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

Thanks, pal.Spitz

Spitz / Arigato-san

Released as a digital-only single by Yuzu on May 25, 2020.

It’s a very refreshing track that feels quintessentially them, with a pleasant, up-tempo acoustic guitar strum.

Yuzu are known for their highly sophisticated harmony work, but the harmonies in this song are arranged mainly around relatively simple upper harmonies against the main melody, making it perfect for enjoying harmonizing at karaoke.

You might find it a bit challenging to pick out the harmony parts, but I hope you’ll give it a try at karaoke and recreate those lovely harmonies.

It could also be fun to enjoy it with just an acoustic guitar in hand instead of karaoke!

cherry blossomKobukuro

Sakura

Kobukuro’s 12th single, released in November 2005.

When you think of groups with beautiful harmonies, many people probably think of Kobukuro first.

The duo is well known for their two-member choral work, and their harmony parts are often arranged faithfully to the basics—thirds and fifths above the main melody—making their songs ideal practice material for anyone interested in harmonizing and looking to select something for karaoke.

In particular, Sakura is a very easy-to-remember, beautiful song even if you focus only on the main melody, so be sure to practice it and let those beautiful harmonies ring out!

MarigoldAimyon

Aimyon – Marigold [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This is Aimyon’s fifth major single, released in August 2018.

As for the harmonies in this song, the chorus arrangement is basically built with lower harmonies against the lead vocal.

The harmony structure is simple, so in that sense it should be relatively easy to sing harmonies to at karaoke.

However, the lower harmony part tends to get pulled along by the main melody, so please watch out for that when singing it at karaoke.

I also think it’s a song where it’s important for the two singers’ timing to be perfectly aligned.

gardenFujii Kaze

Fujii Kaze – Garden (Not a MV)

A track from Fujii Kaze’s second album, “LOVE ALL SERVE ALL,” which was released in March 2022.

I felt the production gives the whole song a pleasantly languid, ennui-tinged atmosphere.

While it’s not a piece where the harmonies particularly stand out, I think you can recreate the song’s slightly gospel-like feel just by having a few friends sing it in unison—so give it a try!

Embrace the presentNOA

Embrace the present

This song was created by NOA, the duo unit of Atsuko Sendo and Eisaku Yoshida, as the theme for the drama ‘Tetteteki ni Ai wa…’.

YOSHIKI, also known for his work with X JAPAN, handled production and composition.

Since it’s a duet by the two leads of the drama, it invites listeners to imagine their relationship within the story.

Beginning with alternating vocal lines and developing into a harmonized duet toward the end, the structure evokes the sense of the two growing closer.

Glass BoyKinKi Kids

Glass Boy – KinKi Kids (Full)

This was KinKi Kids’ debut single, released in July 1997.

I debated whether to include it under the theme of “easy songs to harmonize to,” but in the end I decided it deserved a spot as a song that’s easy to sing with multiple people—and, well, you’ve got to have some Johnny’s content in there, right? (lol)

Some of you may wonder why I hesitated so much.

It’s because, although there are many parts where the two sing together, almost all of them are in unison rather than harmony.

After their debut, they appeared on a certain TV show with THE ALFEE’s Sakazaki, during which they picked up acoustic guitar and discovered the fun of harmonizing.

As a result, they went on to release plenty of songs with proper harmonies—but on this debut track, it’s almost all unison!

That said, even unison can create a unique phase effect due to differences in each singer’s vocal timbre and subtle timing, making the vocals sound thicker and richer.

That’s one of the pleasures of it as well.

So while this pick is a bit of an outlier for the theme, I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

Blue BenchSasuke

Blue Bench / Sasuke

This was Sasuke’s debut single, released in April 2004.

Although it came out on an independent label, its lyrics resonated with many people, and it ultimately became a major hit, selling over 300,000 copies.

Later, in 2008, it was included in music textbooks and became a staple for junior high and high school choir competitions.

Some of you reading this may have sung it at a school event like a choral contest.

Almost the entire song is built on beautiful two-part harmony, and fully reproducing that in performance isn’t exactly easy—but that’s precisely why the sense of accomplishment when you nail the harmonies is so great.

It’s a selection geared a bit more toward advanced singers, but by all means, give it a try!