[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 (31–40)
Sugarcane fieldMoriyama Ryoko
Speaking of sugarcane, it’s a specialty crop of Okinawa.
Here is a famous song by Ryoko Moriyama set in sugarcane fields.
It vividly sings of Okinawa’s beautiful, irreplaceable landscapes overflowing with greenery.
Yet when I think that such Okinawa once became a battlefield, my chest tightens with pain.
It’s a classic I want to listen to every time summer comes.
Hey Kazuyuzu
It was released in 2011 as Yuzu’s 33rd single.
The song was used for the Japanese Red Cross Society’s “Hatachi no Ketsueki” (Coming-of-Age Blood Donation) campaign.
Inspired by vocalist Kitagawa’s visit to Senegal, where he encountered the greeting “Diam Rekk,” meaning “As long as there is peace,” he began composing the song with the theme of peace, drawing on interviews with people who had experienced war.
a pencilMisora Hibari
This song was created for Hibari Misora’s appearance at the Hiroshima Peace Music Festival.
It reflects on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Having herself experienced the Yokohama air raids, Hibari Misora addressed the audience from the stage when performing this song at the festival, saying, “I can never forget the horrors of war.”
Song of AugustHamada Shogo
It’s included on his 10th album, J.BOY.
Shogo Hamada is from Hiroshima, and I’ve heard his father was exposed to the atomic bombing.
He wrote this song after questioning the way the war is often discussed with Japan only in the role of victim.
The lyrics are thought-provoking and a must-read.
ImagineJohn Lennon
When asked to name a song that wishes for peace, many people would probably choose this one.
It is a signature work by John Lennon, the British singer-songwriter who continues to be loved around the world even after his passing, and it was released as a single in 1971.
The lyrics—asserting that there are no countries, no races, that we all live in the same world—resonate with countless people.
It is an immortal masterpiece that can even serve as a guidepost in life.
Why not listen to this song and wish for world peace?
[Songs Wishing for Peace] To Prevent Repeating Tragic History | A Collection of Moving Peace Songs (41–50)
aspiration; longing; ardent desireFukuyama Masaharu
This song was created as the theme for the film “If Only I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms,” set in wartime Japan and depicting, from the perspective of a kamikaze pilot, the happiness of living each day in the present.
Written by Masaharu Fukuyama after watching the film, the lyrics resonate as they gently accompany the characters, exploring the complexities of love and life, and a departure toward eternity.
Released digitally as a single in December 2023, it became a major hit, dominating charts across streaming platforms.
It is a song that reminds us of the importance of choosing our own path and having the courage to move forward in a changing era.
blue skyTHE BLUE HEARTS
It was released in 1989 as THE BLUE HEARTS’ eighth single.
A re-cut single from their third album, TRAIN-TRAIN, its lyrics are striking for lamenting wars and racial discrimination happening somewhere in the world.
Hiroto Kōmoto’s straightforward, passionate vocals make it a song that truly shakes the heart.