Powerful Lyrics

9.7.16

As in the original 1954 classic Godzilla the Shin Godzilla soundtrack is ominous, powerful, and memorable. Although the film provides a mix of Showa and Heisei sound effects and tracks, its original score is full of meaning capturing the despair that gripped Japan and Tokyo when Shodai Godzilla came ashore. To capture the essence of the terror of Godzilla both now and then, I’ve created a series of slides juxtaposing scenes from Gojira with the lyrics from Shin Godzilla. The meaning of Shin Godzilla very much lies in these lyrics. Perhaps the film could be seen as an opera performance that must be careful listen to and followed in order grasp it meaning. The film is dominated by dialogue and discourse but these vocals convey so much and guide the viewer’s like a narrator of story. The lyrics function like the chorus in a tragedy performing heard behind the film’s dense dialogue and providing an interpretive frame for the moviegoer from act to act. This is reminiscent of the use of the girl chorus in 1954.