A Cruel Angel's Thesis

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis"
Original anime edition cover of "Zankoku na Tenshi no These"/"Fly Me to the Moon"
Single by Yoko Takahashi
from the album Neon Genesis Evangelion
Released	October 25, 1995 (1995-10-25)
Format	CD single
Recorded	1995
Genre	J-pop
Length	4:05
Label	Starchild
Writer(s)	Neko Oikawa (Lyrics) Hidetoshi Satō (Composition) Toshiyuki Ōmori (Arrangement)

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (残酷な天使のテーゼ, Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze^?, "Zankoku na Tenshi no These" in Japan) is the theme song of the popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion performed by Yoko Takahashi. It is used as the opening to the series, and two instrumental versions of it are played in the finale episode, "Take care of yourself." These are "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be", scored for violin, piano, and guitar. "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" is a somber and reflective piece for bowed strings and guitar, while "Good, or Don't Be" is played to a light piano and guitar tone. Both are considerably different in feel from the more hard driving techno-dance original. A similar, but sparser, version can also be heard during the intermission between the two parts of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.

According to the liner notes to the album Refrain of Evangelion, director Hideaki Anno had originally wanted to use music from Borodin's Polovetsian Dances as the opening. The TV station (TV Tokyo) felt that audiences would be confused by a classical opening to an anime, and requested a change to a more typical or J-pop and upbeat song. The production of the result, "Zankoku na Tenshi no These", was handled by Toshimichi Ōtsuki. The original song included a male chorus, which was cut at director Hideaki Anno's request in order to "emphasize maternal affection".