"Godzilla (Main Theme)" is a

musical theme In music, a subject is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based. In forms other than the fugue, this may be known as the theme. Characteristics A subject may be perceivable as a complete mus ...

written by

Akira Ifukube was a Japanese composer. He is best known for composing several entries in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise as well as developing the Godzilla, titular monster's roar. Biography Early years in Hokkaido Akira Ifukube was born o ...

for the 1954 film ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

''. Originally intended to be associated with the

Japanese Self Defense Forces The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense wi ...

featured in the film, it became the thematic

leitmotif A leitmotif or () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is a partial angliciz ...

for the monster character

and the entire franchise. Despite the track being titled as "''Main Title''" on the ''

'' soundtrack, fans and

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

executives know the track as the ''Main Godzilla Theme'' or the ''Godzilla (Main Theme)'' song. The theme first appeared on the original ''

'' film and in later sequels was replaced by a new theme titled the ''Godzilla March''. The ''Godzilla (Main Theme)'' was re-used for the first time in ''

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Yukiko Takayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Henry G. Saperstein, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects ...

'', the final Godzilla film featuring the Showa era's continuity within the franchise.

Alterations

As the theme was brought back in sequels, it was also altered to fit in with the tone of the film. When it was brought back in ''

'', the main title from the film was mixed with the theme song. The only two songs on the ''Terror of Mechagodzilla'' soundtrack that have the ''Godzilla Theme'' mixed with the main titles are "The Appearance of Godzilla", "Godzilla vs. The Mega-Monster Tag-Team", and the "Main Title" itself. On the ''Godzilla vs. Biollante and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Soundtrack'', the tracks "Begin The Attack!" and "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" are actually the "Godzilla Theme", but they are not altered in any way. On the ''Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Soundtrack'', the track "Godzilla's Resurrection" is a mixture of the ''Godzilla Theme'' and the ''Godzilla March'', the second official Godzilla theme. The ending title track from '' Godzilla vs. Destoroyah'' is the "Godzilla Theme" song with mixed excerpts from the ''

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...

'' soundtrack.

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 194411 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He be ...

arranged the track for the '' Godzilla: Final Wars'' soundtrack, keeping the track titled as "Godzilla (Main Theme)".

Bear McCreary Bear McCreary (born February 17, 1979) is an American composer of film, television, and video game scores. His work includes the scores of the television series '' Battlestar Galactica'' (2004), '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', '' Black Sails'', '' ...

arranged the track for the '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' soundtrack, keeping the track titled as "Godzilla Main Title" in addition to using it throughout the film as a theme for the titular character, incorporating

kakegoe ''Kakegoe'' () usually refers to shouts and calls used in performances of traditional Japanese music, Kabuki theatre, and in martial arts such as kendo. Kabuki In the kabuki theatre, the term is used to refer to melodramatic calls from an audien ...

shouts from twenty-five

taiko are a broad range of Traditional Japanese musical instruments, Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese language, Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various J ...

performers into the mix to represent the monster's strength and heroism in the film's story.

Kan Sawada (born 9 April 1968) is a Japanese composer and arranger. His desire to be a composer came from listening to Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies in junior high school. Sawada studied composition and orchestration at Tokyo College of Music. He won t ...

arranged the track for ''

Godzilla Singular Point is a Japanese anime television series directed by Atsushi Takahashi and written by Toh EnJoe. Produced by the animation studios Bones and Orange and licensed by Netflix, the series premiered on March 25, 2021, on Netflix in Japan, and on Tok ...

''.

References

External links

{{Authority control Godzilla (franchise) Film theme songs Songs about fictional male characters 1954 compositions 1950s instrumentals

Alterations

See also

References

External links