Masterpieces in 3/4 Time: That Hit Song Too!? A Curated Selection of Popular Japanese and Western Tracks
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!
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Masterpieces in Triple Meter: That Hit Song Too!? A Curated Selection of Popular Japanese and Western Tracks (51–60)
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.
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!
Good nightkyarī pamyu pamyu
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a singer who began her career as a reader model in 2009 and has earned support both in Japan and abroad for her distinctive fashion and catchy songs.
“Oyasumi,” a track from her first album Pamyu Pamyu Revolution, is a memorable number featuring a cute vocal and sound.
Its waltz-like triple meter paired with a complex melody evokes, just as the title suggests, the feeling of a day coming to an end.
It’s a heartwarming pop tune perfect for listening to as you drift off to sleep after a fun-filled day.
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.
Masterpieces in Triple Meter: That Hit Song Too!? A Curated Selection of Popular Japanese and Western Tracks (61–70)
Let me peek into the depths of your eyes.Porunogurafiti
Since their major-label debut single “Apollo” became an instant smash hit, the two-piece rock band Porno Graffitti has remained at the forefront of the J-pop scene.
Their 30th single, “Let Me Peek into the Depths of Your Eyes,” was chosen as the theme song for the TV drama “Shukumei 1969–2010 – Once Upon a Time in Tokyo.” The contrast between the relaxed waltz (3/4) rhythm and the intricate melody, together with lyrics evoking a forbidden love, tightens your chest.
It’s a sentimental number marked by a memorable string motif that lingers in your ears.
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.
Close To The EdgeYES
Yes, a British progressive rock band that is extremely popular in Japan.
This track is the title tune from their fifth album, released in 1972, and it’s an epic that runs over 18 minutes.
The album was titled “Kiki” (Crisis) in Japan, and it is often cited as an essential progressive rock work alongside King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King” and Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.” True to prog form, its structure is complex so you don’t always notice it, but the fundamental rhythm of the piece is in triple meter, and when filtered through Yes’s style, it exudes a clever sophistication.