Lyrics
Japanese
Zankoku na tenshi no you ni Shounen yo, shinwa ni nare... Aoi kaze ga ima mune no doa wo tataitemo, Watashi dake wo tada mitsumete Hohoenderu Anata Sotto Fureru mono Motomeru koto ni muchuu de, Unmei sae mada shiranai itaike na hitomi Dakedo itsuka kizuku deshou Sono senaka ni wa Haruka mirai mezasu tame no Hane ga aru koto... Zankoku na tenshi no tēze Madobe kara yagate tobitatsu Hotobashiru atsui patosu de Omoide wo uragiru nara Kono sora wo daite kagayaku Shounen yo, shinwa ni nare |
English
Like an angel who has forsaken empathy, Rise up young boy and make yourself a legend... Even though clear blue winds Beat on the door of my heart, You just smile, looking straight at me Too involved in yearning for Something to hold on The innocent eyes still know nothing of fate yet. But someday you will notice On those shoulders of your There are strong wings To guide you to the far future. A cruel angel's thesis Will someday fly high from the window If memories are betrayed by The overflowing, burning pathos (emotions). Holding the sky in your arms, Rise up young boy and make yourself a legend. |
Overview
Rise up young boy and make yourself a legend! " |
Zankoku na Tenshi, or A Cruel Angel's Thesis is the opening theme to the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). The theme song is performed by Yoko Takahashi, and is featured on all 26 episodes of the show. As of 12/13/2022, the song has 77,528,261 streams on Spotify.
For the creation of the theme song, the music staff had no meetings nor involvement with the show's creators. Anno, the creator wanted to use an excerpt from Borodin's Polovtsian Dances for the opening, but producers instead wanted a J-pop song. The lyricist, Neko Oikama had no prior knowledge of the show and wrote the song based off of two unfinished episodes that were simply skimmed through. She also decided to write the song almost from a "mother's perspective" as the child leaves the nest. The original version of the song had a male chorus, but was cut at the request of Anno to emphasize the feel of "maternal affection". Yoko Takahashi was then brought in to record and would not hear the song until the show aired live. |
Analysis
Form and Musical Analysis
Tempo: 128 BPM Time Signature: 4/4 Key: C minor/Eb Major Song length (Full): 4:05 Chords: Intro (C minor) i - - - iv6 - - - VII - - - III - - - i - - - iv - - - v - - - VI7 - - - Verse (Eb Major) I - - - V - - - vi - V - IV - - - Vsus4 - V - Isus4 - vi - viiDim7 - - - iiisus4 - V/vi I - - - V - - - vi - V - IV - - - Vsus4 - V - Isus4 - vi - viiDim7 - - - V/vi - iiisus4, V/vi Pre-Chorus (Eb Major) IV7 - - - iii7 - vi - ii7 - V7 - ii7/IV - V7/IV IV7 - - - iii7 - vi - viiDim7 - - - iiisus4 - V/vi Chorus (C minor) i - iv - VII - III - (x3) i - iv - VII - i - i - iv - VII - III - i - iv - VII - i |
Written Analysis
A Cruel Angel's Thesis is clearly a follower of the set form that is seen across anime generations. However, it is interesting to see how the song switches from C minor to Eb major depending on the section. Because of how the song is set up and the way the chords are set, it is almost impossible to hear the shifts from minor to major and vice versa at first. The chords tend to follow a relatively set pattern, with a good amount of suspended chords that usually resolve within the next beat. The chorus features some hyper metric disruption, seen with the added 4 bars that make it a 12 bar chorus as opposed to the traditional 8. The bass line is extremely active, along with the backbeat in the drums and an audible countermelody heard in the backup chorus line. The horn line and guitar are mainly for texture and melodic purposes in the chorus section. Auxiliary percussion is also heard, likely bongos or some other hand percussion. Upon analysis, A Cruel Angel's Thesis follows all the necessary guidelines for a good J-pop song as well as being cut down to the format required for an opening sequence. This is also a very good example of an opening that is not very programmatic to the anime itself, which becomes more of a trend later. |
Notable Information
1.) Two instrumental versions of this song are played in the final episode of the series "Take Care of Yourself". One is titled "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and the other is called "Good, or Don't Be". The first is scored for piano and bowed strings, and is very somber and sad while the second is lighter upbeat piano and guitar. "Good, or Don't Be" plays for the very final scene of the episode up until the last frame.
2.) Right after the solo break in the full song, there is a chorus that sings over a groove. The lyrics are not in any recognizable language, but can be phonetically translated to: "Fariya. Seta (or sepa) messo. Fariya. Tuse". These lyrics are believed to be derived from an ancient language, and some have speculated they are from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is believed due to the number of references made in the show to the Dead Sea Scrolls. 3.) The lyrics for the song were written in just 2 hours, right after the meeting where the two unfinished episodes were played for producers on fast forward. It was also written before the opening animation sequence was even created, so any music going with the animation is apparently pure coincidence. |