Lovely karaoke song

Bittersweet songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: recommended masterpieces and popular tracks

DancerFukkun:)Tatsuki Fukuda
Primarily active in Tokyo, I have experience as a backup dancer for artists, a music video dancer, and a commercial dancer. I continue to work as a dancer while also engaging in article production. After discovering Michael Jackson in junior high school, I began dancing in my second year of high school. Since starting dance, in addition to the J-Pop and Japanese rock I had been listening to, I began exploring Western R&B, rap, alternative music, and other tracks commonly used for dance. In elementary school, I spent three years in a choir, and because I love singing, I often go to karaoke for fun. These days, I enjoy a wide range of music, from Japanese rock and rap to K-pop.

While it’s great fun to sing crowd-pleasers that get everyone hyped at karaoke, it can be just as nice to connect over a poignant, melancholic ballad.

So this time, we’ll introduce a selection of bittersweet songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke all at once!

Unlike upbeat tracks that amp up the energy, melancholic ballads tend to be slower in tempo and feature lots of long sustained notes.

That’s why they feel so good to sing!

And above all, many of these songs invite you to empathize with the lyrics and pour your emotions into them, so you’re sure to bond and get excited with the people you’re with through that shared connection to the music.

Let’s dive in.

Heart-wrenching songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (31–40)

See you againSEAMO

SEAMO 'Mata Aimashou'

Let's meet again, SEAMO

This is the fourth single by rapper and singer-songwriter SEAMO, released on April 5, 2006.

It’s a breakup song that expresses a man’s feelings after a love he thought would last forever comes to an end, and how he can’t simply forget it so easily.

The track is a medium-tempo piece that incorporates rap.

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Donut holeBee

Hachi – Donut Hole, HACHI – DONUT HOLE

Donut Hole Bee

This is a Vocaloid song produced by Hachi, posted in 2013.

Hachi is Kenshi Yonezu’s producer name for his Vocaloid works, and if you listen closely, you can sense Yonezu’s signature style even in his songs from that time.

The track is upbeat and catchy, yet somehow bittersweet.

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Please give it a listen—and try singing it, too.

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tear(s)Ketsumeishi

Tears / Ketsumeishi (Cover)

Namida Ketsumeishi

Ketsumeishi’s 9th single.

Released on April 21, 2004.

A slow-tempo encouragement song packed with messages set to a simple melody, telling you that it’s okay to cry when you feel like it—every tear helps you grow.

It’s a song you’ll want to sing when you feel stuck in life.

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I'm glad I met you.Kyoko Koizumi

Kyoko Koizumi – I'm Glad I Met You (Official Video)

I'm glad I met you, Kyoko Koizumi

Kyoko Koizumi’s 32nd single, released on May 21, 1991.

The lyrics look back on a past romance with the sentiment, “I’m glad I met you.” Despite the bittersweet words, it’s a medium-tempo self-empowerment song that also conveys a forward-looking spirit.

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Gentle RedMiho Fukuhara

Miho Fukuhara – Gentle Red

Kind Miho Fukuhara

A heart-stirring ballad by Miho Fukuhara that portrays bittersweet feelings and the resolve to take a new step forward.

The beautiful scene of a “gentle red,” evoking the sunset stretching across the horizon, leaves a strong impression.

Released in November 2008, the song was also featured in au’s “LISMO” commercial, resonating with many listeners.

Showcasing Fukuhara’s overwhelming vocal prowess, her masterful switching between chest voice and falsetto moves the listener’s emotions.

Singing it at karaoke while layering your own feelings onto it will surely create a wonderful, lasting memory.

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Poignant songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (41–50)

That’s all there is to it.Marcy

Marcy – It’s Just That (Official Music Video)

That’s all there is to it, Marcy.

Marcy is a three-piece rock band whose lyrics, woven with striking phrases that capture the subtleties of delicate emotions, grip fans and never let go.

Their digital single Tada Sore Dake no Koto ga Sa was featured as an insert song in episode 2 of ABEMA’s Koi Suru Weekend Homestay 2023 Spring ~Sweet Orange Memory~.

With its steadily building arrangement and a beautifully crafted chorus melody, it’s a song that feels great to belt out at karaoke.

A sentimental number whose poignant lyrics vividly paint scenes before your eyes.

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What is emotion?This is LAST

This is LAST “What Is Emotion” (insert song for ABEMA’s ‘Hanetaba to Ookami-chan ni wa Damasarenai’) MUSIC VIDEO

#Emotion means This is LAST

A heart-wrenching vocal performance that hits you in the chest—This is LAST’s breakup song.

The protagonist’s feelings as they struggle with an ex-lover’s marriage are expressed in delicate words.

You can feel the conflict of needing to move forward while being unable to truly forget.

Released in March 2023, the track was also featured as insert music on an ABEMA dating show.

Anyone who has experienced the pain of love will find the lyrics deeply relatable.

When you want to heal the wounds of heartbreak, listening alone in your room might be just right.

Through this song, why not take some time to face your own emotions?

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