The 10 Best Mr.Children Songs (ミスター・チルドレンの名曲ベスト10)

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When it comes to Japanese rock bands, there are two who have had the most no. 1 chart topping singles and albums. And one of those bands is Mr.Children.

The band is comprised of Sakura Kazutoshi (vocals/guitar), Tahara Kenichi (guitar), Nakagawa Keisuke (bass) and Suzuki Hideya (drums).

Sakurai is a master lyricist and part of the enjoyment of his songs are the lyrics he writes and the thought that goes into the songs he writes.

The band have released a total of 38 CD singles and from June 1994 with their fifth single “innocent world” to their 34th single “Inori ~Namida no Kidou/End of the Day/pieces” released on April 12th, the band would have consecutive no. 1 singles. And since then, their 35th-38th singles would reach no. 1 and no. 2 positions.

While their fourth album “Atomic Heart” released back in Sept. 1994 through their eighth album “1/42” would top the album charts, with their ninth album “Q.” reaching no. 2, but every album afterward from their tenth album “IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD” (May 2022) through their 20th album “SOUNDTRACKS” (December 2020) debuting at no. 1.

Needless to say, with every song nearly charting no. 1 and with strong b-sides, it would be subjective to some of what would be the top 10 songs.

But here is our top 10 best Mr.Children songs.

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10.  HERO (from “シフクノオト”) (“Shifukunooto”)

In 2002, Mr.Children released their 24th single “HERO”.

This was a single which many people were pulling for lead vocalist Sakura Kazutoshi who developed cerebellar infarction and was hospitalized.  Thus the band’s activities were temporarily suspended .

But the song “HERO” is about how fathers and mothers were the heroes of their children and he wrote the song in a parent’s perspective.  The song was also used in a NTT DoCoMo Group 10th Anniversary campaign and was no. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Charts.

The song’s lyrics no doubt touched a note for a lot of the band’s fans who grew up listening to Mr.Children and became parents or grandparents themselves.  But also what was happening in the United States after 9/11, the song’s release was timely as it made parents self-reflect on what was going with the world, their country and wanting to protect or be their for their children.

I always want to be a hero,
just for you,
there’s nothing mysterious about it,
at this point there’s nothing to hide.
but I want to be a hero,
just for you
to reach a hand out to you,
when you stumble or fall.

9.  GIFT (from “SUPERMARKET FANTASY”)

Japan was gearing up for the NHK Beijing Olympics and Paralympics broadcasts and in 2008, Mr.Children released their 32nd single “GIFT” which was the theme song for the Japan broadcasts. The song would take no. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Charts.

When Sakurai wrote the song, he didn’t want to write a banal Olympics song about attaining glory but wanted to create a song that even non-athletes can relate with and people working hard. Especially those working hard at home, such as housewives.  And creating a song that praises everyone.

The lyrics were wonderfully written:

In between black and white there are infinite colors
and it’s there that I search for a color that suits you
once i’ve given it a gentle sounding name
then, I will give that most beautiful color to you.

8. Sign (from “I LOVE YOU”)

When Mr.Children released “Sign”, not only did it earn them another no. 1 spot on the Oricon Weekly Charts but it also earned them another Grand Prix award at the 46th Japan Record Awards in 2004.  Their first time in ten years since “innocent world”. The single was also the highest selling single in Japan in 2004 and also their second song to stay on the charts the longest at 46 weeks, their fourth single stayed in the charts for 50 weeks!

In addition, the song was no. 2 on Oricon’s annual ranking and becoming the highest ranking Mr.Children single in the 2000s.

The song was used as the theme song for the TBS drama “Orange Days” and when Sakurai was coming up with a name for the song, he was thinking of “sa” and the word “Sign” came to mind.

The lyrics are deep and captivating.

if even the smallest of lights glows in our hearts.
we swore to treasure it
the signs that come from all those things we come across
we won’t miss a single one ever again
let’s live our lives this way.

7. 足音 〜Be Strong (from “REFLECTION”)

The 35th single from Mr.Children titled “Ashioto ~Be Strong” (which translates to “Footsteps ~Be Strong”) was released in November 2014 and it would debut at no. 2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts, ending Mr.Children’s consecutive singles to reach no. 1 at no. 30.

The song was Mr.Children’s way of becoming new Mr.Children, where Kobayashi Takeshi was not the main producer and the band taking a step forward and thus becoming the first Mr.Children self-produced song.

The song was used as the theme for the Fuji TV drama “Nobunaga Concerto” and is a positive song about no matter how much you want to quit, try to think positive thoughts. There will be days when you will have doubts, but keep walking forward… step by step.

6. 抱きしめたい (from “Kind of Love”)

With every rock group with a vocalist that can sing but also write masterful lyrics, one could see the potential of Mr.Children right from the beginning.

In 1992, the band would release their super ballad “Dakishimetai” (which translates to “I want to hold you”) and it’s a song which many people identify as classic Mr.Children.  A unique rock style that the band was known for in the early ’90s and a style which many have gravitated to.

The song was meant to be a Christmas song, but producer Kobayashi Takeshi objected.  But Sakurai would say the reason why he wrote this song, was to create a positive love song as the band didn’t have many positive love songs (in fact, they were about troubled relationships).  And his goal was to create a love song that would be sung forever.   And he accomplished that with “Dakishimetai”.

Just like the day we met
a drizzling silent night
when I close my eyes, I see us there again just like that day.

that time, pushed by the crowds,
something in the store front window caught your eye,
and you got tripped up.
even now I feel the warmth in my hands from when I caught you.

5. しるし (from “HOME”)

When Mr.Children released “Shirushi” (which translates to “Proof”), the song would be their 25th consecutive single to reach no. 1 on the Oricon Charts and at the time, it was significant as it surpassed Matsuda Seiko’s 24th singles to reach no. 1 and put them in second place behind B’z, who had 38 consecutive singles reach no. 1.

The song was used as the theme song for the NTV drama “14-sai no Haha” and when Sakurai wrote the lyrics, he wrote it thinking of his stuffed monkey “Mon-chan” that he kept as a child. But then made the lyrics to be a love song which everyone can relate to.

4. innocent world (from “Atomic Heart”)

If there is one song that would become a flagship song for Mr.Children, it’s “innocent world”, the band’s fifth single and the first song to reach no. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and stayed there for two weeks straight.

The song’s popularity was no doubt boosted by the popularity of their fourth single “CROSS ROAD” and “innocent world” would earn the band the Grand Prix award at the 36th Japan Record Awards in 1994.  But because the band were shooting a music video for their upcoming single “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the band didn’t show up for the awards ceremony (which was something you don’t see that often in Japan music awards shows).  Fortunately, for the band, they would win again ten years later for “Sign” and this time, all member were able to show up for the ceremony.

What was amazing about this song was that it sold 206,000 copies in its first week, but the single would go on to sell 1.936 million copies making it their third best selling single of all time.

Sakurai thought about the lyrics while driving home and he immediately stopped the car and took the notes down and once he got home, began crafting the lyrics.  His thoughts were, “This is a commercial song, but I wonder if it’s okay to sing something so personal?”.

The song has become so popular that it’s the one song where the whole concert audience would sing along to the chorus.

We embraced each other with our backs turned to the darkening city.
Those days seize my heart.
When my thoughtless words hurt you. And then you were gone.
These days, this miserable man reflecting in the window
has become dear to me as well.

Ah in the way that I do, I hold onto the dream I refused to throwaway
and keep walking to the end is that all right, mr. myself ?

3. 終わりなき旅 (from “DISCOVERY”)

While Mr.Children had a sound that people loved and knew it was their music right off the bat, by the mid-90s, the band wanted to change their style with more punchy electric guitars, but still maintaining hit after hit reaching no. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.

By 1998, they released “Owarinaki Tabi” (which translates to “Endless Journey”) and the song became their 10th single million seller and it would be the last single for the band to sell over a million copies (as the late to early 2000s would lead a change of interest in rock music, as listeners were moving towards a more visual type of rock music).

“Owarinaki Tabi” was used as the theme song for Fuji TV’s “Naguru Onna” and would become their third longest song at over seven minutes long.

But what led many to praise the song is its guitar riff and nine modulations, the most for a Mr.Children song.  And once again, it features the masterful lyrics of Sakura Kazutoshi.

On the other side of the door that’s been shut
something new is waiting for me.
Surely, surely I’ll be moved by it.
It’s not all good things but I want to knock on the next door.
Searching for a me that is to be larger. Endless Journey.

No matter who I talk to or live with, loneliness builds up but
somewhere there is a person who needs me.
In a melancholic love my heart hurts.
I’ll be crying, I want to be loved !
There’s nothing to be worried about. Time will heartlessly wash it all
away.

So, popular of a song that baseball players use it as their intro song in Japan.  In fact, it was ranked no. 5 of songs chosen by members of the fan club that they would like to hear at a live performance.

2. Tomorrow Never Knows (from “Bolero”)

If Mr.Children had an enormous hit from the ’90s, it would be the band’s sixth single “Tomorrow Never Knows”.  Considering they had numerous no. 1 hits throughout the ’90s, “Tomorrow Never Knows” was a true success, selling 2.766 million copies, the biggest selling Mr.Children song of all time and the biggest selling single ever by the music label Toy’s Factory.

And while the song is the 8th best selling song in Japan, because it was released on November 10, 1994, and the Oricon annual ranking only counts from first week of December through the last week of November, the song didn’t top the Oricon Annual Charts.  But it did dominate the top spot and was featured throughout many music shows.

It also helps that it was the theme song to the popular youth drama “Jinsei ha Joujoda” and the lyrics came to mind while Sakurai was jogging in Shakuji Park and the image of Sakurai singing on the cliffs of Great Ocean Road in Southeastern Australia in the music video was one of the first Japanese music videos to show such a thing.

But the song would be another song that would showcase Sakurai’s complex, deep and masterful lyrics:

Desired everything so badly that I could betray others without a flinch
even going so far as to want my good friend’s lover

denied even my redemption, today too I embrace that pain.
if you run through with your eyes set only on the prize,
you won’t be able to see tomorrow
without victory or defeat, the lonely race is going to continue on.

2. HANABI (from “SUPERMARKET FANTASY”)

While Mr.Children’s monstrous hit “Tomorrow Never Knows” having the distinction of their best selling single of all time.  Their 33rd single “HANABI” is considered the most greatest work from the band.  While the band would debut at no. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and remain there for two weeks, the song would receive magnificent interest a decade later!

Back in 2018, after ten years after the release of “HANABI”, the ban on streaming services in Japan ended and the song would become no. 1 on the Billboard JAPAN Top Streaming Songs charts and would chart in Billboard Japan Hot 100 for four consecutive years from 2017 to 2020.  The song was so popular that it would exceed 30 million streams in April, 50 million streams by July 2020 and 100 million streams by March 2022.

“HANABI” is the only Mr.Children song to be certified for streaming.

Part of the popularity of the song is that it was the theme song for the Fuji TV drama “Kodo Buru – Dokutaheri Kinkyu Kyumei-” (Code Blue -Doctor Helicopter Emergency Lifesaving-) which aired in a variety of seasons in 2008, 2010, 2017 and the theatrical version in 2018. Drama producer Matsumot Jun has said of the song, “The song ‘HANABI’ is the sixth character and one of the indispensable characters in ‘Code Blue'”.

The idea of the song came to Sakurai as he was taking care of his goldfish and was told by the clerk that the fish will die in the water if it’s not constantly moving and fresh air is taken in.

The song is not just catchy but also retains the awesome sound and vocals plus deep lyrics that people love about Mr.Children’s music.

What value left is there
in this world I live in?
I start thinking its all meaningless
or maybe I’m just tired?

In exchange for something I got
I gave up a number of precious things
but it’s not such a peaceful world
that I can lament each and every one.

What kind of dreams should I envision?
What kind of hopes should I take with me as I go forward?
These seemingly impossible to answer questions
Get buried in my day to day life.

If you were here I wonder what you would say?
you’d probably say I was being “gloomy” and have a laugh.
I just wish i could see your gentle smile to blow away my melancholy.