[2025 Edition] Moving English-language songs to listen to in summer: tear-jerking masterpieces

Only TimeEnya

Enya – Only Time (Official 4K Music Video)

With a voice that carries a serene, almost sacred resonance, Enya has soothed listeners around the world.

In Japan, too, her ethereal sound is widely known.

This piece conveys a universal message—that only the passage of time can heal all things—set to a beautiful melody that ebbs and flows like the tide.

The many layered vocals seem to bring both the wistful mood of summer’s end and a quiet hope for tomorrow to the heart.

The song is included on the album A Day Without Rain, released in November 2000, and was also featured in the film Sweet November.

In 2001, it touched countless hearts and is known for reaching number 10 on the U.

S.

charts.

It’s the kind of track you’ll want to listen to while gazing at the evening sky, lost in thought.

Dog Days Are OverFlorence & The Machine

Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over (2010 Version) (Official Music Video)

Florence and the Machine, the British band known for blending diverse genres like art pop and gospel.

This song from their 2009 debut album Lungs delivers a powerful message that resonates as a declaration of the end of hard days.

Starting with gentle harp tones and then bursting into emotion with handclaps, Florence Welch’s vocals feel as if they blow away the melancholy of summer’s end.

It’s also memorable that the track closed out the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

3, leading to a 618% week-over-week surge in streams.

Rather than lamenting the passing of summer, it’s an emotional song to hear when you want to hold on to hope for the new season ahead.

Goodbye JulyMargo Guryan

Goodbye July

Margo Guryan, who had roots in jazz and classical music, was active as a composer from the 1960s.

This piece she left behind is a perfect song for the end of summer, singing of feelings for the passing month of July.

Its gentle, floating sound, so characteristic of Guryan, and her whispering vocals that seem to paint scenes right before your eyes are especially striking.

Although she released her only original album, Take a Picture, in 1968, you can hear this work on the collection Words and Music, released in June 2024.

For those who want to savor the fading summer and linger in precious memories, this is a comforting track that embraces that sweet, wistful feeling.

Chasing CarsSnow Patrol

Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars (Official Video)

This is an exquisitely pure love song by Snow Patrol, a rock band from Scotland.

It expresses a heartfelt wish to simply lie side by side with the one you love and forget the clamor of the world.

The deep affection—so profound it’s hard to put into words—rises alongside the sweeping melody and truly hits you in the chest.

Included on the 2006 masterpiece Eyes Open, the song gained worldwide popularity thanks to the hit drama Grey’s Anatomy.

The fact that it remained on the UK charts for an astounding 111 weeks speaks to how deeply it resonated with so many people.

It’s the kind of song that gently stays with you on a late-summer evening, when the fading light makes you a touch sentimental.

Love It If We Made ItThe 1975

The 1975 – Love It If We Made It (Official Video)

With a sound that uniquely distills electropop and funk, The 1975 have become a defining force in contemporary UK rock.

This track, released in July 2018, is one of their signature songs.

Featured on the masterpiece A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, its lyrics rapidly hurl contradictions of modern society at the listener—truly breathtaking.

Matty Healy’s vocals, like a cry from the soul, overlap with that indescribable sense of restlessness you feel at summer’s end.

The shimmering synth tones seem to announce both the brilliance of days gone by and their passing, stirring an irresistible melancholy.

It’s the perfect song for those moments at the end of a lively season, when you gaze at the evening sky and sink into your thoughts.

Fast CarTracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (Official Music Video)

The acoustic guitar arpeggios, blending into the wistful air of dusk, are striking.

This is a gem of a ballad by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, who has continued to sing powerful messages rooted in folk and blues.

The song portrays the story of a protagonist who pins their hopes on a fast car in an effort to escape a stifling reality.

Even as they dream that they “might be someone,” the aching emotions of confronting an unyielding reality are deeply moving.

Released in April 1988, the track appears on the classic album “Tracy Chapman” and reached No.

6 on the U.

S.

charts.

Its melancholy melody, which somehow overlaps with scenes of a fading summer, is perfect for moments of solitary reflection.

GreyWhy Don’t We

Why Don’t We – Grey [Official Live Music Video]

The vivid summer scenery suddenly fades, turning monochrome.

It’s a song by the pop group Why Don’t We that gently stays close to that wistful feeling at summer’s end.

The message—that even when the world looks gray with sadness, only a loved one can bring back color—quietly resonates.

The track is included on their album “The Good Times and the Bad Ones,” released in January 2021, which peaked at No.

3 on the U.

S.

charts.

Its gentle harmonies layered over a soft piano sound feel like listening to ripples on the shore at dusk.

It’s a beautiful ballad, perfect for a sentimental night spent cherishing the season that has passed.