Most of the TV series used for an opening theme "Moonlight Densetsu" (ムーンライト伝説 Mūnraito Densetsu?, lit. "Moonlight Legend"), composed by Tetsuya Komoro with lyrics by Kanako Oda. It was one of the series' most popular songs. "Moonlight Densetsu" was performed by DALI as the opener for the first two anime series,and then by Moon Lips for the third and fourth.The final series, Sailor Stars, switched to using "Sailor Star Song" for its opening theme, written by Shōki Araki with lyrics by Naoko Takeuchi and performed by Kae Hanazawa."Moonlight Densetsu" made its final appearance as the closing song for the very last episode, #200. "Moonlight Densetsu" has been covered and remixed many times by artists such as the punk supergroup Osaka Popstar and Kitade Nana.
The English-language dub of the anime series used the melody of "Moonlight Densetsu", but with very different lyrics and instrumentation. At the time, it was unusual for anime theme songs to be translated, and this was one of the first such themes to be redone in English since Speed Racer. The English theme has been described as "insane but catchy". The Japanese theme is a love song based on the relationship between Usagi and Mamoru ("born on the same Earth"); its first verse, as it appears in the English subtitles, is as follows:
I'm sorry I'm not straightforward,
I can say it in my dreams
My thoughts are about to short circuit,
I want to see you right now
The English "Sailor Moon Theme" rather resembles a superhero anthem. Its first verse is written:
Fighting evil by moonlight,
Winning love by daylight,
Never running from a real fight,
She is the one named Sailor Moon
Both versions of the series also make use of insert themes, battle music, and image songs, with the original being much more prolific. Over 40 Japanese music albums were released for the anime alone, many of which were remixes of the previous albums in jazz style, music box, French, etc. In addition, 33 different CD singles were released, many of them centered around specific characters. The second most prolific country in terms of Sailor Moon music releases was Germany, which produced some fifteen albums and singles, including five by the pop band Super Moonies. In North America, only three albums were released. These numbers do not include the CDs from the Musicals, which were only released in Japan. At least one CD was released per musical, as well as various collections, such as Villain Collections or many songs sung by a single actor or actress. Various CDs were also released for the live action adaptation as well.
Moonlight Densetsu was released as a CD single in March 1992, and was an "explosive hit"."Moonlight Densetsu" won first place in the Song category in Animage's 15th and 16th Anime Grand Prix.It came seventh in the 17th Grand Prix, and "Moon Revenge", from Sailor Moon R: The Movie, came eighth. "Rashiku Ikimasho", the second closing song for Supers, placed eighteenth in 1996. In 1997, "Sailor Star Song", the new opening theme for Sailor Stars, came eleventh, and "Moonlight Densetsu" came sixteenth.
Sailor Moon - Songs From The Hit TV Series
Title | Artist | Track | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Sailor Moon Theme | Nicole & Brynne Price | 1 of 11 | 1:35 |
I Wanna Be A Star! | Jennifer Cihi (Serena) | 2 of 11 | 3:24 |
My Only Love | Jennifer Cihi (Serena) | 3 of 11 | 3:09 |
Call My Name (I'll Be There) | Jennifer Cihi (Serena) | 4 of 11 | 2:57 |
Oh Starry Night | Sandy Howell (Raye) | 5 of 11 | 3:17 |
It's A New Day | Jennifer Cihi (Serena) | 6 of 11 | 2:50 |
Carry On | Jennifer Cihi (Serena) | 7 of 11 | 2:11 |
Rainy Day Man | Patricia Tollett (Lita) | 8 of 11 | 3:09 |
Only A Memory Away | Shandi Sinnamon (Amy) | 9 of 11 | 3:12 |
She's Got The Power | Stan Bush | 10 of 11 | 2:58 |
Sailor Moon Theme Reprise (Ending) | Nicole & Brynne Price | 11 of 11 | 0:32 |