Nobuo Uematsu, One-Winged Angel - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- #virginrock #noubouematsu
Video games, Strawinsky and Jimi Hendrix, what a combination! I love the energy and excitement that this music induces. I would turn it on myself!
Here’s the link to the original song:
• One-Winged Angel (Fi...
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Nobuo Uematsu
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Classical music isn't dying, it's just been modernized and integrated into video games. It's great. The music really enhances the sense of immersion with the in-game activities.
I agree. Some of the most memorable games I've ever played had amazing OSTs. Shadow of the Colossus is one that immediately comes to mind.
Same goes with movies
Anime as well
Very true. If you listen to OSTs like the ones of Dragon Quest, you hear the continuity with great composers like Prokofiev or Dvorak.
Wow vanilla music goes hard
I like how she’s describing ”is that boss battle music I hear?”
Absolutely 😂
Not any boss battle, THE Boss battle !
@@tofton1977 Precisely
@@tofton1977 And to think, it was probably this music that inspired Kenny Omega to name his finishing move after it :)
@@osutubahe even cosplayed as Sephiroth for a Japanese house show, Kenny utterly rocked the look too
Nobuo Uematsu changed my life and is a huge reason I'm a musician and engineer today. When I was 12 I ordered the FFX Piano Collections sheet music from a Japanese vendor and proceeded to learn everything with nothing to stop me.
As soon as I saw his name on the feed I clicked through to this video. Nobuob Uematsu was a huge reason in me expanding my musical horizons. So glad to see so many people were influenced as well.
SAME
I ordered the original (I think) sheet music for FF IV/II. It took about 5 weeks to arrive from Japan.
Damn bro so you woke up one day and decided to be BADASS?!
To Zanarkand from FFX is still one of my favorite songs of all time.
To give you a sense of how highly regarded Nobuo Uematsu's work is, he is often considered "the John Williams of video game scores". He has so many memorably iconic pieces that whole concert tours have been held that were comprised entirely of his music from the Final Fantasy franchise, though "One Winged Angel" is probably his most well-known song. It really conveys the intensity and foreboding sense of doom of heading into battle against your most dreaded foe while the fate of the world hangs in the balance. When you're playing the game and "One Winged Angel" kicks in, you simultaneously get goosebumps while your stomach drops.
I disagree...I reckon John Williams is the Nobuo Uematsu of film scores!
But really I totally agree with you, he's just epic!
Distant Worlds is one of my bucket list concerts.
10:05
"Some sort of... character to it"
Boy do I have a mad clown laying in wait for you.
Somebody get this man a pipe organ.
Up!
Ahem. There's SAND on my boots!
Son of a submariner!
@@baltakatei *kefkalaugh.wav*
Careful with this rabbit hole, us Final Fantasy fans will never let you go. Nobuo Uematsu was the sound of many Millennials'' childhoods. His successor, Masayoshi Soken, is currently doing a bang up job as well with the live service MMO FF14 which has hundreds and hundreds of tracks alone. The boss fights like E12S, Susano, and more are just so beyond epic and as you mentioned in this video with your comparison to Genshin, just fun and loaded with personality. And because the FF series spans many settings from high fantasy to steampunk to futuristic, each game stands out. For my money, FF7, FF8, and FF13 are the best complete soundtracks
God kefka's ff14 dancing cmon. Ff6 and fftactics ost have to warm your heart.
For me ff9 strikes me the most due to nostalgia
I'd argue Yoko Shimamura is more the successor of Uematsu
@_badmadsadlad I'd argue that Nobuo has many dozens of successors if not more. In terms of sheer popularity I'd say Soken, while Shimamura's music might more closely resemble Uematsu's. For me personaly Soken's music has the impact on me today that Nobuo's music had on me when I was younger (and today lol). No doubt though Nobuo will influence generations. Sort of a Genghis Khan effect in the best way possible.
Let's not forget Kefka's theme and slam shuffle, much less the Aria in the opera house.
I love ffxiii music despite not liking the game itself at all. That's how good it is.
Game designer here (and former indie musician)
I understand that your focus is purely on the musical composition, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to not just hear the music in a vacuum.
When we design games, it is a comprehensive experience made up of many components and everything that the player experiences - visuals, sound effects, gameplay and indeed music - all come together to make a cohesive whole that is greater than the some of its parts.
This piece in particular is the epic and climatic final battle against, not only a thematic enemy, but an ideological foe. And this music compliments that narrative build up in ways that just listening to it sat in a room cant do justice.
I know games are not for everyone, but I think for some of those high moments in the art of gaming, like this one, its worth it to experience it in context.
Regarding the Hendrix influence: Uematsu san was more of a rock musician before he took the job composing for games. So his influences were often things like Led Zeppelin. That said... yeah I have trouble seeing the Hendrix connection myself...
This is exactly right, when I listen to this piece I reminisce on the battle and the scene it was in and the many hundreds of hours of gameplay.
I think of the scene, I think of the pacing, the little bits and the end.
It's the intensity and trepidation for the battle you are in.
You imho sum it up exactly how it is suppose to be listened to, well done :)
@@sinAnon6689
It's worth noting that this is straight-up one of the most beloved pieces of video game music of all time. There are whole symphonies of Final Fantasy music, and this is pretty much always the grand finale. Nobuo Uematsu is an absolute rockstar in gaming circles, and this is his most famous piece.
Nobuo Uematsu is to Video Games as John Williams is to American Films.
On a side note, As Yokko Kano is to Anime.
Uematsu’s Chocobo Theme is William’s Cantina Band
*Yoko Kanno
What about Koji Kondo? I'd say he's more the John Williams.
@@DomesticHausCat Koji Kondo is the Henry Mancini.
Joe Hisaishi guys
Definitely check out the Advent Children version of One-Winged Angel if you want to hear the rock elements realised more overtly, with electric instruments on top of the orchestra and choir
Here’s the oldest track I could find:
ruclips.net/video/nNms5rOaGlk/видео.htmlsi=3Sb2oP-XCzavmHcH
Here’s the Advent Children Complete (Directors Cut) version:
ruclips.net/video/ZgPCKazn_Mc/видео.htmlsi=YPdd3_Ly1wJmrHrt
God this version is amazing.
100% agree the Distant Worlds Version is far more classical in feeling. The Advent Children Version with the electric guitar is where the more rock / Hendrix feeling comes in. Both are great.
Advent Children was underrated. Especially with regards to the scoring.
Absolutely this
Lol cant believe this song still makes my eyes water uncontrollably. Never gets old lol
You are not alone (cit.)
One Winged Angel... The Megalovania of old. IT STILL makes me think "oh no" when I hear it. Because this isn't your theme, this isn't a theme of the battle you are having. This is Sephiroth's theme. It's playing for him as he defeats HIS enemies. Which is you. And all throughout the song for that first time, you're learning that he is not arrogant, he is confident. It's pretty chilling when you have that context. It was also so unique sounding compared to every other boss theme of the era. I'm glad it's still getting the attention it deserves.
Such a well-written comment 🍷
☝️💯
I agree for the most part but i think some elements in the song had the "hero arrives" moment. like with the flutish sound which is a version of a final fantasy piece.
Yeah makes me go oh no too. Ever get Supernova cast on you twice? Like, how is that even possible?
Best comment ever about it?
DAYUM! The "oh no" quote was so precise, and the "it's HIS theme, and he's confident"...
"Man, we are SOOOOOOOO dead" that's what the player should say!
The Hendrix influence in this piece is specifically the intro for Purple Haze. Hendrix does staccato octaves landing squarely on the beat. This idea forms the basis form One Winged Angel. Chords landing on the beat to mimic a matching rhythm and the pattern of low-high low-high
Oh I can totally see the comparison now
Listen to the Theme for Psycho by Bernard Herrmann
coinciding with the near-end of 1996 - there was another reference to purple haze in a certain other media franchise from japan
@@GalekC ??
@@GalekC JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?
This man is legitimately one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. Loved your video.
Hate to break it to you, but we're in the 21st century.
A generational talent
@@ReedoTV Self-taught as well. Truly a genius.
When 3 notes is all it takes for people to feel it their guts, you know hes good.
Not 1 of the most, he is THE most. Until him there was no real music in any video games. He revolutionized the industry and was amazing at that
I don't think classical music will ever die. The anount of passion people have for the arts will keep it alive for as long as we live no matter how often music trends evolve.
If you listen to the Advent Children version the Hendrix influence becomes a lot more clear. He uses a lot of electronic guitar in that version.
I think video games are a driving force in keeping classical music alive. So many amazing composistions come from video games. Final Fantasy alone has so much great music.
ruclips.net/video/-PkdLMIz-Ys/видео.htmlsi=puBXvAkGRn-j8X58
I went to Sweden to see this show. I was raised on video game music.
No real surprise there when you look at the age of the people who make video game music
Good chance they listen to stuff like this when growing up or when they were at school
Adam Neely has this great video about how video game music are becoming modern day jazz standards
Zelda music is so great at it that "Zelda or Classical" is a _way_ harder game than it has any right to be, even for Zelda fans.
@@snakekingblues3017 how fucking old do you think these guys are? Nobuo Uematsu is only 65, and Koji Kondo is 62. They're in my dad's generation. That was the era of disco, acid rock, and early heavy metal, not classical music.
If you were to listen to Nobuo Uematsu's other famous track: "Dancing Mad", which he composed in the game before "One-Winged Angel", I would actually consider recommending listening to its original form. There's a specific reason for this, the game it was made for was released back in 1994 on the SNES game system. Because of the limiting technology at the time, music on video games back then was highly simplistic, often short and compressed to preserve memory. Yet despite that, Nobuo Uematsu was able to craft a ridiculously complex and haunting song that's nearly TWENTY MINUTES LONG. Some one once described composing a song like he did for the SNES was like "painting the Sistine Chapel with crayons." So if you were to listen to it, that is the specific version I would recommend listening to.
Well to be clear, the technology did exist, but it wasn't wildly utilized.
The PC Engine and the Sega Genesis both had CD Add-ons with the ability to playback CD quality audio.
@@Finakechi I guess it would be correct to state "the limiting sound technology of the console the game was made for"
10 minutes; the 20 minute versions loop sections.
I'm of two minds about this comment. Yes I get it, the true genius is shown how he worked within the constraints of the technology of the time. However, the pure musical beauty is on full display with the full orchestra here. I think for this channel she went with the right version.
@@NereidAlbel The original is 17:39. The 10 minute version is the edited to remove the loops, just for listening convenience.
You described the early part of the music as this feeling of excitement like you're up against a great challenge, but you're also confident and prepared for it.
That is remarkably on brand for when you first hear this piece in the original game, where Sephiroth is the final boss. So it's the moment when the Narrative stakes are as high as they possibly could be, player and character are as prepared as they every will be.
And then you get you ass whopped and you realize you were WRONG. I saw it in a comment here that this is HIS theme song, not your. You are the enemy about to be defeated. That's why it's such a great song! Makes the fight that epic.
An anecdote: Uematsu-san composed my kid brother's favorite lullaby. I was 16 to his 3, our mother was in the hospital, and FFIV had just been remastered for the DS. It was played a lot, and it's one of my favorite OSTs, so the soundtrack was really on my mind. I would sing my brother to sleep to these songs, but he was particularly fond of "Welcome To Our Town", the town music. When he was tired and ready for a nap, he'd ask me to walk him up and down the hall and "sing him his little song." That game kept us sane that summer.
there's a version of that song that plays in ffxiv endwalker, and even though i had only played ff4 for the first time earlier that year, it felt nostalgic to me and that combined with where it played (a location where you're separated from most other characters in the story) and feeling very lonely myself around that time made me want to cry. i think it's fascinating how everyone can have their own personal story from the same song
This is reminding me of when me and my best friend convinced our middle school band director to listen to our Uematsu mix CD on the bus to a band field trip 😂 she was also pleasantly surprised. I believe the first track we had her listen to was Liberi Fatalie!
The Hendrix influence is in the "Advent Children" arrangement of this piece, which is still orchestral but includes extra instruments that bring a rockier edge.
The hendrix influence is the begining, that looks like the purple haze intro
I'm so used to the wailing guitar in it, I forgot it wasn't originally there.
It's very interesting how if you hear the "midi" version inside the game, the beginning is more rock than in the official orchestral one.
Its not just in advent children.... this guy
The Black Mages were the rock part of it all during that more modern take. Its awesome stuff, wish they'd reform ;)
The character of Sephiroth is several things. An elite soldier, a national hero, Frankenstein's monster and in the end Lovecraftian horror. This song perfectly matched how exciting yet unnerving the player's final confrontation is with him.
and a demi god... the music is that of facing off with a God
You forgot something
Tragic
Don’t forget the jaws reference!
Lot of things, but not a good character.
@DGSnowolf we all cant be right or not know what we are talking about.i accept all people
Clicked on this SUPER fast. It was really nice watching someone listen to this song for the first time.
As a 13 year old experiencing this on a PlayStation I bought specifically for FFVII and this being my favorite Final Fantasy game, I have such a massive love for this song.
It was great watching you break it down. You got a new subscriber in me :)
Oh my God.
My mouth truly opened wide when I saw the title lol. I'm so happy that you listened to such an iconic song
One thing thats even more excellent is that Uematsu used to tour with his own progressive rock band called "The Black Mages" where he made prog rock versions of his final fantasy music.
I was going to come and mention this! Their arrangements are my focus music!
The march-like, militaristic rhythm with the timpani and the snare rolls are not only due to it being used for battle, but the character this theme is attached to is a famous soldier in the game setting. In a way, you could parallel this to, say, the Imperial March from Star Wars.
All these years later...still gives me chills...still makes my eyes widen
This was wonderful. Watching you listen to it for the first time brought me back to when I was a kid hearing it for the first time. This song is truly a master piece. Great video!
Dancing Mad from Uematsu is a must, but frankly I'd listen to all of his music all day. Love also his "Phantasmagoria" which is the only project by Uematsu that doesn't involve videogames
I came to the comments to say this as well, Dancing Mad is 17 minutes of absolute genius
I'm kinda sad people always react to the orchestral or FF7 remake version and not the original instead. If they do listen to the original it's usually not until after a different version. But I think the original first is the best way to go for a proper context.
I'd really like to see what she thinks of Dancing Mad and it's different movements @@nekrazero8331
@@thenonexistinghero Yes I agree!!
Ill raise you ff14 God kefka's dancing mad
Oh the memories, the panicked "he won't die, he won't die, every time I kill him he transforms and gets back up stronger, he won't die." And the prolonged siege, entire turns of just healing your wounds bracing for the next crashing blow before you can respond. It was like fighting the ocean.
And he don't die.
True story, I was 10 minutes late to work because I decided to fight 1 more boss so when I got home I could beat the game.
Fight Starts: "Ok, cool, this has to be a mini boss. I know there'll be a save right after. Let me make this quick and use KotR and Mimic!"
10 minutes in: "Huh... not ending. That's ok, I'll just keep casting KotR and what not. He should die soon."
20 minutes into fighting Sephiroth I'm saying "Huh, this is going a little long for a mini boss fight, am I doing any damage with Knights of the Round? Is he absorbing my damage?"
30 minutes in "I wonder if this is the final boss. I hope this ends soon, I'm gonna be late."
40 minutes in "Huh, I guess this is the final boss. OH WAIT he died! Oh good I hope there is a save... wait, there's the final boss. No save... I wonder if I can just pause it and... he died in one hit? Huh. I guess that was the final boss."
@@TheOnceMoreGaming It took you 40 MINUTES?! I think I beat Jenova + Sephiroth and Seraph Sephiroth combined in less than 20 minutes, that was on PlayStation 1.... were you seriously underleveled?
That reminds me of playing Persona 3 fes for the first time and reaching the final boss and it took me 4 hours to beat because I was underpowered @@Asherek
@@Rthe47 i just spammed him with Knights of round.
Never, I say NEVER, have I listened to this soundtrack without feeling dread and excitement and goosebumps. Thanks for the reaction video!
As a music nerd and a video game nerd it is way cool seeing you do this song ! I very much appreciate the way you break songs down. The Hendrix influence may be referring to Nobuo Uematsu's progressive rock band "The Black Mages" you may enjoy them! They have a bit of a Yes/Styx vibe and Nobuo plays keyboards. Big fan of his music, a lot of the music he composes is beautiful too and not so chaotic. Personally, I am a fan of everything he has put out. Big fan of the videos. Looking forward to more!
you know a final boss is gonna be good when the theme is not only in Latin, but says THE BOSS' NAME AS THE HIT
Razgriz
I love that the music feels off-kilter. There are moments where it feels like it's setting something up musically, then it jumps ahead, resolving faster than you were expecting. It gives it a strange, unsettling feeling.
When Uematsu originally composed this he wrote 2 to 4 measures a day that popped into his head and after 20-30 he started to rearrange them until they "fit well together"
It kinda makes sense, because as we all know, Sephiroth is not well in the head, so it makes sense his theme is kinda unpredictable.
Off kilter like a one winged angel. Beautiful, but wrong in nature.
Pretty sure Hendrix does that
Your description of the opening - you just described BOSS mucsic in every video game. A lot rides on this, and I'm ready for it
LOVED watching this, I love that you provided your thoughts and insights about this and gave some analysis. I've seen some music reaction videos that just don't give any of that. So this was so refreshing!
One-Winged Angel was Nobuo's second shot at an Operatic/Classical sound. Final Fantasy 7 has had several sequels or remakes, and he's gotten to redo it as many times.
He's redone it with his band "Black Mages", as part of an animated movie "Advent Children", and once again as part of Final Fantasy Rebirth. Most have a lot more rock in them.
Except they change the latin lyrics on the non OG ff7 versions(and maybe remake)
yea I really missed the rock instruments. makes the song so much more menacing. The live performance with the black mages with always be the best imo
If you are diving into Modern Japanese Composers Yoko Kano has one of the most varied ranges as well as a consistently high level of creativity of anyone ever.
THE QUEEN!
I have to say Yuki Kajiura is right up there as well
Love the fresh perspective. Context is everything and you frame it perfectly!
You stumbled onto something beautiful with this. Nobuo Uematsu is a font of brilliance that produced many of the most renowned pieces of music in video game history, so you could do many more react videos just like this if you enjoy his work. He is *prolific* and has worked on many incredible soundtracks. If you enjoyed this, I would wager you would enjoy much of his music for Final Fantasy 6 (3 in the US) and the rest of Final Fantasy 7, where he was principle composer. He also helped to do finishing work and contributed several pieces (though was not principle composer) on the soundtrack for Chrono Trigger. These games are not only loved for their music, but are considered some of the best story arcs written in gaming history. His music contributed a lot to the legendary status of these games, because it manifested the emotions and the story elements in these games so vividly.
If I could give a targeted recommendation. The final villain sequence for Final Fantasy 6, Dancing Mad, is also a masterpiece. Both of these games share a similar theme in that the villain has arisen to some kind of dark deity-like status, where their lust for absolute power has made them a cataclysmic risk to existence. This is reason for the frantic urgency and peril heard in both of these themes. Might I add, Dancing Mad forms a more complete suite with the piece called Ending Theme, where he reprises all the leitmotifs from the entire Final Fantasy 6 soundtrack and it is one of the most incredible scores I have ever heard to this day. Anyway, hope to see more!
Pleasantly surprised you are a Final Fantasy music fan comrade!
6:15 it is insane how your description is so spot on with what is happening in the videogame when this song is played.
10:10 is interesting to me because she had no idea that Sephiroth is the epitome of SOLDIER and was the most well-known member. Even more interesting that she mentions how it has that military feel and then it deviates off and does something unique. That's a distillation of Sephiroth's journey.
Incredibly insightful, especially given that she has no idea of the character or story. It's a testament to Nobuo's skill.
It's really interesting how to see as someone who doesn't play games she really delves into how the music will get your adrenaline going and affect you playing the game. But it's even more interesting how she doesn't really touch on at all the horror, fear and terror that permeates through the piece. I would have thought it's meant to sound threatening yet she finds it more motivational.
@@Qarth56well, it was a little different for us when we had Sephiroth literally throwing exploding suns at us. 😉
18:30 I think this is not a problem in this case since Final Fantasy VII is a single-player videogame and not one that requires that level of skill and coordination. Also, something that happens with every videogame player after playing for a long time is the ability to focus even in the most chaotic situations, as playing becomes second nature.
First time I faced Sepiroth, I am definitely NOT prepared 😂😂😂
39 year old man and I still cry every time I hear this song. Best friend introduced me to this back in 97 and I went and got a Playstation that day because of it. I've replayed it countless times and have devoted thousands of hours to playing it in different ways. Thank you, Chris. Miss ya.
7 timer here. 37 years old. 1997 was when life began 😂
My heart broke when I first finished 7.
Knowing it was over and that I would never feel that ever again.
I could play it again, but I know it more, the joy of discovery cannot come again.
There will be an ff8, but that's be _another_ final fantasy and I'd know roughly what to expect.
They'll always just be _more_ of it.
I sat there in tears.
Of course, 8 was utterly spectacular, 7 and 8 are clearly a duology.
@@MostlyPennyCat Ahhh but then you only had to set goals the next gameplay.
Beat the game at low level
Use no material
Get Omnislash and Great Gospel in disk one
Max out character stats using Yuffie in the Crashed Gelnika
Making one of each Master Materia for every character. Every single character.
Finishing the game with the characters original gear.
Those were each different gameplay but memorable ones. Also Emerald Weapon is pretty difficult with a Buster Sword.
@@Jchmcom
Oh yeah, I did say you could do it again, there's always _more_
But there can only ever be one _first_
Knowing that that first was gone was absolutely a knife to the heart.
I'm so glad 8 was as good as it was and I can't remember a single thing about 9.
Except the final fight I ended in a handful of minutes. It was embarrassingly short and easy.
Haven't played an FF since! 😂
I played the first one after they got rid of ATB, didn't like it, didn't get past the first disk.
I've also finished chronotrigger and 6, but after is played 7.
Man great first impression. You nailed it.
Kinda crazy listening to you, listening to this piece the first time and IMMEDIATELY putting in words EXACTLY how music from Nobuo makes you feel? I hope you tackle all of his music, its so good.
As someone who grew up with this, listening to it as a kid, I can agree with everything you said. One Winged Angel is the peak of the game - its the final confrontation, the last battle that will shape the fate of the whole planet and everybody on it. thats exactly what it is supposed to do - push you forwards, give you the confidence, as the player, to push forward, to trust in what you build up through the game, being ready for the conclusion, to bring everything home.
Thats the song. thats the game. Nubuo has as much to do with Final Fantasies success as the storywriters had.
listen to purple haze by Jimi Hendrix, then one winged angel. Uematsu was quoted as drawing inspiration from that song specifically when composing one wing angel.
I've listened to these songs thousands of times and never put that together before. Thanks
Yep the plodding pace and the intervals are nearly identical to the opening of Purple Haze.
There are no video game composers more well respected than Nobuo Uematsu. I fell in love with his work as a teenager, and watching you enjoy it was just so fun. Thank you.
rofl, a lot of them are way better
From videogames?. Hard... there is few but not over him, so if you want list it, is easy to 😂 about you.
LOL One-Winged Angel blaring for house chores, love, love, LOVE it!
I love this piece and youtube led me here! Lovely to be enjoying music with your original commentary and reaction :) always can appreciate a music loving friend
So cool how she described the music as the feeling of going onto stage to play a difficult piece, with so much at stake, yet you've prepared for the challenge.
This is the exact way one feels entering a tough final boss at the end of a long and fun video game. She nailed it without (I think) even realizing this connection.
Addition: "The fact that someone could play a game while listening to this kind of music... is exciting to me." Video game music is absolutely a gold mine of amazing, terrific music. We've been trying to tell you all this whole time. In the future, these composers, who wrote for video games, will be seen as we view Bach or Beethoven today: founders of the musical language that lives on through the decades and centuries.
I remain convinced that someday there's going to be kids, a thousand years from now, who join a band class and become composers themselves as a direct result of Christopher Tin's 'Dream of Flight'. That piece is beautiful.
Uematsu is legitimately one of the best video game composers of all time, I think one of his major strengths as an untrained composer is that he's more willing to experiment with his music and do things that might not necessarily speak to everyone. I wouldn't say ever song of his is a hit, but when he does hit with a song he really really hits with it. I think another thing that makes Uematsu great is that he's making these songs for story beats, there's a narrative that comes with them and a lot of the time if you separate the music from the game you can still get that sense of pageantry and drama from the music.
I always like to imagine every Final Fantasy game as a Stage Play (Neverminded that the developers often structure them like stage plays anyway.) And I like to think of Uematsu as the play composer, really supporting the stories that are told.
Not only am I able to play video games while listening to this kind of music but this part of what I am looking for while playing a game! I know Uematsu-san might be outclassed by it’s peers but he made such an impact on me as a person and it’s not even an understatement. He shaped me on so many levels and I could never thank him enough. I will be forever grateful for the fact that I lived in the same era.
I'm glad you loved it. Some of us threw our controllers and shed many tears to this music 😂
I have never clicked on a video faster! My favorite videogame of all time. My Spotify listening habits are 90 percent Nobuo Uematsu after decades of mostly listening to death metal.
same here
I’ve been to Distant Worlds concert a couple of times, in Barcelona and in London, and when “One Winged Angel” the audience goes totally crazy. It’s an amazing experience ☺️
I went just a few weeks ago in SF! What an experience. Such an iconic theme
Was at the one in NYC and OMG the electricity of the audience during One Winged Angel
Oh man his Dancing Mad is another amazing tune.
as far as I understand it, the Hendrix influence that Uematsu is referencing in terms of OneWinged Angel is the just the very few opening chords of Purple Haze. It's like these jagged staccato dissonant chords right before Purple Haze starts. The opening chords of One Winged Angel are similar. Other than that, yeah, a lot of Stravinksy and Prokofiev run through his works. There's also a lot of progressive rock influences in much of his other final fantasy music. Lots of rockin' electric organs and such.
Nobuo Uematsu is a genuine master composer. He particularly excels at instrument selection to craft and set up atmospheres with the different combinations of timbres. Lovely, memorable pieces one after another.
I really love to watch educated musicians break down and study his pieces so i can appreciate them even more, thank you for your insight.
I went to see Distant Worlds (I am a huge Final Fantasy fan) and I took a friend of mine who had never played any Final Fantasy games but they are a classical musician.
We both had an amazing time, this specific song was the finale and the crowd sang along.
Afterwards, my friend said that it was an amazing experience to see a theater packed with people clapping and cheering with such vibrant enthusiasm and volume, and that they wished that culture allowed for that type of expression of appreciation for other types of classical music experiences.
This was most entertaining! Very sweet and pure. I love your exploration of the theme and your engagement with the stuff that makes it so legendary for us fans. Thank you!
Jimi Hendrix' influence can be found in the first bars of the composition. Listen to "Purple Haze" by Hendrix and you will undoubtedly find the correlation.
Dancing mad (ff6) is really one you should consider, if you are going down this path
The lyrics are all lines lifted from Carmina Burana. I don't know if they were chosen for specific meaning or if they were chosen for the cool-factor of latin choral voices and these lines just had the sound the composer needed. Keep in mind this was written for the end of one of the first epic long cinematic RPGs of its generation in 1997. I don't know if they knew people would be looking at it that deeply 25 years later. But that history makes it all that much more special to me.
"Burning inside with violent anger" and "Fate, monstrous and empty" both fit Sephiroth pretty well, as does "Come to me, do not let me die" towards the end. Sephiroth is seeking to destroy all life and become a cosmic entity that devours planets, and Cloud and the party are trying to stop him; it's about as direct as one could hope.
Was looking for this comment as it's something I don't often see mentioned about one-winged angel. I noticed real quick that those lyrics were familiar when I first looked them up in '98.
I think they were chosen partially for their meaning, but it's also worth noting that the Advent Children version had lyrics rewritten specifically for it.
You could definitely be a radio talk show host. Love your takes
Many years ago, I went to an Orchestra concert of all Nobuo Uematsu's music in Minneapolis. It was amazing. I have played the early final fantasy games (up to FFX) and it was a fantastic experience
For some reason this song always plays when my mother in law comes for a visit.
if she has white hair, she may be a figment of your imagination. or is just old.
I like this piece a lot. So much so that I added it to my playlist. Such great dramatic orchestration and interesting themes and phrases. I loved all the different instrumental and choir parts. A powerful piece. I agree Amy, it is much more engaging and interesting than Genshin Impact, and it does have a lot of character and personality to it. While I have never dug deep into the Final Fantasy series' sound tracks (I did play this game back when it was released in the 90s), I know these sound tracks are considered very accomplished and well done. I really did enjoy this piece and your reaction to it. I am glad you enjoyed it too.
She’s not listening, she ‘s feeling the music. She’s sampling the different levels…
Oppressive, magnificent, grandiose. Words that come to mind hearing one winged angel
Can't wait for the Nobuo Uematsu rabbit hole reaction!
Now I'm hopping of a "Dancing mad" reaction
@@ominayu By the Black Mages.
@@Nekoala to be honest I prefer the original version from snes, the other renditions are good, but the original has nostalgia on its side XD
@@ominayu Well yeah that's understandable, but the Virgin Rock never played this game and won't be nostalgic about it. She should rather listen to en arranged version, that would be more fitting of her I think.
@@ominayuThere is also that version which Daily Doug reacted too that she can have a look at as well
A person who she's talked with recently too haha
It would be interesting to get your opinion of the Advent Children version of this song. It has metal guitar and drums.
Yeah, that version has a much stronger rock music presence.
I LOVE watching reaction video for music from video games. People don't realize HOW FAR VGM has come.
I really enjoyed your video. Speaking to your point on the loss of social interest in classical music - playing the final fantasy games since I was young, it definitely ingrained an appreciation and interest in classical music. In the past 8 years, I've attended the Distant Worlds concerts (mainly at the Royal Albert Hall) excited to listen and take in the awesome inspiring and fullness of what the Orchestra can do. I not only enjoy the exciting pieces but have come to depend on the slow, beautiful and haunting pieces within the collection of Uematsu and the final fantasy genre. I simply wanted to let you know that it's been wonderful to see a growing audience and starting connection from people who might never have come to enjoy classical music if it hadn't been for listening to these amazing pieces from video games. Thankyou for your video, I watch a lot of these and much prefer hearing the thoughts and opinions from talented people such as yourself.
There is a video on youtube that the man himself talks a little bit about his creative proccess behind this piece. It`s called "How Nobuo Uematsu Composed FF7's "One-Winged Angel"" I really recommend watching it!
I suggest watching a youtube video called "The Nintendo-fication of Jazz" which talks about how video game music is becoming the new "jazz standards" that musicians are going to for identifiable pop culture sounds and music. Classic and progressive composers like Uematsu being just one of the driving forces behind games music being recognized by the next generation of musicians as their heroes. And with the extreme popularity of game music being played by symphony orchestras for the past two decades, it's only a matter of time before these compositions become new classics.
This will never not remind me of school band kids playing that one saxophone bit from Mario Kart
@@CarbonMage Bro I literally only joined band to learn how to play OOT music as a kid specifically the gerudo valley theme lmao
Yes- to your point- even 99 plus hours in- this music is made to distract and get on top of you. It never becomes anything less than anxiety inducing!
There's something funny, yet endearing when you see a classic musician reaction to game music. I love how seriously you analyse it, most musicians tend to shove it in the corner for obvious reasons (which should not be there in the first place imo). Subscribed, you won me over
The version of One-Winged Angel from the movie Advent Children has an electric guitar that's a fun listen.
Please I need more Uematsu reactions. 💖 This was delightful to watch you experience.
Loved this video and analysis! Please excuse this long comment! I hope you do read it sometime.
You do mention at one point how a song like this may distract your focus, but I think it's important to say the genre of game this is in, combat is more "choosing options in a menu" than intense buttons and timing. By this end of the game, you are very familiar with it too and can often make your choices with the hours of practice. Its not just the cast of characters that grew stronger as they overcame challenges for days of playing through this long journey, it's you who grew stronger!
The music pulls you into this climatic battle with excitement and dread for finally facing saving the world by conquering one last final battle. Will you overcome? You may have already lost this battle and are retrying a second, third, or fourth time. Each retry you learned more to get better too! When you last longer this time, you hear the later parts of the song, and they can be re-invigorating! Thats the coolest part of this track to me, remembering lasting to the end and the triumphant push to beating it, just barely!
The song may be distracting in a game that is more "action" and "competitive" as you imply. But that's the beauty of it. Game music is made for the games they are in, like a movie score is made for the movies they are in. Nobuo composed many games in this series and genre bc he wrote songs that matched not only their narratives but the gameplay with such skill. Many people listen to game music to remember what it was like to play and the emotions we felt. While you may not play games, it's amazing to hear your analysis and how well music can help you understand how we felt as players. Music is amazing!
I hope you'll consider more iconic game music. For more Nobuo, everyone mentioned "Dancing Mad" or "Terra's Theme" or "Air Buster" from 'Final Fantasy 7: Remake' as it's going to truly show you Nobuo's rock inspired tracks more.
If you want some really wild Rock in gaming, consider looking into Daisuke Ishiwatari. He does rock music for a game he himself helped design called Guilty Gear. It's hard for me to pick a track but "Still in the Dark" or "Holy Orders" are good picks.
You can't in one song capture this composer's inspirations or influence. This is one song among so many that span more genres than most.
"Kind of the feeling of If you have ever gone into a tense situation, a challenging situation with a lot of confidence,"
Yep. As someone who _has_ played these games, this is spot on for what the music evokes in players.
"Kind of excitement and thrill to be tackling this challenge."
Right again
"And you know that a whole lot is at stake"
Totally nailed it.
"But there's also this feeling of 'I've prepared for this.'"
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. No one feels adequately prepared when One Winged Angel starts.
I was not ready to see Sephiroth cast Super nova for the first time.
I was not ready to see Sephiroth cast Super nova for the first time.
I've just discovered you and you're a joy to watch. I very seldom can hold my focus during this style of content, but you held me the entire time.
Your face journeys are fabulously entertaining.
One thing you said that struck me as maybe unaware - yes people don't go to the symphony as often, but we still are! But we're not going to see Stravinsky or Beethoven etc - we're going to see Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo, and Yoko Kanno pieces performed. We're going to see music that we connect and relate to. Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z all grew up with video games and the music evolved to become quite carefully crafted and superbly immersive rapidly. This is what pulls our hearts to the symphony now ❤
I think the way you described the feelings it evokes as 'attempting to perform something difficult but you're prepared for it' is perfect. RPGs are like long novels where you have to fight all the battles yourself, they can take 30-50 hours to complete. By the end you've fought hundreds of battles, each one a little more difficult and complicated than the last, and the final battle is the culmination of all of that, not only of the story, but of the skills you've learned to succeed along the way. The final battle (of a well designed game) will test everything you've learned and you better have been paying attention or you're going to get your butt kicked.
Love the vid! Thank you for interfacing with Uematsu-sans work!
I think you were on the right track with the idea of focus, do keep in mind as the last boss, he can be difficult but I act on reaction or flow state at this point in the game. All of my conscious thoughts were on the graphics , animations (sephiroth has maybe the coolest and most intense spell animation i have ever seen) and MUSIC! Much like doing chores with loved ones, you are focused on many things but your hands are just MOVING!
Thank you again! Please do "Your not alone" by Uematsu-san next!
Whether for good or bad reasons, video game and film music has allowed me a backdoor into orchestral music. I recently went to a performance of Verdi's Requiem.
Hurray! That has to be my all time favorite masterwork. You might also enjoy the Mozart Requiem and the Britten War Requiem, and maybe even Handel’s Messiah or Mendelssohn’s Elijah if you like that.
Caught him live at NJPAC many years ago. This song was performed and the audience was asked to provide the chant. We did pretty well. Amazing night.
Nobuo Uematsu is our Mozart. Absolutely gorgeous music.
This is one of the most Iconic video game compositions. Because this is not the HEROES song. NO this song is the villains song. Its a song about Sephiroths rage and hatred to the world. The climax of the game everything had played out for him the way he wanted. The song is about his celebration of his coming victory. As You face off against him in climax. But in the end you cant stop what he has set in motion. Essentially he had already won and fighting him at the end was not actually going to change anything. Only the tiny wish and miracle of young womans love for the world who had sacrificed herself in the fist third of the story of the game could overturn his plans.
I don't know if you'll read this Amy, but I'd like to set the stage just a bit for how this piece of music is presented in the game. Sephiroth is not only the villain in Final Fantasy VII, he is one of the most iconic villains in video game history. When first introduced in the game he is an imposing figure dressed in black with long white hair and an impossibly long sword. He is charismatic, terrifying and mysterious, and he murders the main characters' friend/love interest in front of him. This also directly impacts the player as she too was a playable and important character in her own right, and you spend the entire game chasing him around the world. By the final confrontation, which might come after over a hundred hours of playing the game, he has become more than a man; a godlike horror of genetics and ancient magic which threatens the entire planet.
I had to laugh a bit when you said that you could not concentrate on a game if there was music, but it might help to think of this more as the climactic final scene at the end of an epic movie or tv-show. Final Fantasy is not a competitive game which demands all your concentration, it is an interactive saga where the challenge is more about making the right choices than fast reactions. One Winged Angel sets the mood perfectly for this last battle with the thunderingly ominous bam-bam-bam playing as his monstrously angelic form slowly descends towards you from the sky. A human torso resting atop strange white limbs with one black wing on his back; the one winged angel of the apocalypse.
This song made me reevaluate what video game music could be, and to this day I can't hear it without picturing moments from that final epic confrontation.
Sephiroth is also a pussy if you pair Knights of the Round with Mime, he's beaten in 2 moves
Shinra wanted to create a tool. A weapon. They created a monster. A cataclysm.
@@titaniumjackal Dr. Hojo, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Son
Highly recommend you take a listen to "Dancing Mad." Its a whole piece of work that tells a story of a mad man accending to godhood.
I've always been curious what a classically trained musician thinks of this song. I think many of us "gamers" felt as if our musical tastes ascended to a higher plane the day we first heard it so it's good to have that feeling validated by someone who knows what they are talking about.
Hope you do more Nobuo Uematsu, definitely my favorite modern composer!
So glad to see this in my feed! ❤ I'm a huge fan of game soundtracks, from the original 8-bit tracks to contemporary games. Uematsu is absolutely one of all-time greats. It was lovely to see you enjoying the "boss battle" excitement of this track! Please seek out the Final Fantasy: Advent Children version of "One Winged Angel" to hear his rock influences shine through! 😄
As much as I love this song, I will caution you that it is not exactly representative of his works. It's not the first boss theme he's written in this sort of style (with various sections being kind of pasted together to create the whole), but that style is not his typical writing.
A running theme in his music is the use of melody. One reason melody is such an important part of his music is that on the early gaming consoles, you were very restricted in the number of musical sounds that could be played at once. This limitation meant that you couldn't really create densely harmonic music. Your harmony had to mostly be implied by careful voice leading and melody writing in general. Although even when technology progressed to the point where he had much more freedom, his melodic sensibilities remained, leading to many wonderfully memorable pieces.
Hopefully the next Nobuo Uematsu you check out is the opera from Final Fantasy 6, Maria and Draco. I think you'd find it fascinating. Ideally you would listen to both the original SNES soundtrack version and a modern orchestral version.
Ooh, I hadn't thought of Maria and Draco. That's a good suggestion
i mean, its a literal opera scene inside a game.
This was a great surprise! Glad you enjoyed it. We also clean & march around the house to this.
In the game there is tons of music by Nobuo and it all fits whatever player is doing extremely well. Actual vocals in the battle was something basically never done before it so you can imagine the suprise. When I heard the very first piece that plays in the game (bombing mission) it was first time in my life when I was like "ok, wait a minute, how did they even made it sound like that? Why its so amazing?". Music became more to me than ever before. Hundreds of albums later I know that feeling well, but Nobuo music still holds special place in my heart. Also just so you know, the version you hear is not the original one from the game.
I just love hearing musicians reviewing videogame music, so you got yourself a new follower! ❤
I'm sure others have requested this already, but since you did One-Winged Angel from 7, could you do Dancing Mad (which is the final boss battle theme in Final Fantasy VI)? Pretty pleeeease??
For the Hendrix connection in One winged Angel, the opening to the song is similar to the opening of Purple Haze. There are others, but that is the most notable one.
Your facial expressions at the beginning were exactly the same expressions I was making, lol.
I also love how you actually do your research on the composers, have the lines and translations ready, and take all that into consideration too.
Love it.
New subscriber here for sure.
5:45 - 6:47 One minute and two seconds of "Video Game Boss Music 101", right on the bullseye. You want the piece to feel menacing, but not hopeless because you're god damn right the player has prepared for this encounter. through planning or experience.
I believe i was a teenager in highschool when i got to the end of this game and heard this song. I had no idea what to expect from the fight, but the music made me feel something and that was just powerful. In the summoning animation a world destroying meteor hurtles through space, crashes through other planets, and is aimed at your location.While that cosmic destruction is happening the music at 7:57 of this video was playing, it created a build up of tension while waiting for impact.
This was one of many songs that made me appreciate classical music. Another great song was the Final Fantasy 8 opening, Liberi Fatali.