Masterpieces in 3/4 Time: That Hit Song Too!? A Curated Selection of Popular Japanese and Western Tracks

Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.
Composition nerdmutō
Started performing in bands in junior high school. Influenced by Japanese rock and UK rock, spent over 10 years continuing band activities while creating original songs. Later began producing Vocaloid tracks using Hatsune Miku, with total plays of released songs surpassing 10,000. Has five years of experience writing for music magazines. Currently works as a music writer, director, and composer, keeping a ground-level perspective on the scene by attending live shows across Japan. Now performs at live houses in Tokyo, showcasing guitar playing centered on acoustic guitar and informed by knowledge of chord analysis and guitar scales. Also writes leveraging a broad knowledge of music genres.

When you think of hit songs in triple meter, what kind of tracks come to mind?

Triple meter is known as the waltz rhythm and is popular in classical music; it’s also commonly used in other genres, especially in Western music.

Interestingly, it’s often said that Japanese listeners are not as comfortable with triple meter, so it doesn’t appear much in J-pop hits.

In this article, we’ve selected songs in triple meter from Japanese and Western pop and rock.

From timeless favorites to lesser-known hidden gems, we’ve got a wide-ranging playlist for you!

Masterpieces in Triple Meter: That Hit Song Too!? A Curated Selection of Popular Japanese and Western Tracks (61–70)

Morning Has BrokenCat Stevens

Cat Stevens – Morning Has Broken

Morning Has BrokenCat Stevens

It’s a song by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, included on his 1971 album Teaser and the Firecat.

Released as a single in Japan under the title “Ame ni Nureta Asa” (“Morning Wet with Rain”), the track’s success helped make Cat Stevens widely known.

“Wild World,” which became a hit when covered by the American rock band Mr.

Big, is a song written and composed by Cat Stevens.

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Hirata Hiroyasu

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Come Away With MeNorah Jones

Norah Jones – Come Away With Me

Come Away With MeNorah Jones

When people hear “a song in 3/4 time,” many probably imagine something gentle and unhurried.

This ballad, Come Away With Me, by Norah Jones—the most successful jazz singer-pianist since the 2000s with global name recognition—embodies exactly that image of triple meter.

It’s the title track from her debut album, Come Away With Me, released in 2002, which sold over 27 million copies worldwide, and it’s a number that Jones herself wrote both the lyrics and music for.

More than jazz, it carries a hint of country flavor, a slow ballad graced by Jones’s wonderfully smooth, maturely sensual vocals that seem far beyond her early-twenties years at the time.

The music video of Jones driving down a desert road in California also perfectly matches the song’s mood and feels just right!

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AmyChihara Minori

Minori Chihara “Amy” MV Full Size – Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll Ending Theme

AmyChihara Minori

Minori Chihara is a singer active in various fields, including as a voice actress and YouTuber.

Her 26th single, “Amy,” was written as the theme song for the animated film Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll.

Inspired by the film’s ballroom scene, the arrangement was crafted in triple meter, and together with its string-featured sound, it creates a classical atmosphere.

It’s a lyrical pop tune whose pleasant melody evokes vivid imagery.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Lucy In The Sky With DiamondsThe Beatles

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Remastered 2009)

Lucy In The Sky With DiamondsThe Beatles

Even the Beatles—the greatest band of the 20th century and a legendary foursome in music history—naturally have songs in triple meter.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, featured on the 1967 album Sgt.

Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, is one such track.

Led by John Lennon, this psychedelic number was reportedly inspired by a drawing by his son, Julian Lennon.

The song’s most distinctive feature is its structure, which combines 3/4 and 4/4 time.

If you’re interested in triple meter, give it a listen—you’ll clearly hear the difference between the two rhythms.

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Take It To The LimitThe Eagles

Take It To The Limit

Take It To The LimitThe Eagles

This song from the Eagles’ fourth album, One of These Nights, was co-written by band members Randy Meisner, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey, with bassist Randy Meisner on lead vocals.

Because it’s an energetic number, it was often performed live, but Meisner was criticized if he didn’t sing it well, to the point where he said it nearly gave him a stomach ulcer.

It sounds like he had a very tough time singing it.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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