Moving Western songs: classic and popular tracks among the world’s most emotional songs.
Unlike Japanese music, one of the advantages of Western music is that you can be moved by the mood of the melody even if you don’t know the lyrics.
This time, I’ve selected Western songs that are especially moving.
In the first half, I’ve prioritized commercially successful works and well-known tracks.
In the second half, I’ve gathered truly moving Western masterpieces, regardless of their popularity or commercial scale.
If you’re well-versed in Western music, you’ll likely encounter masterpieces you haven’t heard before in the latter half—so be sure to check them out!
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Moving Western songs: Top 1–10 masterpieces and popular tracks among the world’s most emotional songs
Lost On YouLP
LP is an artist with passionate vocals and a husky voice who has female fans all over the world.
She has come out as a lesbian, and her everyday manner is very masculine, giving her an allure that even men can’t help but fall for.
A work that fully showcases her charm is Lost On You.
Released as her second single, the song portrays the poignant side of same-sex love, albeit not in a direct way.
AfterglowEd Sheeran
From the very first bars, this song gives you goosebumps with its beautiful vocal harmonies.
“Afterglow,” released in 2020 by British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, is an emotional track that captures the beauty of changing seasons while singing about love that grows with the passage of time.
The warm arrangement, centered on the vocal harmonies and Ed’s acoustic guitar tones, makes you long for the colder months.
It’s a song that makes you want to hold someone dear close.
Concavo Y convexoDiego El Cigala
Diego El Cigala, known as the king of flamenco, enjoys immense popularity and support in the flamenco scene.
As befits someone hailed as a king in the traditional flamenco world, his ability as a vocalist ranks among the very best in the world.
A moving piece by this great artist that I highly recommend is Concavo y convexo.
It’s a simple arrangement of just piano and vocals, yet it carries a profound, weighty atmosphere.
The composition is so meticulously crafted that even the melody alone is enough to move you—be sure to give it a listen.
Moving Western songs: Classic and popular tracks among the world's most emotional songs (11–20)
PhotographEd Sheeran
There’s a timeless song that accompanies those sentimental moments when you look back on summer memories alongside your photos.
It’s a track by Ed Sheeran, the globally renowned singer-songwriter from the UK.
Featured on the acclaimed album ‘×,’ which won British Album of the Year at the 2015 BRIT Awards, this folk-pop ballad was released as a single.
Centered on a long-distance relationship, it portrays a couple reaffirming their love through photographs.
The message—that even apart, hearts remain close—gently seeps in, carried by his soft vocals and acoustic sound.
The music video, which uses real home videos from his childhood, deepens the song’s warm yet bittersweet atmosphere and is truly moving.
As summer comes to an end, why not listen to it while thinking of someone special?
CarusoLucio Dalla
One of the most beloved classics in Europe, “Caruso.” The song was released in 1986 by Lucio Dalla, a singer-songwriter who was very popular in Italy at the time.
It tells of the late-life romance of Enrico Caruso, an opera singer active from the 1900s to the 1920s, and—drawing on numerous interviews—recreates through music his profound love for his wife.
Recognized even within the opera world, it would not be an exaggeration to call it one of the most sublime and moving works in the world.
I’m YoursJason Mraz
The soothing sound of the acoustic guitar seems to seep into a slightly wistful heart at summer’s end.
This song by singer-songwriter Jason Mraz features a light, reggae-tinged groove that naturally loosens you up just by listening.
The lyrics depict a defenseless, boundless love that casts off hesitation and speaks straight from the heart.
That honest emotion curiously matches a scene of getting sentimental by the seaside at dusk.
Included on the 2008 album “We Sing.
We Dance.
We Steal Things.
,” the track set a record by staying on the U.
S.
charts for 76 weeks.
Also beloved as a theme song for a Kirin Beer commercial, it’s a classic you’ll want to play when you’re in the mood to reminisce about summer.
Someone You LovedLewis Capaldi
It’s a song that can be heard as a cry from a heart in pain.
“Someone You Loved,” released in 2019 by Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi and nominated for a Grammy, tells the story of a protagonist who has lost the person they loved, who loved them back, and with whom they supported each other.
“I was just getting used to being the one you loved,” they sing, expressing the anguish of loss.
Lewis’s slightly distorted vocal timbre makes the song feel even more real and emotional.
It’s a masterpiece that truly strikes a chord in the heart.