Here are my favorite songs, listed roughly in chronological order from oldest to newest.
This song will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first song by Kenshi Yonezu I ever listened to. I used to listen to this song on repeat all the time. I watched every parody and utaite cover conceived. I truly think this song unlocked something in my tweenage mind.
If I could choose any of his songs to be my theme song, it would be this one. Well, I think I've moved past the more pessimistic overtones of the lyrics, but the line "A somewhat sickly sort at seventeen, I drew art with dry ink and pen" still resonates with me. To me, this song feels somehow cynical and earnest at the same time. Much like me in high school.
If you get the chance, look up the lyrics. They are fantastically evocative with minimal words. Although, to be honest, the main reason I like this song is because the chorus is so damn catchy. The song is a great mix of his eclectic layering style and high energy rock-adjacent instrumentals. Papparapa-pa!
It's so funny that this song was written for a Tokyo Metro ad campaign. He did not have to do this much for a transit system. This is a beautiful song about being loved for everything, even the imperfections. Two of my favorite lyrics from this song are: "Please, for these nights I'll never, ever make it through, May these days never end, where you hold my hand and say we will..." and, "To have everlasting sorrows and open seams, but also you; How happy I would be to smile and say, 'It was for the best'..."
While I think Lemon is the stand out song from the single of the same name, I was pleasantly surprised by Cranberry & Pancake. The electric piano and foward bass in this song lends a dark sort of warmth that I love. Something about this song is romantic to me, even though Kenshi Yonezu proportedly wrote it after experiencing a bad hangover.
Unfortunately, this video is a shortened version of the full song. However, I think it still gets the catchiness across. This song is based on a rakugo story by the same name, which I think is really cool. The lyrics seem to switch between the shinigami and the dying man's point of view. "Ajarakamokuren, tekerettsu no pa" is apparently a phrase used to ward off the shinigami.
Born too late to explore the seas, born too early to explore the cosmos, born just in time to hear Kenshi Yonezu say "wan wan wan" and "nyan nyan nyan."
So long and see you again! This is a song about facing adversity at every turn but still pressing foward. I like the strings in this song. It gives it an upbeat feeling in a a nostalgic way. I guess it's because the pressing forwards goes hand in hand with moving on. Anyway, what I get from this song is, in 100 years it might not matter, so make the most of what you've got right now.