Is video game music actually better than most music you hear today?

[1st Mate Bob]

Good link! Nothing wrong with Wikipedia.

As I suspected, Uematsu's influences are classical music, rock/metal, and some elements of techno; nothing progressive. He's more pop than Pink Floyd.

I've just had many people tell me Wikipedia is "not a credible source" because of all our college professors telling us so. :P

That said, the second paragraph actually says...

Other major inspirations include The Beatles, Emerson, Lake & Palmer,[49] Simon & Garfunkel, and progressive rock bands.[1] In the classical genre, he cites Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as a great influence.[48] Uematsu has said that 1970s bands, such as Pink Floyd and King Crimson, had an impact on his Final Fantasy compositions.

EDIT: But I do agree that the majority of his influence stems from classical as well as early rock/metal. I mean, he has a metal band called The Black Mages.

Edited July 9, 2012 by 1st Mate Bob

[Loki Laufeyson]

He's more pop than Pink Floyd.

Just because someone is influenced by a certain band of a certain genre, doesnt mean that person sounds the same.

[Original Alear]

I starting to think so now.i turn on the radio and all I here is people raping about money,gold,cars,and bitches.

This just shows why music nowadays is sexist; rape isn't about money, gold, cars, and bitches, it's about power.

The reasons you listed IMO don't really exemplify why I like the video game music I do, and I don't even like video game music more than music that's written/produced/sold primarily to be listened to (though I might like contemporary video game music more than most contemporary music I hear, so in that sense I might agree with you).

Much of what rehab said I agree with. I do often like listening to video game music, but when I do it frequently is a partially nostalgic experience, and I might not have liked the music I listen to as much without some sort of association with an event. And there is music IRL that I have the same kind of nostalgic attachment to also (For What It's Worth, an album of Monk/Coltrane at Carnegie, Bob Wills songs, Daftpunk). There are exceptions though. FFXII's soundtrack I love to listen to just cuz it's beautiful.

I do love though, that, once when I was listening to Turnabout Jazz/Soul, my dad came in the room and paused, then asked, "this sounds familiar, who's the artist?" He normally mocks the music from any video game so when I told him it was from a video game it was basically like I MAXED prankster's gambit OF ALL TIME

OF ALL TIME

[Guy Starwind]

I work in Macy's 5/7 days in the week and I have to say video game music is better than 90% of the stuff I hear working there.

[Agro]

[Freohr Datia]

Lol yes I would definitely add my own emphasis as if it's needed at this point XD and say that radio music or mainstream music aren't all you're gonna hear from "today's music." You're just listening to the wrong stuff. Broaden your horizons to non-radio, perhaps~ While you did say you listen to a range of genres, maybe they're all still just stuff you heard on the radio? I just so happen to listen to music that isn't at all like what you describe and actually have feeling in them and are not about the stuff you describe. XD

And on the other hand, some songs can sound enjoyable to somebody from video games and some won't. Some of "today's music" may seem like it's good and some won't. But yeah a lot of it will depend on what you're into =3

[Espinosa]

Good link! Nothing wrong with Wikipedia.

As I suspected, Uematsu's influences are classical music, rock/metal, and some elements of techno; nothing progressive. He's more pop than Pink Floyd.

Did you read the whole section? It mentioned King Crimson and ELP. Anyway, I don't think not sounding like Pink Floyd cancels out somebody's connection to certain musical genres. I mean, really, so what? And some parts of FF OSTs do kinda sound like WYWH.

[Westbrick]

Did you read the whole section? It mentioned King Crimson and ELP. Anyway, I don't think not sounding like Pink Floyd cancels out somebody's connection to certain musical genres. I mean, really, so what? And some parts of FF OSTs do kinda sound like WYWH.

I didn't read the whole thing, no. Pretty clear from a quick skim that it's not a primary influence, which is true. And when I said "more pop than Pink Floyd," which apparently was ambiguous, I meant that his music closer to typical pop fare than ambitious, genre-transcending prog.

By the way, plenty of radio music is great! Just gotta open your mind a bit. Lyrics are almost always 100% garbage (except for like Drake), but the beats are usually pretty legit.

[Raven]

And not one mention of the soundtracks of the Ace Combat series. If I was to pick one series' soundtrack to represent video games and their music, I'd choose that one.

[Espinosa]

I didn't read the whole thing, no. Pretty clear from a quick skim that it's not a primary influence, which is true. And when I said "more pop than Pink Floyd," which apparently was ambiguous, I meant that his music closer to typical pop fare than ambitious, genre-transcending prog.

By the way, plenty of radio music is great! Just gotta open your mind a bit. Lyrics are almost always 100% garbage (except for like Drake), but the beats are usually pretty legit.

Well, lyrics are almost never good in songs written in English. That's why foreign artists like Abba so easily choose to sing in English; there's less pressure and everything rhymes so easily.

[Rewjeo]

There's a difference between lyrics not being great (and it's not like there aren't great lyrics in English) and being garbage. It doesn't help that the garbage lyrics often lack much in the way of melody- there is more to a song than a "great" beat.

[tenkiforecast]

Video game music can be as complex or simple as you want. It depends on the situation, how the composer wants the music to 'interact' with the game itself (Silent Hill is the best example), and how the game is being marketed.

On the subject of Final Fantasy, it can vary within the game itself. Yes, most of the songs are in usual time signatures because that's what fits best. Then we get to Dancing Mad, which is quite literally "dancing mad." The time signatures vary considerably, there is a great variety of melodic shift and a harmony running along with the song. It's my favorite final battle theme from that series because of those shifts.

Even classical music shows this pattern. Beethovan's 5th Symphony is one that epitomizes this. At its core is the one simple 4-note pattern but it builds and becomes far more complex on that one melody. The 1812 Overture is another example, each of the melodies within the overture are relatively simple or the French National Theme but the way it is presented makes it so memorable. A lot of it boils down to taste.

I'm also one of thsoe individuals who doesn't listen to pop music because I don't care about it. I'm classically trained as a musician (French Horn) so I like orchestrated, classically-inspired music, which happens to encompass a majority of video game soundtracks. Heck, my favorite soundtrack is the one from Chrono Cross which is *very* classically inspired. It boils down to taste, really.

[Rehab]

Well, lyrics are almost never good in songs written in English. That's why foreign artists like Abba so easily choose to sing in English; there's less pressure and everything rhymes so easily.

Uh, ouch? Personal taste, fine, but I can't tell if you're writing off a whole language or just demeaning it. Either way, why is that necessary?

[Original Alear]

And not one mention of the soundtracks of the Ace Combat series. If I was to pick one series' soundtrack to represent video games and their music, I'd choose that one.

I only played AC4 but that did have some pretty great music.

Though...

I havent' finished it yet cuz I

I took out stonehenge

and I've gone against the enemy ace squadron

BUT I CANT FIND THOSE FUCKING WEATHER BALLOONS

Edited July 9, 2012 by Hawkeye Hank Hatfield

[Thor Odinson]

Uh, ouch? Personal taste, fine, but I can't tell if you're writing off a whole language or just demeaning it. Either way, why is that necessary?

I agree with this. There's a lot of songs written in English, and I think it's too much of a generalisation to call their lyrics "almost never good". There's plenty of good songs written in English that just aren't that known, or aren't in a genre you listen to.

[Gold Vanguard]

I agree with this. There's a lot of songs written in English, and I think it's too much of a generalisation to call their lyrics "almost never good". There's plenty of good songs written in English that just aren't that known, or aren't in a genre you listen to.

Like Dragon Force.

[Celice]

Speaking of bad English lyrics, sometimes, the writer just had bad music. Like Britney Spears, for example.

[Westbrick]

There's a difference between lyrics not being great (and it's not like there aren't great lyrics in English) and being garbage. It doesn't help that the garbage lyrics often lack much in the way of melody- there is more to a song than a "great" beat.

Not necessarily; some genres are defined exclusively by the base and beat sections. Breakbeat, D&B, etc.

Uh, ouch? Personal taste, fine, but I can't tell if you're writing off a whole language or just demeaning it. Either way, why is that necessary?

English is a great stylistic language. Pay the genderless troll no mind.

Oh, and a reminder: pop songs are just as ridiculous lyrically in foreign countries as they are in America.

[Espinosa]

lol @ "genderless troll"

The English language is my specialty, so accusing me of intending disrespect is completely irrelevant, sorry. Try expressing one idea in English in verse form and any other language you're fluent in. You'll see that the former is a very easy way out with how sentences are formed and how conveniently you get the right parameters without even trying. Or write a poem in two languages. Translating great pop songs from English into another language results in a very cheesy, straightforward text, not so much because it doesn't translate well, but because the original happens to be very simple. The mind-boggling simplicity of songs with English lyrics is a well-known fact and I'm not revealing anything new here; if this is your definition of 'trolling' (often misused as 'expressing something I'm not fond of hearing' nowadays), then that's simply retarded.

[Agro]

Translating great pop songs from English into another language results in a very cheesy, straightforward text, not so much because it doesn't translate well, but because the original happens to be very simple.

This:

Oh, and a reminder: pop songs are just as ridiculous lyrically in foreign countries as they are in America.

Pop songs are supposed to have simple lyrics. They have simple lyrics in practically every single language, because they're meant to be easy to catch on to and be fun to listen to. Who the hell wants to dance and party to songs with deep, extended metaphors about serious stuff? Not me, that's for sure. How many languages other than English do you actually understand, by the way? It's one thing to look at English translations of song lyrics and another to actually know and understand the context of LOTE lyrics. I'd definitely disagree with you in saying that English is an easy language to rhyme in: I would find Japanese a lot easier, for instance.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Agro

[eclipse]

As someone who understands enough Japanese to do rough translations, I can say that there's cheesy songs in both languages; I'm listening to a cheesy Japanese song right now. Speaking of languages:

Ignore Reminiscence //003; it's irrelevant to this point. The first two versions of Reminiscence are the exact same song, right down to the lyrics. Translate the Japanese, and you'll get the English. Does this make one version better than the other? Not in terms of lyrics. An argument can be made in terms of the singer, though; I prefer Jun over Allison (the latter's voice is boring).

[Espinosa]

I can speak four and understand a bit more due to the similarity of certain languages to each other. I've also had to translate some English verse into other tongues, it confirms what I already know. Once again, I'm not trying to create some sensation by stating a simple fact; if you're upset, then I'm sorry but it's better than you know this sooner than later. I appreciate the word magic the English language (as somebody for whom it is a living) allows in even the simplest context and the native speakers of English (regardless of background) are among the titans of world literature and not without the help of the language they were writing in, but there's no denying that foreign artists' motivation is not only the desire of a commercial breakthrough but also the fact that writing lyrics in English is easy. They know it and they make use of it. Not talking of just radio pop by the way; rock, blues, jazz all work.

How that compares to other languages is a subject I may not have perfect knowledge of. An Italian teacher with whom I was in correspondence at one point admitted she was ashamed of the lyrics Italian 70s progrockers wrote. That was a revolt against pop, both in form and ideology (Nietzchean and occult themes all over the place, much like in other rock of those times) of the persons involved. Italians themselves, however, find those lyrics embarrassing and seem to express relief that many people listening to these bands aren't fluent in their language and aren't repulsed by it. So while English probably isn't alone here, we can't hide the fact that similar cliches, constructions and phrases are simply impossible in other languages; they would be considered extremely bad taste. You won't feel yourself aesthetically mistreated if you hear about the "burning fire of desire" for the 100th time in a song, but a similar rendering in, say, Polish will simply make your effort laughable to the public.

[Westbrick]

I'd love to see examples of these "Nietzschean rock groups."

[eclipse]

Any opinion of the song I posted, lyric-wise? Not sure if you're able to understand Japanese, though.

[Espinosa]

I'd love to see examples of these "Nietzschean rock groups."

Well, there's the obvious one:

Much of rock is about freedom, rebellion against tradition, nihilism and the forces of evil, so the Italians aren't doing anything new from the lyrical point of view.

You should find the lyrics to the album online pretty easily, I think.

Any opinion of the song I posted, lyric-wise? Not sure if you're able to understand Japanese, though.

Yeah, that's the problem, but I'm sure you could continue your train of thought and conclude something I have no knowledge of yet. I did listen to the same song with English lyrics, then with Japanese lyrics, and the song didn't gain or lose much in that transition. Somebody raised the question of form (wanting to distinguish between radio pop and... less mainstream genres or artists maybe?), so I could also ask if the eurobeat (not sure if I'm right regarding the genre here) track you posted gives justice to songs written in Japanese as such. For example, traditional Japanese music, how complex or simple is it? I wouldn't be able to tell unless on some intuitive or syntactical level.