Recommended summer songs for people in their 70s: A collection of nostalgic summer tunes [2025]

Lady of the SeashoreKazuo Funaki

Lady of the Seashore

It’s a song by Kazuo Funaki with a light, Hawaiian-style rhythm that feels as pleasant as a sunlit seaside scene springing to mind.

With his clear and sincere voice, he sings of the sweet and slightly bittersweet feelings of youthful love for an admired woman.

Released as a single in July 1965, the track drew attention at the time as an innovative rhythm-kayo number.

It continues to be loved to this day, included on classics like the album “A-side Collection 1963–2006.” If you listen to it together during a summer outing, the bustle of the seaside resorts you once visited and memories with someone special may vividly come back to life.

Summer has come!Candies

Candies “Summer Has Come!”

It’s a dazzling summer tune whose three-part harmonies blow away the sweltering heat.

Released in May 1976 as Candies’ 10th single, it followed their massive hit “Haru Ichiban.” The sparkling vocals of Ran, Miki, and Sue capture the protagonist’s excitement at the arrival of summer and the flutter of a budding romance.

This classic also boasts a shining achievement: it won the Golden Star Award at the 5th Tokyo Music Festival.

Why not listen to this song, brimming with the sparkle of youth, and lose yourself in memories of summers past?

Spirit Boat (Shoro Nagashi)Grape

Shoro Nagashi (2016 Remaster)

That intro, where a melancholy yet beautiful violin melody intertwines with the plucked tones of a guitar, evokes a solemn summer night, doesn’t it? This song by the folk duo Grape, released in April 1974, features Masashi Sada singing with deep emotion about profound grief over the loss of a loved one and a prayer for their repose.

The piece won the Lyrics Award at the 16th Japan Record Awards and is also known for gaining popularity through radio airplay.

On a summer night when you find yourself thinking of someone you can no longer meet, why not listen closely? It will surely kindle a warm, nostalgic glow in your heart.

Young SeasonThe Peanuts

Young Season

This is a classic whose cool, refreshing harmony woven by twin sisters gently seeps into the heart.

It’s also known for lyrics penned by Rokusūke Ei, which vividly capture the dazzling brightness of youth and the delicate stirrings of love that sway with the changing seasons.

Released as a record in January 1963, the song reached a wide audience as the theme for a hugely popular NHK TV drama and a Toho film.

For those who watched the drama with rapt attention, the moment the intro plays, the scenes of that time surely come rushing back in vivid detail.

With a slightly sophisticated, jazz-tinged sound, it’s the perfect track to savor on a summer afternoon, alongside your most cherished memories.

Song of Athlete's FootThe Folk Crusaders

The Folk Crusaders (The Zootrubi) / Song of Athlete's Foot (1968)

How about a quick mood lift with a song brimming with humor that makes you chuckle before you know it? It’s hilarious how the seemingly silly subject matter is sung in dead earnest to a dignified melody that quotes classical masterpieces—the gap is what makes it so good.

This track was released on record in July 1968 after gaining popularity on the radio, and it was later included on The Folk Crusaders’ classic album Kigen Nisen Nen.

The lyrics, which portray everyday trifles as grand proofs of love, were in fact a clever riposte to run-of-the-mill love songs—an intellectual bit of playfulness that’s so characteristic of them.

Listen to it with old friends, and you’re sure to crack a smile.

Sunflower PathCherish

Sunflower Path, 1972

The intro, where the simple tones of the recorder and accordion overlap, vividly brings to mind dazzling scenes of summer days.

This piece feels like a snapshot of a bittersweet youth—walking down a sunlit path lined with sunflowers alongside someone dear.

Released in May 1972 as Cherish’s third single, it became a major hit, selling around 550,000 copies in total.

Many listeners must have felt their hearts flutter to the pure vocals that often played on the radio.

It’s a classic you’ll want to savor on an afternoon when you wish to bask in the cherished memories of days gone by.

The sea for just the two of usYuzo Kayama

The Sea for Just the Two of Us / Yuzo Kayama

Yuzo Kayama, affectionately known as the “Young General,” is beloved by many, and for plenty of listeners this song conjures up shimmering images of the summer seaside.

Its sweet-and-sour lyrics, which depict a world for just the two of them, and the refreshing melody composed by Kayama himself under the pen name Yo Kusaku vividly bring back memories of youth.

Released as a single in February 1967, the track features The Wild Ones as the backing band.

It’s perfect not only for summer drives, but also for relaxing at home while you bask in the wonderful memories of your younger days.