This immediately establishes the theme of memory. In Spirited Away , Chihiro risks forgetting her identity, her parents, and her past. The song acts as a counter-force to the spell of the bathhouse—a reminder that her core self remains intact.
Interestingly, it was originally written for a Miyazaki film that was never made called Rin the Chimney Painter Always with Me -From -Spirited Away--
When the decision was made to pivot to the story of Chihiro and the bathhouse, Miyazaki didn't abandon the song. Instead, he realized that the song's core message—saying goodbye to a part of oneself while carrying the memory forward—fit perfectly with Chihiro’s journey. Thus, a song written for a departed friend became the soundtrack for a girl saying goodbye to the spirit world. This immediately establishes the theme of memory
“Always with Me” is not a love song in the conventional sense, nor is it a simple children’s tune. It is a philosophical statement set to music: that identity is not lost by changing circumstances, and that the courage to move forward lives in the quiet memory of who we are. By placing this song at the end of Spirited Away , Miyazaki and Kimura ensure that viewers leave the theater not with the thrill of adventure, but with the deeper, more lasting comfort of knowing that the best parts of ourselves never truly vanish. They are, as the title promises, always with us. Interestingly, it was originally written for a Miyazaki
The song is a popular choice for intermediate musicians and is included in the ABRSM Grade 3 Piano
When the screen fades to white at the end of Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece Spirited Away , and Chihiro steps out of the tunnel into a world that looks exactly as she left it, we do not hear a triumphant fanfare. We do not hear crashing drums or victorious orchestral swells. Instead, we hear a single, gentle piano note, followed by the soft, unadorned voice of Yumi Kimura singing