Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad
Here are some famous songs selected from folk music that has been passed down and sung in various countries and regions around the world.
Even if you don’t know the titles, you may have heard them somewhere or hummed them as a child—foreign folk songs are actually quite familiar in our daily lives.
In some cases, the version widely known in Japan is the adaptation, and you might discover, “So this was the original song!”
Learning which country a song comes from leads to learning about that country’s culture and history, and it will broaden your horizons.
Please take a listen to these time-honored folk songs that are cherished in each country!
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Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad (21–30)
O BureneliSuisu min’yō
The cheerful children’s song “Oh Breneli,” born in Switzerland, is said to have its roots in Swiss folk music where yodeling is popular.
Its distinctive chorus of “Yah-hoo hotorararara” and bright melodic progression are memorable.
It is sometimes sung outdoors as a camp song or recreation song.
Ievan PolkkaFinrando min’yō / Eino Kettunen
“Ievan Polkka” is a Finnish popular song.
It is also sometimes written as “Ieva’s Polka.” The lyrics were written by Eino Kettunen in the 1930s to a traditional Finnish polka melody.
Humpty DumptyIgirisu min’yō
Widely loved as a nursery rhyme, this song features a simple yet striking story about an anthropomorphized egg character that falls from a wall and breaks.
Believed to have emerged around the 18th century, a version was created in 1797 by Samuel Arnold, and it has since been enjoyed in many forms.
It is characterized by a short poem with an AABB rhyme scheme and an easy-to-remember melody.
More than just a nursery rhyme, it has become an iconic piece handed down through the ages and is deeply rooted in English-speaking cultures.
It is also used in educational settings and is internationally familiar, appearing even in Japanese junior high school English textbooks.
O Sole MioNaporimin’yō / Alfredo Mazzucchi / Eduardo Di Capua
“’O Sole Mio (My Sun)” is a Neapolitan canzone (Naples song) composed in 1898.
Elvis Presley’s cover, “It’s Now or Never,” became a massive hit, selling over 10 million copies worldwide.
KorobushkaRoshia min’yō
Korobushka (The Peddler) is a Russian song taken from a passage in the long poem The Peddlers by Russian poet Nikolay Nekrasov.
It is often used for folk dancing at school sports festivals and is also famous as background music for the game Tetris.
On the Bridge of Avignonfuransu min’yō
“On the Bridge of Avignon” is an old French folk song.
Avignon (also spelled Avignon) is the name of a city located in southeastern France.
It is also known for the 14th-century “Avignon Papacy” under the French Pope Clement V.
Dona DonaIdisshu min’yō
It is a folk song based on an original musical piece written in Yiddish in 1940.
Dona Dona became internationally famous in the 1960s, when the folk revival was sweeping the United States.
It reached many listeners after it was covered by Joan Baez, who was known as the Queen of Folk.