Komm, süßer Tod (song)
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"Komm, süßer Tod" (German, Come, Sweet Death in English, 甘き死よ、来たれ in Japanese) is the title of a song, sung in English, featured prominently in Hideaki Anno's 1997 animated film The End of Evangelion. The song is performed by Arianne, who is backed by piano, pipe-organ and various string arrangements by Shiro Sagisu. The chord progression of the verses is very similar to that of Pachelbel's Canon (itself used in Evangelion: Death and Rebirth), and also bears a stylistic similarity to "Hey Jude" by The Beatles.
The original lyrics were written by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno for the Japanese language version of the song and very loosely translated into English by Mike Wyzgowski, with the two versions differing noticeably in emphasis and meaning. A remix of the song is featured in Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, appropriately during the End of Evangelion mission. It is mostly faithful to the original song, though only about the first half of the entire original song is remixed. Also, there is no vocal singer. An R&B version of the song, called Komm, Susser Tod Tumbling Down-Mix, is on the Evangelion VOX album. The song is performed by a different artist, and sounds a bit more cheerful and positive than the original.
[edit] Interpretation
The song, although performed in a comparatively upbeat manner, alludes both to suicide and the metaphorical or literal end of the world. Interpretations on from whose perspective the story is being written and its exact meaning include it being a form of apology by Shinji Ikari or Asuka Langley Soryu for their actions against one another (the German title, lyrical construction, and female singer possible leaning more towards Asuka's) or a reference to the events of Instrumentality, possibly as told by Rei Ayanami (echoing lines from the original television series such as "I want to return to nothing").
Anno's original lyrics for the song came from the point of Shinji narrating his desire to end the world because of its unfairness and his own cowardice to reach out to others because they will only hurt him in return.
[edit] External links
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