A data recording apparatus of the present invention includes a head that records data signals by magnetizing a magnetic tape 10 and a recording control portion that controls the recording operation by causing recording current to flow to the head. The recording control portion controls the operation of the head, so that in the magnetic tape 10, which is direct current demagnetized continuously in the longitudinal direction, a magnetic field is formed intermittently in an opposite direction to the magnetization direction of the direct current demagnetization. Thus, when recording data signals on the magnetic recording medium, it is possible to make the current flowing to the head small and to realize apparatus power consumption reductions, load reductions for the head and circuitry, and reduction in crosstalk noise from the head chip used for writing to the head chip used for reading.