The world would be a much sadder place if we didn’t have Studio Ghibli. Its films have stolen into the hearts of children and adults the world over, and the soundtracks have also carved themselves into popular consciousness. One Japanese company decided to survey users on “What’s your favorite Studio Ghibli song?” (ジブリソングで一番好きなのは？).
Netoraba Survey Team (ねとらぼ調査隊) collected a total of 531 responses between July 30 and August 2, and published their findings on September 6.
(JP) Link: The Results Are In: The Most Popular Studio Ghibli Songs!First Place is an Overwhelmingly Popular Classic.
Us being huge Studio Ghibli fans, we of course had to take a look at which songs made the top 10 list. So without further ado, here are the top 10 most popular Studio Ghibli songs!
2013’s The Wind Rises is Miyazaki Hayao’s most recent release (although another film is in the works). The film’s focus on war and aviation — in line with Miyazaki’s own interest in airplanes — compliments nicely with the yearning, almost hopeful lyrics. Singer Arai Yumi (later Matsutoya Yumi) has an unforgettable angelic voice, and many of her songs have ended up in Ghibli films.
Yumi Arai The Concert with old Friends 1996.12.20 Release (VIDEO/LASER DISC) TOVF-1260／TOLF-1260 2001.12.12 Release (DVD) TOBF-5114 1.あなただけのもの 2.生まれた町で 3.空と海の輝きに向けて 4.あの日にかえりたい 5.中央フリーウェイ 6.ひこうき雲 7.返事はいらない 8.タイムマシンにお願い 9.グッドラック・アンド・グッドバイ 10.12月の雨 11.雨のステイション 12.COBALT HOUR 13.まちぶせ 14.14番目の月 15.春よ、来い 配信リンク https://umj.lnk.to/yuming_link Official HP http://yuming.co.jp/ Twitter https://twitter.com/yuming_official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yuming_official/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yuming.official UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN 松任谷由実:http://www.universal-music.co.jp/matsutoya-yumi/
#9: となりのトトロ — My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ)
It’s no surprise that Inoue Azami’s cheery fanfare made it to the top ten. This song is a staple in children’s song collections and was even used as a time signal on disaster prevention radios in Shizuoka and Fukui prefectures.
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Mera Yoshikazu’s operatic vocals paired with Hisaishi Joe’s beautiful lyricism and composition makes this song a timeless classic. I get chills every time I listen to it. Honestly surprised this didn’t rank higher.
Become the wind, become a cat — what’s the difference? Tsuji Ayano’s upbeat ending theme fits in well with this film’s liminality. The acoustic version is worth listening to as well. Who can resist a ukulele?
Provided to YouTube by JVCKENWOOD Victor Entertainment Corp. 風になる · Ayano Tsuji Kaze ni Naru ℗ JVCKENWOOD Victor Entertainment Released on: 2002-06-26 Auto-generated by YouTube.
#6: 時には昔の話を — Porco Rosso (紅の豚)
Porco Rosso‘s ending theme carries a lilting mournfulness sure to tug at your heartstrings. It carries a weightlessness befitting the film’s atmospheric sky settings. I’m sure our beloved pig pilot would approve.
This Arai Yumi song (written by future husband Matsutoya Masataka) has a bit more spunk to it compared to some of the mellow, introspective themes in other Ghibli works, reminding me personally of the American 60s girl group sound. It perfectly mirrors the excitement and trepidation Kiki feels as she sets out on her coming-of-age journey.
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松任谷由実 CONCERT TOUR 宇宙図書館 2016-2017 2018.04.11 Release (DVD/Blu-ray) UPBH-20207 ／ UPXH-20064 1.宇宙図書館 2.あなたに会う旅 3.影になって 4.AVALON 5.BABYLON 6.夢の中で～We are not alone forever 7.ひこうき雲 8.Midnight Scarecrow 9.リフレインが叫んでる 10.月までひとっ飛び 11.ルージュの伝言 12.何もきかないで 13.Smile for me 14.残火 15.満月のフォーチュン 16.破れた恋の繕し方教えます 17.真夏の夜の夢 18.ダンスのように抱き寄せたい 19.気づかず過ぎた初恋 20.GREY 21.星になったふたり 22.DANG DANG 23.14番目の月 24.守ってあげたい 25.埠頭を渡る風 26.真珠のピアス 27.オールマイティ 28.春よ、来い 29.カンナ8号線 30.DESTINY 31.青いエアメイル 32.卒業写真 特典映像：宇宙図書館ツアー ドキュメンタリー映像 配信リンク https://umj.lnk.to/yuming_link Official HP http://yuming.co.jp/ Twitter https://twitter.com/yuming_official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yuming_official/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yuming.official UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN 松任谷由実:http://www.universal-music.co.jp/matsutoya-yumi/
#4: いつも何度でも — Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)
Kimura Yumi’s song was actually slated to be used in Miyazaki’s proposed film Rin and the Chimney Painter (煙突描きのリン), but unfortunately that project was abandoned. He was able to repurpose the song for Spirited Away, noting similarities between the lyrics and the movie’s theme.
#3: やさしさに包まれたなら — Kiki’s Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便)
Kiki ends up in the top ten twice, with its timeless ending theme sung by Matsutoya Yumi coming in at third place. The song beautifully complements Kiki’s trials and later acceptance by the seaside town she calls home. For whatever reason, the American release did away with the original ending theme — a shame, in my opinion.
THE LAST WEDNESDAY TOUR 2006〜HERE COMES THE WAVE〜 2007.03.07 Release (DVD) TOBF-5516,17 DISC1 1.ただわけもなく 2.セイレーン 3.Blue Planet 4.海に来て 5.夕涼み 6.哀しみのルート16 7.稲妻の少女 8.ルージュの伝言 9.シーズンオフの心には 10.Hello,my friend 11.やさしさに包まれたなら 12.あなたに届くように 13.虹の下のどしゃ降りで 14.ハートブレイク 15.TYHOON 16.リフレインが叫んでる 17.LATE SUMMER LAKE 18.WANDERERS 19.時空のダンス 20.Escape 21.埠頭を渡る風 22.守ってあげたい 23.Forgiveness 24.DESTINY DISC2 ・Yuming’s Diary Of The Last Wednesday Tour2006 ・Forgiveness(Promotion Video) 配信リンク https://umj.lnk.to/yuming_link Official HP http://yuming.co.jp/ Twitter https://twitter.com/yuming_official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yuming_official/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yuming.official UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN 松任谷由実:http://www.universal-music.co.jp/matsutoya-yumi/
#2: カントリー・ロード — Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば)
Coming in at second place is the Japanese take on John Denver’s “Country Road” sung by Honna Yoko. It’s a song indelibly intertwined within the story itself. Netoraba noted that many people left comments praising the movie’s spoof song “Concrete Road,” just like the character Seiji.
Surprising absolutely no one, this beloved classic made first place by an overwhelming majority. Miyazaki himself penned the lyrics, with Hisaishi once again at the musical helm with Inoue Azami of Totoro fame. The song was popular enough to be released as a packaged single over a year after the film’s initial release.
Alyssa Pearl Fusek is a freelance writer currently haunting the Pacific Northwest. She holds a B.A. in Japanese Studies from Willamette University. When she's not writing for Unseen Japan, she's either reading about Japan, writing poetry and fiction, or drinking copious amounts of jasmine green tea. Find her on Bluesky at @apearlwrites.
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