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Hollow (From "Final Fantasy VII Remake")

by Earth Kid ft. Erika Richards

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AspiringSquire
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Jay C
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Sean R. Hanson
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about

Nominated for the 2024 Game Music Remix Awards!

Final Fantasy VII was my very first RPG, which I started playing at age 7 back when it first came out. It absolutely changed my life. I had a blast playing the remake, too, and the new original song, Hollow, blew me away at the end. The lyrics - which are essentially about grief - resonated with me personally. I'd wanted to cover it for a while and I first had the idea 3 years ago, but was finally able to finish it last April for the Dwelling of Duels monthly contest.

The style of this arrangement was influenced by classic rock ballads with folk elements. I played the Irish bouzouki, piano/keys, accordion, harp, and got some practice with belting, which I've been doing a lot more of over the last few years. Erika contributed guitars, bass, and drums, and really helped bring my vision to life. I couldn't have pulled off the sound I wanted without her!

I also incorporated a couple of references to other FFVII tracks. The harp arpeggio (...harpeggio?) during the guitar solo is inspired by the Prelude, and the one during the second bridge was modeled after the harp part in Dear to the Heart. During the second and third choruses, the accordion (doubled by the harp and mellotron) briefly quotes the melody of On That Day, Five Years Ago. I realized while arranging that the chord progression in the chorus kind of worked with that minor key version of the main theme, so of course I had to do something with it.

I've been wanting to explore rock and metal genres more in my music lately (going back to some of my old roots), and this was a great outlet for that. It was a very cathartic song to work on, and I loved playing and singing it. I poured my soul into this track, and I hope you enjoy it!

lyrics

Lyrics:

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

To never know

credits

released May 3, 2024
Credits:

Earth Kid: Vocals, Piano, Irish Bouzouki, Accordion, Harp, Keys (Mellotron, Organ), Arrangement, Mixing
Erika Richards: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Drum programming, Mastering

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about

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Earth Kid

I'm a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and audio engineer in a lifelong love affair with video games and beyond.

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