[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 (101–110)
Nightjar’s DreamDo As Infinity
It was released in 2005 as Do As Infinity’s sixth original album.
The song was used as the opening theme for the TV Tokyo anime Zoids Genesis.
“Yotaka” refers to the U.S.
Air Force F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft, and the lyrics evoke the feelings of Captain Dale Zelko, who was aboard the Nighthawk that was shot down for the first time during the Kosovo conflict.
Hill Where You Can See DugongsCocco
It was released in 2007 as Cocco’s 14th single.
The song was dedicated to a mother-and-calf pair of dugongs that appeared in Ōura Bay, Nago City, Okinawa, in June 2007, and it drew significant attention in Okinawa.
The piece conveys a wish for an environment where dugongs can live, and for a peaceful world.
Hiroshima Peace SongSakushi: Shigezono Yoshio / Sakkyoku: Yamamoto Shuu
A gem of a choral work imbued with the desire to pass on the devastation of the Hiroshima atomic bombing to future generations and to pray for world peace.
First unveiled at the inaugural “Peace Festival” on August 6, 1947, this piece powerfully expresses a prayer for peace.
It has been sung every year at Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Ceremony, and in 2018, under the baton of Hiroshima-born conductor Eiji Oue, a CD was produced with the cooperation of the Hiroshima Shin-on Orchestra and the Hiroshima Choral Association.
In 2023, an English-language video was also released as part of the Hiroshima International Peace and Culture Festival.
This is a song that resonates deeply with all who carry a wish for peace in their hearts, and with those who seek to connect with the spirit of Hiroshima.
Across timeHY
A song by HY, a band from Okinawa, that prays for peace and speaks to the preciousness of life.
The lyrics recount stories heard from a grandmother and grandfather about their youth and what things were like during the war.
It conveys something simple yet easily forgotten: that they endured hardship, survived, met each other, and because of that, life was passed on and I was born.
It prompts us to reflect anew on the miracle of our own birth and the value of life, and it strengthens the heartfelt wish for a world without war.
Lapis-Lazuli EarthMatsuda Seiko
This is a grand piece that sings of deep love and hope for the Earth.
Released by Seiko Matsuda on her 1986 June album “SUPREME,” the work features lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto and music by Natsumi Hirai, depicting the story of people traveling around the Earth as if aboard a spaceship.
The image of a beautifully gleaming lapis-lazuli Earth and the feelings for the people living upon it unfold alongside a sweeping melody that resonates deeply with listeners.
It also carries wishes for world peace and environmental protection, and it has been included in high school music textbooks and embraced as a choral piece.
In April 2010, it was used as a wake-up call on the International Space Station, coloring the moment of gazing at the Earth from space.
It is a moving song that speaks to the heart when you want to feel the Earth’s beauty and the preciousness of life.
Songs Praying for Peace: To Prevent Repeating Tragic History | A Collection of Heart-Touching Peace Songs (111–120)
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?Katō Tokiko
In 2022, Tokiko Kato released the album “On the Endless Earth,” imbued with thoughts of anti-war and peace.
Included on this album is the song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” a piece by American singer Pete Seeger that could be called one of the most famous anti-war songs in the world.
In Japan, it has been covered by numerous artists, including YMO and Kiyoshiro Imawano.
Some may feel that war is something happening in a distant country, unrelated to us.
Will you still feel the same after listening to this song? It’s a song you’ll want to hear while imagining yourself and your family in its place.
Stop War!Hakozaki Sakuji
This song, composed by Sakuji Hakozaki—former junior high school teacher and member of the Santama Youth Choir—was created to support Ukraine and portrays a wish for anti-war and peace.
It conveys powerful emotions of sorrow and anger over losing loved ones to recurring conflicts.
It also carries the message that, to stop such tragedies, it is essential for people around the world to join hands and help one another.
The song delivers a straightforward anti-war message that prompts listeners to consider actions to end conflict.
