Tear-jerking classic graduation songs! Recommended tracks for graduation movie BGM

YELLikimonogakari

YELL – Ikimono-gakari (Full)

Ikimonogakari’s 15th single, “YELL/Joyful,” was released in 2009.

In contrast to the bright and relentlessly energetic coupling track “Joyful,” “YELL” is a moving song that has become a staple graduation tune.

It was created as the set piece for NHK’s Nationwide School Music Competition, making it a perfect fit as a choral work as well.

Though its tone is subdued, it’s actually powerful—an uplifting song that points toward the future.

It also resonates beautifully as background music.

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utatane

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Symphony No. 2, Movement IIISergei Rachmaninov

Tadaaki Otaka (conductor) · Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra / Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2, Movement III / Orchard Hall Subscription Concert, July 21, 2014

Among the large-scale symphonies by the Russian Romantic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, the third movement of his Symphony No.

2 is exceptionally beautiful.

Premiered in February 1908, this work became a landmark piece that helped him overcome past harsh criticism and regain his confidence as a composer.

The clarinet’s long-breathed melody seeps into the heart like an endless song, gently embraced by the warm sonorities of the strings.

Played during diploma presentations or recessional scenes, it can create a moving atmosphere befitting the children’s departure on their next journey.

This is me ~Poem of Promise~RIKU

This is me ~Poem of Promise~

RIKU from THE RAMPAGE wrote “This is me ~Yakusoku no Uta~” for his solo tour.

Released as a single in November 2025, it was created to express his true, authentic self.

It embodies a resolve to accept his weaknesses and past, and to live as he is.

The song is filled with a universal message of self-affirmation that encourages listeners to be proud of themselves.

For graduates about to embark on a new world, it will surely resonate as if it were their own story.

spring melancholyMrs. GREEN APPLE

Mrs. GREEN APPLE – Spring Melancholy

You have to study, you don’t have any like-minded friends, and you’re tired just trying to get through each day… School life isn’t all fun and games.

For those who’ve overcome those feelings and reached graduation, we recommend “Shunshū” by Mrs.

GREEN APPLE.

Its lyrics, which capture the anxiety and loneliness of adolescence, are a perfect fit.

If you compile lots of photos into a graduation video set to the song and give it as a gift, it’ll leave them thinking, “There were ups and downs, but maybe it really was fun,” when they look back at the end.

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Kado(guchi) Shichigatsu

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March 9Remioromen

Remioromen – March 9th (Music Video Short ver.)

When it comes to Remioromen’s signature songs, isn’t it “Konayuki” and this track, “March 9”? Both songs were tied to the hugely popular drama “1 Litre of Tears,” as the theme song and an insert song, so many people remember them as a pair of long-running hits.

In particular, “March 9” has become a staple graduation song and will surely continue to be sung for years to come.

It’s also a very popular choice for graduation choruses—moving and tear-jerking whether you’re singing it or listening to it.

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utatane

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Three Songs, Op. 7-1: Après un rêveGabriel Faure

Fauré: Three Songs, Op. 7-1: Après un rêve (version for Cello and Piano) [Naxos Classical Curation #Melancholic]

Gabriel Fauré, the great French composer renowned for his fantastical works, was a master who left numerous unparalleled masterpieces in the French music scene from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

This piece was composed in 1877 and premiered in Paris in January 1879.

With long-breathed melodies, it delicately portrays the sweetness of dreams and the poignancy of waking.

Beloved as a masterpiece for cello, it is often used as background music for flashback scenes in films and dramas.

At graduation ceremonies, playing it while current students see off the graduates, or during a quiet moment accompanying a slideshow of memories, will gently envelop the atmosphere of the venue.

Thank youFUNKY MONKEY BABYS

FUNKY MONKEY BABYS “Thank You”

Released as FUNKY MONKEY BABYS’ final single, this song is one of the most popular graduation-themed J-pop tracks among students.

As the title suggests, it’s a perfect graduation song for expressing gratitude—a deeply moving piece you’ll want to dedicate to friends, teachers, parents, and anyone to whom you wish to say thank you.

It’s great for gifting as a choral performance, and it’s also recommended as background music for video projects like message videos or slideshows.

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Hane Keisuke

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