[Harmony Songs for Duets] Songs that feel great to harmonize

Breath of DawnThe Checkers

The Checkers “Breath of Dawn” MV

It’s The Checkers’ 23rd single overall, released in June 1990.

It’s crafted as a beautiful ballad love song.

Even with just the lead vocal, the song has a very lovely melodic line, but the chorus part added in the hook—simple yet very effective—further enhances the song’s beauty.

The chorus line is simply a third above the main melody, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to recreate in karaoke.

Be sure to harmonize beautifully and captivate your audience!

somedayyuzu

Yuzu “Someday” PV

This is the fourth single by the Japanese folk duo Yuzu, released in January 1999.

As you’d expect from Yuzu, who are known for their beautiful two-part harmonies, it’s an excellent, comfortable mid-tempo song where you can hear very pretty harmonies right from the beginning.

The arrangement basically adds a chorus part a fifth above the main vocal melody.

The chorus line is relatively easy to sing and easy to pick out, too.

Listen closely to the original, learn each part well, and then try singing it.

That said, the chorus part often goes into a fairly high range, so you might want to be careful with the key you choose.

Producing soft, high notes without interfering with the lead vocal is surprisingly difficult when you actually try it.

Letters To MELiSA

LiSA 『Letters to ME』 -MUSiC CLiP-

Included on LiSA’s 10th-anniversary mini-album LADYBUG, released in May 2021.

Since LiSA herself is a singer with very strong vocal ability, many people might think, “Can you really harmonize with a song like this so easily?” But if you listen closely, the harmony is arranged as two voices, with a so-called lower harmony under the lead.

If you study the original track carefully and practice, I don’t think the hurdle to enjoying harmonizing with it at karaoke is all that high.

Multiple vocal takes are layered for each part, and the sound production aligns the timing of each part perfectly, so be careful not to be thrown off by that—listen closely and analyze it.

Distance of the Starry SkyTHE ALFEE

Distance under the Starry Sky – THE ALFEE (Full)

This is THE ALFEE’s 17th single, released in January 1984.

Following their previous smash hit “Mary Ann,” which marked a complete shift from their early folk style to a rock-forward sound, this single again features Masaru Sakurai on lead vocals.

THE ALFEE is known for having all three members capable of taking the lead and for their acclaimed choral work.

While many of their songs include very complex chorus arrangements, this track uses a classic rock approach: the chorus comes in only on the signature phrases of the refrain.

To be honest, the harmonizing element might feel a bit thin here.

Still, it’s one of the best songs for everyone to sing the hook together and get hyped, so don’t worry too much about perfection—just have fun singing it!

YAH YAH YAHCHAGE and ASKA

[MV] YAH YAH YAH / CHAGE and ASKA

This is CHAGE and ASKA’s 31st single (originally styled as チャゲ&飛鳥 at the time of release), released in March 1993.

It became a hit as the theme song for the popular drama “If He Turns Around, He’s There,” starring Yuji Oda.

While the song is fundamentally built on two-part vocals by Chage and Aska, the released recording layers multiple takes of their voices and even adds female backing vocals, so perfectly recreating it at karaoke can be quite difficult.

But don’t worry! Even though the production piles on many vocal layers, the song basically works with two male parts: the main melody and an upper harmony (likely a third above).

For karaoke fun, reproducing just those two parts is more than enough.

If the harmonies in the verse sections are tough, everyone can simply sing the chorus in unison and still have a great time!

LionMay’n feat. Megumi Nakajima

Live “Lion” May’n/Megumi Nakajima at Nippon Budokan 2010-12-22 [Conducted by Yoko Kanno] [Subtitled]

The popular song “Lion” from the hit anime Macross Frontier.

It’s a classic performed by anisong singer May’n and voice actress Megumi Nakajima.

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, chances are you’ve heard this track at least once.

One of the easiest points for singing this song is the clarity of the vocal lines.

The main vocal and the harmony are clearly separated, so you won’t have to worry about getting pulled off by your partner’s voice.

The overall vocal line is simple as well, so definitely give it a try.

As my longing desiresyama × Tatsuya Kitani

yama × Tatsuya Kitani “As Long as I Admire” KONA Collaboration Video

This is the first collaboration song between yama, who is also active as a member of the rock band BIN, and Tatsuya Kitani of sajou no hana, released in September 2023.

It serves as the image song for KONA, the electric vehicle from the Korean automaker HYUNDAI.

While it’s produced in the style of a male–female duet and the vocal track processing is quite elaborate—so at first listen some people might feel it would be hard for the general public to sing at karaoke and harmonize cleanly—most of the song is arranged so that the male and female parts can be sung in octave unison.

So by all means, feel free to pick it at karaoke and enjoy.