FF song bracket: Round 1, Group 2

Pick your four favourite songs from the selection above!

If you can't decide on just four, you can vote for as many as you want, but only in one poll of the 20 in the first round. The full list of upcoming polls can be found here.

You can listen to the songs in the playlist below.


This poll will be open for three days, and at least four songs will qualify for the next round.

Other popular names for these songs include:

Battle With the Four Fiends - "The Dreadful Fight"
Within the Giant - "The Giant's Dungeon"
Magitek Research Facility - "Devil's Lab"
Aerith's Theme - "Aeris's Theme"
Words Drowned by Fireworks - "Interrupted by Fireworks"

For more information on this event, visit the discussion thread.

This was much more challenging. I went with Main Theme of FFVII, Fireworks, Behind the Door and Ending Theme (FFX) and I'm irritated that I couldn't choose Lulu's Theme, Rabanastre and Behind Closed Doors, because I like those too. Well I know I could have chosen all of them, but I'm sticking to four because there's another bracket I'm keeping my "more than four" for.

Incidentally Flint, the playlist is starting at the second track in the embed, and I wonder if it's got something to do with having the first video ID in there?

I went with the obvious... Aerith, Fireworks, Ending (X) and the Magitek for some fun. The former three are so awesome and beautiful and gut wrenching and just urgh </3

I dunno, Lex, I'll look into it tomorrow. I tried the group one playlist when I posted it and that seemed to work fine.

Battle with the four fiends
Words drowned by fireworks
FFX Ending Theme
Lulu's Theme <3 <3 <3

Magitek Research Facility - I enjoy listening to that song.
Words drowned by Fireworks
Ending Theme for X - Always loved it, gives me feels.
Streets of Rabanastre - Because I love Rabanastre.

It was easier to choose four songs this time than it was in Group 1, but again I could have happily voted for more than four.

Aerith's Theme &#8211; As a child, I was as mesmerised by Aeris as the people she came into contact with. There's never been a video game character since who had me so fascinated. Her theme song is therefore not only a breathtakingly beautiful composition in its own right but also deeply personally emotional, as I expect it is for many of us here.

Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII &#8211; This song begins with an atmosphere of trepidation, then moves into nostalgic longing. Around 2:40 the crashing cymbals and brass section bring hope and bravery in the face of fear. But soon, particularly from 4:15, it is apparent that there is still great danger to face. Finally, the song returns to that nostalgic musical section and a fragile balance is restored. I think that right there sums up not only the story of the planet, making it a perfect world map theme, but also each character's personal story.

(Final Fantasy X) Ending Theme &#8211; I have still never played this game through to its conclusion, and although of course I have seen the ending online, given that it wasn't the end of my own playthrough, it didn't stir any powerful emotions in me. However, since then I've listened to the song that accompanies that scene, and it moves me in a way that goes even deeper than Aerith's Theme. From a purely compositional perspective, it's hard to think of a song from the whole series that is more deeply emotive. When the crescendo comes in around 3:26 and climaxes at 3:50, and the pureness of the flute follows, I am forced to stop everything I'm doing and just listen. The nostalgic final movement then leaves me in tears. Uematsu, all is forgiven for your otherwise mostly lacklustre contributions to the FFX soundtrack.

Streets of Rabanastre &#8211; Is there a town theme in the series that can rival the joy and spirit of Streets of Rabanastre? God, the arrangement here is just so brilliant, in every instrument, in every rise and fall.

Other shortlisted entries
Magitek Research Facility
Behind The Door
Words Drowned By Fireworks

Aerith's Theme (Final Fantasy VII): Powerful music... song-competition-winningly-powerful music . Does to me what probably no other song in this comp does. I try to imagine it without its connections to the tragic story of Aerith and that particular scene, just to make it fairer, as those connections do help it .
Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (Final Fantasy VII): One of the better themes in FF. Hits a lot of buttons. Hope, anxiety, happiness, sadness, adventure, suspense, triumph, tragedy, etc. Got a good call-and-response structure going on in several parts too *tries to recall technical language from high school *.
Lulu's Theme (Final Fantasy X): Inspired me enough to try and learn to play it on the keyboard at one stage. Has an otherworldly sound, suited for a character like Lulu. If anything, I wish it were longer, and attached to a more interesting character .
Streets of Rabanastre (Final Fantasy XII): Slightly above average song? Admittedly voted this one because the remaining songs don't do much for me .

I've said all I can possibly say about the two FF7 pieces I chose, Aerith's Theme and the Main Theme. Both incredible.

Magitek Research Facility (once called Devil's Lab if I'm not mistaken), is an old favorite of mine, but then I love everything out of FF6. I love the familiar martial beat with a bit of whimsical melody creating the image of thousands of machines hammering parts into place. The constant, never-changing percussion gives the feeling of eternal factory work, while the melody carries the players through it to the end.

Behind Closed Doors from FF14 is the Inn theme and it has my vote if for no other reason than just how soothing it is. It's competing against an entire score of amazing tracks just from FF14, not to mention the games that precede it but I feel it holds its own as a testament to what a simple melody can achieve.

Ah, that's a good point, I forgot to include the alternative names. Weekends tend to be a bit difficult for me to post on TLS, since I'm almost always away, and relying on a combination of my phone and borrowing other people's computers. I'll be home tomorrow and I'll add them in then.

Flintlock said:

I dunno, Lex, I'll look into it tomorrow. I tried the group one playlist when I posted it and that seemed to work fine.

Click to expand...

The playlist embedded in this thread starts from "Battle with the Four Fiends" both on my phone and in Chrome/Windows, so I think it's just you, Lex.

Well that's odd, it's fine now. Yesterday both of your playlists started on track 2.

You've obviously pulled some Flint-style jiggery hackery pokery and are trying to make me feel insane. I'M ONTO YOU 0_0

Also I desperately want Aerith's theme booted out, so how does this work? Does only one song progress to the next round?

Top four. It's there in my opening post.

It's definitely still starting up from the second song for me. Just this playlist tho, not the others.

Must be a problem on Youtube's side, I guess.

Flintlock said:

Top four. It's there in my opening post.

Click to expand...

booooooooooooooooooo Aerith's theme's going to win the whole fucking thing ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-; ;-;

It's not even winning this poll.

I know but it'll get carried through and then it'll win in the end. Sometimes I have fears and they come true, it's a thing.

I actually like the Piano Collections version better the original track

The poll will close in a little over 24 hours.

My top pick is I Want a Peanut Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII. No surprise, really; I think it's a contender to win this whole event.

My other votes are for Battle With the Four Fiends, Magitek Research Facility and Behind the Door.

Honourable mentions to Sorrows of Parting, Aerith's Theme, Words Drowned by Fireworks, Lulu's Theme and Full Speed Ahead. This was a much tougher group for me than #1.

I picked Aerith's Theme, Words Drowned Out By Fireworks, Ending Theme (X), and Lulu's Theme. (Though now in hindsight I kind of wish I'd voted for Main Theme (VII) instead of Lulu's Theme (sorry Lulu).)

Made my picks. I was hoping that group 2 wasn't as hard as the first and it wasn't. It was much harder. Finally I ended up picking Magitek Research Facility, Behind the Door, Ending Theme and Streets of Rabanastre.

Ending Theme (FFX) was by far the easiest pick. The fact that I was in tears while listening to it is already enough to pick it, but on top of that I love the way it connects the two most well known themes from the series (Hymn of the Faith and Zanarkand) and how you can hear the music building up to the Zanarkand theme. Also I feel like the song really captures an end of a journey: the sadness that comes when a part of your life ends but then the peace that comes after when life goes on.

My next pick was Magitek. This one is a really fun piece and I like the rhythm in the background.

Behind the Door got me excited from the very beginning. Maybe it was hearing actual instruments but it also brings out the memories from the end of the game. Short but effective.

My last pick was Rabanastre. I haven't played FFXII but still this piece just brings to mind a clear vision of a grand city. Very good theme for some exploration.

Honorable mentions go to Aerith's theme and Within the Giant. It was really difficult for me to have Aerith's theme and VII Main Theme in the same list with a lot of more or less new songs as they are both songs that I have listened to a lot. To be honest, they have kinda lost their charm. They are both great pieces of music but I really prefer the Distant Worlds version of the main theme and the original just doesn't do it for me. I almost picked Aerith's theme, but knowing that so many are going to vote for it and because I have listened to it too much already I decided against it. I have to say that I also enjoyed the last two songs on the list but unfortunately not enough to give either one of them a place in my top four.

This poll is now closed. The songs which have definitely made it into the top 100 are:

Aerith's Theme
Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII
Words Drowned by Fireworks
Ending Theme

If your favourite song isn't on this list, don't despair! It might still get in as one of the best runners-up. The songs with the best chance of qualifying in this manner are:

Magitek Research Facility
Streets of Rabanastre

Thanks for voting!