Godiego (ゴダイゴ, pronounced GO-DYE-GO) is a pop band from Japan, consisting o… Read Full Bio ↴Godiego (ゴダイゴ, pronounced GO-DYE-GO) is a pop band from Japan, consisting of Mickie Yoshino, Yukihide Takekawa, Takami Asano, Steve Fox, and Tommy Snyder (all but Snyder were born in Japan, and Fox's mother is Japanese). Over their 34 year career (with hiatuses), Godiego have released 25 singles and 55 albums.

They are perhaps best known for performing the song "Monkey Magic" for the 1978 television series "Saiyūki," which was brought over to the United Kingdom as "Monkey." This led to several releases through BBC Records, including "Monkey Magic," "Gandhara," and the LP "Monkey," which charted in the UK. Godiego are also noteworthy for performing the theme song "Galaxy Express 999" (Three-Nine) for the animated movie, and for the soundtrack to the 1977 Nobuhiko Obayashi film "House," in which they also appear in a brief cameo.

They were the first rock band to play in the People's Republic of China as well as Nepal.

Monkey Magic
Godiego Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Born from an egg on a mountain top
The punkiest monkey that ever popped
He knew every magic trick under the sun
To tease the Gods
And everyone and have some fun
Monkey magic, Monkey magic (repeat 4 times)
What a cocky saucy monkey this one is
All the Gods were angered

And they punished him
Until he was saved by a kindly priest
And that was the start
Of their pilgrimage west
Monkey magic, Monkey magic (repeat 4 times)
With a little bit of monkey magic
There'll be fireworks tonight
With a little bit of monkey magic
Every thing will be all right
Born from an egg on a mountain top
The punkiest monkey that ever popped
He knew every magic trick under the sun
To tease the Gods

And everyone and have some fun
Monkey magic, Monkey magic (repeat 4 times)

Overall Meaning

The song Monkey Magic by Godiego describes the story of the main character, which is based on the Chinese folktale Journey to the West. The lyrics describe how the monkey was born from an egg on a mountain top and was known for his mischievous nature and magical abilities. He used his powers to tease the Gods and have fun, which made the Gods angry and caused them to punish him. However, the monkey was eventually saved by a kindly priest and thus began their pilgrimage to the west.

Despite its lighthearted and fun tone, the song also contains themes of rebellion, redemption, and acceptance. The monkey challenges authority and tradition with his antics but ultimately learns the value of companionship and falls into a path of self-improvement as he embarks on a spiritual journey with the kindly priest.

Overall, Monkey Magic captures the essence of the fantastical and adventurous nature of Journey to the West, while also highlighting important values and morals.

Line by Line Meaning

Born from an egg on a mountain top
He came to life on a mountaintop, hatched from an egg

The punkiest monkey that ever popped
He was the most rebellious and mischievous monkey ever

He knew every magic trick under the sun
He possessed the knowledge of every magic trick

To tease the Gods
He used this knowledge to mock the Gods

And everyone and have some fun
And also to make fun of everyone else and enjoy himself

Monkey magic, Monkey magic (repeat 4 times)
Chanting his name in praise - Monkey Magic

What a cocky saucy monkey this one is
He was an arrogant and self-assured monkey

All the Gods were angered
All Gods became furious with him for his misbehavior

And they punished him
And to teach him a lesson, they punished him

Until he was saved by a kindly priest
Finally, a priest saved him from the punishment

And that was the start
This was the start of an incredible journey

Of their pilgrimage west
As they embarked on a pilgrimage towards the west

With a little bit of monkey magic
Using his skills of magic

There'll be fireworks tonight
He would create a dramatic spectacle tonight

Every thing will be all right
Everything will turn out fine with his magic

Monkey magic, Monkey magic (repeat 4 times)
Celebrating again and chanting his name in praise - Monkey Magic

Born from an egg on a mountain top
Repeating the origin of his birth

The punkiest monkey that ever popped
Acknowledging his rebellious nature once again

He knew every magic trick under the sun
Repeating his knowledge of magic

To tease the Gods
Repeating his misbehavior of taunting the Gods

And everyone and have some fun
Repeating his love for having fun and mocking others

Monkey magic, Monkey magic (repeat 4 times)
Final chant in praise and celebration - Monkey Magic

Contributed by Alexis F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@brianchar-bow3273

1y↑2

For the past 60 years, the Western music industry has ignored Japanese musicians as if they did not exist.
For a long time, we have been deprived of the existence of Japanese popular music and its many talents in various genres because the Western music industry has not signed many Japanese musicians to sales contracts in the Western music market and has not supplied the world market with their music.

It was only with the advent of the Internet ,Youtube that the invisible racially prejudiced walls of the Western music industry were broken down and the music of the past began to circulate around the world.
After that, it was only then that much of the world became aware of the existence of many Japanese past popular music.

The Japanese popular scene in various genres were as active in Japan as in the West, with a history of over 60 years, almost the same length as that of the West,
but Japanese musicians, no matter how talented they were, were only given the opportunity to sign release contracts limited to domestic only in Japan.
So people of all over the world could not even know about the existence of the Japanese Rock music and musicians for a long time because they were buried only in Japanese market.

“Suite Peace”(1978) (including Pomp and Circumstance) Live.　
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgTi_F4OvMA
※This was a message from the past Godiego in 1978, to us and to all mankind under the Ukrainian sky now.
IN YOU　"KANJINCHO"　Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP0piBqBUno
Suite: New Genesis (1976) Live -Part1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Xul88eDVs
Suite: New Genesis (1976) Live -part2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryk_qoIgnWo