Music of the Final Fantasy VII series
Music from the original game and its compilation series.
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The music of the Final Fantasy VII series encompasses the soundtrack of the original 1997 role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and the soundtracks of subsequent titles in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The original score was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, while later entries in the collection were primarily composed by Masashi Hamauzu and Takeharu Ishimoto. The music has been released on several albums, beginning with the Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack in 1997.
Background
Nobuo Uematsu composed the music for Final Fantasy VII in less than one year, matching the game's development time. The game was the series' first on PlayStation, and the music was synthesized in real time using sample-based synthesis and note data, a decision credited with giving the soundtrack a distinctive mood.
Uematsu initially planned to use vocal performances but found loading times too long; he later reversed his stance for Final Fantasy VIII after seeing Suikoden II. He treated the composition like a film soundtrack, composing songs that reflected scene moods rather than strong melodies, to avoid overwhelming the new 3D visuals. The first piece he composed was the opening theme, shown to him by game director Yoshinori Kitase.
Final Fantasy VII was the first series entry to include a track with digitized vocals: "One-Winged Angel". Uematsu spent two weeks composing short unconnected musical phrases and arranged them into a song, an approach he never used before or since. The lyrics were taken from medieval poetry that forms the basis of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
Uematsu has stated the intro is based on Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and that he still thinks of it as a rock piece. The original soundtrack received highly positive reviews from critics, who found many tunes memorable and noted the emotional intensity of several tracks. Reception for other albums in the series has been mixed.
Track listing
Disc one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Prelude (プレリュード Pureryūdo) | 2:52 |
| 2 | Opening - Bombing Mission (オープニング~爆破ミッション Ōpuningu ~ Bakuha Misshon) | 3:58 |
| 3 | Mako Reactor (魔晄炉 Makō Ro) | 3:20 |
| 4 | Anxiety (不安な心 Fuan na Kokoro, lit. "Anxious Heart") | 4:02 |
| 5 | Tifa's Theme (ティファのテーマ Tifa no Tēma) | 5:06 |
| 6 | Barret's Theme (バレットのテーマ Baretto no Tēma) | 3:27 |
| 7 | Hurry! (急げ! Isoge!) | 2:29 |
| 8 | Lurking in the Darkness (闇に潜む Yami ni Hisomu) | 2:33 |
| 9 | Shinra, Inc (神羅カンパニー Shinra Kanpanī, lit. "Shinra Company") | 4:02 |
| 10 | Let the Battles Begin! (闘う者達 Tatakau Monotachi, lit. "Those Who Fight") | 2:47 |
| 11 | Fanfare (ファンファーレ Fanfāre) | 0:55 |
| 12 | Flowers Blooming in the Church (教会に咲く花 Kyōkai ni Saku Hana) | 4:59 |
| 13 | Turks' Theme (タークスのテーマ Tākusu no Tēma) | 2:19 |
| 14 | Under the Rotting Pizza (腐ったピザの下で Kusatta Piza no Shita de) | 3:22 |
| 15 | The Oppressed (虐げられた民衆 Shiitagerareta Minshū) | 2:38 |
| 16 | Honeybee Inn (蜜蜂の館 Mitsubachi no Yakata) | 3:52 |
| 17 | Who...Are You? (お前は...誰だ Omae wa... Dare da) | 1:24 |
| 18 | Don of the Slums (スラムのドン Suramu no Don) | 2:11 |
| 19 | Infiltrating Shinra (神羅ビル潜入 Shinra Biru Sennyū) | 3:49 |
| 20 | Fight On! (更に闘う者達 Sarani Tatakau Monotachi, lit. "Those Who Fight Further") | 3:32 |
| 21 | Red XIII's Theme (レッドXIIIのテーマ Reddo XIII no Tēma) | 1:28 |
| 22 | The Chase (クレイジーモーターサイクル Kureijī Mōtāsaikuru, lit. "Crazy Motorcycle") | 3:37 |
| 23 | Dear to the Heart (想いを胸に Omoi o Mune ni) | 2:14 |
Disc two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (F.F.VIIメインテーマ F. F. VII Mein Tēma) | 6:29 |
| 2 | On Our Way (旅の途中で Tabi no Tochū de) | 3:44 |
| 3 | Good Night, Until Tomorrow (お休み,また明日 Oyasumi, Mata Ashita) | 0:10 |
| 4 | On That Day, Five Years Ago (5年前のあの日 Gonen Mae no Ano Hi) | 3:13 |
| 5 | Farm Boy (牧場の少年 Bokujō no Shōnen) | 2:52 |
| 6 | Waltz de Chocobo (ワルツ・デ・チョコボ Warutsu de Chokobo) | 0:34 |
| 7 | Electric de Chocobo (エレキ・デ・チョコボ Ereki de Chokobo) | 4:02 |
| 8 | Cinco de Chocobo (シンコ・デ・チョコボ Shinko de Chokobo) | 3:00 |
| 9 | In Search of the Man in Black (黒マントの男を追え Kuro Manto no Otoko o Oe) | 3:04 |
| 10 | Fort Condor (鷲の砦 Washi no Toride) | 4:00 |
| 11 | Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony (ルーファウス歓迎式典 Rūfausu Kangei Shikiten) | 2:14 |
| 12 | It's Hard to Stand on Both Feet! (二本足で立つのも難しいものだな Nihon Ashi de Tatsu no mo Muzukashī Mono da na) | 3:31 |
| 13 | Trail of Blood (血の跡 Chi no Ato) | 4:13 |
| 14 | J-E-N-O-V-A (J-E-N-O-V-A) | 2:32 |
| 15 | Continue (つづきから Tsuzuki Kara) | 0:37 |
| 16 | Costa del Sol (太陽の海岸 Taiyō no Kaigan, lit. "Sun Coast") | 2:28 |
| 17 | Mark of a Traitor (裏切り者の烙印 Uragirimono no Rakuin) | 3:32 |
| 18 | Mining Town (炭坑の街 Tankō no Machi) | 3:00 |
| 19 | Gold Saucer (ゴールドソーサー Gōrudo Sōsā) | 1:58 |
| 20 | Cait Sith's Theme (ケット・シーのテーマ Ketto Shī no Tēma) | 3:34 |
| 21 | Desert Wasteland (砂の流刑地 Suna no Ryūkeichi) | 5:33 |
Disc three
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cosmo Canyon (星降る峡谷 Hoshi Furu Kyōkoku, lit. "Valley of the Falling Stars") | 3:36 |
| 2 | Lifestream (生命の流れ Seimei no Nagare, lit. "Stream of Life") | 3:36 |
| 3 | The Great Warrior (偉大なる戦士 Idai naru Senshi) | 3:24 |
| 4 | Descendant of Shinobi (忍びの末裔 Shinobi no Matsuei) | 2:45 |
| 5 | Those Chosen by the Planet (星に選ばれし者 Hoshi ni Erabareshi Mono) | 3:16 |
| 6 | The Nightmare Begins (悪夢の始まり Akumu no Hajimari) | 2:58 |
| 7 | Cid's Theme (シドのテーマ Shido no Tēma) | 3:11 |
| 8 | Steal the Tiny Bronco! (タイニーブロンコを奪え! Tainī Buronko o Ubae!) | 1:16 |
| 9 | Wutai (ウータイ Ūtai) | 4:29 |
| 10 | Stolen Materia (マテリアいただき Materia Itadaki) | 1:36 |
| 11 | Win / Place / Show Chocobo! (本命穴チョコボ Honmei Ana Chokobo, lit. "Place Chocobo") | 1:50 |
| 12 | Fiddle de Chocobo (フィドル・デ・チョコボ Fidoru de Chokobo) | 2:50 |
| 13 | Jackpot! (大当たりぃ~ Ōatarī~) | 0:47 |
| 14 | Tango of Tears (涙のタンゴ Namida no Tango) | 0:49 |
| 15 | Debut (初舞台 Hatsubutai) | 2:36 |
| 16 | Words Drowned by Fireworks (花火に消された言葉 Hanabi ni Kesareta Kotoba) | 2:50 |
| 17 | Forested Temple (樹海の神殿 Jukai no Shinden) | 3:51 |
| 18 | Listen to the Cries of the Planet (星の声が聞こえる Hoshi no Koe ga Kikoeru) | 3:40 |
| 19 | Aerith's Theme (エアリスのテーマ Earisu no Tēma) | 4:18 |
| 20 | Buried in Snow (雪に閉ざされて Yuki ni Tozasarete) | 4:51 |
| 21 | The North Cave (北の大空洞 Kita no Daikūdō) | 6:05 |
| 22 | Reunion (リユニオン Riyunion) | 3:34 |
| 23 | Who... Am I? (俺は...誰だ Ore wa... Dare da) | 1:37 |
Track listing from the source article.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Music of the Final Fantasy VII series (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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