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[For Gifts and Video BGM] A Song for Celebrating the 60th Birthday (Kanreki)
A collection of songs perfect for celebrating a 60th birthday (Kanreki)!
Kanreki is a major life milestone—and perhaps the true start of life.
Sixty years spent devoted to family and work.
From here on, we hope you’ll spend plenty of time on the dreams you once chased and the hobbies you love.
In this article, we introduce timeless songs that are perfect for the start of a second life—for your parents, your beloved partner, or a friend turning sixty.
If you’re thinking, “I want to give a song as a Kanreki gift,” be sure to check these out!
Congratulations on your 60th birthday. A life-affirming ode that resonates with the heart (1–10)
era; age; time; periodNakajima Miyuki
This is the song that Miyuki Nakajima released in 1975 as her second single.
It won the Grand Prix at both the 10th Popular Song Contest (Tsumagoi Finals) and the 6th World Popular Song Festival.
The transition from the melancholy introduction to the hopeful main section is outstanding, making it a song you’ll want to listen to not only in sad or difficult times, but also at life’s turning points.
It also evokes the image of reincarnation, and might serve as a fitting anthem of encouragement for someone reaching kanreki, the 60th birthday marking a full cycle of the traditional calendar.
day by dayYoshida Yamada
This is Yoshida Yamada’s 9th single, released in 2013.
It was newly written for NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” and after the broadcast began, it received so many inquiries that it was aired in the “Minna no Uta Otanoshimi-waku” special slot.
The song portrays a long-married couple, with moving lyrics that look back on a journey that hasn’t always been smooth.
The words “grandpa” and “grandma” that appear in the lyrics may still feel premature for people turning sixty, but it’s a song we’d very much like you to listen to at this milestone age.
like youDREAMS COME TRUE
“Anata no Youni,” a song written by DREAMS COME TRUE as a campaign track for Kanpo Life, expresses gratitude and admiration for those who always watch over us and for the people we aspire to be like.
For many listeners, the “you” in this song likely brings to mind their parents or grandparents.
There must also be hardships and regrets within your parents or grandparents that weren’t visible while you were spending time together.
If you convey, “These are my feelings,” through this song, it will surely sweep away the hardships and regrets of the past.
CheersNagabuchi Tsuyoshi
It’s often sung at weddings, but it’s also a fitting song for a 60th birthday celebration.
It’s a classic, yet it still resonates deeply.
If listening to this song makes someone feel they’ve walked a long road—yet still have more ahead—then the person who gifted the song would be happy too.
The Song of Good Workaoiro
The perfect song for saying “Otsukaresama” (thank you for your hard work) is “Otsukaresama no Uta.” It was included on aoiro’s first full-length album, “Mirai Pilot,” released in 2020.
It’s a song we especially recommend gifting to someone turning sixty and retiring from work, or to anyone marking the end of something they’ve worked hard on.
Sixty years surely weren’t filled with only happy times.
Precisely because they’ve persevered through it all, we want to send them this song that sincerely says “well done” and inspires them to keep going tomorrow too.
Silver Roaddaakudakkusu
A collaborative release by The Peanuts and Dark Ducks, released in 1966.
Many people finally get a breather after helping a child become independent, welcoming a grandchild, and reaching the milestone of their 60th birthday.
But life goes on.
After sixty comes seventy! If you still want to keep doing your best, this song will surely cheer you on.
Embraced by loveSuperfly
You may want to celebrate someone’s 60th birthday, but sometimes it’s hard to meet in person because they live far enough away to require a flight, or they’re not in the best health.
In times like that, how about making a celebratory video using this song? It’s a gentle, resonant ballad that sings about gratitude and wishing happiness for the life ahead, and the lyrics even mention being apart—so I think it’s a perfect fit.
If you give them a video filled with many happy moments from those long 60 years, I’m sure it will make them very happy!
Thank youikimonogakari
This song was tied in as the opening theme for the morning drama series “Gegege no Nyobo.” I think many people, even grandpas and grandmas, probably know it.
I believe this song is the best for honestly conveying your feelings of “thank you” up to now!
as if nothing happenedArai Yumi
This is a track from Yumi Matsutoya’s fourth album, when she was performing under the name Yumi Arai, titled “The 14th Moon.” The most famous song on the album is “Chuo Freeway,” and it was released in 1976.
Although it isn’t a flashy song, it’s a hidden gem and was used as an in-film song in the movie “A Bride for Rip Van Winkle.” The lyrics—about cherishing and keeping what you’ve lost in your heart—leave a strong impression and suit those who have reached a certain age.
There’s a depiction of losing a beloved dog, so for those who have also said goodbye to a cherished pet, it may bring back fond memories and inspire them to continue living without ever forgetting their dog.
Kanreki Celebration SongSen Masao
Released in 2007, this song is perfect for a 60th-birthday celebration.
Sixty years may sound like an incredibly long time, but for someone who has sprinted through life with all their might, it may have gone by in a flash.
I hope you’ll sing this song with a smile at your celebratory gathering, as a tribute to the you who has worked so hard.