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Songs of Studio Ghibli: List of Theme Songs, Insert Songs, and BGM from Ghibli Music

DancerFukkun:)Tatsuki Fukuda
Primarily active in Tokyo, I have experience as a backup dancer for artists, a music video dancer, and a commercial dancer. I continue to work as a dancer while also engaging in article production. After discovering Michael Jackson in junior high school, I began dancing in my second year of high school. Since starting dance, in addition to the J-Pop and Japanese rock I had been listening to, I began exploring Western R&B, rap, alternative music, and other tracks commonly used for dance. In elementary school, I spent three years in a choir, and because I love singing, I often go to karaoke for fun. These days, I enjoy a wide range of music, from Japanese rock and rap to K-pop.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICSasashina
Deputy Editor of the web media RAG MUSIC. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. In my student days, I studied broadly at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, covering sound, lighting, and video technology, and acquired skills from comprehensive stage production to the fundamentals of creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, and have consistently built my career on the production side, taking on diverse tasks centered around music. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting in my own way, as well as insights and discoveries from interacting with my kids every day. I hope I can be of help to you, even just a little!

Studio Ghibli films, enjoyed by both adults and children, are also famous for their wonderful music.

Every work features songs that perfectly fit the story and leave an unforgettable impression after just one listen.

We’ve gathered not only the popular theme songs and insert songs from Studio Ghibli works, but also image songs that bring back memories of famous scenes and evocative moments.

If you want to listen to Ghibli’s masterpieces or hear again the song that played in that one scene, be sure to check these out!

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (1–10)

BeginningJoe Hisaishi

I tried transcribing by ear the beginning of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya!!

Joe Hisaishi: The Beginning

As you all know, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter begins with a girl being born from a bamboo stalk.

This is the piece that plays at that moment.

Doesn’t it feel like the story is slowly about to begin? The divinely beautiful strings, like light welling up from the bamboo, are a must-hear.

Also pay attention to how the sound gradually adds more layers and builds toward the latter half of the track.

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FlightJoe Hisaishi

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya – Flight

Soaring Joe Hisaishi

Here’s a standout track packed with personality and playfulness.

It’s brimming with instruments—flutes, percussion, strings, and more—creating a wonderfully lively sound.

The moment it shifts from a fun, cheerful vibe to a suddenly mysterious atmosphere is a must-hear.

True to its title, “Soaring,” the finale conveys an expansive grandeur, as if taking flight into the vast sky.

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Hoo-hokekyo My Neighbors the Yamadas (11–20)

Pay attention to the compelling insert song!

With the tagline “Family safety is the wish of the world,” the 1999 film My Neighbors the Yamadas was produced. It’s a movie adaptation of Hisaichi Ishii’s original four-panel manga. Many of the insert songs are covers or signature tracks by various artists, making the music alone incredibly compelling to listen to! From those, I’ll introduce the ones that truly stand out—be sure to give them a listen! Related article:Ho-ho-kekyo: The Yamada Family Next Door song. Theme song / insert song.

Ho-hokekyo: My Neighbors the Yamadas (1–10)

telephone lineAkiko Yano

Akiko Yano Telephone Line

Akiko Yano, Denwa-sen (Telephone Line)

It was used as an insert song in Isao Takahata’s film My Neighbors the Yamadas, which is based on a four-panel manga.

In the story, it plays in the background during a scene where the protagonist, after talking on the phone with his girlfriend, bursts with joy.

You can really feel the surge in excitement from the song itself.

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Shut up and follow me.The Yamada Family

The song that the Yamada family performs a big a cappella chorus of in the film.

The original is a carefree tune sung by Hitoshi Ueki, with lyrics—believe it or not—by Yukio Aoshima.

It brims with the postwar Showa-era vibe of a Japan trying to get its energy back.

It’s like a pep song carrying the message: “Live brightly and with spirit.” Makes you want to belt it out at the public bath while soaking in the tub (lol).

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Pleasant Music I Headlong RushAkiko Yano

A song that feels really pleasant with the rhythm swinging on the off-beat.

Akiko Yano’s light, airy melodies are as brilliant as ever.

It’s the kind of track that seems like it would play while you’re skipping outside.

I remember it being used in a scene in the show as well.

I love how its clear, transparent atmosphere blends seamlessly into everyday life.

For me, it conjures an image of bright light streaming through curtains—how did it sound to you?

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I stopped being alone.Akiko Yano

[Karaoke] I Quit Being All Alone [QUIT BEING ALONE] / Akiko Yano

Akiko Yano, No Longer All Alone

This is the theme song for “My Neighbors the Yamadas,” which has the interesting background of being a feature-length film based on a four-panel newspaper comic.

Read as text alone, the lyrics seem like a love song, but perhaps due to the film’s imagery and the warm vocals, it somehow evokes a sense of family.

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An un-Cuckoo-like main titleAkiko Yano

Not-So-Cuckoo Main Title / Leopold Mozart: Piano (Solo) / Beginner

Cuckoo I: An Uncharacteristic Main Title — Akiko Yano

A song that begins with a simple piano.

Its gentle melody and light rhythm evoke the image of dappled sunlight on a holiday.

It matches the calmly depicted work extremely well, and it’s a sound that blends in even when playing in the background of everyday life.

In a modern world full of stimulating sounds, a piece that meshes with the air this naturally actually feels refreshingly new.

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