Children’s songs of the world: songs passed down and sung by children overseas
We’re introducing nursery rhymes and children’s songs that have been sung across countries and regions around the world!
From songs found in Japanese textbooks to tunes actually sung overseas and popular songs used in English education, we’ve gathered a selection from various perspectives.
As you’ll see in this article, there are actually many songs people in Japan think are Japanese that are originally from other countries.
If you want to know “famous foreign nursery rhymes in Japan” or you’d like to sing children’s songs in other languages, be sure to check these out and give them a try!
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- A classic Mother Goose tune. A Mother Goose song that’s popular with children.
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- Lullabies of the World: Beloved and Popular International Songs That Soothe Children
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- Japanese Shoka, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Timeless masterpieces that resonate in the heart, passed down across generations
- [Minna no Uta] Tear-jerking masterpiece. A moving song you want to hear again.
- Let's sing together! A collection of nursery rhymes everyone knows
- [Christmas Songs] Christmas songs to sing with children
World Nursery Rhymes: Children’s Songs Passed Down Overseas (41–50)
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Many people may find the parody song from the Yodobashi Camera commercial stuck in their heads.
This melody has an abundance of parodies: the widely known Japanese “Tomodachi Sanka” and even the 1940 song “Otamajakushi wa Kaeru no Ko” are actually parody versions.
The original is a United States folk and patriotic song that served as a marching tune for the Union Army during the Civil War.
Katyusha
Katyusha is a song that became popular during the Soviet era and has continued to be loved as a Russian folk song.
“Katyusha” is a diminutive nickname for the Russian girl’s name Ekaterina.
In Japan, it’s somewhat like Hisako or Masako being affectionately shortened to Chako-chan.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands
A song by Kyu Sakamoto.
It is based on a traditional American folk tune.
Released in 1964, it became a huge hit and has since been loved as a children’s song.
Outside Japan, it is sung in countries such as Spain, and there is also an English version, “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
Jingle Bells
In 1857, Reverend James Lord Pierpont wrote and composed a song to be sung at his church’s Thanksgiving service.
It caused quite a sensation and spread throughout the United States.
Many artists covered it, and in Japan it also became popular through anime, video games, and children’s programs.
Turkey in the Straw
Under the name “Oklahoma Mixer,” this classic tune is used in Japan for events like sports days and folk dances.
It’s an American folk song titled “Turkey in the Straw,” featuring a cheerful country-western melody that feels pleasant.
Oh, the pastures are green
It is a folk song that has long been cherished in rural areas of Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
In these two countries, there are songs with two different titles, but they share the common trait of being lively, anecdotal pieces that comically depict rural people.
In part, the song differs from the Japanese version.
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory Dickory Dock is a Mother Goose rhyme about a mouse climbing up a clock, ringing the bell, and telling the time by the number of chimes.
The title itself has no particular meaning, but the lyrics feature catchy, rhyming wordplay.
In longer versions of the song, not only a mouse but also a dog, a bear, and bees appear.
It’s said that Agatha Christie’s mystery novel Hickory Dickory Dock was inspired by this Mother Goose rhyme.
