[Ghibli] Popular BGM. Enjoy the world of Ghibli through music!

Music of the CelestialsHisaishi Joe

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya: Celestial Beings’ Music (2018 ver.)

This is “Heavenly Beings’ Music” from The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

The composer is Joe Hisaishi, well known for his music in Studio Ghibli works.

Hisaishi is one of the representative composers for Studio Ghibli, but interestingly, he usually scores only films directed by Hayao Miyazaki; when other directors are involved, different composers tend to take over.

The director of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is Isao Takahata, making this a rare case where Hisaishi worked on a non-Miyazaki film.

Since Princess Mononoke, full orchestras have more frequently been used for in-film performances.

As Ghibli and Hisaishi’s popularity has grown, there have been more concerts as well, and it’s said that Hisaishi creates new arrangements for each concert.

It might be fun to compare the soundtrack versions with the concert versions.

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Always With MeKimura Yumi

Always, No Matter How Many Times / Yumi Kimura

The theme song of Spirited Away.

It’s probably one of the most famous pieces among Studio Ghibli’s music.

Many people may have the experience of singing it in a school choir.

It’s one of those timeless classics that never lose their luster.

My Humble Cottage

Home, Sweet Home [England]

This is an insert song from Grave of the Fireflies.

It played during the scene where Seita retraces his memories with Setsuko.

Since it’s the film’s climax, I imagine many people were moved to tears while listening.

Anna (Piano Arrangement)Muramatsu Takatsugu

When Marnie Was There OST – Anna (Anna) Piano Cover

Hiromasa Yonebayashi of Studio Ghibli adapted Joan G.

Robinson’s children’s novel “When Marnie Was There” into an animated film, and the piece “Anna” that plays in the movie also has a piano version.

It is memorably performed by an orchestra in scenes such as when Anna and Setsu are preparing lunch and when Marnie and Anna say their goodbyes, but as a piano solo it feels delicate and heartrending, conveying Anna’s emotions beautifully.

The sheet music has been published as well, so if you play piano, it might be nice to try performing it while recalling the film’s scenes.

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Name of Life from Spirited AwayHisaishi Joe

Name of Life (from “Spirited Away”)

Many listeners have surely been captivated by the crystalline piano tones and faintly nostalgic melody.

The theme song of Studio Ghibli’s masterpiece Spirited Away evokes a bittersweet yet warm story of searching for lost memories and one’s true self.

Its message—recalling something precious and finding one’s place—reaches us with quiet emotion.

Released in July 2001 as a single performed by Yumi Kimura, the song deepened the film’s impact.

The piece originally began as an instrumental track on the soundtrack.

Its calm, dreamlike phrasing is perfect for times when you want to focus on work or study.

Letting yourself drift on its gentle waves of sound may calm your heart and clear your mind.

A Town with an Ocean View (from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”)Hisaishi Joe

A Town with an Ocean View (from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”)

This is a piece by Joe Hisaishi with a memorable, hope-filled melody that makes you feel as if a beautiful seaside town is unfolding before your eyes.

The emotions that arise at the moment of taking a new step—expectation mingled with a touch of anxiety—are brilliantly rendered through light, sparkling piano tones.

The piece accompanies the moving scene in the July 1989 film Kiki’s Delivery Service where the protagonist soars over a new town, and it is included on the classic album Kiki’s Delivery Service: Music Collection released the same year.

Its nostalgic yet liberating atmosphere is sure to refresh you when you feel stuck with work or study.

Why not spend a focused, enriching time wrapped in its gentle, forward-looking melody?

Sometimes, a tale from long ago — from Porco RossoKatō Tokiko

Sometimes, a tale from long ago — from Porco Rosso

This is a work written and composed by Tokiko Kato herself, whose warm yet faintly bittersweet worldview evokes a deep nostalgia for days of youth gone by.

As it searches for an unseen future, it conjures scenes of passionate conversations with friends—memories many listeners will find echoing their own.

The song was included on the album “MY STORY / Toki ni wa Mukashi no Hanashi wo,” released in February 1987, and is also known as the ending theme of the 1992 film Porco Rosso.

The piano arrangement used in the film, with its striking timbre, gently lets you linger in the afterglow of the story.

With its calm melody, it’s also great to play as background music when you want to focus on work.