Masterpieces That Sing of Rainbows: A Selection of Recommended Popular and Latest Songs

rainbowyuzu

Niji (Yuzu cover by Sundaysaty’s)

Released on September 2, 2009.

It was used in a corporate commercial featuring athletes such as Mao Asada, Aiko Uemura, Tetsuya Matsumoto, and Megumi Kurihara.

The lyrics “Beyond, beyond, beyond—before you know it, the tears you shed will turn into a single ray of light” are encouraging.

It’s a recommended song for people who play sports.

Mosh Under The RainbowHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD / MOSH UNDER THE RAINBOW

Included on the album “MAKING THE ROAD.” A mid-tempo track with a delightfully bouncy rhythm.

Combined with lyrics like “The rain’s stopped—let’s all form a circle and mosh,” it’s a song that, in today’s terms, really “shines at festivals.”

Rainbow-Colored WarSEKAI NO OWARI

End of the World / Rainbow-Colored War

“Niji-iro no Sensou” (Rainbow-Colored War) is a song included on SEKAI NO OWARI’s 2010 album “EARTH.” I think the theme of this song is “contradiction.” In a world that sings of “world peace,” flowers are plucked in parks and insects are shut in cages to live out their lives—though the flowers and insects are alive.

And yet we sing of “world peace.” That contradiction, of course, is something created by humans.

This song jolts you into recognizing that contradiction.

rainbowMoriyama Naotaro

Niji (Naotaro Moriyama)

“Niji” is a song by Naotaro Moriyama that was specially written as the set piece for the 2006 NHK All-Japan School Music Competition, junior high school division.

To be honest, the lyrical content seems a bit difficult for junior high school students to fully understand and sing.

A Person Waiting for a RainbowBUMP OF CHICKEN

BUMP OF CHICKEN "Niji o Matsu Hito" (A Person Waiting for a Rainbow)

Released on July 17, 2013.

The theme song for the live-action film Gatchaman.

It features an intro that starts with synthesizers, and an up-tempo track brimming with BUMP OF CHICKEN’s signature sense of speed—somehow energizing, making you want to break free and start running.

rainbowtsuruno takeshi

Niji (from the mini-album “Churuno Uta”) / Takeshi Tsuruno

Niji is a song included in Takeshi Tsuruno’s 2011 parent-and-child concept album Churuno Uta.

It’s a children’s song, and the story goes that Tsuruno heard his daughter singing it in the bath after she learned it in kindergarten, which moved him and led to including this cover.

It’s a song that conveys the unique warmth of a nursery rhyme.

Over The RainbowJudy Garland

Judy Garland – Over The Rainbow (Subtitiles)

In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland sang the song Over the Rainbow, which became a hit.

Known in Japan by the title “Niji no Katana ni,” it is beloved there as well.

Garland continued to sing this song throughout her life.

Even today, it remains a standard number covered by many artists and cherished around the world.