Tears for a heartrending story… Tear-jerking songs by women recommended for the Yutori generation
When you think of tear-jerking songs, what kind of tracks come to mind?
From heart-wrenching breakup songs to ones about losing someone forever, J-pop is full of songs with many different stories.
Even beyond those themes, there are also songs that overlap with your own experiences and bring you to tears.
This time, we’ve put together a list of emotional songs by female artists that we recommend for the yutori generation.
Of course, these are all masterpieces that will resonate with people of any generation, not just those from the yutori generation, so be sure to check them out!
Tears for a heartrending story... Songs that make women cry, recommended for the Yutori generation (1–10)
The Door to TomorrowNEW!Aoi Teshima
Aoi Teshima, whose translucent singing voice gently envelops listeners’ hearts.
Released in February 2016 as the theme song for the drama “Someday, When I Recall This Love, I Will Surely Cry,” this piece is a special track: a rearrangement of a song from the album “Ren’dez-vous” tailored for the show.
Its lyrics, like a letter to a precious person far away, are deeply moving and will surely resonate with anyone who has experienced farewell or a new departure.
The simple arrangement centered on piano and strings, if anything, highlights the weight of each word.
It’s a song that quietly stays by your side when you want to reflect on memories with someone dear, or when you need courage to face forward.
He was alive, wasn’t he?Aimyon
Aimyong’s major-label debut track carries a message that pierces the heart.
While dealing with a heavy theme, it questions the preciousness of life and the difficulty of living.
Released in November 2016, it was also chosen as the opening theme for the TV drama “Is Kichijoji the Only Place You Want to Live?”.
Its powerful melody within a relaxed tempo and lyrics that resonate with listeners are striking.
It’s easy to pick for karaoke, and it’s a song you’ll want to immerse yourself in as you sing its lyrical world.
This moving, absorbing number is especially recommended for those struggling with life or who have experienced the loss of someone dear.
The Toilet GodKana Uemura
This song, woven from memories with the singer’s grandmother, is a number whose distinctive warmth seeps into the heart.
Tracing the protagonist’s growth from childhood to adulthood and the lessons inherited from her grandmother, it portrays family bonds and the precious moments of life.
Kana Uemura’s gentle vocals and acoustic sound convey the story even more vividly.
Released in November 2010, the song was also featured in Kao’s “Toilet Quickle” commercial, winning the hearts of many.
It’s a heartwarming track to listen to when you want to reflect on family memories or reaffirm your gratitude to someone special.
All of the Youthsuis from Yorushika
The melancholic air at summer’s end and the memories that resurface in a quiet moment—no one captures such aching scenes more beautifully than Yorushika’s vocalist, suis.
Her cover of a classic Fujifabric song has been used alongside moving videos on YouTube Shorts, touching many hearts.
The nostalgia for seasons gone by and time that won’t return, carried by suis’s translucent voice, seems to awaken memories tucked away deep inside.
This track is a reinterpretation of Fujifabric’s 2007 release, produced by music producer Seiji Kameda, and it also serves as the theme song for the Netflix film ‘My Last Year of Life, and the Story of Meeting You with Six Months Left.
’ When you want to reminisce at summer’s end or after parting with someone dear, listening to it may gently comfort your heart.
Please forget it.Yorushika
A song by Yorushika whose gentle melody and soul-soothing vocals evoke a sense of nostalgia.
The theme centers on self-sacrificial love, as the narrator wishes for their beloved to “forget” them for the sake of the beloved’s future.
Yet behind those words seems to lie a desperate, contradictory feeling of “I actually don’t want you to forget,” and that tension tightens the listener’s chest.
Released in July 2024 as the theme song for the drama “GO HOME: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department—Unidentified Persons Consultation Office,” this sentimental number quietly stays by your side on nights when you’re nursing heartbreak or immersing yourself in memories of someone dear.
spin; weave; compose (e.g., a story)tota
Singer-songwriter Tota, known for a sound that incorporates indie rock and synth-pop, has been drawing attention.
Released in February 2023 and included on the debut album “oidaki,” this digital single features a voice that leaves a deep impression as it speaks to the heart.
When a short version was posted on social media in June 2021, it spread rapidly, and the performance on the YouTube channel THE FIRST TAKE also became a major topic.
This work is a love song that depicts parting with someone dear, and a prayer for the future that continues despite it.
The lyrics, which evoke scenes of sending one’s feelings on the sky’s tears and the wind’s song, may leave you with a bittersweet ache just by listening.
It’s sure to gently stay by the side of a heart sunk in the sorrow of farewell.
366 daysHY
A song by HY, a mixture band based in Okinawa.
It’s a ballad included on the album “HeartY,” featuring heartrending lyrics penned from keyboard-vocalist Izumi Nakasone’s real-life experiences, which have especially resonated with women.
Chosen as the theme song for the 2008 film “Threads of Destiny,” its vividly evocative lyrics prompt many listeners to overlay their own stories.
Sung from a woman’s perspective about a breakup, it’s a track you’ll want to play when you need a good cry.