[Thank You] A classic song expressing gratitude to one’s parents. A number loved across generations.
In everyday, fleeting moments and at life’s milestones, many of us feel the urge to express our gratitude to our parents.
In this article, we introduce famous songs filled with appreciation for parents.
They’re perfect not only for bouquet presentations and reading letters to parents at weddings, but also as a surprise on birthdays and anniversaries.
Why not send the thanks you don’t usually put into words, along with a moving song that speaks for your feelings?
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[Thank You] Classic songs of gratitude to parents. Beloved across generations (11–20)
to MotherYUI
This is a song by YUI, a singer-songwriter from Fukuoka Prefecture.
It was released in 2010 as her 16th single.
A message song about the distance and feelings between her and her mother.
Her straight, heartrending vocals are cleansing to the soul.
funny storyTani Yuuki
It’s a warm song filled with gratitude for family! Tani Yuuki’s delicate vocals and heartfelt lyrics gently embrace the listener.
Centered on bonds with loved ones and feelings that are hard to put into words, this track is included on the EP “HOMETOWN,” released in May 2024.
Tani Yuuki, who has gained popularity with past works like the album “kotodama,” once again delivers a song based on his own experiences, themed around family love.
Why not listen to it when you want to express thanks to your parents or on a special day spent with family?
HitomiFukuyama Masaharu
Masaharu Fukuyama’s song “Hitomi” is a gem chosen as the theme for the drama “When Spring Comes.” The lyrics emphasize the importance of sensing the feelings that lie behind what we can see.
It’s moving in the way it focuses not only on surface beauty, but on the deeper love within a person.
The fan appreciation campaign held to coincide with the digital release in February 2024 also conveyed Fukuyama’s warmth and care for his listeners.
It’s the perfect number for moments when you want to express gratitude to your parents or send your feelings to someone special.
Thank youikimonogakari
A quintessential song of gratitude by Ikimono-gakari, this track features lyrics that convey heartfelt memories and love for the parents who have always been there, striking a deep chord.
Gaining attention as the theme song for Gegege no Nyobo, it was released as a single in 2010 and reached a personal best of No.
2 on the Oricon charts.
It’s a classic that sings of warm bonds and gratitude that never fade, even when you’re apart.
Why not give it a listen as a way to express thanks to someone important? It’s also recommended as an alternative to a letter to your parents at a wedding.
A Ballad Dedicated to My MotherKaientai
Kaientai is a folk band that was hugely active in the 1970s.
It’s the band with Tetsuya Takeda as the vocalist.
Kaientai is known for having many songs with moral themes, and among them, the one I most recommend as a song expressing gratitude to a parent is “Ballad Dedicated to My Mother.” While it isn’t about gratitude to both parents, it’s a classic in which a son’s thanks to his mother is expressed in moving words.
The melody is an orthodox folk style, so I think it’s very approachable.
Only by livingKiroro
It’s Kiroro’s ‘Ikite Koso’ (‘Because We Are Alive’).
The phrase that is also the song’s title is repeated throughout and resonates as a powerful message.
Being born to our parents, being raised by them and going on living, experiencing many things and meeting many people—this song reminds us once again that all of these are possible precisely because we are alive.
[Thank You] Classic songs that sing gratitude to parents. Beloved numbers across generations (21–30)
Thank youOhashi Takuya
This is ‘Arigatou’ by Takuya Ohashi.
I hear he dedicated the song to his parents.
It expresses gratitude to the parents who gently supported him after he left home to chase his dreams, and it ends with tender words promising that from now on he will be the one to support them.
It’s a wonderful masterpiece.