![[2025] Classic Western love songs to listen to on Tanabata: tracks about stars and the Milky Way](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/tKml80alH3Y/maxresdefault.webp)
[2025] Classic Western love songs to listen to on Tanabata: tracks about stars and the Milky Way
When it comes to events in July, many people probably think of Tanabata first, but in fact, Tanabata is a Chinese festival that was introduced to Japan during the Nara period.
In the West, it’s said that there are also customs of celebrating Tanabata in places like the United States via Japan, and there are several songs themed around the Milky Way, which is indispensable to Tanabata.
So this time, under the theme of classic Western songs you’ll want to listen to on Tanabata, we’ll introduce tracks that sing about the Milky Way, the starry sky, and the stars.
We’ve also picked songs that mention the Milky Way in their lyrics, so you might make some unexpected discoveries.
[2025] Classic Western songs to listen to on Tanabata: love songs about stars and the Milky Way (1–10)
StargazingMyles Smith
The song released in May 2024 by Miles Smith, a singer-songwriter from Luton, England, is a beautiful love song that portrays the universality of love with a feeling like gazing up at the Milky Way.
Sparked on TikTok and talked about worldwide, the piece explores fateful encounters and the bonding of souls, singing of the deep connection shared by lovers beneath the starry sky.
Its warm, acoustic guitar-based sound and his distinctive blend of folk and pop are striking, and it was also included on his debut EP, “You Promised a Lifetime.” The track achieved major commercial success, reaching No.
4 on the UK Singles Chart and earning platinum certifications in multiple countries.
It’s a perfect song for anyone who wants to feel the exhilaration of falling in love and the preciousness of spending time with someone special while gazing at the sliver of sky on Tanabata.
Under The Milky WayThe Church
This song, released in 1988 by The Church—an Australian neo-psychedelic band that has been active for over 40 years—is a masterpiece of a dreamlike love song themed around the Milky Way! Included on the album Starfish, the track was co-written by the band’s frontman, Steve Kilbey, and his then-partner, Karin Jansson, with its title inspired by the Amsterdam music venue “Melkweg” (meaning “Milky Way”).
It features a mystical sound built on 12-string acoustic guitar and a Fender Jazzmaster played with an EBow, and it drew renewed attention after being used in the party scene of the film Donnie Darko.
Its abstract, poetic lyrics invite multiple interpretations, making it a perfect classic for nights spent gazing at the stars and thinking of someone special.
Milky WayEarth, Wind & Fire
Isn’t this one of the signature numbers by the American funk-soul group, colored by a cosmic soundscape and a mystical atmosphere? Included on the album Electric Universe, released in November 1983, this track marks Earth, Wind & Fire’s ambitious shift from their traditional funk and soul toward boldly incorporating elements of new wave and synth-pop.
The sound woven from Philip Bailey’s beautiful falsetto vocals and the dreamlike, synthesizer-driven arrangement creates a truly grand sense of scale reminiscent of the Milky Way.
Its length of about 5 minutes and 23 seconds gives listeners ample time to be transported into outer space.
Listening to it under the starry sky on Tanabata night might even set your thoughts drifting to the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi.
Milky WayGGK
Although a fictional artist, GGK from the anime “Carole & Tuesday” captivates many fans with her mysterious worldview and high-quality music.
The actual vocals are performed by American singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin, and GGK is portrayed as an artist characterized by a cosmic, dreamlike sound.
Her signature song is a beautiful love ballad expressing a yearning for the Milky Way, featuring an impressive, sophisticated sound production that fuses electronic music and R&B.
The romantic lyrics resonate deeply, ranging from serene moments of lovers gazing up at the starry sky to dreamlike imagery of departing reality and embarking on a journey into space.
The song was included in the album “CAROLE & TUESDAY VOCAL COLLECTION Vol.
1” released in July 2019 and was used as an insert song in the anime.
It’s truly the ideal track to listen to on Tanabata night while looking at the stars with your loved one.
I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)Icona pop
This is a song by the Swedish electropop duo Icona Pop, released in 2012 and featuring Charli XCX.
Carried by powerful synths, it channels the sense of liberation and defiance that follows a breakup.
The lyrics include the term “Milky Way,” creating an intriguing blend of cosmic romance and down-to-earth emotion.
It became a global hit, reaching No.
2 in Sweden, No.
7 in the United States, and No.
1 in the United Kingdom, and it was also featured in the HBO series Girls.
With its energetic, rebellious message, it’s a perfect track for anyone who’s been hurt in love and wants to reclaim their sense of self.
DreamerLaufey
This is a single released in September 2023 by Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey from her album “Bewitched.” The song portrays a woman who, despite experiencing romantic disappointment, never loses her sense of wonder.
The lyrics include the phrase “Milky Way,” conjuring a beautiful, starry-world atmosphere.
With her distinctive blend of jazz and pop, the track begins with a gentle piano and gradually expands into a richer soundscape, highlighted by a warm, Ella Fitzgerald–evoking vocal.
It’s a perfect classic for nights spent gazing at the stars, moments of romantic turmoil, or times when you want to find new hope.
Milky WayNeil Young & Crazy Horse
As the title, which means the Milky Way, suggests, this is a majestic six-minute ballad imbued with cosmic stillness and beauty.
Released in August as the lead single from the album Colorado, which Neil Young from Canada and Crazy Horse put out in October 2019, the track drew major attention as their first reunion work in seven years.
Recorded at the “Studio in the Clouds” in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, the song features an ethereal guitar solo that seems to echo beneath the starry sky, and poetic lyrics themed around the passage of time and love that resonate deeply.
Listen to it while gazing up at the Milky Way on Tanabata night, and it will overlap with the tale of Orihime and Hikoboshi, making it all the more romantic.