Probably when I first heard the battle music J.E.N.O.V.A. It's a stunning, thrilling track I would love as a ringtone. You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet (ancient city) and The Great Northern Crater are both incredibly atmospheric in different ways. (I used to play a selection of tracks from the 4-CD set as writing music.)
Under the Rotting Pizza (I just learned that was the name of the song a few seconds ago 😅) For some reason that song is just so perfect for that moment in the game, it even stuck out to me as a kid when I first played it. Something about how all the dissonance builds and builds and then goes back to the funky bass line. So good.
@@JustinKahrs Agree. That's the first song I think of when playing the game. I think it first appears when leaving the church with Aeris. I also like the variation of her theme played at her house and I think the church (title - Flowers blooming in the church).
I think the Main Theme I mean it's crazy how the main part is in Emaj, then by the middle section your in Gmaj, and then by the end it does this weird but very cool half step minor movement. Amazing piece of music. I agree with you I think he's one of the greatest composers of all time. Aerith's Theme is also a timeless piece, there's so many.... Listen To The Cries Of The Planet, In Search Of The Man In Black, Anxiety, of course Cosmo Canyon. This was dope thanks man.
There are SO many memorable musical moments in this game for me. They hold such significant meanings and are far beyond just the normal nostalgic feeling. One moment is when (*spoiler alert*) Aerith dies and immediately afterwards, we fight Jenova. That was the first time i've ever felt mourning and loss within a video game. Another moment was when we hear the main theme alongside the world map for the first time. Something about walking on the map and hearing the main theme is just profound. There's a sense of excitement and mystery ahead that gives the game life!
It's interesting how the music has outlived the game in many ways. I saw Distant Worlds performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and I was amazed how many people were there, and how moving it was.
Ya I remember being at the exploded reactor and after you come back out you meet the turks well I hadn't been healing so he kod cloud and red and it was just him and Tifa he just let me attack over and over lol
I’ve never subscribed so fast! Aerith’s theme in judgement day was never something I picked up on, that made me tear up all over again. Thanks for the video!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I really wanted to do justice to this game because I know how adored it is by fans - me included. So it's good to hear that you got some value out of watching. Thanks for the sub :)
@@theartofstorytelling1 keep it up on the videos! I love LOTR and SW too, and really enjoy your videos that talk about what we enjoy and love about them whole which in itself serves as a gentle critique of what we’ve been getting recently. I’m all for fan service, but I feel that none of it is even fan service if the storytelling isn’t there.
You just made my day. Was 10 years old when I played FFVII for the first of many times, it will always have a special place in my heart - and now I know even better why. Thank you.
I was a little older I think - around 14. But it hugely affected me actually. The game has so much heart, and so many interesting ideas in it. It really opened my mind to a bigger world beyond my little suburban life. I have so much nostalgia for this game and its music, as do millions. A couple years back I saw the soundtrack performed by the Vancouver Symphony orchestra, and guess who was the surprise guest. NOBUO HIMSELF. I take no shame in telling you I cried seeing him in person.
@@theartofstorytelling1 Wow that sounds amazing. Would have loved to be there. Quick follow-up: Do you happen to have any opinions on the remake series or even it's music? As a die hard fanboy, I obviously had to leap onto that nostalgia and play the games. I enjoyed it and I can appreciate the twists and turns the story suddenly takes. But I also can't shake of the impression that a big marketing stunt is being shoved in my face.
I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time with this soundtrack, and have arranged and recorded acoustic guitar covers of over 30+ songs from it, and this still boggled my mind! Great video!
@@theartofstorytelling1I’d love longer videos of this kind of stuff. Happily subscribed. Also, the channel 8-bit Music Theory has some similarly fascinating dives into Uematsu’s music. There’s a really good episode on leitmotifs in FF6.
What a lovely video. Great to see you covering FF7. When Final Fantasy was at its height, it had so much to teach us about storytelling (in a good way). And those lessons and memories live on. Sometimes they're given power again through videos like this. And people return to those games to feel the magic again.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. And yes I've returned to this game many times over the years and I always enjoy it. In fact I appreciate the story more as I get older.
I played this game over 20 years ago. Fell in love with it and its music, probably my most played soundtrack ever, and it keeps surprising me, such a masterpiece on its own. Great analysis, thank you for sharing!! ❤
After one video essay, I'm already a fan. Your production is so thoughtful and well-crafted. You can see similar use of allusive motifs in the Remake soundtrack, too--Flowers Blooming in the Church evokes Lifestream at just the perfect moment.
Game music peaked around the ps 1 era, everyone always talks about the leap to 3D graphics, but this generation had incredible programmed / midi soundtracks. Afterwards it was mostly CD quality audio, licensed songs, or classical music. Nobuo Uematsu really is able to deliver catchy rock tunes (the battles tunes never get boring), but also has deep understanding of classical music with its subtle and precise changes.
I know exactly what you means. I have a soft spot for the older midi sound, and the 16-bit stuff. I think there's a kind of bias we have of not thinking of them as "real" instruments, which is silly because they are sounds just like any other. The clarinet and oboe sounds in FF7 are gorgeous! And in many ways I think that music pioneered a lot of electronic music that came later - especially Jenova's theme and the motorcycle one.
@@theartofstorytelling1 I read Nobuo Uematsu wished he had used higher quality samples in hindsight, I see what he means, but that is part of the charm. It does make a huge difference though, back in the day I always thought Final Fantasy Tactics was CD audio and FF7 was midi, just because FFT had better sample quality apparently. Yeah people like to look down on game music, while praising film music. Games like FF7, FFT, Secret of Mana etc had a much deeper impact on me, than any film, in big part due to the music.
I have played this game so many times and I have studied and transcribed plenty of the music too but damn you impressed me with your findings. This is my favorite game and for so many reasons
Thanks for saying so! It's nice to meet someone else who has the same love for this music. Honestly it's the main reason I even play piano to begin with. I was always so bored with my piano lessons, but I loved trying to figure out these songs when I was learning. They're so rich and complex. Hard to explain what it is that makes them great actually. Just some kind of magic. Thanks for watching and I hope you'll re-visit the channel.
I won't claim this for all story-focused media/games, but for most JRPGs and espeically the Final Fantasy series. I believe that music is almost the most important factor in making the story work, resonant for the audience and to sell a scene. You take out the music and I don't believe most if not any scene would hit as hard and you would also strip out the core identity of the work. Whenever I want to reminisce my experience with Final Fantasy VII, it's usually listening to track like the world-map theme that takes me back, that's how important music is to storytelling.
Yep, and I would add that now with voice acting in modern games, you have several side effects impacting the storytelling: - less story overall as it adds text and increase the budget for actors, as well as increase a lot the duration of the game (it's way faster to read than to wait for lines to be acted) - less room for the music as it is not anymore at the forefront. Maybe that's why I think there are less motifs in modern gaming
I played FF7 for the first time when I was 9 years old and it expanded my mind. The music was a huge part of that. It taught me about how music can convey emotions, mood and atmosphere. The music in FF7 creates the scene. Uematsu is a master.
I know what you mean about the mind expansion. I was just a kid living in the suburbs. This game felt like another planet - a totally different cultural experience that anything I saw on TV. Definitely opened my mind to bigger world of ideas.
I really enjoy this channel and to see you cover my favorite game ever just made me day. I actually didn’t pick up on the Shinra bit in Barrett’s theme so that it just awesome to learn.
Thanks! I actually didn't realize it either until I started working on this video and specifically looking for motifs. That chord - the minor/major7 - pops up everywhere in the soundtrack, showing the reach of Shinra and their evil-doings.
Truly well done breakdown and expanding of our understanding of the greatness of FF7 storytelling through the music motifs. You said it would be in the beginning and I was intrigued to see how as a life long fan and watcher of TH-cam video breakdowns of FF7
I can still remember as a teenager how weird it was to be playing a game where I had an emotional attachment to the characters, and all that happened within the first 15 minutes of the game. I especially remember how meeting Aerith and visiting her home and her mom felt somehow intimate, vulnerable, and fragile. In days since, I've listened to the soundtrack a million times, but back then I wasn't even a musician. But you don't have to be a musician for the music to bypass your conscious mind and insert its message right into your heart.
Never noticed that about Judgement Day! I could always tell subconsciously that it was related to the wider soundtrack but never consciously thought about it or made the connection with Aerith's theme. Thank you for that!
this is such an interesting mix of connections I knew, connections I struggle to hear but can just about register, and things where I think my brain had registered a connection but I never quite consciously realised! Seems like a good edit on the vid too!
My first console was a PS2 and my first FF game was FFX. I loved the score so much. I remember grinding away at the game so I could unlock the soundtrack scores one by one and listen to them in the digital amphitheater. If i remember correctly you could listen to them with Dolby 5.1 if you used the optical out signal from the PS2. I loved it so much I went back and played the other FF games. I also had the honor of attending a FF concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle where they played FF greatest hits to game visuals on the screen.
Interesting! Someone in the comments pointed out to me that Jenova's theme is also just the descending part of Prelude. How deep does this rabbit hole go?!??!
Absolute favorite videogame soundtrack ever. The number of repeated themes or modified motifs makes it absolutely unbeatable. I still sometimes find little threads that connect disparate songs to this day. Could watch a much longer analysis :) great work
Even some of the little chops he uses to make themes. Jenova is just the descending part of the main Final Fantasy arpeggio and Jenova Absolute is the normal battle theme chopped and changed. So much care clearly went into this entire soundtrack.
Great video!!! I love seeing my favorite game talked about (og ff7) but i love more hearing it's amazing music being gushed over. This games ost is rhe reason i got into making instrumental music and one of my first ever "this music is so good its making me violently vibrate" moments was hearing cids theme for the first time and then when i realozed sending a dream into the universe was also that track but different i began getting an idea for leitmotifs years before i knew what they were called Love this ost so much
I'm trying to make the videos that I wish existed on TH-cam haha. No detail is too obscure to be analyzed and understood, and appreciated, especially in music. And especially in this game!
this sort of video scratches a wonderfully nuanced itch. thank you so much my dude. More people need to know how intentional music amplifies the gaming and movie experience.
I'm usually not one for commenting, but your this and The Matrix video are absolutely outstanding, and I'm super thankful to see such music to media ideas explained and covered. Please keep up the good work. I would love a video on the music of Babel (by Ryuichi Sakamoto), Akira or Cowboy Bebop (there are some particularly juicy ideas on both those titles).
Thanks for saying so! I'm still fairly new to TH-cam so words of encouragement are great to hear. I've been unsure about how much I want the channel to get into the "musical storytelling" side of things, but so far it seems like enough people are enjoying it that I should make more. :)
I found your channel this month because it popped into my mind that I should think about story telling to be a better composer/musician. I am one of those obsessed with Uematsu's work. I feel that I was telepathically drawn to your channel. Lol
Thanks friends! One thing I've learned in my short time as a TH-camr so far is that the algorithm is shockingly good at finding the right audience for a video. However it happened, I'm glad you got some value out of checking out my videos, and I hope you'll stick around for more. :)
The insights on this channel I discovered yesterday have stuck with me. I'm not into video games but I appreciate the breadth of the topics here. I came here to write this: I would love to see you analyze TV shows, especially dream sequences and discuss how effective they are. For example, A show like Mr. Robot uses surreal storytelling devices. It would be cool to see how you unpack these 'departures from coherent logic'
Thanks for the request, and for your kind words about the channel. The concept of my channel is that I don't discriminate between any storytelling formats - games, TV, movies, books. It could be interpretive dance. Anything that moves us with a story, I want to explore in my videos, so your comment is right in line with what I want to do.
The mood here is good. Good aesthetic texture and tone. The discussion of themes resonates. Educational! Comparing the hit shows of the last 2 decades would be valuable. Media is veering off into a strange course, as you have indeed reflected on in the Star Wars & Rings of Power vids. The Sopranos, for me, is a masterpiece. Iconic and strange, in how it was ahead of it's time. Comparing Sopranos x Mad Men x Breaking Bad , beckons curiosity. A study in different subgenres of Realism, perhaps. Cheers!
FF7 soundtrack is one of the most amazing of any game I've played. I'm not well versed in musical theory but as you said, the ear recognises a lot of the motifs throughout the various tracks
I'm currently going through the remake right now, and it's funny because today it hit me that the battle theme shares a bit of overlap with the theme that plays in the slums section of the game. In the battle music, it's played very prominently, but in the slums version it's part of the bassline. Very different pieces, but that link is super, super neat. FF VII has such an incredible soundtrack. My favorite piece of Final Fantasy music, though, is Final Fantasy VIII's Balamb Garden theme. It's just beautiful.
Subscribed! I love this game deeply, and I appreciate how you explained things I was not aware of in the woven narratives in the musical themes, and I also appreciate how you played it on that little piano. Keep up the great work.
I love your exploration of the motifs here. So good! Even with all the great love and analysis of FF7 over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this angle covered, and this is fantastic!
Alright, friend. I'm sold and subbed! This is the kinda stuff I've been trying to explain for two decades but am just not anywhere near as articulate or musically inclined. Thank you! Looking forward to more breakdowns.
Thanks for the sub! This was my first shot at doing this kind of video on the channel, and I'm excited to do more. Chrono Trigger, FF6, FF8, Ocarina Of Time, etc. There's so much inspiring musical storytelling in the world of classic games. See you next time :)
This was an excellent video and very well explained. I just tagged my favorite Final Fantasy content creators on Twitter with a link because I think some of them would really enjoy this. Edit: I was going to tag you on twitter in the post as well, but don't happen see a twitter name in your YT about page.
This is so good, thank you 🙌 this is where I think the remake went wrong. Wayy too many liberties taken with revisiting this literal perfect source OST.
I assume you've heard the Distant Worlds version. I saw it performed live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra a few years back. Honestly, it could stand alongside anything by Stravinsky or Beethoven, and arguably even advances the art. So much originality, and so well executed. It sounds like pure unbridled madness.
Great video! I'd like to add as well, on the FFVII Main Theme, Nobuo used a 7th interval (E going to D#) from the first note/chord leading up to the next chord change. Coincidence using 7th for FFVII? I think not. Great observation on Judgment Day and Aerith's Theme. I thought I was the only one who heard the resemblance but when you played it on the keyboard, it became more obvious. From a musical storytelling standpoint, that was pure genius. It's kinda like foreshadowing that Aerith in the lifestream will interfere with the events of the Judgment Day to save the planet, wow. Shinra's theme included on Barret's theme was an eye opener for me wow. Looking forward to more of your videos!
Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I did a lot of deep listening and playing along to the soundtrack before making this video, and I was surprised at some of the connections I heard. There's probably a lot more. There was so much minor/major7, which is interesting. The "mystery" chord. Honestly it appears so often in the soundtrack I have to wonder if that was also an intentional decision.
i listen to this music since i was 14 in 1997 and never thought about most of your findings. thats the difference between a consumer and a creator i guess. i just catch up on similar notes in music when i hear them in movies or shows and i think this is FF :)
Excellent video, and I agree... one of the greatest composers of all time. I do believe VI is his magnum opus, particularly the Ending Theme medley and ending. Now... pronounce his name oo-Eh-Matsu and you get all the points!! :D
The music of FF7 just triggers an avalanche (hah) of emotions in me, every time I hear it. At this point it's probably about much more than just the game and the music, but our childhood/youth now long gone
@@theartofstorytelling1 and not just nostalgia for the game but for the 90's in general. I'm English and we were having a blast. There was Brit Pop art and music and the counter culture of illegal raves and free parties! And ofc the games!!! Civilisation, Ultima, Wipeout, MGS, Zelda, Half Life and ofc Final Fantasy!
Wow man, you were not lying; great observations. It isn't just his excellent themes, but how he weaves them throughout as motifs. I never consciously noticed any of the examples you gave, even though I've listened to the music countless times. Also, I've seen story analysts, and music analysts, and while each does dip a little bit into the other topic as part of their analyses, I haven't watched any that fuse the two as much as this. (Aside, ever listen to Yasunori Nishiki's work in the game Octopath Traveler? It is a master's course in themes unto itself. And while the game is fun and pretty, it's too bad the stories are just too disparate to have even close to the same impact as FF7.)
You raise a good point, that a good soundtrack depends on a good story. In the case of FF7, I feel like Nobuo had a lot of material to work with, and was probably inspired by its bravery in taking on some very heavy issues.
another thing that i heard while playing the remake was that the beat or rhythm in the avalanche them was very similar to judgement day. i think that judgement day in remake will be a "medley" of sorts of all the themes.
Thanks so much! I've already started learning a bunch of Chrono songs on the piano so I can really do it justice. There is SO much great music to choose from in that game. One thing I'm finding is that I really want a full keyboard for that one, so I might have to rig up and overhead camera on my full size piano. We'll see how it goes haha.Thanks for visiting the channel and I hope to see you back.
That thought crossed my mind as I was working on this. I haven't had a chance to play it through yet. I know I will someday, probably when the third part is released. Everything I've seen of it looks amazing, and it feels like the fans have given it their blessing, which is a MAJOR achievement.
Definitely play it. Part one and two are absolutely amazing imo. Also the use of music and the variations on existing themes is stunning. I think you'll really like what they have done
07:33 I thought for sure you were about to say "...would not be complete without a message from today's sponsor", hahaha. Great video, wish it was five hours long and covered the whole soundtrack (do it!)
What are your favourite musical moments in the game?
Probably when I first heard the battle music J.E.N.O.V.A. It's a stunning, thrilling track I would love as a ringtone. You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet (ancient city) and The Great Northern Crater are both incredibly atmospheric in different ways. (I used to play a selection of tracks from the 4-CD set as writing music.)
Under the Rotting Pizza (I just learned that was the name of the song a few seconds ago 😅)
For some reason that song is just so perfect for that moment in the game, it even stuck out to me as a kid when I first played it. Something about how all the dissonance builds and builds and then goes back to the funky bass line. So good.
@@JustinKahrs Agree. That's the first song I think of when playing the game. I think it first appears when leaving the church with Aeris. I also like the variation of her theme played at her house and I think the church (title - Flowers blooming in the church).
I think the Main Theme I mean it's crazy how the main part is in Emaj, then by the middle section your in Gmaj, and then by the end it does this weird but very cool half step minor movement. Amazing piece of music. I agree with you I think he's one of the greatest composers of all time. Aerith's Theme is also a timeless piece, there's so many.... Listen To The Cries Of The Planet, In Search Of The Man In Black, Anxiety, of course Cosmo Canyon. This was dope thanks man.
There are SO many memorable musical moments in this game for me. They hold such significant meanings and are far beyond just the normal nostalgic feeling. One moment is when (*spoiler alert*) Aerith dies and immediately afterwards, we fight Jenova. That was the first time i've ever felt mourning and loss within a video game. Another moment was when we hear the main theme alongside the world map for the first time. Something about walking on the map and hearing the main theme is just profound. There's a sense of excitement and mystery ahead that gives the game life!
This is why FF7 will always be my most favourite of the series. The music alone is enough for me.
It's interesting how the music has outlived the game in many ways. I saw Distant Worlds performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and I was amazed how many people were there, and how moving it was.
This is blowing my mind. Kind of like when i learned that Rude was coded to try and never attack Tifa in the original.
He won't attack Aerith either
Omg I didn't know that lol. Such attention to detail!
Ya I remember being at the exploded reactor and after you come back out you meet the turks well I hadn't been healing so he kod cloud and red and it was just him and Tifa he just let me attack over and over lol
I’ve never subscribed so fast! Aerith’s theme in judgement day was never something I picked up on, that made me tear up all over again. Thanks for the video!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I really wanted to do justice to this game because I know how adored it is by fans - me included. So it's good to hear that you got some value out of watching. Thanks for the sub :)
Same
I think Judgement Day has a bit of every character's theme meshed into it.
@@theartofstorytelling1 keep it up on the videos! I love LOTR and SW too, and really enjoy your videos that talk about what we enjoy and love about them whole which in itself serves as a gentle critique of what we’ve been getting recently. I’m all for fan service, but I feel that none of it is even fan service if the storytelling isn’t there.
You just made my day. Was 10 years old when I played FFVII for the first of many times, it will always have a special place in my heart - and now I know even better why. Thank you.
Same☺️✨️
I was a little older I think - around 14. But it hugely affected me actually. The game has so much heart, and so many interesting ideas in it. It really opened my mind to a bigger world beyond my little suburban life. I have so much nostalgia for this game and its music, as do millions. A couple years back I saw the soundtrack performed by the Vancouver Symphony orchestra, and guess who was the surprise guest. NOBUO HIMSELF. I take no shame in telling you I cried seeing him in person.
@@theartofstorytelling1 Wow that sounds amazing. Would have loved to be there.
Quick follow-up: Do you happen to have any opinions on the remake series or even it's music? As a die hard fanboy, I obviously had to leap onto that nostalgia and play the games. I enjoyed it and I can appreciate the twists and turns the story suddenly takes. But I also can't shake of the impression that a big marketing stunt is being shoved in my face.
The northern crater/Aerith is genius. I didn’t realize that until today. Earns you a sub.
I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time with this soundtrack, and have arranged and recorded acoustic guitar covers of over 30+ songs from it, and this still boggled my mind! Great video!
Great video. I could easily have watched an hour of this.
Interesting! I've wondered if this sort of thing should maybe be longer form. Maybe I'll do a deeper dive! Thanks for watching.
@@theartofstorytelling1I’d love longer videos of this kind of stuff. Happily subscribed.
Also, the channel 8-bit Music Theory has some similarly fascinating dives into Uematsu’s music. There’s a really good episode on leitmotifs in FF6.
Hearing the Sephiroth interval, in the anxiety piece when I was much younger, blew my mind. Nobuo was the reason I became a professional musician.
What a lovely video. Great to see you covering FF7. When Final Fantasy was at its height, it had so much to teach us about storytelling (in a good way). And those lessons and memories live on. Sometimes they're given power again through videos like this. And people return to those games to feel the magic again.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. And yes I've returned to this game many times over the years and I always enjoy it. In fact I appreciate the story more as I get older.
I played this game over 20 years ago. Fell in love with it and its music, probably my most played soundtrack ever, and it keeps surprising me, such a masterpiece on its own. Great analysis, thank you for sharing!! ❤
After one video essay, I'm already a fan. Your production is so thoughtful and well-crafted.
You can see similar use of allusive motifs in the Remake soundtrack, too--Flowers Blooming in the Church evokes Lifestream at just the perfect moment.
Game music peaked around the ps 1 era, everyone always talks about the leap to 3D graphics, but this generation had incredible programmed / midi soundtracks. Afterwards it was mostly CD quality audio, licensed songs, or classical music. Nobuo Uematsu really is able to deliver catchy rock tunes (the battles tunes never get boring), but also has deep understanding of classical music with its subtle and precise changes.
I know exactly what you means. I have a soft spot for the older midi sound, and the 16-bit stuff. I think there's a kind of bias we have of not thinking of them as "real" instruments, which is silly because they are sounds just like any other. The clarinet and oboe sounds in FF7 are gorgeous! And in many ways I think that music pioneered a lot of electronic music that came later - especially Jenova's theme and the motorcycle one.
@@theartofstorytelling1 I read Nobuo Uematsu wished he had used higher quality samples in hindsight, I see what he means, but that is part of the charm. It does make a huge difference though, back in the day I always thought Final Fantasy Tactics was CD audio and FF7 was midi, just because FFT had better sample quality apparently. Yeah people like to look down on game music, while praising film music. Games like FF7, FFT, Secret of Mana etc had a much deeper impact on me, than any film, in big part due to the music.
I have played this game so many times and I have studied and transcribed plenty of the music too but damn you impressed me with your findings. This is my favorite game and for so many reasons
Thanks for saying so! It's nice to meet someone else who has the same love for this music. Honestly it's the main reason I even play piano to begin with. I was always so bored with my piano lessons, but I loved trying to figure out these songs when I was learning. They're so rich and complex. Hard to explain what it is that makes them great actually. Just some kind of magic. Thanks for watching and I hope you'll re-visit the channel.
I won't claim this for all story-focused media/games, but for most JRPGs and espeically the Final Fantasy series. I believe that music is almost the most important factor in making the story work, resonant for the audience and to sell a scene. You take out the music and I don't believe most if not any scene would hit as hard and you would also strip out the core identity of the work. Whenever I want to reminisce my experience with Final Fantasy VII, it's usually listening to track like the world-map theme that takes me back, that's how important music is to storytelling.
Yep, and I would add that now with voice acting in modern games, you have several side effects impacting the storytelling:
- less story overall as it adds text and increase the budget for actors, as well as increase a lot the duration of the game (it's way faster to read than to wait for lines to be acted)
- less room for the music as it is not anymore at the forefront. Maybe that's why I think there are less motifs in modern gaming
I played FF7 for the first time when I was 9 years old and it expanded my mind. The music was a huge part of that. It taught me about how music can convey emotions, mood and atmosphere. The music in FF7 creates the scene. Uematsu is a master.
I know what you mean about the mind expansion. I was just a kid living in the suburbs. This game felt like another planet - a totally different cultural experience that anything I saw on TV. Definitely opened my mind to bigger world of ideas.
I hope this video gets a million views! Really well done
I really enjoy this channel and to see you cover my favorite game ever just made me day. I actually didn’t pick up on the Shinra bit in Barrett’s theme so that it just awesome to learn.
Thanks! I actually didn't realize it either until I started working on this video and specifically looking for motifs. That chord - the minor/major7 - pops up everywhere in the soundtrack, showing the reach of Shinra and their evil-doings.
I wish this video went on longer. I was enjoying it so much.
I loved this video. It’s also so great to see the piano alongside the chords at the same time
Truly well done breakdown and expanding of our understanding of the greatness of FF7 storytelling through the music motifs. You said it would be in the beginning and I was intrigued to see how as a life long fan and watcher of TH-cam video breakdowns of FF7
Yes, I do think that I know a lot about the game. Yes did learn things watching this that I didn't know. Thank you for the thought provoking video!
I can still remember as a teenager how weird it was to be playing a game where I had an emotional attachment to the characters, and all that happened within the first 15 minutes of the game. I especially remember how meeting Aerith and visiting her home and her mom felt somehow intimate, vulnerable, and fragile. In days since, I've listened to the soundtrack a million times, but back then I wasn't even a musician. But you don't have to be a musician for the music to bypass your conscious mind and insert its message right into your heart.
Never noticed that about Judgement Day! I could always tell subconsciously that it was related to the wider soundtrack but never consciously thought about it or made the connection with Aerith's theme. Thank you for that!
this is such an interesting mix of connections I knew, connections I struggle to hear but can just about register, and things where I think my brain had registered a connection but I never quite consciously realised! Seems like a good edit on the vid too!
My first console was a PS2 and my first FF game was FFX. I loved the score so much. I remember grinding away at the game so I could unlock the soundtrack scores one by one and listen to them in the digital amphitheater. If i remember correctly you could listen to them with Dolby 5.1 if you used the optical out signal from the PS2. I loved it so much I went back and played the other FF games. I also had the honor of attending a FF concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle where they played FF greatest hits to game visuals on the screen.
Sephiroth’s theme and Anxiety are also perversions of the Prelude
Interesting! Someone in the comments pointed out to me that Jenova's theme is also just the descending part of Prelude. How deep does this rabbit hole go?!??!
One of the best video game soundtrack of all time ❤
Absolute favorite videogame soundtrack ever. The number of repeated themes or modified motifs makes it absolutely unbeatable. I still sometimes find little threads that connect disparate songs to this day. Could watch a much longer analysis :) great work
Even some of the little chops he uses to make themes. Jenova is just the descending part of the main Final Fantasy arpeggio and Jenova Absolute is the normal battle theme chopped and changed. So much care clearly went into this entire soundtrack.
This is why the technically impressive music of the remake simply doesnt measure up. Music placement, restraint and intentionality is so important.
Uematsu is the greatest composer of all time. Period.
Great video!!! I love seeing my favorite game talked about (og ff7) but i love more hearing it's amazing music being gushed over. This games ost is rhe reason i got into making instrumental music and one of my first ever "this music is so good its making me violently vibrate" moments was hearing cids theme for the first time and then when i realozed sending a dream into the universe was also that track but different i began getting an idea for leitmotifs years before i knew what they were called
Love this ost so much
Has always...simply brilliant
that's my kind of content right here. subbed.
I'm trying to make the videos that I wish existed on TH-cam haha. No detail is too obscure to be analyzed and understood, and appreciated, especially in music. And especially in this game!
this sort of video scratches a wonderfully nuanced itch. thank you so much my dude. More people need to know how intentional music amplifies the gaming and movie experience.
Thanks so much for watching! Glad to hear you got some value out of it. :)
I'm usually not one for commenting, but your this and The Matrix video are absolutely outstanding, and I'm super thankful to see such music to media ideas explained and covered. Please keep up the good work. I would love a video on the music of Babel (by Ryuichi Sakamoto), Akira or Cowboy Bebop (there are some particularly juicy ideas on both those titles).
Thanks for saying so! I'm still fairly new to TH-cam so words of encouragement are great to hear. I've been unsure about how much I want the channel to get into the "musical storytelling" side of things, but so far it seems like enough people are enjoying it that I should make more. :)
I found your channel this month because it popped into my mind that I should think about story telling to be a better composer/musician. I am one of those obsessed with Uematsu's work. I feel that I was telepathically drawn to your channel. Lol
Thanks friends! One thing I've learned in my short time as a TH-camr so far is that the algorithm is shockingly good at finding the right audience for a video. However it happened, I'm glad you got some value out of checking out my videos, and I hope you'll stick around for more. :)
Top tier quality content, subscribed and eager to see more videos like that. Keep up the great work man !
Thanks for the words of encouragement, friend! My channel is still sorta new so it's really great to hear that. Keeps me going for the next one! :)
I don’t think I even realized all of this. Crazy.
The insights on this channel I discovered yesterday have stuck with me.
I'm not into video games but I appreciate the breadth of the topics here.
I came here to write this:
I would love to see you analyze TV shows, especially dream sequences and discuss how effective they are.
For example, A show like Mr. Robot uses surreal storytelling devices. It would be cool to see how you unpack these 'departures from coherent logic'
Thanks for the request, and for your kind words about the channel. The concept of my channel is that I don't discriminate between any storytelling formats - games, TV, movies, books. It could be interpretive dance. Anything that moves us with a story, I want to explore in my videos, so your comment is right in line with what I want to do.
The mood here is good. Good aesthetic texture and tone. The discussion of themes resonates. Educational!
Comparing the hit shows of the last 2 decades would be valuable. Media is veering off into a strange course, as you have indeed reflected on in the Star Wars & Rings of Power vids.
The Sopranos, for me, is a masterpiece. Iconic and strange, in how it was ahead of it's time. Comparing Sopranos x Mad Men x Breaking Bad , beckons curiosity. A study in different subgenres of Realism, perhaps.
Cheers!
A video like this for the kingdom hearts series would be 5x longer and my god I'd be there for every minute of it
What a video, a little mindblow here, some there.
FF7 soundtrack is one of the most amazing of any game I've played. I'm not well versed in musical theory but as you said, the ear recognises a lot of the motifs throughout the various tracks
There’s some great musical finds in here, nice stuff!
I'm currently going through the remake right now, and it's funny because today it hit me that the battle theme shares a bit of overlap with the theme that plays in the slums section of the game. In the battle music, it's played very prominently, but in the slums version it's part of the bassline. Very different pieces, but that link is super, super neat. FF VII has such an incredible soundtrack.
My favorite piece of Final Fantasy music, though, is Final Fantasy VIII's Balamb Garden theme. It's just beautiful.
Subscribed! I love this game deeply, and I appreciate how you explained things I was not aware of in the woven narratives in the musical themes, and I also appreciate how you played it on that little piano. Keep up the great work.
I love your exploration of the motifs here. So good! Even with all the great love and analysis of FF7 over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this angle covered, and this is fantastic!
Alright, friend. I'm sold and subbed!
This is the kinda stuff I've been trying to explain for two decades but am just not anywhere near as articulate or musically inclined. Thank you! Looking forward to more breakdowns.
Thanks for the sub! This was my first shot at doing this kind of video on the channel, and I'm excited to do more. Chrono Trigger, FF6, FF8, Ocarina Of Time, etc. There's so much inspiring musical storytelling in the world of classic games. See you next time :)
OK, so this video is extremely polished and has contains expert music theory analysis...yet it only has 2.7K views and 434 likes? That is _criminal_
This was an excellent video and very well explained. I just tagged my favorite Final Fantasy content creators on Twitter with a link because I think some of them would really enjoy this.
Edit: I was going to tag you on twitter in the post as well, but don't happen see a twitter name in your YT about page.
Nobuo is such an inspiration. My personal all time fave game composer - just barely topping Harry Gregson-Williams tbh.
Fantastic video. Subscribed. Please do more final fantasy content.
Everything about this game is genius and magic. ❤
Agreed, everything aligned on this one and they created magic.
This is so good, thank you 🙌 this is where I think the remake went wrong. Wayy too many liberties taken with revisiting this literal perfect source OST.
One winged angel is not just one of the best pieces of video game, music, but in all of music history.
I assume you've heard the Distant Worlds version. I saw it performed live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra a few years back. Honestly, it could stand alongside anything by Stravinsky or Beethoven, and arguably even advances the art. So much originality, and so well executed. It sounds like pure unbridled madness.
Great video! I'd like to add as well, on the FFVII Main Theme, Nobuo used a 7th interval (E going to D#) from the first note/chord leading up to the next chord change. Coincidence using 7th for FFVII? I think not.
Great observation on Judgment Day and Aerith's Theme. I thought I was the only one who heard the resemblance but when you played it on the keyboard, it became more obvious. From a musical storytelling standpoint, that was pure genius. It's kinda like foreshadowing that Aerith in the lifestream will interfere with the events of the Judgment Day to save the planet, wow. Shinra's theme included on Barret's theme was an eye opener for me wow.
Looking forward to more of your videos!
Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I did a lot of deep listening and playing along to the soundtrack before making this video, and I was surprised at some of the connections I heard. There's probably a lot more. There was so much minor/major7, which is interesting. The "mystery" chord. Honestly it appears so often in the soundtrack I have to wonder if that was also an intentional decision.
Amazing stuff. Kudos.
i listen to this music since i was 14 in 1997 and never thought about most of your findings. thats the difference between a consumer and a creator i guess. i just catch up on similar notes in music when i hear them in movies or shows and i think this is FF :)
Nice video man, subscribed.
Excellent video, and I agree... one of the greatest composers of all time. I do believe VI is his magnum opus, particularly the Ending Theme medley and ending. Now... pronounce his name oo-Eh-Matsu and you get all the points!! :D
Thank you.
The music of FF7 just triggers an avalanche (hah) of emotions in me, every time I hear it. At this point it's probably about much more than just the game and the music, but our childhood/youth now long gone
this is incredible! i had never noticed that theme in judgement day! Great spot! just gained a sub from me. :)
The nostalgia is real so very very real...
Trust me, I got emotional while researching this video haha. Definitely got back into playing the game a bit.
@@theartofstorytelling1 and not just nostalgia for the game but for the 90's in general. I'm English and we were having a blast. There was Brit Pop art and music and the counter culture of illegal raves and free parties! And ofc the games!!! Civilisation, Ultima, Wipeout, MGS, Zelda, Half Life and ofc Final Fantasy!
I swear there's a part of Sephiroth's theme that sounds like part of the first phase of Dancing Mad
The feels...
Wow man, you were not lying; great observations. It isn't just his excellent themes, but how he weaves them throughout as motifs. I never consciously noticed any of the examples you gave, even though I've listened to the music countless times. Also, I've seen story analysts, and music analysts, and while each does dip a little bit into the other topic as part of their analyses, I haven't watched any that fuse the two as much as this.
(Aside, ever listen to Yasunori Nishiki's work in the game Octopath Traveler? It is a master's course in themes unto itself. And while the game is fun and pretty, it's too bad the stories are just too disparate to have even close to the same impact as FF7.)
You raise a good point, that a good soundtrack depends on a good story. In the case of FF7, I feel like Nobuo had a lot of material to work with, and was probably inspired by its bravery in taking on some very heavy issues.
amazing
All of Final Fantasy series has among the best music ever created but FF7 has music fitting the scenes and world better than all other games.
another thing that i heard while playing the remake was that the beat or rhythm in the avalanche them was very similar to judgement day.
i think that judgement day in remake will be a "medley" of sorts of all the themes.
Great!
Thanks!
You could make tgus a one hour video and i would listen to every second of it
Chrono Trigger is also perfect for this type of analysis
Thanks so much! I've already started learning a bunch of Chrono songs on the piano so I can really do it justice. There is SO much great music to choose from in that game. One thing I'm finding is that I really want a full keyboard for that one, so I might have to rig up and overhead camera on my full size piano. We'll see how it goes haha.Thanks for visiting the channel and I hope to see you back.
@theartofstorytelling1 I subscribed so you'll definetly have my attention;)
would love you making the same analysis for FF7 Remake. Great video!
That thought crossed my mind as I was working on this. I haven't had a chance to play it through yet. I know I will someday, probably when the third part is released. Everything I've seen of it looks amazing, and it feels like the fans have given it their blessing, which is a MAJOR achievement.
Definitely play it. Part one and two are absolutely amazing imo.
Also the use of music and the variations on existing themes is stunning. I think you'll really like what they have done
To be honest, I only really like these games because of the music. Kingdom Hearts and FFVII have the best music in all video games.
thirst
07:33 I thought for sure you were about to say "...would not be complete without a message from today's sponsor", hahaha. Great video, wish it was five hours long and covered the whole soundtrack (do it!)