Now that I’m once again back from holidays away from high-speed internet access I had an idea: I will collect the links to different English[1] covers of songs from the Death Note anime. Needless to say not a single one was done by me[2]. Here’s first a run-down of those songs that I happen to know a cover of[3]:



Opening no. 1 The WORLD (Nightmare) Opening no. 2 What’s up, people?! (Maximum the Hormone) Ending no. 1 Alumina (Nightmare) Ending no. 2 Zetsubō Billy (Maximum the Hormone)

Beyond the cut you have a set of links to the covers for each song and personal (matter of taste) comments whenever I feel they’re relevant (i.e. everywhere). If anyone happens to know any others covers that I missed - please inform me and I will add them. Also let me know if any of the links disappears of if I linked to the wrong video.



ad. 1. The WORLD

The - so apptly named - cover-focused group “The Kira Justice” has several iterations: an early 2014 TV-sized one, a late 2014 full-sized one and a 2016 full-sized one - the differences here are some small lyric changes. They also have what I consider to be the funniest Death Note video ever - a litteral version of this opening (i.e. a version where the music stays the same but the lyrics describe what you see). I love their lyrics - they try to make as close a translation as possible and they do their best to incorporate any Engrish present in the original version. However they aren’t native English speakers and their rendition isn’t always fully fluent and the accompaniment[4] doesn’t let me immerse myself in the listening.

video ever - a litteral version of this opening (i.e. a version where the music stays the same but the lyrics describe what you see). I love their lyrics - they try to make as close a translation as possible and they do their best to incorporate any Engrish present in the original version. However they aren’t native English speakers and their rendition isn’t always fully fluent and the accompaniment[4] doesn’t let me immerse myself in the listening. NateWantstoBattle[5] has one single TV-sized version (2015). The lyrics don’t make much sense as a translation - they seem to me more “an artist’s impression on anime!Light” but overall this version does a great job of being similar to the original - if you don’t pay attention you could be be fooled into believing it’s the original[6].



Jonathan Young has two versions (both 2016): TV-sized and full-sized. Those are - for me - a mix between the former two. The translation is more or less faithful but the music is a bit too metal for me.

JadendayZero has a 2016 TV-sized version. The lyrics seem a bit too close to a litteral translation and there’s something wrong with the singing but I happen to enjoy it.



ad. 2. What’s up, people? (i.e. the trippy one)

I know only one[7]: a really recent (middle 2016) TV-sized one by Jonathan Young - whom we met in the first section. It is also a bit metal but here it fits quite well with the original. Also it conserves all the engrishisms from the original lyrics.

ad. 3. Alumina

Alumina has a wealth of Spanish covers but there are also some in English:

zoozbuh has two 2009 versions: TV-sized and full-sized. Don’t believe the “outdated” part in the description of the full-sized one. For me it’s the perfect Alumina . His voice really fits and the translation is accurate.

. His voice really fits and the translation is accurate. JadendayZero (who also did The WORLD ) has a 2014 TV-sized version and it’s really hard to hear - the lyrics are drowned by the music.



) has a 2014 TV-sized version and it’s really hard to hear - the lyrics are drowned by the music. KevinKrust has a 2014 TV-sized version that I don’t like. I am no specialist in music so I don’t know why but there is something in it that doesn’t seem right. The lyrics are quite ok though.

LittleJayneyCakes has a really nice 2015 full-sized version. The lyrics aren’t as good as in the two previous ones but the arrangement is pleasant and her voice is great. However I prefer covers done by people whose singing voice is closer to the original[8].

The lyrics by LittleJayneyCakes have been reused in another sung-by-a-female YT cover but its quality is so poor that I won’t be linking to it here[9].

ad. 4. Zetsubō Billy i.e. the perfect misheard lyrics fodder.

JadendayZero (whom we already met twice - that’s quite a dedication to Death Note !) has a 2016 TV-sized version. Once again I can’t hear the singing beneath the music but the I like the translation very much.

- that’s quite a dedication to !) has a 2016 TV-sized version. Once again I can’t hear the singing beneath the music but the I like the translation very much. The Kira Justice (who had such a wealth of version of The WORLD) have a recent (middle 2016) TV-sized version that has all the pros and cons I described near their The WORLD versions - great lyrics, nice singing, ok but not ideal music and imperfect English pronounciation which here happens to fit quite well.



[1] There are also many great covers in other languages but I wanted to collect only the English ones.



[2] If I were the one singing/playing everybody would be running away in horror at how it’s possible to butcher a piece of music so utterly.

[3] I sorted them by the year of the first cover by the artist - some remade theirs so later ones may also appear befor older ones.

[4] What is actually the “normal English” word for the music in a song that isn’t the sung part? Accompaniment is quite technical, right?

[5] I have no idea whether it’s a Near reference but it would be so fun if it were.

[6] And this isn’t even his most perfect one - check out Flyers i.e. the (in)famous cheerful opening of Death Parade (an anime that I might have more to say in a foreseeable future). Seriously, it’s just like the original.

[7] And this is actually the one that made me consider doing this - I saw it today and realised that now I know at least one English cover for each song.

[8] Which would be hard for her given the fact that she’s female so I’m in no way holding that against her.

[9] Because I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything positive about it and I’d feel bad about linking to someone and essentially writing: “it’s abyssmal”.

Addenda:

Alumina by nonprophet

Alumina by The Kira Justice

Zetsubou Billy by nonprophet

