The Score That Defined The King of Monsters: Godzilla's Theme by Akira Ifukube

Godzilla has one of the most iconic and recognizable soundtracks in Japanese cinema.

Yet despite the acclaimed and well known nature of the theme song, the score has gone through a number of changes throughout the years as the tone of the lore has shifted and the film has been rebooted.

The first iteration can be found in the 1954 version of the film, composed by Akira Ifukube. Well known for his compositions appearing in golden age kaiju films, Ifukube would take the helm to revamp these scores for each iteration of the film until his retirement in the early 2000s.

Throughout the course of the series, especially after Ifukube’s death at age 91 just a few years after retirement, the score has been rearranged but the primary chords and instrumentation has stayed true to the original theme with its orchestral arpeggios and perilous percussion.

While the early iterations of the track, very in line with the tone and trends of cinema at the time, come across as more light hearted; the recent films, such as 2019’s Godzilla: King of Monsters have turned the track into a symphonic epic with loud brass, accentuating the dark tone and chaotic visual effects of the modern remake.

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Each film is a fresh take on the iconic track, but the tradition of continuing the vision of Akira Ifukube leads to familiarity throughout each film and calls back to the early days to one of the most iconic Japanese film series of all time.

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