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| YUI’s “SUMMER SONG” Goes Viral Again — 15 Years On, It’s the Sound of Summer All Over Again |
Who said oldies can’t make a comeback? YUI’s 2008 classic “SUMMER SONG” is suddenly everywhere again — with over 800 million views in user-generated content (UGC) and a huge TikTok revival that’s got Gen Z and nostalgic millennials vibing to it like it’s 2008 all over again.
In June 2025 alone, the track racked up over 100 million UGC views, mostly on TikTok, where it's become the backing track to everything from dance clips and beach vlogs to acoustic covers and slow-mo summer montages.
It’s even made it back onto the TikTok Top 50 music chart, climbing to #20 as of the 11th of June — not bad for a song that’s old enough to have a MySpace-era music video.
The viral trend isn’t just random either. Influencers with over a million followers have been jumping on the “SUMMER SONG” wave, using the tune to soundtrack soft-focus summer content.
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| 15 Years Later, “SUMMER SONG” by YUI Hits the Charts Once More Thanks to Gen Z & TikTokers |
With the warmer season kicking in across Japan and Asia, the track’s nostalgic, mellow vibe has been dubbed the ultimate “emo natsu kyoku” (emotional summer anthem) — the kind of song that makes you want to stare wistfully out a train window or relive a summer holiday romance that never even happened.
Originally released on 2 July 2008, “SUMMER SONG” debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts and was already a fan-favourite long before TikTok was even a thing. Now, it’s found a second life thanks to the UGC boom — proof that great music really doesn’t age, it just waits for the right moment to hit again.
Singer-songwriter YUI, who debuted in 2005 with “feel my soul”, is no stranger to hits — 2007’s “CHE.R.RY” and 2008’s “SUMMER SONG” defined an era of J-pop.
After pausing solo activities in 2012, she re-emerged as the frontwoman of FLOWER FLOWER, performing under the name yui. In 2020, she made a quiet comeback under the YUI name, and just last month (May 2024), she contributed to the “Manazashi” tribute album for Youmou to Ohana.
With “SUMMER SONG” potentially becoming this year’s ultimate Reiwa-era throwback hit, it seems the wave of YUI nostalgia is far from over. So don’t be surprised if you hear that iconic intro while scrolling your feed — or if you suddenly find yourself digging up old MP3s for a bit of a cry-laugh over your teenage years.