Godzilla 2014: “Radioactive” By Imagine Dragons

by

Godzilla 2014 Radioactive Imagine Dragons from Zenophon Abraham on Vimeo.

Godzilla and “Radioactive,” the hit song by the indie-pop group Imagine Dragons. Considering that Godzilla is radioactive, the meshing of the two tent-poles in pop culture seems logical.

The idea to bring the song together with images from the upcoming Godzilla movie to be released Summer of 2014, and thus referred to as “Godzilla 2014,” came to me because, first, I kept hearing the song everywhere I turned, it seemed. “Radioactive,” was used in this commercial featuring Le Bron James and done for Beats By Dre.

Second, while the leaked trailer for Godzilla 2014 was great, Warner Bros habit of taking it down not only subordinated whatever buzz the movie would get, but took away Godzilla fans’ desire to make videos of their own based on it, a process that generates even more buzz for the movie.

But what led me to finally bring these two together – image and song – was the lyrics in Radioactive, especially where Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds says “this is it, the apocalypse…”

In fact, if you read the lyrics, and think about Godzilla as an origin story, the two – Godzilla and Radioactive – seem made for each other:

I’m waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I’m breathing in the chemicals

I’m breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa

I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive

I raise my flags, don my clothes
It’s a revolution, I suppose
We paint it red to fit right in
Whoa

I’m breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa

I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive

All systems go, the sun hasn’t died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside

I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive

In fact, since Godzilla’s very appearance causes everything around him to be, well, radioactive, including people, Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” becomes a kind of allegory for the movie.

Godzilla’s arrival signals a new age.

I certainly hope the movie’s producers agree.

Stay tuned.

Leave a Comment