# Yoko Takahashi

Yoko Takahashi (高橋 洋子, Takahashi Yōko, born August 28, 1966) is a Japanese singer, who is best known for her work throughout the 1990s, most particularly for her singles which were performed for and featured in anime, most notably the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise.

## Early life

Takahashi began learning piano from her father at the age of two, and was a member of the Takinogawa Boys and Girls Choir when she was in elementary school. At the age of ten, she participated in an image album for Osamu Tezuka's work. In high school, she formed a band. In college, she was active in a light music club and aimed to become an opera singer.
Her younger brother is composer Gou Takahashi. His wife, Arimi Matsuno, is her sister-in-law. She has an older sister who is a voice trainer. She also has an older brother. Her parents are from Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture. Her paternal grandfather was a palace carpenter.

## Career

Takahashi began her career in 1991, and released her first album, Pizzicato, in 1992, which reached #28 on the Oricon weekly charts. In the following years, she released the albums Kugatsu no Sotsugyō which charted, and Watashi wo Mitsukete, which did not achieve the same success of her previous albums.
In 1995, she released the single "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (残酷な天使のテーゼ, Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze), which was used as the opening song in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The song has received gold and platinum certifications, charted on the Oricon weekly chart numerous times, and has frequently been cited as one of the most influential songs used in anime. She has remixed and released several versions of the single, which have been met with the same commercial success.
In 1996, she released the album Living with Joy. Following her achievements with music, she continued to release singles and albums throughout the 2000s and 2010s, for which she was met with mixed success.
Takahashi's other works in anime includes performing an "acid bossa" version of "Fly Me to the Moon", and Tamashii No Refrain, the closing theme of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.
She also performed "Metamorphose", the opening theme to studio Gainax's 20th anniversary series, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, the ending theme "Yoake Umarekuru Shōjo" (夜明け生まれ来る少女, "The Girl Who was Born at Dawn") for the anime Shakugan no Shana (灼眼のシャナ, "Blazing-Eyed Shana"), and the opening theme "Aoki Flamme" (蒼き炎, Aoki Honō, "Blue Flame") for Pumpkin Scissors (パンプキン・シザーズ, Panpukin Shizāzu).

## Discography
### Albums
#### Studio albums

| Year | Information | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks |
| Year | Information | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly |
| 1992 | Pizzicato Released: October 21, 1992 | — | 75 | — | — |
| 1993 | Kugatsu no Sotsugyō Released: August 25, 1993 | — | 85 | — | — |
| 1994 | Watashi wo Mitsukete Released: November 26, 1994 | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | Living with Joy Released: October 25, 1996 | — | — | — | — |
| 1997 | ~refrain~ The songs were inspired by Evangelion Released: November 6, 1997 | — | 6 | — | 193 |
| 1997 | Li-La Released: November 6, 1997 | — | 10 | — | — |
| 1999 | HARMONIUM Released: March 17, 1999 | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | AÜM Released: October 2, 2001 | — | — | — | — |
| 2003 | L'ange de métamorphose Released: May 23, 2003 | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | Sore wa Toki ni Anata wo Hagemashi, Toki ni Sasae to Naru Mono Released: December 7, 2005 | — | 90 | — | — |
| 2010 | 20th Century Boys & Girls ~20 Seiki Shounen Shoujo~ Released: June 23, 2010 | — | 152 | — | — |
| 2013 | Uchu no Uta Released: August 8, 2013 | — | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 20th Century Boys & Girls 2 ~20 Seiki Shounen Shoujo 2~ Released: April 22, 2015 | — | — | — | — |
| 2015 | Koi ni Samusa wo Wasure Released: November 20, 2015 | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | EVANGELION EXTREME Released: May 22, 2019 | — | — | — | — |

#### Compilation albums

| Year | Information | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks |
| Year | Information | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly |
| 1996 | BEST PIECES Released: January 25, 1996 | — | 65 | — | — |
| 1999 | BEST PIECES II Released: February 24, 1999 | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | Super Value Released: December 19, 2001 | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | Golden Best Released: February 25, 2004 | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Takahashi Yoko Best 10 Released: January 17, 2007 | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | Essential Best Released: December 19, 2007 | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Best Selection Released: November 7, 2008 | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | YOKO SINGS FOREVER Released: March 22, 2017 | — | — | — | — |

### Singles
#### Maxi Singles

| Year | Title | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Album |
| Year | Title | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly | Album |
| 1991 | "Okaeri" | — | — | — | — | Pizzicato |
| 1991 | "P.S. I miss you" | — | 87 | — | — | Pizzicato |
| 1992 | "SI-JI-MA" | — | — | — | — | Silent Möbius Memorial Best PANDORA DISC |
| 1992 | "Mou Ichido Aitakute" | — | 38 | — | — | Pizzicato |
| 1992 | "Woman's Love" | — | — | — | — | Pizzicato |
| 1993 | "Blue no Tsubasa" | — | 66 | — | — | Kyuugatsu no Sotsugyou |
| 1994 | "Omoide Yori Tooku" | — | — | — | — | Essential Best |
| 1994 | "$1,000,000 no Koi" | — | — | — | — | Watashi wo Mitsukete |
| 1994 | "Ano Koro ni Machi Awase You" | — | — | — | — | Watashi wo Mitsukete |
| 1994 | "Moonlight Epicurian" | — | — | — | — | Watashi wo Mitsukete |
| 1995 | "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis" | — | 27 | — | 156 | NEON GENESIS EVANGELION |
| 1996 | "Meguriai" | — | — | — | — | Living with Joy |
| 1996 | "Atarashii Shirt" | — | — | — | — | Living with Joy |
| 1997 | "Tamashii no Refrain" | — | 3 | — | 41 | ~refrain~ The songs were inspired by Evangelion |
| 1998 | (The title is unknown) | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999 | "We're the One" | — | — | — | — | HARMONIUM |
| 2002 | "Kokoro no Tsubasa" | — | — | — | — | L'ange de métamorphose |
| 2005 | "WING" | — | 97 | — | — | Sore wa Toki ni Anata wo Hagemashi, Toki ni Sasae to Naru Mono |
| 2005 | "Yoake Umarekuru Shoujo" | — | 21 | — | — | Sore wa Toki ni Anata wo Hagemashi, Toki ni Sasae to Naru Mono |
| 2006 | "Aoki Flamme" | — | 42 | — | — | YOKO SINGS FOREVER |
| 2008 | "Seinaru Itami wo Daite" | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | "Kizu Darake no Yume" | — | 174 | — | — | — |
| 2009 | "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis (2009 Version)" | — | 22 | — | — | 20th Century Boys & Girls ~20 Seiki Shounen Shoujo~ |
| 2010 | "Doukoku he no Monologue" | — | 35 | — | — | EVANGELION EXTREME |
| 2012 | "Wing Wanderer" | — | — | — | — | Project X Zone (Main Theme) |
| 2013 | "Shibashi Sora ni Inorite" | — | 86 | — | — | EVANGELION EXTREME |
| 2015 | "Shinjitsu no Mokushiroku" | 30 | 39 | — | — | — |
| 2017 | "Welcome to the stage!" | — | 104 | — | — | — |
| 2018 | "Zankoku na tenshi no Thesis/Tamashī no Refrain" | — | 36 | — | — | — |

#### Split Singles

| Year | Title | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Album |
| Year | Title | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly | Album |
| 1995 | "FLY ME TO THE MOON" | — | 52 | — | — | Living with Joy |
| 1995 | "Zankoku na tenshi no Thesis/FLY ME TO THE MOON" | — | 17 | — | — | NEON GENESIS EVANGELION |
| 2003 | "Zankoku na tenshi no Thesis/FLY ME TO THE MOON" | — | 41 | — | — | NEON GENESIS EVANGELION |
| 2004 | "metamorphose/Natsuiro no Kakera" | — | 23 | — | — | Sore wa Toki ni Anata wo Hagemashi, Toki ni Sasae to Naru Mono |
| 2006 | "Tamashī no Refrain/THANATOS -IF I CAN'T BE YOURS-" | — | 39 | — | — | NEON GENESIS EVANGELION DECADE |

#### As YAWMIN

| Year | Title | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Oricon chart peaks | Album |
| Year | Title | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly | Album |
| 1991 | "Friends" | — | 18 | — | — | — |
| 1993 | "Koi da!! Panic" | — | 64 | — | — | — |

##### Footnotes

* — = N/A

### Other songs
#### Solo works

| Year | Title | Album | Track |
| 1989 | "Maybe" | Silent Mobius Music Album "Caution" | #05 |
| 1989 | "Cherry no Manma (Cherryのまんま)" | Doki² Waku² Sound Station | #10 |
| 1989 | "Mystic Eyes... Ai wa Count Down (MYSTIC EYES…愛はCOUNT DOWN)" | B Gata Doumei Music Album | #05 |
| 1990 | "Lonely Afternoon (ロンリー・アフタヌーン)" | Menomae no Ninjin | #07 |
| 1991 | "Mystic Eyes... Ai wa Count Down (Remix)" | B Gata Doumei Another Music | #06 |
| 1995 | "Fly me to the moon -acid bossa version-" | Neon Genesis Evangelion OST | #23 |
| 1996 | "Yokan (予感)" | NEON GENESIS EVANGELION II | #01 |
| 1996 | "Shiawase wa tsumi no nioi (幸せは罪の匂い)" | NEON GENESIS EVANGELION III | #01 |
| 1996 | "Mugenhouyou (無限抱擁)" | NEON GENESIS EVANGELION III | #02 |
| 1996 | "Kibun wo Kaeyou! (気分を変えよう!)" | Fortune Quest Gaiden original sound collection | #01 |
| 1998 | "Fushigi na Melmo (ふしぎなメルモ)" | Fukkoku Tezuka Osamu Sakuhin Kessakusyu | #18 |
| 1999 | "Shinkirou (蜃気楼)" | Tribute to Rebecca~Dream Discovery | #10 |
| 2000 | "Lullaby no Yume (ララバイの夢)" | Snuggle Up | #10 |
| 2001 | "Shirokuro Tsukete Kudasai (シロクロつけてくだサイ)" | NHK 「Mushimaro Q Gold 2000」 Dai Q ~Hara, Ippai, Hetta~ | #03 |
| 2002 | "We'll Be Together -2002-" | Aquarian Age Saga II Image Album | #11 |
| 2003 | "Change My Heart (Qwerty Mix)" | Aquarian Age Saga II ~Don't forget me...~ OST | #01 |
| 2003 | "Change My Heart" | Aquarian Age Saga II ~Don't forget me...~ OST | #34 |
| 2003 | "Nijiiro Yumeiro Taikoiro (虹色・夢色・太鼓色)" | Taiko no Tatsujin Blue | #01 |
| 2005 | "Kocchi Wo Muite Charmy (こっちをむいてチャーミー)" | — | — |
| 2005 | "Nijiiro Yumeiro Taikoiro long version (虹色・夢色・太鼓色 (ロングバージョン))" | Taiko no Tatsujin Tobikkiri Anime Special Dainesshu Utamatsuri | #23 |
| 2011 | "Iroha ni ho he to (いろはにほへと)" | — | — |
| 2013 | "Extase" | "Shiro's Songbook 'Xpressions'" | Disc2 #14 |
| 2014 | "Tamashī no Refrain (TeddyLoid Remix)" | Tamashī no Refrain (TeddyLoid Remix) | #1 |
| 2015 | "Evolve" | — | — |
| 2016 | "Tamashī no Refrain (inu crabMixx) (魂のルフラン (inu crabMixx))" | Re:animation Presents Re:Boots Legendary Animesong Remixes | #5 |
| 2016 | "Zankoku na tenshi no Thesis (inu crabMixx) (残酷な天使のテーゼ (inu crabMixx))" | Re:animation Presents Re:Boots Legendary Animesong Remixes | #6 |
| 2017 | "TENSIONS – he who pays the piper" | SHIRO'S SONGBOOK The Hidden Wonder of Music | #12 |
| 2017 | "Silver Jaguar no Theme (シルバージャガーのテーマ)" | Sōji Ushio (Tomio Sagisu) Zenkyoku-Shū (うしおそうじ (鷺巣富雄) ピープロ全曲集) | Disc5 #1 |
| 2017 | "0-sen Hayato (0戦はやと)" | Sōji Ushio (Tomio Sagisu) Zenkyoku-Shū (うしおそうじ (鷺巣富雄) ピープロ全曲集) | Disc5 #6 |
| 2017 | "Magma Taishi (マグマ大使)" | Sōji Ushio (Tomio Sagisu) Zenkyoku-Shū (うしおそうじ (鷺巣富雄) ピープロ全曲集) | Disc5 #8 |
| 2017 | "Yadamon no Uta (Shiro-Kuro-Uta Iri) (ヤダモンの歌 (白黒歌入り))" | Sōji Ushio (Tomio Sagisu) Zenkyoku-Shū (うしおそうじ (鷺巣富雄) ピープロ全曲集) | Disc5 #11 |
| 2017 | "Yadamon no Uta (Irotsuki-Uta Iri) (ヤダモンの歌 (色つき歌入り))" | Sōji Ushio (Tomio Sagisu) Zenkyoku-Shū (うしおそうじ (鷺巣富雄) ピープロ全曲集) | Disc5 #13 |
| 2018 | "T.o.k.y.o" | Beat Piano Music 3 | #5 |
| 2018 | "A Merry Christmas to you" | TWIN GUITAR3 〜cosmic balloon〜 | #12 |
| 2018 | "TENSIONS alterna 2018" | Anison Roku plus (アニソン録 プラス。) | Disc4 #6 |

#### As YAUMIN

| Year | Title | Album | Track |
| 1992 | "Touch me Softly -English version-" | Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Sound Phase 0I | #04 |
| 1992 | "In The Fluffy Moon Nite -English version-" | Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Sound Phase 0I | #07 |
| 1993 | "Rainbow Sky (レインボウスカイ)" | Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Sound Phase 0III | #10 |

#### As featured artist

| Year | Title | Album | Track |
| 1996 | "Lost Paradise" (with Megumi Ogata) | Tajuu Jinkaku | #07 |
| 1999 | "Utsukushii Hito" (with Masayasu Gyōten) | Le Bel Homme image album | #18 |
| 2008 | "Hello, My Friend" (with Inagaki Junichi) | Otoko to Onna -Two Hearts, Two Voices- | #01 |
| 2013 | "Kuchibiru yo atsuku kimi wo katare" (with Inagaki Junichi) | Otoko to Onna 4 -Two Hearts, Two Voices- | #06 |
| 2013 | "Peaceful Times_the London-Tokyo meeting" (with Hazel Fernandes) | Shiro's Songbook 'Xpressions' | Disc1 #04 |