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Nobuo Uematsu reportedly called most songs on the original Final Fantasy VII soundtrack “boring” compared with music in earlier games—but the remark came with an explanation: he wanted the score to support the story and gameplay rather than compete with them. It is his retrospective artistic judgment, not an objective verdict on the soundtrack or a claim about how listeners generally feel.
What Uematsu reportedly said about the original soundtrack
GamesRadar+ reported on October 7, 2026, that Uematsu made the comments in James Mielke’s biography, Nobuo Uematsu: On the Record. The report reproduces his assessment that, apart from fan favorites such as “One-Winged Angel,” most of Final Fantasy VII’s songs are boring compared with music in prior games.
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The same report quotes his explanation: “Because of the improvements in the visuals, the music distracts from the gameplay if the melody is too catchy.” It also reproduces his next sentence: “So I wrote music that doesn’t impose on the focus for the story.” Those lines make the apparent contradiction clearer: Uematsu reportedly judged the songs less compelling by comparison, while describing that restraint as a deliberate response to the game’s presentation.
The quotation is attributed to Uematsu by GamesRadar+ and presented as coming from the biography. VIZ Media’s publisher page verifies the book and provides a preview, but the specific passage is not independently visible in the public materials cited here. The wording should therefore be understood as reported by GamesRadar+, rather than as a passage independently checked against the book page.
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- Banda sonora original de Final Fantasy VII
- Compositor: Nobuo Uematsu
Why he says he held the music back
Uematsu’s reported reasoning is about the role of music in a game. As visuals improved, he believed a melody that was too catchy could pull attention away from playing. He says he aimed for music that would not impose on the story’s focus. That describes a compositional priority—not a claim that the score contains no memorable writing or that every track was intentionally subdued.
“Boring” is also a comparison with earlier Final Fantasy music, as reproduced in the report. It is Uematsu’s reported aesthetic assessment of much of his own score, not a measured judgment, a listener consensus, or proof that players experience the music the same way.
Rank #2
Which book the quotation comes from
Nobuo Uematsu: On the Record is a biography by veteran game journalist James Mielke. VIZ describes it as drawing on conversations with Uematsu, his wife, peers, and industry figures, and offers a preview. VIZ Media and Simon & Schuster list a September 15, 2026 publication date; Simon & Schuster identifies the edition as a 286-page hardcover with ISBN 9781974769407.
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- CD
- FORMAT: CD
- PPS, Acrylic, Paper outer
- 2010, 2021 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.
- MADE IN JAPAN
Uematsu’s later Final Fantasy VII music credits
The reported opinion about the 1997 score does not mean Uematsu stopped contributing to music associated with Final Fantasy VII. Square Enix credits him with writing “Hollow,” the theme for Final Fantasy VII Remake, performed by Yosh. PlayStation identifies him as the composer of “No Promises to Keep” for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, performed by Loren Allred. These are specific credits, not evidence that he composed every piece in either later game’s score.
Those later songs also should not be treated as an objective rebuttal or confirmation of his view of the original soundtrack. They show continued, particular contributions to the series, while the reported “boring” comment remains a retrospective comparison and explanation of his approach to the original game.
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