Classic songs for musical chairs. A carefully curated selection of easy-to-walk-to, crowd-pleasing tracks.
Musical Chairs—haven’t you all played it at least once?In this article, we’ll introduce songs that are perfect to play during a game of musical chairs.When you play, you may wonder what kind of music makes it easy to walk and gets everyone excited.So we’ve picked a wide range of recommendations—from classics like “Oklahoma Mixer” and “Mayim Mayim,” to popular children’s songs, dance tracks, and J-pop that everyone knows.If you’re looking for tracks to use for recreational activities, be sure to check these out.
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Classic songs for musical chairs: a carefully selected list of easy-to-walk, crowd-pleasing tracks (21–30)
swallowYOASOBI with Midorīzu
Popular across generations, “Tsubame” by YOASOBI with Midories is the theme song for NHK’s children’s SDGs program ‘Hirogare! Irotoridori,’ featuring vocals by Midories, a group of five children from first to fifth grade.
The song’s world is brimming with love, transcending generations, and even conjures an image of everyone around the world playing musical chairs together.
Play this track during a game of musical chairs that kids and adults alike can enjoy, and it’s sure to be a hit!
paprikaFoorin×Yonezu Kenshi
This is a song by the elementary and middle school music unit Foorin, written, composed, and produced by singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu, which became a social phenomenon involving both adults and children! The music video has surpassed 200 million views, and numerous dance videos were posted as well.
It’s a quintessential Yonezu track with a cute yet wistful melody that resonates with adults, too.
The Paprika dance was easy to learn, making it extremely popular among kids! It seems like a perfect choice for musical chairs background music—everyone would get excited together.
Shut up.Ado
If you want to hype up a game of musical chairs, I recommend Ado’s “Usseewa.” Released as her debut single in 2020, the song’s striking lyrics and punchy melody went viral on social media like TikTok.
That’s why it’s a great BGM choice for musical chairs when a group of social media–savvy young people get together.
It might be even more fun to post a video of your musical chairs game using this song on TikTok.
It’ll be a hit!
The Farmer In The Dell
A familiar tune often used as music for musical chairs, with a pleasant, heartwarming rhythm.
The original song is “The Farmer In The Dell” by the sibling duo The Green Orbs.
Its pace and rhythm are perfect for children to walk to, making it a classic recommendation for musical chairs BGM! If you’re unsure what to pick, give this a try! It’s also great for use in kindergartens and nursery schools.
And it’s not just for musical chairs—it seems versatile for various kinds of background music, so please give it a listen.
The Bear of the Forestdōyō
“Mori no Kuma-san,” based on the American folk song “The Other Day I Met a Bear,” is a well-known Japanese children’s song.
It was introduced on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1972 and became widely popular.
Although bears can seem scary, in this song the bear is portrayed as a kind animal who picks up a young lady’s lost item.
It’s a song everyone—from children to adults—has heard and can sing, making it a great choice as a classic track for musical chairs!