When people think of Godzilla, they usually picture the giant monster. I found myself wondering about something else… Who wrote the music that made Godzilla feel so unforgettable?
Transcript:
When most people think of Godzilla, they picture a giant monster.
I found myself wondering about something else.
Who wrote the music that made Godzilla feel so unforgettable?
One evening, after a long day running errands, dark clouds slowly rolled across the sky.
Before long, rain began gently tapping against my window.
I made myself a warm drink, settled into my favorite chair, and finally had a little time to relax.
That’s when I discovered Japanese composer Akira Ifukube.
I wasn’t expecting to spend my evening learning about movie music.
But within a few minutes, I realized I wasn’t just listening to a soundtrack.
I was listening to a piece of Japanese cinema history.
Ifukube composed the music for the original 1954 Godzilla film, creating one of the most recognizable themes ever written for a Japanese movie.
What surprised me most was how much emotion there is in the music.
It isn’t just powerful. It feels mysterious. dramatic. and even a little tragic.
One of my favorite discoveries was learning that many of Godzilla’s famous roar and sound effects were created by rubbing a resin-coated leather glove along the strings of a double bass, then slowing down the recording.
The more I listened, the more one thought kept coming back to me.
Godzilla wouldn’t feel like Godzilla without this music.
Sometimes the greatest movie star isn’t the one on the screen.
It’s the composer working quietly behind the scenes.
I’m Tess with JRok Music.
The next time I hear Godzilla’s theme, I don’t think I’ll just hear a monster anymore.
I’ll hear the composer who gave him his voice.
I’ll see you in the next story.