The Sounds of Awe and Terror: Revisiting the Music of Godzilla [Part 1- The Showa Era]

     I pursue my composition with abundant spiritual force, soul, and vitality rather than national and heuristic emphasis. ~ Akira Ifukube

 

Motion pictures would have never been the same without music scores. Instrumental compositions constitute an integral part of a multi-sensory system which ultimately results in a powerful viewing experience. Can you imagine such memorable cinematic moments as the Death Star trench run, the Godfather making the no-to-be-refused offer, or James Bond chasing a killer on Gibraltar without any music whatsoever? Since the beginning of film, moviegoers have been blessed with many memorable themes and soundtracks created by wonderful composers around the globe.
     Being a Godzilla fan, I can’t help but appreciate the music of this movie series. In view of the approaching Godzilla vs. Kong blockbuster, due to be out at the end of March this year, I decided it would be fitting to do a sort of a mini editorial-series appreciating “the sounds of awe and terror” of the most popular monster franchise ever. Each part will be devoted to a specific era of Godzilla’s history. In addition, after careful consideration, I decided to categorise all the information by individual composers rather than discussing all of the movies and their soundtracks chronologically (for your own reference, I will always include a special “guide list” at the end of each post). Last but not least, I have to underline the fact that I am not an expert on music; in fact, I am a complete noob, so reader discretion is advised because I am not going to deconstruct the OSTs' technicalities.

     So, the Showa era of Godzilla films: 21 years, 15 movies, and 4 composers in total. Hardcore fans obviously know that everything began in 1954 with the original Gojira film directed by Ishiro Honda. Composer Akira Ifukube had the privilege of scoring the original picture and it can be safely said that this man defined the music of the franchise. Not only did he come up with the famous Godzilla theme, but he created the monster’s iconic roar and footstep sounds. Maestro Ifukube repeated numerous times that working on the first picture was a difficult and challenging endeavour, but he pressed on because he was fascinated by the subject matter of the story. Indeed, the original soundtrack contains classic cues used later on in the series (Main Title, Bingo-maru Sinking, Attack Godzilla!, Fury of Godzilla), but it is primarily sombre and dark (Devastated Tokyo, Prayer for Peace, and Ending get me every time). Often overlooked nowadays, the original Gojira OST is a must-listen if you want to experience the craft of the 40-year-old Ifukube in its full glory. “When Westerners hear my music, they think of church music of the Middle Ages. When Japanese hear it, it sounds like Japanese [music] but its tempo is slow and sounds like a requiem,” said Ifukube (Ryfle 1998: 52).
     The next movie on which Ifukube worked on was Godzilla vs. King Kong (1962). The style of this particular score is very naturalistic, sprinkled with interesting chorus orchestrations. Additionally, Godzilla’s theme was pumped up as well. Interestingly, The battle track was repurposed by Ifukube years later as the battle theme for King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991).
     After Godzilla vs. King Kong (1962), Ifukube went on to score three subsequent Showa entries: Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (1964), and Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965). The first soundtrack of the three seems extremely exotic. Obviously, Ifukube had to implement Yuji Kosaki’s Mothra theme, but he also managed to add his personal spin, giving the whole music an unearthly feel. The OST for Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) is easily my favourite music score of the Showa Era.

Akira Ifukube

     Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (1964) preserves the ethereal style of the previous soundtrack. Apart from Godzilla theme and action cues, we get to hear the original (extremely menacing) theme for King Ghidorah, and Rodan’s theme (composed by Ifukube for the 1965 movie) is included as well. In Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965), on the other hand, we have some interesting and unconventional music for the parts involving the aliens, and the popular Army March can be heard as well. The rest of the score is known from the previous soundtracks.
     For the Showa era, Ifukube also composed music for Destroy All Monsters (1968) and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). The OST for Destroy All Monsters (1968) is, indeed, very classy and stylish, and apart from having memorable themes, there are also some unique pieces (for example, Kilaak Aliens). The score for Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), the concluding movie of the Showa series, sees the inclusion of the Godzilla theme, the version of which is so popular nowadays. Up to this point in the series, Ifukube always meant to have (what we know today as the Godzilla theme) associate with the military, rather than Godzilla himself. Due to the fact that the Big G was a hero in Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), Ifukube decided to compose a remade version of the theme to represent him. As a result, this film cemented Godzilla's main melody as the official theme.

Masaru Sato

     Another composer who made a significant contribution to the lore of Godzilla was Masaru Sato. The man who often composed for Akira Kurosawa and Kihachi Okamoto, had his take on Godzilla early on the Showa series. The OST for Godzilla Raids Again (1956) can be best described as a spiritual companion piece to Ifukube’s Gojira (1954). The score treats itself seriously most of the time, and has noticeable horror undertones (just listen to Godzilla In Osaka Bay track).
     In the later years, Masaru Sato provided music scores for Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) and Son of Godzilla (1967). Both soundtracks mark a departure from the style established by the composer in Godzilla Raids Again (1956). The music is very jazzy-ish and light-hearted (undeniably fitting the tone of both pictures geared towards children); “a la Quincy Jones and Henry Mancini” (Ryfle 1998: 78). At times, I found some tracks similar to Batman: TV Series (1966) music cues. However, this is not to say that these are weak scores. On the contrary, they have a certain indescribable playfulness that Ifukube would have never dared to come up with. In addition, a couple of action pieces resemble John Barry’s compositions for early Bond movies. The final movie scored by Sato was Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974), which also has a lot of jazz vibes. In my opinion, it perfectly fits the “so cheesy so good” category. Sato himself stated the following: “I personified animals. The [monsters] started to have human personalities and characteristics... Mr. Ifukube succeeded because he didn't personify Godzilla. I turned the beast into a person” (Ryfle 1998: 78).

Kunio Miyauchi

     From other composers who had their shot at Godzilla, there was Kunio Miyauchi who wrote the music for the controversial Godzilla’s Revenge (1969). Obviously, he tried to mimic Masaru Sato, but the soundtrack is just uneventful, in my opinion. (The opening credits song “Monster March” was composed by Gendai Kano and sung by Lily Sasaki). Miyauchi later did the music for Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). That score resembles a lot of generic music from American Westerns, so it is definitely not for everybody. Throughout the film, you can actually hear a lot of Akira Ifukube’s compositions from previous films.

Riichiro Manabe

     The final composer of the Showa era to be covered is Riichiro Manabe, who scored Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) and Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973). Manabe’s music is undeniably a fresh take: it is neither too jazzy nor too grim. What is more, Godzilla receives a completely unique battle theme. In my opinion, Manabe’s compositions are a vast improvement over Miyauchi’s contributions.
     All things considered, this was my “brief” trip down the music lane of Godzilla’s Showa era. Please make sure to hit the hyperlinks in order to listen to mentioned tracks. If you enjoyed the read, please stay tuned for the second editorial in which I will go through the musical history of the Heisei era. In the meantime, I leave you with my full “guide list” of the Showa movies and the people who scored them because I could not find such a rundown anywhere on the internet. Thank you for reading:

• Gojira (1954) music by Akira Ifukube
• Godzilla Raids Again (1955) music by Masaru Sato
• Godzilla vs. King Kong (1962) music by Akira Ifukube
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) music by Akira Ifukube
• Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (1964) music by Akira Ifukube
• Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965) music by Akira Ifukube
• Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) music by Masaru Sato
• Son of Godzilla (1967) music by Masaru Sato
• Destroy All Monsters (1968) music by Akira Ifukube
• Godzilla’s Revenge (1969) music by Kunio Miyauchi
• Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) music by Riichiro Manabe
• Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) music by Kunio Miyauchi (Ifukube, stock)
• Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) music by Riichiro Manabe
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) music by Masaru Sato 
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) music by Akita Ifukube

Sources: Japan’s Favourite Mon-Star: An Unauthorized Biography of the Big G by Steve Ryfle * Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski * Gojipedia * AkiraIfukube.org.

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