Songs from Porco Rosso. Theme song and inserted songs.
That famous phrase, “A pig that doesn’t fly is just a pig”—haven’t a lot of people tried imitating it?
This article gathers the theme song and insert songs from the 1992 Studio Ghibli film Porco Rosso.
Listening to them, you can’t help but picture a bright red airplane soaring through the sky.
Porco, the protagonist, has this irresistible cool, rugged vibe that contrasts with his fanciful appearance.
If you’ve seen the film before, just hearing the music will make you want to watch it again!
It’s a collection packed with unforgettable classics.
Songs of Porco Rosso. Theme song and insert songs (1–10)
Serbia MarchHisaishi Joe
It’s a cheerful march that almost lets you hear the lively buzz of an Italian streetscape and the spirited voices of its people.
This bright, bustling piece has a breezy lightness that makes the romantic scenes in the film feel even more romantic.
It’s the track used when Porco heads to the armorer, a fun, quintessentially Ghibli number that brings a slight smile when you listen.
FriendHisaishi Joe
This is another piece that’s irresistible for fans of Porco Rosso.
It’s the music from the scene where Porco, back when he was still in the Air Force, watches a silent animated film with his former comrade Ferrarin.
It’s a track that lets you feel the friendship between two men: Ferrarin, who has risen in the world and might even know the mystery the film never reveals—why Porco became a pig—and Porco, who is now a pig, freely flying through the skies.
MAMMAIUTOHisaishi Joe
This is the piece used as the theme song for the air pirates, the Mamma Aiuto Gang, who appear in Porco Rosso.
Since they’re air pirates, they’re supposed to be the bad guys…
but the combination of the characters’ comical vibe and the cheerful melody somehow makes you smile.
In search of a distant eraHisaishi Joe
Many people may find it one of the most memorable pieces in Porco Rosso.
True to its title, “Bygone Days,” this dramatically dynamic piece is used in the flashback scene where Gina, thinking of Porco, recalls the time when he was still human.
It enriches the scene by highlighting the depth of a woman’s heart and Porco’s clumsy inability to understand it.
Madness ~Flight~Hisaishi Joe
This is the theme for the scene where the newly outfitted airship takes off while evading its pursuers.
It matches the tense moment perfectly and is a particularly memorable piece.
The title, “Madness,” gives off an ominous air at first glance, but doesn’t it encapsulate, in a single word, Porco Rosso’s obsession and fixation with flying?
To the Adriatic SeaHisaishi Joe
It’s a beautifully lyrical piece in lilting triple meter that makes you nostalgic for the Adriatic Sea.
Thinking of the land and people of Italy where Porco spent his days lends it a dramatic air, making it a perfect fit for the world of Porco Rosso.
In the film, this elegant piece is used in a scene that conveys the friendship between old comrades, as Porco is guided in flight by his friend Ferrarin.
Days of No ReturnHisaishi Joe
A poignant scene from the adult classic Porco Rosso, where the protagonist Marco looks back on memories of a past to which he can never return.
The friends he drank with, the rivals he competed against, and the woman he longed for will never come back.
It’s a heart-stirring slow ballad that conveys both that sense of helplessness and tender affection.