Godzilla (Blue Öyster Cult song)

"Godzilla" is a single by U.S. hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, the first track on the band's fifth studio album Spectres. The lyrics are a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the popular movie monster of the same name. The single release had a picture sleeve featuring a promotional still from the movie Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. Despite failing to chart, the song received significant airplay on rock radio stations and became a sleeper hit. The song, along with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "Burnin' for You," is one of the band's best-known songs and has become a staple of its live performances. It has been covered by bands such as moe., Racer X, Fu Manchu, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sebastian Bach, Double Experience and Fighting Gravity. It was the walk up song for New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui from 2003-2009.

Cash Box called it "a clever rocker tale of Godzilla...with a strong, catchy hook, excellent guitar and special effects."

In 2019, a cover of the song, sung by Serj Tankian, was featured in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, marking the first usage of the song in a Godzilla film.

Parodies

In response to the song's absence from the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack, Blue Öyster Cult members Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma created their own parody called "NoZilla", released only to radio stations.

Personnel

• Eric Bloom – co-lead vocals, stun guitar
• Buck Dharma – co-lead vocals, lead guitar
• Joe Bouchard – bass guitar, background vocals
• Albert Bouchard – drums, background vocals
• Allen Lanier – rhythm guitar, background vocals

References