[2026] Iconic musical numbers: from the latest releases to timeless classics!
Many of the songs used in musicals are quite famous, and you often hear them in various places—on TV, in commercials, or as background music in videos.
These pieces often include tracks that pump you up or grand, moving numbers that give you chills, touching not only musical fans but a wide range of people.
In this article, we’ll introduce a whole selection of such musical numbers!
We’ve picked broadly from a variety of shows, so you might find a tune you once heard and wondered about, or a song from one of your favorites.
Take this opportunity to give them another listen!
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[2026] Musical Masterpieces: From the Newest Works to Timeless Classics! (41–50)
There’s no business like show business.Ethel Merman
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical that portrays the story of a female sharpshooter and the star of a sharpshooting show who fall in love and ultimately face off against each other.
Irving Berlin wrote There’s No Business Like Show Business for this production.
It’s a piece that unfolds with the brilliant sound of a brass band.
The lyrics, which contain an irony toward the glamour of show business, evoke a range of emotions.
Since the song is performed multiple times throughout the show, it carries a message that gets to the heart of the story.
[2026] Musical Masterpieces: From the Latest Releases to Timeless Classics! (51–60)
Because there is loveMori Keaki, hoka
A song performed in the musical adaptation of Riyoko Ikeda’s manga The Rose of Versailles.
Needless to say, The Rose of Versailles has been staged many times by the Takarazuka Revue, and “Ai Areba Koso” has been sung by numerous celebrated actresses.
The Rose of Versailles is also extremely popular in France, where the story is set—so much so that there are even people who cover it in Japanese.
Whether you know the historical facts about Marie Antoinette or not, please lend your ear to this bewitchingly aesthetic song and music.
(Just a) Simple SpongeEthan Slater, Ensemble
A song from the musical SpongeBob SquarePants, staged in 2017 at the Palace Theatre, one of Broadway’s venues.
Of course, it’s based on the famous animated series SpongeBob SquarePants.
This production is set in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom, featuring a stage design evocative of the sea.
The song expresses SpongeBob’s bright, positive spirit along with an ocean-inspired elegance.
Prelude and the Sound of Music (From the Sound of Music)Julie Andrews, Irwin Kostal Orchestra
The theme song from the Broadway musical West Side Story, which premiered in 1957.
It’s a song in which the protagonist, Aria, sings about the wonders of nature.
Its expansive, majestic melody evokes wide-open prairies and lush greenery.
Since it’s often covered in music classes, many people may already be familiar with it.
Do-Re-MiDame Julie Elizabeth Andrews
If we’re talking about songs known by people around the world, from children to adults, this one surely comes to mind.
Although it may seem like a children’s song, it’s actually a classic in the truest sense, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Richard Rodgers.
It was sung in the 1959 musical The Sound of Music, which was also a huge hit in Japan.
In Japan, the Japanese lyrics are more famous and are very well crafted, but the original lyrics do not mention donuts or lemons.
Alexander HamiltonLeslie Odom Jr. · Anthony Ramos · Daveed Diggs · Okieriete Onaodowan · Lin-Manuel Miranda · Phillipa Soo · Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
A song from the Broadway musical Hamilton.
This musical, which centers on Alexander Hamilton and depicts the era of the American Revolutionary War, is a rare historical piece even by Broadway standards.
Despite its historical subject matter, its unusual fusion with hip-hop music drew widespread attention and made it a huge hit.
The song Alexander Hamilton is the first number in the musical, in which each character sings about their circumstances and background.
Beauty and the BeastAriana Grande & John Legend
An iconic song from Disney’s beloved Beauty and the Beast.
Beyond the animated film, it was adapted into a live-action movie and has been staged by the Shiki Theatre Company in Japan, where it became hugely popular.
The scene where the song is performed—showing Belle and the Beast gradually drawn to each other and falling in love—captures the dreams of many women.
Whether on screen or on a real stage, their dance scene is utterly enchanting.
Mrs.
Potts’s gentle, beautiful singing as she warmly watches over the two in the story is truly wonderful.
