This was inspired by a series of Japanese films from the 1950s featuring the Godzilla monster, which was inspired by the commercial success of King Kong (1933) and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953). In 1962 King Kong vs. Godzilla hit theaters all over. The song lyrics depict famous scenes from Godzilla films.
Blue Öyster Cult was one of the first heavy metal bands, and they also did their part to satirize the genre. Like the Godzilla movies, this song is pure camp, with guitar riffs heavy as lead and a closing lyric that sums up the lesson of this story:
History shows again and again
How nature points up the folly of men
If there was any doubt about the band's intentions, it was stomped out by this monster.
This is one of the most popular Blue Öyster Cult songs, but it was never a hit.
Spectres was their fifth album; their previous LP Agents of Fortune contained their breakout hit "
(Don't Fear) The Reaper," but despite their efforts, they weren't able to duplicate the formula and no songs from
Spectres charted. "Godzilla" did have a long life on Classic Rock radio.
The band's guitarist,
Buck Dharma, wrote this song and shared lead vocals on the track with
Eric Bloom.
Dharma loved monster movies, and when he came up with the guitar riff, it made him think of Godzilla, which gave him the concept of the song.
During the second half of the song, Eric Bloom speaks some Japanese:
Rinji news o moshiagemasu!
Rinji news o moshiagemasu!
Gojira ga Ginza hoomen e mukatte imasu!
Daishikyu hinan shite kudasai!
Daishikyu hinan shite kudasai!
Translated to English:
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!
In concert, a smoke-spewing animatronic Godzilla with flashing eyes would appear on stage when the band performed this song. Buck Dharma would give it a convincing introduction, often referring to recent newsworthy catastrophes. In later years, the stage Godzilla was retired, but the band still used a barrage of sound effects to start the song.
In 1998, a new
Godzilla movie was released. This song wasn't used in the movie, since producers wanted something more contemporary (they used a P. Diddy song called "
Come With Me" on the soundtrack).
In response, Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma recorded a new version of the song deriding the film and its musical selections:
Oh no, say it isn't so
There's no "Godzilla"
...
Millions spent on special effects
But our tune just ain't getting no respectA 12" single of this song (Columbia 3-10725, 1977 promo) was produced with the studio version on one side and a live version (that is not the version found on either Some Enchanted Evening or Extraterrestrial Live) on the other side - the song is most easily identified by Eric's introduction - "It's not Raymond Burr, it's Godzilla!"
According to the book Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years Of Rush, while opening on tour with Blue Öyster Cult, Rush members replaced a sound recording that queued up with a video of Godzilla at the opening of the set with a recording of "Hello, My name is Mister Ed." The two bands often played pranks on one another during the tour.
Baseball player Hideki Matsui of The New York Yankees was nicknamed Godzilla and at home games this song was played when he came up to bat. Matsui is from Japan.
"Godzilla" debuted at the top of the UK singles chart. This meant that Juice WRLD became the first act since Eva Cassidy's 2007 duet with Katie Melua, "
What A Wonderful World," to claim a posthumous #1 UK single.
