Godzilla (song)
Encyclopedia
"Godzilla" is a song by Blue Öyster Cult
from their 5th album Spectres
. The lyrics are a tribute to the popular movie monster
of the same name. The song is, along with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" and "Burnin' for You
", one of Blue Öyster Cult's best known songs and has become a staple of their live performances. It has been covered by bands such as Racer X, Fu Manchu
, The Smashing Pumpkins
, Sebastian Bach
, Fighting Gravity and others.
"Attention, emergency news! Attention, emergency news!
Godzilla is going toward the Ginza
area!
Immediately escape, catch up, find shelter please!
Immediately escape, catch up, find shelter please!"
soundtrack, Blue Öyster Cult members Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma created their own parody called "NoZilla". The song was only released to radio stations.
A parody called "Chinchilla" was sung by fictional character Donnie Baker (played by comedian Ron Sexton) in his familiar Kentuckiana
accent on the Bob & Tom Show.
The song was also parodied by internet comedian Peter Coffin
as "Swinezilla", a song about the swine flu
epidemic.
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
from their 5th album Spectres
Spectres (album)
Spectres is the fifth studio album by Blue Öyster Cult, released in November 1977. The album was certified gold in January 1978 and contained the album rock hits "Godzilla", "Death Valley Nights", "R.U. Ready 2 Rock" and "I Love the Night"...
. The lyrics are a tribute to the popular movie monster
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
of the same name. The song is, along with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" The Reaper" is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. It was written and sung by the band's lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and was produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman. It is built around Dharma's guitar riff that...
" and "Burnin' for You
Burnin' for You
"Burnin' for You" is a song by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their album Fire of Unknown Origin, released in 1981. It reached number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart and the single spent three weeks at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
", one of Blue Öyster Cult's best known songs and has become a staple of their live performances. It has been covered by bands such as Racer X, Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu (band)
Fu Manchu is a Southern Californian stoner rock band, who released their debut single "Kept Between Trees" in 1990. They have been featured on compilations put together by Tony Hawk and ESPN's X Games, and invited to perform on the US television program Monster Garage...
, The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...
, Fighting Gravity and others.
Trivia
The spoken words (in Japanese) during the interlude translate to:"Attention, emergency news! Attention, emergency news!
Godzilla is going toward the Ginza
Ginza
is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...
area!
Immediately escape, catch up, find shelter please!
Immediately escape, catch up, find shelter please!"
Parodies
In response to the song not being included anywhere in the 1998 GodzillaGodzilla (1998 film)
Godzilla is a 1998 science fiction monster disaster film film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. It is a loose remake of the 1954 giant monster classic Godzilla. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The film relates a tale of a nuclear incident...
soundtrack, Blue Öyster Cult members Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma created their own parody called "NoZilla". The song was only released to radio stations.
A parody called "Chinchilla" was sung by fictional character Donnie Baker (played by comedian Ron Sexton) in his familiar Kentuckiana
Kentuckiana
Kentuckiana is a name that is often used to refer to metropolitan areas with counties in both Indiana and Kentucky.* Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area, the area most commonly referred to as Kentuckiana...
accent on the Bob & Tom Show.
The song was also parodied by internet comedian Peter Coffin
Peter Coffin
Peter Coffin may refer to:* Peter Coffin * Peter Coffin * Peter Coffin...
as "Swinezilla", a song about the swine flu
Swine flu
Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus or S-OIV is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs...
epidemic.
In other media
- The song can be heard in films such as Detroit Rock CityDetroit Rock City (film)Detroit Rock City is a 1999 film about four teenagers in a Kiss cover band who try to see their idols in Detroit in 1978. Comparable to Rock 'n' Roll High School, Dazed and Confused, The Stöned Age, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Detroit Rock City tells a coming of age story through a filter of 1970s...
, Crackdown 2Crackdown 2Crackdown 2 is a sandbox-style third-person shooter video game developed by Ruffian Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on Xbox 360 in July 2010 and is a direct sequel to the 2007 video game Crackdown.-Gameplay:...
, and Dogtown and Z-BoysDogtown and Z-BoysDogtown and Z-Boys is a 2001 documentary film directed by Stacy Peralta. Using a mix of film the Zephyr skateboard team shot in the 1970s by Craig Stecyk and more recent interviews, the documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of...
. - It was featured in an episode of Nip/TuckNip/TuckNip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
. - A cover version was featured in Guitar HeroGuitar HeroGuitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
. The master track is featured in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, and is downloadable content for the Rock BandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series. - The chorus was used in a car commercial for AutoTrader.comAutoTrader.comAutoTrader.com is an American automotive classified Web site operated by AutoTrader.com L.L.C.; Cox Enterprises owns 75% of the company, Providence Equity Partners owns the rest. It was founded in August of 1997 and is the largest classified automotive site in the United States...
, featuring a giant man grabbing cars out of dealerships to compare them. - It is included in numerous compilations, including The Heavy Metal BoxThe Heavy Metal BoxThe Heavy Metal Box is a box including 4 CDs with heavy metal / rock music songs from various artists and bands. It was released by Rhino Records in 2007.....
box set. - It was sometimes played during New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
home games when then-Yankee Hideki MatsuiHideki Matsuiis a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
came up to bat, as his nickname since his days in Japan has been "Godzilla". - An edit of the song was once featured in a promo for Monstervision, a Godzilla movie marathon on TNT.
- It is featured on a Paper Jamz guitar.
- Thunderpuss 2000 has remixed the song in several different ways, including a Radio Mix (03:13), Extended Mix (05:25), Atomic Funky Dub (05:27), and Thunderpuss 2000 Club Mix (06:12)