Theme and insert songs of 'Your Name'
Your Name (2016), directed by Makoto Shinkai.
Of course the film’s story is captivating, but it also became a huge talking point for how essential the music is in elevating the narrative!
As you know, RADWIMPS handled all 22 pieces of the score and the 4 theme songs featured in the film.
In this article, I’ll introduce each track while also noting which scenes they were used in.
Enjoy these songs that are sure to bring the film’s story right back to mind.
Main theme and insert songs of 'Your Name' (1–10)
Sparkle (movie ver.)RADWIMPS
In the scene where this song plays, countless viewers must have clasped their hands and wished, “Please! Remember her name.” It’s the moment when the situation becomes most fully revealed in the story.
As Mitsuha, together with Tesshi and Sayachin, works to carry out the evacuation, the comet begins to break apart.
The dreamlike visuals leave a deep impression, and amid the beautiful imagery and the swelling sense of heartbreak, this song felt truly epic.
twilightRADWIMPS
“Magic hour”—that word carried such a bittersweet resonance in the film, didn’t it? Taki suggests writing their names on each other so they won’t forget.
After Taki finishes, when Mitsuha goes to write on Taki’s hand, the pen falls to the ground.
It’s okay, I’ll remember your name… This scene is where they truly come to know each other.
That unbearably poignant feeling was expressed through the sound of the piano.
Dream LanternRADWIMPS
Hearing vocalist Yojiro Noda’s gentle, heart-piercing voice in the opening train scene filled me with anticipation for what kind of story was about to begin.
For those who’ve seen the film once, the lyrics link with the story, and I imagine this opening might even bring you to tears.
Both the visuals and the song make for a perfect opening.
Mitsuha’s ThemeRADWIMPS
In unfamiliar Tokyo, Mitsuha searches everywhere for Taki, and just when she gives up and sits down on the station platform, she spots him on a train.
He, of course, seems not to know her.
Even so, Taki asks her name, and Mitsuha hands him the braided cord.
This is the song that played during that heartrending scene.
The piano’s tone conveys her feelings so painfully clearly that it brought tears to our eyes, didn’t it? The title, “Mitsuha’s Theme,” is filled with that sentiment.
The Vanished TownRADWIMPS
This song was also used at a crucial turning point in the story, wasn’t it? Having seized the final clue, Taki heads to Itomori with a mix of hope and anxiety.
There, he comes face-to-face with the fact that a comet fell three years earlier, begins to doubt his memories of switching places with Mitsuha, and we see him grappling with disbelief and reflecting on the time he’s lived up to now.
The unbelievable sight of that place and the heartrending moment are laid bare by this piece.
The Two's AnomalyRADWIMPS
It’s the song that plays in the scene where they gradually start realizing they’ve been switching places, right? When Taki wakes up in the morning, he starts feeling something’s off from the diary entries and the fact that he fell asleep in a school uniform.
And Mitsuha finds a page in her notebook during class that says, “Who are you?” I bet a lot of people couldn’t help but grin during that scene.
The song’s lively sound made me excited for the unreal turn of events the two were about to experience.
Zenzenzense (movie ver.)RADWIMPS
When you mention Your Name, this song immediately starts racing through your head, right? It was in the trailer too, so I was already excited before the release.
In the film, it plays during the scene where Taki and Mitsuha have swapped bodies! The sound that kicks in right as the iconic line, “We’re switching places in our dreams!” is delivered amplifies the story’s momentum and the thrill of anticipation.
It’s also a track that once again made me realize RADWIMPS really are geniuses.