BGM that soothes you when you listen. Music that calms the mind.
When you feel like you need healing, what do you do?
Some people go out to places rich in nature, spend time with animals, watch their favorite movies—there are many ways, depending on the person.
In this article, I’d like to introduce soothing music as one such option.
I’ve gathered gentle pieces that calm the mind and help heal both body and soul when you listen to them.
Play them when you go to sleep, use them as background music for meditation—listen at whatever time you prefer, and be sure to give yourself some healing.
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Healing BGM to listen to: Music that calms the heart (11–20)
Name of Life from Spirited AwayHisaishi Joe
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.
Jesu, Joy of Man’s DesiringJ.S.Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach, known as the “Father of Music.” The chorale that closes his church cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, composed in 1723, is likely something everyone has heard at least once.
Its warm yet majestic sonorities evoke a deep sense of peace and unwavering hope.
Beloved as a staple at celebrations such as weddings, it is also widely known in the piano arrangement by Myra Hess.
Its quiet, refined harmonies won’t disrupt your thoughts; rather, they gently enhance your concentration.
Give it a listen as background music to clear your mind while studying or doing desk work.
A Town with an Ocean View (from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”)Hisaishi Joe
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?
An Afternoon of Memoriesizumi makura
This is a track by Makura Izumi, whose husky vocals resonate pleasantly.
The song is included on the album “as usual,” released in July 2019.
It portrays the quiet yet steadfast resolve of a woman who has decided to accept a breakup and move forward, her determination shining through a sense of languor.
The gentle, understated beat and airy synth tones feel like a massage for the heart.
It’s a poignant number, perfect for a pensive afternoon or for settling your mind at the end of the day.
A Whole New World (from “Aladdin”)Alan Menken
This moving ballad, loved by many, is a work by composer Alan Menken, renowned for numerous Disney film scores.
It’s a romantic piece that evokes the image of traveling through the night sky on a magic carpet.
Celebrating the freedom and hope of stepping into an unknown world, the song may free your mind from the task at hand and lead you into a realm of fresh ideas.
A signature song from the 1992 film Aladdin, it can be heard on the soundtrack album Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Its universal appeal is underscored by winning Best Original Song at the 65th Academy Awards in March 1993.
The grand, beautiful piano tones will sweep away everyday distractions and support you as you focus deeply during creative time.
ultramarineAyase
An epic cheer song produced by YOASOBI, inspired by the manga Blue Period.
It powerfully portrays the pain and inner conflicts that arise precisely because you’re passionate about what you love, as well as the determination to follow the path you believe in—carried by a fast-paced, driving sound.
Released in September 2020, the track was used in a commercial for Bourbon’s Alfort Mini Chocolate and was also selected as the march-in song for the 94th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament.
To express the piece’s uplifting, supportive energy on piano, it’s key to build a strong sense of rise from the pre-chorus into the chorus.
In the grand choral sections, using the sustain pedal effectively to create a rich resonance will move listeners even more.
Soothing BGM to Heal Your Heart: Music That Calms the Mind (21–30)
Sometimes, a tale from long ago — from Porco RossoKatō Tokiko
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.