[Songs Praying for Peace] To Prevent Repeating Tragic History | A Collection of Peace Songs That Resonate with the Heart
Songs of peace that resonate in our hearts in every era.
Many timeless classics that wish for a world without war or conflict and embody the preciousness of peace in song have long continued to stay close to people’s hearts.
In this article, we introduce songs—mainly from Japanese music—that are imbued with prayers and hopes for peace.
Powerful messages like “Don’t forget the painful history,” and warm sentiments such as “Let’s build a Japan and a world without conflict together.” You’re sure to find a message of peace that resonates with your heart.
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[Songs Wishing for Peace] To Prevent Repeating Tragic History | A Collection of Moving Peace Songs (91–100)
Join the Self-Defense ForcesTakada Wataru
The original song is “Andorra,” an anti-war song satirizing the United States that was released by Pete Seeger.
In Wataru Takada’s version, it contains irony directed at Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
However, the irony was not understood, and he was mistakenly offered to use it as a PR song for the Self-Defense Forces.
DON’T CRY HIROSHIMATEE
DON’T CRY HIROSHIMA, sung by singer-songwriter TEE from Hiroshima City.
It’s a peaceful reggae number that vows never to forget August 6, the day an atomic bomb was dropped on his hometown, and sings of everlasting peace.
The song carries a message to ensure the sorrow of that day is never repeated and to keep passing on the peace we have now.
It also weaves in the Hiroshima dialect, conveying his love for his hometown.
It engraves in our hearts a gratitude for peace that we tend to forget in our everyday lives.
[Songs Wishing for Peace] To Prevent Repeating Tragic History | A Collection of Moving Peace Songs (101–110)
A Distant Christmassadamasashi
You might think it’s a Christmas song sung by Masashi Sada, but in fact it’s a track with a profoundly thought-provoking and weighty message.
It feels like a song that tells us we’re not unconnected to wars and conflicts happening in distant countries, even if they’re things we instinctively want to look away from.
Younger Brother of the Vast SkyFukurai Suzuko
The song “Oozora no Otouto” included on the album Fukurai Suzuko Kessakushu, released on December 13, 2023, is a masterpiece that conveys a moving message of peace.
Featured in NHK’s morning drama series Boogie Woogie, the song reached listeners directly and appealed to many people about the importance of peace.
In the drama, her performance of “Oozora no Otouto” is infused with the thoughts of those who experienced war, carrying a wish for peace that resonates even today.
It is especially recommended for everyone who knows the suffering of war and for those who long for peace.
Hiroshima, River of LoveSakushi: Nakazawa Keiji sakushi / Sakkyoku: Yamamoto Katsuhiko
This is a solemn prayer song born from the only poem left by Keiji Nakazawa, the creator of the manga Barefoot Gen.
You can almost see the scene of countless lights floating on the flow of Hiroshima’s rivers, entrusted with the sorrow of the atomic bombing and hopes for the future.
Released in June 2014, this piece has been cherished as a symbol of peace, sung every year at Hiroshima’s peace events on August 6, the anniversary of the bombing.
It’s a song to listen to when you want to quietly honor the memories etched in history and reflect anew on the preciousness of peace.
cobalt blueThe Back Horn
Set to a guitar riff that slices through the silence, this song by THE BACK HORN portrays the fragility of life and a heartfelt wish for peace.
It was inspired by guitarist Eijun Suganami’s shocking experience visiting the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, and created from a desire to give sound to the cries of young lives cut short.
Released in November 2004 and featured in a Kellogg’s Corn Frosty commercial, the track is also included on the album Headphone Children.
It’s a song that pierces the heart and prompts reflection on how precious and fragile the peace we enjoy truly is.
One more milerēzun
The duo of Masashi Sada and Masami Yoshida reunited for the first time in a while, and under the new name Raisin released the album “About Those Days,” which includes this track.
They invited Junko Yamamoto of Hi-Fi Set as a guest vocalist.
It’s an anti-war song that conveys the sorrow of war, performed with beautifully resonant vocals.