"Hollow" is the ending theme and the official theme song of Final Fantasy VII Remake. It was composed by Nobuo Uematsu and performed by Yosh, the vocalist of Survive Said The Prophet. The lyrics were written in Japanese by Kazushige Nojima. The original Japanese lyrics appear during the Japanese credits and were published in the first Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania. The lyrics were translated into English by Ben Sabin and John Crow. The arrangement and synthesizer programming were done by Kenichiro Fukui.
The song is from Cloud Strife's perspective. In the official "behind the scenes" video, Uematsu instructs Yosh to make it fit Cloud's character. In a Famitsu interview, Uematsu explained that the song reflects Cloud's inner feelings, and Nojima clarified his intention with the lyrics was to write a "ballad for a man who has lost something important to him."[1] According to Uematsu in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack booklet, the image he had settled on was Cloud standing quietly in the rain, lost in thought, but howling in his heart. He further stated that the song is about the struggle of a man trying to escape a destiny he ultimately cannot, a man standing outside himself, looking in, despairing that he is powerless alone, and searching for a way forward, frustrated and desperate.[2] According to Tetsuya Nomura in the same booklet, the song is meant to evoke images of a man standing alone in the rain, the cracked earth returning to life, as the storm around him eventually clears to reveal a boundless horizon where a new journey awaits.[2]
Lyrics
The official lyrics were released on Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack.
- Original Japanese
- 漂い
- 流れて
- 迷った時でも
- あなたの
- 輝く
- 笑顔が
- 導く
- 傷つき
- 倒れて
- 打ちひしがれても
- あなたに
- 触れたら
- すべては
- 癒され
- 浮かれてた？
- そうかもな
- 何も
- 知らずに
- 気づくのが
- 早ければ
- 抱きしめられたかい？
- もう一度
- 輝け
- 一度でいい
- 見つけるから
- もう一度
- 笑って
- 今度は
- 離しはしない
- 笑顔には
- 隠された
- 秘密が
- あったね
- でも俺は
- 空っぽで
- 求めて
- ばかりで
- もう一度
- 頼むよ
- 笑顔を
- 見せて
- もう一度
- 今度こそ
- 涙の跡に
- 気づいてみせる
- ああ
- わかるよ
- あなたは
- いない
- でも
- 俺は
- 叫び続ける
- 空っぽだから
- English
- I would be lost
- Drifting along
- Floating up high
- Time after time
- And there you'd be
- Shining brightly
- Your smiling face
- To guide my way
- Bloody and bruised
- Brought to my knees
- When beaten down
- When broken up
- You would appear,
- Reach out to me,
- Heal every wound,
- And make me whole
- Was it all a dream?
- Will I never know?
- Foolish and blind
- To everything
- Had I realized,
- Had I thought it through,
- Would you be here
- in my embrace?
- Shine bright
- Once more
- Guide me
- To you
- Smile bright
- Once more
- This time
- I will never let you go
- With your every smile
- Hiding something more:
- Dark mysteries
- Lurking beneath
- But I was consumed
- With this emptiness
- This selfishness,
- This void to fill
- Hear me
- Once more
- Show me
- Your smile
- This time
- For sure
- I'll see
- The truth hidden inside your tears
- But I
- I know
- That you're
- Long gone
- But I
- I will
- Go on
- Howling and hollow
Game appearances
Final Fantasy VII Remake
"Hollow" plays during the end credits of the game. It is track 12 of disc 7 on the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack.
An instrumental version of the theme arranged by Yasunori Nishiki, titled "Hollow Skies" (からっぽの空, Karappo no Sora?), plays in some areas of the Sector 5 Slums. It is track 22 of disc 3 on the original soundtrack.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
"Hollow Skies - Midgar Region" (からっぽの空 -ミッドガルエリア-, Karappo no Sora -Middogaru Eria-?, lit. Hollow Skies -Midgar Area-) is another instrumental version of the theme that plays in certain areas of the Grasslands. "Hollow Skies - Battle Edit" (からっぽの空 Battle Edit, Karappo no Sora Battle Edit?) is a more intense remix that plays during battles in these areas. Both tracks were arranged by Tadayoshi Makino.
They are tracks 18 and 19 respectively of disc 1 on the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
"Hollow" appears as an Event Music Sequence for Final Fantasy VII Remake. It is not playable in the music player.
Citations
- ↑ aitaikimochi (n.d.) . Translation of Famitsu interview by aitaikimochi. Twitter. Archived from the original on 20 March, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 jsjunshen (n.d.) . 8disc final fantasy 7 remake soundtrack is here.. Twitter. Archived from the original on 9 July, 2024.