Nagase.
Its melody brimming with warmth and poem-like lyrics make it a great choice for the background music of graduation videos.
I think this song is perfect for creating a drama-like, story-driven video as well, since it won’t overshadow the main characters.
Cry your eyes out with classic graduation songs! Recommended tracks for graduation movie BGM (81–90)
On the Day of Departure
This song, with lyrics written by a junior high school principal in Saitama Prefecture in 1991 and music composed by the school’s music teacher, has now become a staple piece sung in chorus at graduation ceremonies.
I’m sure there are many schools that sing it every year at their graduations.
The lyrics about spreading your wings toward the future are perfect for graduation, and listening to this song really brings home the feeling of the occasion.
Since it’s a beautiful choral piece, I think it also works wonderfully as background music for the graduation slideshow schools put together as a memento.
Graduation PhotoArai Yumi
“Graduation Photo” is a song released in 1975 by Yuming, a.k.a.
Yumi Arai.
It’s a well-known classic themed around “graduation.” The song depicts a protagonist who opens an album, gazes at graduation photos, and recalls a sweetheart from their school days.
Looking at photos can bring back things you thought you’d forgotten, right? Not only former lovers or crushes from your student days, but also close friends and memorable events can come flooding back.
It’s perfect as background music for a slideshow-style movie that strings photos together!
graduationClariS
It’s a song by ClariS that portrays looking back on memories shared with someone important and praying that each person’s path ahead will shine.
The arrangement builds from an acoustic sound into a more powerful development, conveying how feelings of loneliness and deep affection grow stronger.
The duo’s signature beautiful harmonies also seem to express the strength of the bond depicted in the lyrics.
It’s a piece that resonates with a complex mix of emotions—loneliness and the joy of sending someone off on a new journey.
cherry blossomKobukuro
Now considered one of the definitive graduation songs, this track is almost always featured.
The beautiful harmonies of the duo Kobukuro are striking, and the song is used in a variety of settings! In particular, the piano accompaniment, the melody, and the way the song develops are all so beautiful and moving that performing it as a choral piece is sure to give listeners goosebumps.
The lyrics, which liken graduates’ futures to cherry blossoms, are also wonderful—so be sure to pay attention to the words as well!