Take flight like a bird! A song with a bird motif. A track for the Year of the Rooster.

Please give me wingsakai tori

Red Bird – Please Give Me Wings

It’s a fairly old song, but it’s famous and still passed down today.

It’s sung at events like choir competitions, and I believe it will continue to be sung in the future.

Many artists have covered it; Kaori Kawamura’s rendition made it especially well-known, but it was originally performed by the folk group Akaitori and was also used in school education.

I imagine many of you can more or less sing it, right?

Tufted puffin

From the mixed chorus collection 'Poems of Seabirds': 'Tufted Puffin'

This is a piece that has long been loved and sung as a mixed chorus work, with an especially striking piano prelude.

The seabird of the same name, whose name derives from the Ainu language, inhabits northern Japan.

The lyrics combined with the minor-key melody create a powerful impression.

BirdsongCocco

Birdsong

This piece is striking for its quiet acoustic guitar tones and Cocco’s delicate yet resolute vocals.

Close your eyes and you can almost see a bluebird dancing in your heart, taking flight into a boundless sky.

You may find yourself moved by its poetic worldview, imbued with prayers for release from stifling confines and for renewal.

The song was used symbolically in the documentary film “To Be Okay — Cocco’s Endless Journey.” The recording was originally released in November 2009 as a bonus with the first-edition DVD of the film, and it was later included on the best-of album “The Best.” It’s the perfect track for a night when you want to quietly face yourself.

Blown by the wind, Blowing in the WindBob Dylan

Blowing In The Wind (Live On TV, March 1963)

A super-famous song by Bob Dylan, who drew attention for winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.

A dove crossing the sea, blown by the wind, appears in the lyrics.

Even if you don’t understand English, you can sense the rhythm intuitively from the visually consistent structure of the verses and the rhyming line endings—it’s clear that it’s a fine poem.

Japanese bush warblerSakushi: Hayashi Ryūha / Sakkyoku: Inoue Takeshi

Uguisu (Japanese bush warbler) - Children's Song ♪ Spring Song ♪ With Dance Moves ♪

This children’s song weaves the beautiful warbling of the bush warbler, which heralds the arrival of spring, into a gentle melody and story.

Created by Yanagiha Hayashi and Takeshi Inoue, it tenderly depicts a bush warbler perched on a plum branch announcing spring, as well as its descent from the snow-laden mountains to the village, in a way that resonates with children.

Its calm triple-meter rhythm and phrases that evoke the bird’s song are memorable, offering a cheerful melody line that’s fun to sing while feeling the warmth of spring.

Beloved in both schools and homes, it has also been covered by artists such as Saori Yuki and Shoko Yasuda.

It’s a perfect song to enjoy singing with your children during spring, a season rich with encounters with nature.

Song of a little bird

Song of a little bird

A nursery rhyme depicting a little bird chirping in a very cute and cheerful way.

The lyrics by children’s literature author Junichi Yoda are very simple, yet even young children can imagine the little bird “singing.” The music was composed by Yasushi Akutagawa, who worked across a wide range of musical genres.

Bye Bye BlackbirdEimī Wainhausu

Amy Winehouse – Bye Bye Blackbird (TRIBUTE)

Amy Winehouse, who passed away suddenly at the young age of 27, covered this song that has also been sung by artists like Diana Krall.

Although she’s strongly associated with a bluesy image, the mellow, intimate feel of jazz suits her voice as well, and it makes you want to keep listening forever.