They're Only Human Lyrics - Death Note

Song Overview

This is the curtain-lift for the show’s worldview - a sly, slightly cruel duet where two Shinigami, Ryuk and Rem, watch humanity from a height. In a tight three minutes, the number sketches the rules, the stakes, and the philosophical tug-of-war that will haunt the rest of the score.

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. Duet between Ryuk and Rem; English demo sung by Eric Anderson and Carrie Manolakos.
2. Introduces the Death Note premise and Ryuk’s gambit - dropping the notebook to cure his boredom.
3. First English demo releases appeared ahead of the Tokyo premiere to build momentum.
4. Functions as early story engine: cynicism vs compassion, godlike distance vs curiosity about love.
5. Reappears in reputation through covers and language adaptations, showing the duet’s portability.

Lyrics/music review and highlights

The writing leans on crisp antiphony: Ryuk’s sardonic jabs sit against Rem’s steadier counterpoint. Harmony tightens on the refrain to underline the thesis - “only human” - while accompaniment pulses with a theater-pop groove that never crowds the singers. The structure is efficient: verse volley, hook, escalation, button. It’s a character sketch that moves like plot.

The best moment lands when the melody warms under Rem while the text still observes human frailty. That tension - tenderness in the line, coolness in the words - is the show’s calling card. Ryuk’s last aside feels like a coin hitting the table: action time.

Key takeaways

1. Character study disguised as opening commentary.
2. Musical theater-pop fusion with rhythmic clarity and duet counterlines.
3. Sets up morality play dynamics without sermonizing.
4. Hooks the plot by motivating the notebook’s arrival.

Creation History

Composer Frank Wildhorn set music to Jack Murphy’s lyrics with a book by Ivan Menchell; an English concept recording was made in late 2014, with selected demos - including this duet - released online ahead of the 2015 Japanese premiere. The English demo track features Eric Anderson (Ryuk) and Carrie Manolakos (Rem). A high-profile English concert staging followed in London in 2023, with a cast album later announced.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Two Shinigami look down at humanity. Ryuk treats people like a pastime. Rem watches with wary empathy. Their debate crystallizes the show’s theme: what do power and conscience look like when death is a toy? The scene ends with Ryuk choosing motion over boredom - the notebook will fall.

Song Meaning

It’s a thesis statement for Death Note’s moral experiment. The refrain “only human” is double-edged: a sneer in Ryuk’s mouth, a lament in Rem’s. The duet assigns philosophy to voice type - sardonic bounce versus searching legato - and frames the story as a lab test on justice, love, and the stories we tell to make sense of chance.

Annotations

The idea of humans as ants is something often associated with a God- or Higher Being’s point of view.

Exactly. The vantage point matters. In this number, scale becomes a moral filter. Calling humans “ants” isn’t just mockery - it’s a staging choice that licenses detachment.

Humans aren’t aware of how the death note picks its victims... It’s really a factor of chance more than the fate of eventual death.

That push-pull - fate vs chance - fuels the lyric’s skepticism. The score mirrors it with clean, almost clockwork phrasing, then destabilizes it with syncopated entrances.

Rem is pointing out human hypocrisy... blaming fate, yet hoping things will get better.

Her lines lean toward compassion. The harmony under Rem softens, even when the words stay cool. It’s craft doing character work.

The Shinigami Realm is described as a dying land... Ryuk’s boredom is the inciting incident.

And that’s the dramaturgical fuse. When the final tag drops, you can practically see the notebook falling through the staff paper.

This line contains a double entendre... Ryuk uses the phrase as justification not to care, Rem as justification for caring.

Two philosophies, one hook. That’s how you write a duet that keeps paying dividends in later scenes.

A reference to the Greek myth of Sisyphus...

Myth as mirror: the Sisyphean image seeds the show’s loop of toil and denial. It’s a neat nod for a story obsessed with moral recursion.

Genre and feel

The track sits in theater-pop - sturdy groove, uncluttered orchestration, conversational melodies. Call-and-response keeps it propulsive. The refrain lands with a lift rather than a belt, which reads as judgment more than catharsis.

Emotional arc

Start: cool observation. Middle: curiosity and scorn braid together. End: decision - Ryuk turns philosophy into plot. Rem, meanwhile, files love away for later - a seed the show will water.

Cultural touchpoints

References to Sisyphus tilt Western, while the Shinigami lore grounds the piece in Japanese myth. That mix is core to the musical’s tone - manga soul in Broadway grammar.

Key Facts

• Artist: Frank Wildhorn, Jack Murphy, Ivan Menchell, Carrie Manolakos, Eric Anderson
• Featured: Carrie Manolakos (Rem), Eric Anderson (Ryuk)
• Composer: Frank Wildhorn
• Lyricist: Jack Murphy
• Book: Ivan Menchell
• Release Date: March 12, 2015 - English demo posted online ahead of Tokyo premiere
• Genre: Musical theatre, Pop
• Instruments: Rhythm section, keyboards, orchestral winds/strings
• Label: Demo release - online promotional
• Mood: sardonic, curious, observant
• Track #: 3 on Death Note: The Musical (2015)
• Language: English (with official Japanese and Korean stage counterparts; later Portuguese adaptations)
• Album: Death Note: The Musical
• Music style: theater-pop duet with antiphonal phrasing
• Poetic meter: mixed iambic-trochaic lines, syllabic focus

Canonical Entities & Relations

• Frank Wildhorn - composed - They’re Only Human.
• Jack Murphy - wrote lyrics for - They’re Only Human.
• Ivan Menchell - wrote book for - Death Note: The Musical.
• Eric Anderson - performed as - Ryuk - on English demo track.
• Carrie Manolakos - performed as - Rem - on English demo track.
• Death Note: The Musical - premiered - April 6, 2015 - Nissay Theatre, Tokyo.
• Death Note: The Musical in Concert - staged - August 21-22, 2023 - London Palladium; transferred to the Lyric Theatre, September 7-10, 2023.

Questions and Answers

Where does this duet sit in the show’s timeline?

Very early. It frames the moral lens before Light finds the notebook.

Why pair Ryuk’s cynicism with Rem’s curiosity?

Contrast makes the refrain bite. One hook, two meanings - it previews their later choices.

What musical devices sell the perspective shift?

Alternating leads, tight harmonies on the hook, and rhythmic steadiness that feels like a god’s metronome.

Is there an official English recording?

Yes - an English demo with Eric Anderson and Carrie Manolakos circulated before the Tokyo opening; later, an English concert production in London sparked a cast album announcement.

Any notable covers?

Plenty. Online, the Annapantsu and Caleb Hyles duet is widely streamed, helping the song travel beyond theater circles.

Does the lyric lean fate or chance?

It keeps both plates spinning. The Shinigami mock human attempts to assign meaning while literally managing mortality.

How does this number seed later plot?

Ryuk’s final tag moves from commentary to action - the notebook drop. Rem’s attention to human love foreshadows her later sacrifice.

Are there language versions?

Yes - the show has Japanese and Korean productions, and Portuguese adaptations have been performed and recorded in Brazil.

What’s the performance sweet spot for singers?

Keep diction crisp and the irony dry. Let the line do the judging - no need to oversell the punchlines.

Awards and Chart Positions

While this duet did not chart as a standalone single, it has earned notable visibility:

Additional Info

Development began in 2013, with a New York workshop in 2014 and the Tokyo premiere in April 2015. The English demo releases were part of the promotional drumbeat. The London concert in 2023 brought the material to a packed Palladium and a swift West End transfer - proof the score travels. As Playbill and West End trade press outlined at the time, the English staging gathered a cross-Atlantic cast to reframe the property for audiences more used to manga and anime than mega-musicals.

Language travel matters here. Beyond the Japanese and Korean runs, Brazilian artists have built Portuguese versions for local stagings and studio tracks, confirming how the duet’s clean construction adapts to new syllabic stress and rhyme.

Sources

Wikipedia, Playbill, West End Theatre, FrankWildhorn.com, Death Note Wiki, YouTube