Why Spirited Away's Soundtrack is SO Iconic
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 พ.ค. 2022
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Let’s gooooo
Princess Mononoke
Hey! You should check out the soundtrack from the anime "nichijou, my ordinary life" it's an incredible soundtrack with everything from fantastic orchestral pieces to jazz, pop, and even EDM. It's really great and I think you would enjoy it
Princess mononoke or howls moving castle pls! I got here early too!
Studio Ghibli actually commissioned jazz albums of the music found in their movies, a lot of people are sleeping on this but there is some great stuff in there.
I just attended Joe Hisaishi in concert. At the end, he sat down at the piano and surprised us with one last song that wasn't in the program. When he played that first chord of "One Summer's Day," the audience collectively gasped. I started tearing up. The power that that song has is unbelievable!
I saw him a few weeks ago too, so incredible to finally be able to attend his concert that was postponed from 2020! Were you at the Toronto one, or a different venue?
It will get you every time.
I will see him in concert this Saturday, I can't wait !!!
I think I was at this same concert and I was so captivated that I didn’t move at all during the first half, which I could tell from how stiff I was when the intermission came around lol. And I definitely teared up multiple times over the course of it. I’m incredibly thankful that I got to go
Holy cow where???
In short Ghibli's music in a sense is exactly like it's movies, they takes us to the unbelievable adventure before ultimately going to to the place we all long to be, home
Bruh, you phrased that beautifully!
somehow I love ghibli more than disney. maybe they are just less commercial.
@@pc-9826 That’s because generally in Ghibli movies, they’re targeting all ages while Disney is strictly targeting children. Not just through art and music but also the stories are much more simple and kind of lack emotion and feeling compared to Ghibli
Beautifully said
this comment is a year old, but I just wanted to let you know I'm currently doing my music analysis essay on Hisaishi and you just summed it up with this one comment. well stated.
Spirited Away's soundtrack is absolutely stunning. Joe Hisaishi's music has definitely impacted how I compose.
you compose? i would love to hear some of your music where can i find you?
@@bread5340 Same here!
@@mr.moviemafia @bread My replies aren't showing up with my main channel, for whatever reason, but you can check out a short preview of one of my pieces on the channel that made the original comment. I just launched the channel, so much more of my pieces will soon be uploaded - if you enjoy what you hear. :)
@@beng1862 thank you! your music is amazing, keep up the good work 👍
@@bread5340 Thank you! :)
"Sixth Station" has the same themes but sounds like an entirely different song, similar to how John Williams is known to reintroduce themes under different guises so you don't recognize them, except subliminally. Beautiful.
I love that piece!! And I'm listening it right now to find the themes, but they are really hard to detect
My Hero Academia does something like that as well
It was a song I first listened to as a kid, and I always remembered it, hence why it is my favourite piece. It's just something about the nostalgic, mysterious but all familiar tonality that makes it so beautiful.
Yes, its called Leitmotiv, Jhon williams is indeed the one that popularised its use in cinema and cinematic story telling. Its a very powerful tool to empower your stories !
@@giorgio7360 If I could hum them both to you I would. It's these 8th note patterns that feel at home in both songs. Its like if you took One Summer's Day and you saddened it and rearranged it.
I instantly teared up at 0:08.
You know the music is good and is a core memory when the waterworks start
Me too.
it's so nostalgic :(
Turns me to rubble, every time
oh shit me too!
I generally do not get moved enough to cry at things like pieces of fiction and songs however, every single time without fail when one summer's day and the end credits start playing I am sobbing
I seem to recall an explanation I found somewhere about how Joe Hisaishi builds stacked chords like a jazz musician would but along typically Japanese harmonic and modal structures, effectively fusing both musical languages. I sadly lack the music theory acumen I'd need to remember and explain the details.
(Edited because my autocorrect feature thought that 'fisting' would fit better than 'fusing' in that sentence)
I think that was on the Sideways channel.
I can absolutely hear that.
@@carlalevy2269 I have no idea if this will work but here is the link to the Sideways Video
th-cam.com/video/hQ9wt3sxpwk/w-d-xo.html
there's also an 8-bit music theory video where he talks about the usage of jazz chords with more classical rhythmic and instrumental construction and such
What's great about Spirited away is that, if you explained the plot to someone who hasnt seen the film, and you told them it was your dream from last night, they would believe you
Explaining the Spirited Away soundtrack in this way made me realize that Breath of the Wild music takes a lot of inspiration from Ghibli
Since very early on i've made the connection in my head between Ghibli music (namely Spirited Away) and Breath of the Wild's.
More so in it's dreamy ambient piano like The Temple of Time ambient music, feels like it would fit perfectly within a Ghibli movie.
But there's many other examples aswell.
8:56 From here, my friends, is where I started to cry.
Living has its downsides, but being here to experience works like Hisaishi's makes it all worthwhile.
I must confess: sometimes I don't understand a word that Charles says. I barely understand English, to tell you the truth. I am not a musician, so things like "Sharp Nine"; "C Major" mean nothing to me. But there is one thing I do understand: the love that Charles puts into these videos. That's exactly why I watch them. It transcends any cultural barrier, language barrier, social barrier, and so on.
Thank you for doing what you do, man.
@@gustav0santos its easy- a sharp nine is just like a regular nine, but sharp. And similarly C-major would be like d-minor but C is the root and its bigger. If you imagine the intervals withing the C-Major in terms of space- you will generally find them to be larger than the d-minor equivalent. So if you just take the average the picture will be pretty clear cut. I hope this helped. :)
Gregor, to a non piano player that's just gibberish. And it's true that you (I) can still love the video without understanding it.
You just opened my eyes! I didn't know what notes are played at the beginning of Yubaba's theme but after seeing it today in your video, it makes so much sense - two twin sisters with opposing characters just like the same notes played on opposite sides of the keyboard.
EXACTLY!!
That's brilliant
Oh my god.
Ka boom. 😂 Mind blown. I've listened to this soundtrack a million times but that never crossed my mind.
Hisaishi can create amazing worlds with his music. He's incredible!
Also anyone interested, learning to play these songs is so much fun! Definitely recommend
Do you know where I could get some sheet music for these songs?
@@Santialid not sure, I got all of mine from my piano teacher. Videos that are piano versions of Ghibli music usually have the sheet music linked in the description
Yes I could play the credits song from Mononoke Hime once (when it came out in the theatres) on piano :)
@@Santialid musescore
@@Santialid google it tbh thez are very famous pieces so it wont be hard.
That initial chord spacing reminds me immediately of the music in Breath of the Wild! Talk about hauntingly beautiful... There are some amazing pieces of music in BotW and I think you would really appreciate it, Charles!
I was just about to comment this! I swear that same chord is used somewhere in BOTW’s ambient score.
Also I believe he has already done a video on BOTW’s music if you haven’t checked it out!
How is it haunting 👻
BotW takes some pretty obvious inspirations from different Ghibli films, and the aesthetics are very similar too, so it makes sense that the composers for Nintendo would take inspiration from the Japanese national icon that is Joe Hisaishi
Charles video about BOTW: th-cam.com/video/rRRSWmZrJGs/w-d-xo.html
i think it's the first chord in mipha's theme
I absolutely love the amount of description Charles puts into these, they aren't boring at all. And honestly this makes music easier to understand, like a poetry teacher. But it's so amazing to see what music can really show behind it's notes.
I'd love to see some analysis on Howl's Moving Castle!! Particularly Merry-Go-Round of Life 😱
He already did
Done
Sucks to see it so overplayed, even in the movie itself. Do y’all have thoughts on howls moving castle? I think it’s overrated as hell
@@jackoyster1270Visually stunning, amazing soundtrack, but super overrated in every other aspect
hearing spirited away's one summer day will always make me cry i swear. I always remember that one scene where Haku goes- "Now go, and don't look back."
17:34
I've found that lots of Japanese music has this. Tatsuro Yamashita is a great example of someone who's music is harmonically usually fairly straightforward but does sometimes challenge your ear with interesting non-diatonic chords and harmony
This
🤝 exactly
Tatsuro Yamashita = king 🫡
I LOL'ed at 1:13 the breakdown literally just started and you had to stop at the first chord!!! That's just a testament of how iconic Hisaishi's music is, just instantly recognizable!
Spirted Away is one of the best movies of all time. Everything that is placed in this movie is sublime. The music, story, animation, lore, pacing, etc. It’s just a perfect tale for all ages.
I don't know what it is about Japanese composers, but I can't get enough of their music. The eastern music tradition lends to their pieces such delicacy, nuance, and a contemplative sound. I can always tell when a piece was written by a Japanese composer, love it.
Sixth Station is probably my favorite track from the movie it creates character development through a scene that literally no one speaks. And clearly shows how far Chihiro has gone through.
The train scene is a masterpiece!! It looks like nothing is happening at all but it let you breathless and your brain don't know why but your heart do.
With all this anime, I'd love to see a score explaination of "Your Name". It's surprisingly simple, yet the melodies have really cool contrast with very few notes and harmonies
YES
Omgg YES PLEASEE :))
your name's ost is brilliantly composed
I'm so glad to be seeing a video dedicated to Joe Hisaishi. Literally one of my major influences in my piano playing. The soundscapes he creates are just amazing, at this point, I couldn't picture any other composer creating music for the Ghibli movies.
The only other song from any soundtrack that makes me tear up like this is Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It's similar but its just as masterful. It has a very similar structure as well.
breaks my hearttt
Wasn't Sakamoto in Yellow Magic Orchestra?
@@yunarukami14 Yup
Here to make the Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence comparison. It's a different melody and yet somehow the same. I completely lack the language or training to explain myself.
1:13 That's also the beginning note to one of the ambient songs that plays in Breath of the Wild, truly shows just how much inspiration really came from Ghibli to give Breath of the Wild it's sense of wonder and life.
Love this video! But the whole time I was watching, I couldn't help but think about how he's analyzing it from a completely Western viewpoint. I watched a video a while back talking about the music of Joe Hisaishi, and especially "One Summer's Day." In that video, they talked about how a lot of the melodies and harmonies Hisaishi uses in his Ghibli film scores - especially those with very uniquely Japanese story elements and beats - are built on traditional Japanese scales. There's four I believe, and they're a mix/match of the two primary tetrachords, if I'm remembering correctly. I totally get that, as a Westerner, it's weird to think of harmonic functions outside of the modes of the major and melodic minor scales, but I think it'd make a video like this even better!
Ok but how is he able to recognize all these individuals sounds and project them into the keyboard so effortlessly
It’s amazing how I never have any idea what he’s saying but always understand everything he’s saying
5:02 Literally me this entire video lol. Music theory is so fascinating but it I know so little about it. These videos are always exciting and I love how you break apart music and figure out why they sound so cool.
One Summer's Day is one of those pieces that just completely overwhelms my emotions and I start to cry with shortened breath. It's one of those most utterly beautiful pieces of music ever created. The tingling sensation it gives me is unlike any other piece of music, and the only way my body seems to know how to handle the influx of pure emotion is by setting off the floodgates in my eyes lol
It’s only been a year since I first watched Spirited Away, yet somehow, the music already makes me feel nostalgic. Idk why. But that’s how I can tell it’s an amazing soundtrack.
I've known this movie for so long now, and it always gets me when I listen to the soundtrack. I have to tell myself to just listen and feel the music sometimes, because I tend to automatically hum along. Reprise always makes me cry. It is such a gorgeous song filled with emotion. Joe Hisaishi is a brilliant composer. I'm thankful for his and Miyazaki-san's wonderful works.
I'm learning One Summer's Day right now from the sheet music, great to see a deep dive on some of the theory here! I'd love to see an in depth discussion of Ashitaka Sekki, the "Legend of Ashitaka" from Princess Mononoke, another of Joe Hisaishi's great works.
Oh my god, the part at 10:33 is the most beautiful piano I have ever heard in my life. God and when it plays in the movie with the rice ball scene... just wow! Great video, I love these breakdowns.
Thank you for the timestamp. It´s my most favourite part. Can only agree with you on it. Have a great day~
I love all the talk about harmony, but it'd be cool to show how jazz pianists are just as serious about melodic development, rhythmic phenomena like syncopation, and even instrumentation/orchestration. Bill Evans' harmonies were cool, but honestly the thing I aspire to the most was his rhythmic phrasing, voicings, and snese of lyrical melody in melodic improvisation. Art Tatum's harmonies were cool (and sometimes about 20 years early), but his scaler and arpeggiate runs were astounding.
The end of the melodic gesture at the beginning of "One Summer Day" ending in syncopation after a series of eighth notes gives it a sense of more modern musical language, I'd argue contributing just as much as the ambiguous quartile harmonies.
Harmony is important in jazz, and in tonal music, but there's so much more.
First How To Train Your Dragon which has a special place in my heart, then Spirited Away my FAVORITE movie of all time... I feel blessed
There's just something about One Summer Day that's just so beautiful. It's the first song that I really put all my heart and soul into. There's no better way to describe it other than a magical fantasy.
I just don't understand how geniuses like Hisaishi exist. Those people are literally the only thing that keeps me going, beautiful music
Shocked that you didn't include sixth station in this video because it was amazingly well done in my opinion
100% digging the keyboard screen at the bottom. Props for added visualization and accessibility for piano players!
When I first saw spirited away I immediately fell in love with the music. The way each musical score fits into every scene is amazing
I'd love for Charles to go over music from Kingdom Hearts. It is not only some of the best video game music ever composed, but some of the best compositions in general. Dearly Beloved alone blew my mind as a kid and I'd love to see a breakdown of why!
Yeah Kingdom Hearts has amazing music, probably on-par with some of Joe Hisaishi's work. The Hollow Bastion theme is absolutely stunning. Hollow Knight and Hades show the indie side of VGM brilliance.
Yes pleaseee lol
Hard agree. Yoko Shimomura’s work on Kingdom Hearts is probably the most impactful work out there for my own composition. She’s a genius at composing.
That would be great and you might enjoy The Consouls arrangement of Dearly Beloved th-cam.com/video/uGn-r_ofoko/w-d-xo.html
@@collinbeal You might like to check out The Consouls - their cover of Hollow Bastion is phenomenal (they’ve also done Hollow Knight and Hades) th-cam.com/video/1O1Cf62P_X8/w-d-xo.html
That chord you played around 8:20 has always been my favorite
I know you describing the harmony of his music, but also you describing the movie as well. This reminds me some scenes of those movies and emotions.
Me: *opens a chest in Legend of Zelda*
The game: 3:36
Please PLEASE do castle in the sky sometime. I absolutely adore the music,the fantasy, and the visuals everything ties so nicely together.
YWA
excuse me, lol I meant to write "YES" but I was excited I love that film. And as one of the first Ghibli films (the first?), and second ever collab between Joe Hisaishi and Miyasaki it would be super cool to hear how things have developed sonically from those beautiful beginnings til now
@@oliviamurphy9482 YES! It’s ok!! And I totally agree
As well, as Howl moving castle. It's soundtrack is also amazing
those opening chords give me shivers every. single. time.
Went to France from the US to watch him the first time. The trip was worth it. Then he had a concert within an hour if my home at San Jose a few years later. What a blessing.
The Yubaba theme always reminded me of Ligeti's Musica Ricercata II movement, the one in Eyes Wide Shut scene. Also uses both ends on the piano and a similar theme with only two alternating notes with long fermata. It gives me same vibes.
wow already at the start, i';m getting memories of watching this film and being invested in it.
This melody gives me chills everytime. Even better with the vocals
Great video!! There's another piece in the movie called the Sixth Station that is incredible and not so much well-known. I totally recommend to hear that piece
This is phenomenal. It's like a language - when you started showing the first three chords and explaining them, I could see a story:
- Come with me to a far away place, where things are similar to what you know, but somewhat different
- To reach it, you need to find a doorway, and cross through (the second and third chords are mirrored on the keyboard)
extraordinary
I'm literally staring at the music watching this (just started playing this piece) and when I tell you I kept staring at the left hand on the first page like they were foreign shapes, and not an easy walk.... This video is truly like being guided on a beautiful walking tour... you are best!
THIS IS LITERALLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SONG BY JOE HISAISHI, SO MEMORABLE SONG
Just watched spirited away yesterday for the first time yesterday and have been listening to the soundtrack all day. This is great timing
Spy x family “mixed nuts” is something I can’t stop listening too. The blend, cord progressions, the everything. Wanna see I video of your thoughts on it.
Yup, it is chaotic, just like Anya ⌓‿⌓ yet everything falls into the right spot!
Really appreciate the keyboard facing the screen. I've always been curious about how you voice the chords while you analyze the music. Thanks for the quality content :)
i really appreciate being able to see the keys on the bottom
I have always loved the music of Spirited Away.
Man, your enthusiasm for each song you review is what makes me love this channel so much. I am a music theory enjoyer but I don't know much about it. Your passion is contagious!
Why is this the one musical piece I've been waiting for from him?
Thank you for the analysis of why I absolutely love it❤️
This was a movie I watched over and over growing up, and it wouldn’t have stuck with me as strongly if it weren’t for the score. The visuals and music are inseparable, and they really do Spirit me Away 😌
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS CHARLES
I just listened to One Summer Day when your video popped up. Spirited Away features my all time favorite anime music. It’s so incredibly well written and fits the movie perfectly.
This song is just incredibly amazing. When I hear it, I have literally no words to describe it. Tysm for this video
One Summers Day and Sixth Station can almost always get a tear out of me. Magical stuff.
One Summer’s Day is one of my favourite pieces to play and I love seeing others playing it!
This is one of my favorite channels. Many times I don’t quite like/know the music enough and by the end of the video I end up loving. Thanks for the gift of musical energy you provide us. If I had a piano I would definitely purchase your course.
Anyone ever recommended the song Deference for Darkness from the Halo 3: ODST soundtrack? I played that game as a kid growing up, and that song always had me feeling some kind of way. The simple - but highly effective - piano chords and overall musicality of the song is haunting. In the context of the dark, depressing, hopeless story and setting of the game, it's a masterpiece.
Would LOVE to see you dive into it. Thanks for doing what you do!
with this soundtrack you can feel that world..
Charles, I have been waiting for this video from you for forever. This song hits a really deep spot for me. It’s one of the songs my partner and I met over, and I can’t help but cry every single time I hear this song and watch this movie. My partner and I have been together for 6 years now, and this song never fails to take me back to the first time we met. Thank you for blessing us with your knowledge and passion for music. ❤
One of the pieces that got me into really playing the piano!❤️
I literally cannot listen to One Summer's Day without going 1:14 . I mean this is such a beautiful piece. It really creates the atmosphere of having lost your normal state safety & being stuck in a very foreign place surrounded by strange and frightening environments and people. But there's also a tinge of hope - some characters are nice to you and want to help you, but you don't know if you'll make it through the obstacals ahead and finally reunite with your parents.
I am so happy to see the notes played now. Amazing video as always
The way you can just pick up and play any sound is incredible. Really talent!
absolutely love your analyses of studio ghibli’s music. teared up multiple times during this video.
Joe Hisaishi is one of my favourite composers!
That theme is so beautiful I started crying as soon as the first notes came on.
i really love the way you use your perfect pitch! it’s the first video i’ve seen of you but not the last
The fact that people can take literally nothing (just freaking air) and turn it into something that sounds this good is insane to me
Joe is my hero - the musical decisions he makes are always the ones I want to hear. I was hoping you'd talk about The Sixth Station! But I'm just happy to see Joe's music represented here. Truly a stunning artist. Great video.
Just that 1st chord of One Summer Day makes my eyes water, every time
ive been in love with piano/classial music with very little theory knowledge. and hearing a soundtrack like this one broken down gives me alot more insight. loved every second of it
Dude…huge fan…love your energy…love your enthusiasm…I know next to nothing about music theory…but I enjoy your videos anyway
Joe hisaishi is such an amazing composer. His music is absolutely timeless.
MAN! Love how you talk about music in it's different styles without any preconception. Open minded to listen anything and getting something of it. Such good vybes ~~
thank u so much for your work man!
I love these type of videos. making one about The Karate Kid would be amazing and I think it would sum up most of the 80's movie sountracks. I bet we can learn a lot from that.
I'd love to see you break down/react to Interstellar's score! It's become increasingly popular thanks to modern day social media and I think it would be an awesome video!
One thing I've really come to appreciate in your videos is that you leave the "mistakes" in. Reminds me of Bob Ross' "happy accidents". There's no reason to pretend mistakes don't happen and it makes your videos feel more organic and real instead of sterile and so rehearsed that you're a robot. Thanks for being human and showing humans it's okay to not be perfect. You obviously know what you're doing and are a professional for making a mistake and moving on.
Thank you SO MUCH for adding the keyboard visualization!!! It's so much better!
YES LETS GO
I was so scared Charles was getting tired to cover anime stuff
Idk if he genuinely enjoys them, but I hope he continues giving it a go
Well, to be perfectly honest in my humble opinion without being sentimental, of course without offending anyone who thinks differently from my point of view, but also by looking into this matter in distinct perspective and without condemning anyone's view and by considering each and everyone's valid opinion I honestly believe that I vividly don't have anything to say. In fact, i forgot what i am about to say.
Much obliged
This has to be a copypasta
i love watching you get excited about music i already am familiar with and love. gives me frisson all over again for music i was kinda already desensitized to. thanks for making tunes like these feel fresh to me again ✌🏻
love, Love, LOVE the music!!!!!
I'd LOVE for Charles to analyze the soundtracks of the Final Fantasy games 9, 10, and 15. (FFIX, FFX, FFXV) They're masterful, and there's a very specific emotion the composer has infused into them to elicit that response from the player. Not going to give any of it away 😉
I love this. This is especially exciting and engaging for me since I absolutely loved Spirited Away and the soundtrack. That first chord immediately got my attention when I first heard it and I think saying that it’s rooted in simplicity yet not afraid to go to complex harmony is pretty spot on. You know what those stacked 5ths and 4ths remind me of, though? Breath of the Wild. But that kind of makes sense as the team that did Breath of the Wild took inspiration from the Ghibli stuff. I really enjoy your videos because in addition to learning some new things, they’re also great for ear training. And, personally, I’ve always wanted to write stuff like this. Don’t think I can get anywhere near Hisaishi but I did start using stacked 5ths and 4ths almost immediately after watching the movie. And I’m more a rock person. Speaking of which, any chance you’d ever do a video on Babymetal? They have quite a bit of simple yet complex harmonies with a number of subtleties that’s beyond your standard metal fare. I think Rondo of Nightmare is fantastic as are some of Su-Metal’s other solo pieces. But a song like “Road of Resistance” is great too.
Another beautiful analysis Charles, well done
I legit just rewatched your first Ghibli video and wished you covered more, then after looking around and coming back to sub box I found this. Thank you for another great video Charles!