Work songs: recommended masterpieces and popular tracks
There are plenty of songs that cheer on people working hard every day, but I’ve put together a selection of so-called “message songs” for those who are labeled—or call themselves—corporate drones.
I’m sure there are tracks you’ll find nothing but relatable, so when you’re worn out from work or need a little mental breathing room, listen with the idea of finding comrades.
These songs will make you feel relieved or crack a smile, and they should help you reset and think, “Maybe I can push just a little more!”
- Songs that help you work hard. Cheer songs for working people.
- An encouraging work song for office workers
- I want to quit my job!! Uplifting songs to listen to when work is tough
- Songs I want to listen to when I'm tired from work
- [A Cheer for Myself] A pep song dedicated to you who are doing your very best
- Masterpieces that sing of effort. Recommended popular songs.
- Power songs that fill you with energy just by listening. Recommended classics and popular tracks.
- A perfect song for Labor Thanksgiving Day. A song that conveys gratitude and encouragement.
- [Motivation Injection] Songs to listen to on days when you don't want to go to work
- Songs with strong messages. Classic J-Pop masterpieces and recommended popular tracks.
- [Today's Cheer Song] To everyone giving it your all! A gem of an inspiring anthem that resonates with the heart
- [Cheer Song] Songs to Listen to During Your Commute
- Job-change anthems: inspiring and popular songs that give you courage
Work songs: Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (51–60)
The Northern Ship of SuccessFukuda Kouhei
When it comes to big catches in Aomori’s fisheries, it’s got to be Ōma’s tuna, right? I’ve seen it in TV documentaries too—reeling in a single fish that could be worth tens of millions of yen really conveys the men’s desperation.
But landing a giant isn’t easy.
Just as the lyrics say, it takes grit and patience—and it’s a song of men staking everything on their intuition and skill in a showdown at sea.
Sad Little DoveMisora Hibari
Hibari Misora was 15 years old at the time, but her singing ability is unbelievable for a 15-year-old.
It’s the theme song of a film—a story about a sad parting with her family, set in a circus in which Hibari Misora herself stars.
In the past, circuses had the image of being poor, itinerant troupes living day to day.
People who grew up during the period of rapid economic growth say their parents would scold them with, “If you don’t listen, I’ll sell you to the circus!” That’s quite a different image from today’s glamorous, artistic theme-park-like spaces.
Old Man Hanasa ka after a night shiftCover Girls
This song, which really gets the otagei going, is so fast-paced that I couldn’t grasp the lyrics’ meaning while singing it, but reading them, they’re actually quite deep.
The older man working the night shift packs cardboard boxes, and his boss is younger—tough for a man, right? Even in a life like that, the song says that small connections with others can make you feel happiness in life.
Daughter of the CircuitPUFFY
No introduction needed—this is a hit by the popular female duo PUFFY, produced by Tamio Okuda.
Their debut song “Asia no Junshin” was shocking, but the laid-back vibe of this track is just as refreshing.
PUFFY’s charm really lies in their natural, unforced style.
This song is a relaxed PUFFY-style take on a woman taking a job as a race queen.
You can imagine race queens watching over the drivers with just this kind of feeling.
By the way, if you place this single’s cover next to the cover of “Nagisa ni Matsuwaru Etcetera”…
well, I’ll let you discover the rest for yourself! Listening to it while you work will surely put you in a good mood.
the second man from the bottomKoyama Takuji
The final punchline is one of those unbelievable-yet-plausible stories, but still, you mustn’t hit someone just because they spilled a drink.
If he’d handled it like an adult, his life might have turned out differently.
This is a song from the time when “second from the bottom” was called “booby,” and that second-from-the-bottom spot was in the spotlight.