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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- [Christmas Songs] Christmas songs to sing with children
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World nursery rhymes: Children's songs passed down overseas (31–40)
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.
Home On The Range
An American folk song.
Originating in the 1870s, it was sung and spread by settlers and cowboys.
The version familiar today is an arranged one, and in Japan it was broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1966.
Its Japanese title is “Tōge no Wagaya” (Home on the Range).
Simple Simon
The Mother Goose rhyme that features a character meaning a “simpleton” or a “soft touch” is Simple Simon.
The lyrics describe the foolish episodes caused by Simon, who believes anything he’s told.
It actually shares the same melody as the American folk song “Yankee Doodle” and the Japanese hand-play song “Arupusu Ichiman-jaku.” The lyrics use similarly pronounced English words to create rhymes, giving them a pleasing mouthfeel and good rhythm, making it perfect for children’s English practice.
Kalinka
A classic Russian children’s song that has been passed down through generations, the well-known number “Kalinka,” familiar as background music from the Nintendo Famicom game Tetris, was written and composed by Ivan Petrovich Larionov in 1860.
“Kalinka” refers to the viburnum tree.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
In 1938, in the United States, a children’s book depicting real events became a bestseller, and ten years later the song was born: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” By the time its lyricist and composer, Johnny, passed away in 1985, it had sold over 150 million copies.
As one of the three great Christmas songs, it remains beloved to this day.
World Nursery Rhymes: Children’s Songs Passed Down Overseas (41–50)
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
It is one of the three major Christmas songs alongside “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells.” Its Japanese title is “Santa ga Machi ni Yatte Kuru” (“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”).
First broadcast on a radio program in 1934, it became a long-running hit.
Many artists have released cover versions, and it remains widely beloved.
When The Saints Go Marching In
It was a piece performed at funerals in the United States, but in the film “The Five Pennies,” Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye played a New Orleans jazz version, and it became popular with both adults and children.
It’s a classic children’s favorite that is almost always included on CDs compiling American kids’ songs.