Aerith's Theme

"Aerith's Theme" or "Aeris's Theme", is Aerith Gainsborough's eponymous theme originating from Final Fantasy VII. It was composed and arranged by Nobuo Uematsu.
It contains elements of "Aria di Mezzo Carattere" from Final Fantasy VI. Elements of "Aerith's Theme" independent of "Aria di Mezzo Carattere" are also present in "Yuna's Theme" from Final Fantasy X.
== Game appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy VII ===
"Aerith's Theme" plays three times: during Elmyra Gainsborough's flashback where she tells the party of Aerith's childhood; during the fight with Jenova∙LIFE and during the preceding scene; and when the party remembers Aerith's sacrifice before raiding the Northern Cave. A short phrase of the theme is heard in the scene where Cloud sees Aerith's hand reach out for him from the lifestream in the ending.
"Flowers Blooming in the Church" is an arrangement of "Aerith's Theme" that plays as the background theme for the Sector 5 slums church and Aerith's house in the Sector 5 Slums, as well as in several in-game cutscenes involving Aerith.
"Aerith's Theme" is the nineteenth track of the Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack third disc; while "Flowers Blooming in the Church" is the twelfth track of the album's first disc.
==== Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children ====
"Aerith's Theme (Piano Version)", the piano arrangement of "Aerith's Theme" from Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VII is the eleventh track of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Original Soundtrack.
"Water" is a new theme based on "Aerith's Theme" arranged by Nobuo Uematsu and Keiji Kawamori, and plays at various parts of the film that focus on her, such as when her voice is heard on Cloud Strife's cellphone. It is the ninth track of the original soundtrack.
A new original arrangement of this theme is included in the remaster to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Advent Children Complete, titled "Aerith's Theme (ACC Long Version)". This theme was arranged by Kazuhiko Toyama and was released in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Reunion Tracks album as its eleventh track.
==== Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- ====
"A Flower Blooming in the Slums (from FFVII "Aerith's Theme")" is an arrangement of the theme by Takeharu Ishimoto, and is the twenty-second track of the first disc of the Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack. It features the piano and an acoustic guitar performance by Hirokazu Ogura. It plays during several cutscenes involving Aerith, including her appearance in the ending cutscene.
An orchestral version, accompanied by the acoustic guitar, is also included on the ending theme, where it is known as "Living Legacy", by Kazuhiko Toyama.
===Final Fantasy VII Remake===
A number of versions of "Aerith's Theme" appear on Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack.
"Chance Meeting in Sector 8" is track 12 of the first disc. The piano arrangement of "Aerith's Theme" from Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VII is also the eleventh track of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Original Soundtrack, and plays when Cloud meets Aerith after falling through the roof of the church. "Flowers Blooming in the Church" is track 18 of the third disc. "Aerith's Theme - Home Again" is the 21st track of the third disc. "A Certain Gaudiness" is track 20 of the fourth disc and plays in Wall Market if the player obtains the best dress for Aerith. "Aerith and Marlene - A Familiar Flower" is track 20 of the fifth disc. An arrangement of "Aerith's Theme" is featured in "Credits," the 13th track of the seventh disc.
Lesser known arrangements include "The First Guy I Ever Loved", which plays when Aerith tells Cloud about Zack in the Sector 6 Slums. "Rock That Dress, Aerith" and "Cheer Up, Aerith" play if Aerith gets one of her two other dresses. "Our Pack Chocobo" plays when Aerith and Tifa bond over going shopping together while in the sewers. "Aerith's Theme - Memories" plays during her flashbacks involving her mother. "Every Moment Matters" plays during her resolution scene in her garden. "Aerith's Theme - The Cetra", plays when she discusses her ancestry in her Shinra Building cell.
===Final Fantasy VII Rebirth===
Following Final Fantasy VII Remake, a number of tracks in the game again feature the motif of "Aerith's Theme".
Two prominent arrangements are "Aerith's Theme - The White Materia" and "Aerith's Theme - Return to the Planet" , both arranged by Yasunori Nishiki.
"Aerith's Theme - The White Materia" plays during the cutscene of Aerith's death after the white materia bounces off the altar into the water below, and continues to play during the boss battle against Jenova Lifeclinger in the first phase. The first half of the track, which plays during the cutscene, also includes motifs from "One-Winged Angel" and "JENOVA"; the "JENOVA" motif is used in the lead-up to the battle. The rest of the track features the motif of "Aerith's Theme" only. On the other hand, "Aerith's Theme - Return to the Planet" plays during the end credits.
The motif of "Aerith's Theme" can also be heard towards the end of the game's vocal theme, "No Promises to Keep," which in-game is performed by Aerith.
"Aerith's Theme - The White Materia" and "Aerith's Theme - Return to the Planet" are tracks 6 and 20 respectively of disc 7 on the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack. "No Promises to Keep - Loveless Ver." is track 12 of disc 6 of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack.
The player can also play Aerith's Theme on the piano, the sheet music obtained for doing Tifa's quest in Nibelheim, "My White-Haired Angel".
===Final Fantasy XV===
The original version from Final Fantasy VII is included in the music player. It is the seventh track of the Memories of FFVII album that is available by default.
===Dissidia Final Fantasy NT===
The original PlayStation version of the track is obtainable as a battle music from a Theatrhythm Final Fantasy event (2018/01) in the arcade version.
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
"Aerith's Theme" was selected for numerous special events and can be found in the Concert Hall often. The most notable uses were the 2016 Valentine's Day celebration in which the globally released song Valentine Medley (レンタイン・デー) featured "Eyes On Me" from Final Fantasy VIII, "Eiko's Theme" from Final Fantasy IX, "Celes's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI, and "Theme of Love" from Final Fantasy IV, with "Aerith's Theme" having more playtime than the other songs, playing for 1:29 seconds.
During the December 2016 event titled "Awakening Cloud", a heavy-metal version of "Fight On!" became the home menu song for the duration of the event. The track featured a brief medley of "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII" and "Aerith's Theme".
"Aerith's Theme" is included as part of the 6th anniversary special arrange medley, taken from the top 10 music from All Final Fantasy Big Vote.
=== Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ===
"Aerith's Theme" was selected as the theme for the Final Fantasy VII series play's respective Event Music Sequence.
The theme appears on Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Compilation Album.
==== Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call ====
"Aerith's Theme" is a Battle Music Sequence, while "A Flower Blooming in the Slums (from FFVII 'Aerith's Theme')" appears as a Field Music Sequence from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. "Aerith's Theme (Piano Version)" from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a bonus FMS available as downloadable content.
====Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-Star Carnival====
"Aerith's Theme" appears as a playable Battle Music Sequence. It can be unlocked by purchasing it from the songs store for 5 sound medals.
Difficulty	Difficulty	Difficulty	Difficulty	Difficulty
Beginner 	Basic 	Expert 	Ultimate 	Transcendent
N/A 	2 	3 	7 	N/A
====Theatrhythm Final Bar Line====
"Aerith's Theme" returns as both a Battle Music Sequence and Event Music Sequence. Both "A Flower Blooming in the Slums (from FFVII 'Aerith's Theme')" and "Aerith's Theme (Piano Version)" from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children respectively return as a Field Music Sequence.
The track's remix from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, under the title "Aerith's Theme -Collab Arrangement-", appears as a Field Music Sequence exclusive to the Digital Deluxe Edition.
== Arrangement album appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks ===
"Aerith's Theme" is one of three tracks arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi and performed by an orchestra for this best-of album of Final Fantasy VII music. It is the final track of the album.
=== Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VII ===
A piano arrangement by Shirō Hamaguchi was included in the Piano Collections album of Final Fantasy VII as the eleventh track. This version also appears in the exclusive PlayStation 4 theme for those who buy the remastered version of the original Final Fantasy VII.
=== Suteki da ne ===
"Aerith's Theme" is featured as a B-Side to RIKKI's Suteki da ne single. It is a vocal arrangement by Jim Ediger titled "Pure Heart". The track was voted in by fans to be arranged and included to the single's B-side and the lyrics are written by Emiko Shiratori, who sang the theme song for Final Fantasy IX. Uematsu had been aware of the popularity of "Aerith's Theme" among the fans, so he wasn't surprised by their choice. However, in his opinion compositions other than "Aerith's Theme" would have been easier to make into a song.
==== Lyrics ====
;Japanese
:長く続く　この道の向こうに
:信じられるものが　きっとある
:風の中の旅人のように
:北の空を　めざして行けば
:消えかけた　熱い想い
:もう一度　胸の中で
:輝き　ゆれる
:涙なんて　こぼしたくないの
:弱い自分に　負けないために
:飾らない　心だけが
:持っている　目には見えない
:大きな翼
:手をひろげ　歌いながら
:悠久の　時に抱かれ
:命を繋ぐ
:長く続く　この道の向こうに
:信じられるものが　きっとある	
;Rōmaji
:Nagaku tsuzuku kono michi no mukō ni
:Shinji rareru mono ga kitto aru
:Kaze no naka no tabibito no yō ni
:Kita no sora o mezashite ikeba
:Kie kaketa atsui omoi
:Mō ichido mune no naka de
:Kagayaki yureru
:Namida nante koboshitakunai no
:Yowai jibun ni makenai tame ni
:Kazaranai kokoro dake ga
:Motte iru me ni wa mienai
:Ōkina tsubasa
:Te o hiroge utainagara
:Yūkyū no toki ni daka re
:Inochi o tsunagu
:Nagaku tsuzuku kono michi no mukō ni
:Shinji rareru mono ga kitto aru
;Unofficial English translation
:Straight on this long, continuing road
:There is surely something to believe in
:Like a traveler in the midst of the wind
:I have my eyes on the northern sky
:The passionate feelings
:That were beginning to vanish
:Once again sway in radiance in my chest
:I don't want the tears to spill
:As so not to lose to my weaker self
:In eyes holding only an unadorned spirit
:There are great
:Unseen wings
:I open my arms while singing
:To embrace the perpetuity of time
:To be tied to life
:Straight on this long, continuing road
:There is surely something to believe in
=== Guitar Solo Final Fantasy Official Best Collection ===
A classic guitar arrangement of "Aerith's Theme" by Yuji Sekiguchi is present as the fourteenth track of the album.
=== SQ Chips ===
The song appears in the 8-bit arrangement album featuring tracks from several Square Enix games. It is the eighth track in the album.
=== Final Fantasy Orchestral Album ===
"Aerith's Theme" appears on this Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary arrangement album.
== Live performances ==
=== 20020220 music from Final Fantasy ===
The version of "Aerith's Theme" included in the concert album 20020220 music from Final Fantasy features an orchestration arrangement produced by Nobuo Uematsu and Shirō Hamaguchi.
=== Dear Friends -Music from Final Fantasy- ===
The orchestral arrangement of "Aerith's Theme" from 20020220 was part of the performances of this concert tour throughout the USA in 2005. It was the eleventh song of the line-up.
=== More Friends - Music from Final Fantasy ===
"Aerith's Theme" is included on this live recording of an orchestral concert, preformed by The World Festival Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arnie Roth at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California on May 16th, 2005.
=== Distant Worlds II: More Music from Final Fantasy ===
The orchestral version of "Dear Friends" from 20020220 was included in the sequel to Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, arranged and performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. It was the twelfth song of the line-up and track of the concert's recording.
=== Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy ===
"Aerith's Theme" was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in this live orchestra concert recording.
=== Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Returning Home ===
"Aerith's Theme" is included on this live recording of an orchestral concert, performed by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Arnie Roth held in Tokyo, in November 2010.
== Compilation album appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy S Generation: Official Best Collection ===
Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks version of "Aerith's Theme" is the thirteenth track of this compilation.
=== Potion: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy ===
Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks version of "Aerith's Theme" is the thirteenth track of this compilation.
=== Dear Friends: Music From Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack ===
"Aerith's Theme"'s original version was released as the eight track of this collection of themes present in the Dear Friends -Music from Final Fantasy- concert tour.
=== Final Fantasy VII Vinyl Limited Edition ===
"Aerith's Theme" is included on the third disc of this collectors' edition.
==Appearances outside the Final Fantasy series==
===Super Smash Bros. Ultimate===
A remix of "Aerith's Theme" is included with Challenger Pack 8 DLC arranged by MONACA Inc., with its CEO and composer Keiichi Okabe as the arrangement supervisor. It is an orchestral remix featuring a choral component. The composition is more upbeat than previous versions and features a harp part reminiscent of the recurring "Prelude" theme of the Final Fantasy series. It can be played on Midgar, Northern Cave, Battlefield, Small Battlefield, Big Battlefield, and Final Destination. It also appears on the Fountain of Dreams stage in Aerith's Spirit Battle.
The lyrics for this arrangement have not been released. The singing may be in a non-language, as composer Keiichi Okabe has done in his previous work on Nier.
== Behind the scenes ==
Nobuo Uematsu has noted that he did not compose "Aerith's Theme" with her death in mind, so it was not "designed to make you cry". His intent was to write "a kind of sad but beautiful tune" that conveyed "she wasn’t a very happy character. She was really innocent and pure but had a tragic kind of life".
Among many fans there exists the belief that "Aerith's Theme" may have been inspired by or based upon the Final Fantasy VI "Aria di Mezzo Carattere". There are many similarities between the themes: the musical scales in which both tracks are written, D-major, similar chord changes, and them sharing several notes in their central melodies.
"Aerith's Theme" has appeared on the Classic FM's Hall of Fame in the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. It was 16th in 2012, 3rd in 2013, and 7th in 2014.
"Aerith's Theme", along with other Final Fantasy themes—such as "Melodies of Life", "Zanarkand", Love Will Grow", "Blinded By Light", "FINAL FANTASY XIII - The Promise", "Don't Be Afraid", "Force Your Way", "Steiner's Theme" and many others—are used as background music on Filipino channel ABS-CBN programs as well as other Filipino channels and radio stations.
Aerith's ultimate passive in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia is called "A Flower Blooming in the Slums" as a reference to the Crisis Core version of "Aerith's Theme", which is named the same.
== Merchandise ==
One of, if not the, rarest pieces of Final Fantasy merchandise is the limited edition Final Fantasy VII music box that plays "Aeris's Theme". It has a gold plaque that says "Aeris's Theme" and its limited number. Only 100 pieces were ever produced by Sankyo Orpheus Japan. This music box has 50 notes whereas most music boxes have only 18 and the box is made out of curubixa wood.
== References ==
== External links ==
* A notable fan vocal arrangement of "Aerith's Theme" by Kate Covington.
Category:Event themes from Final Fantasy VII
Category:Musical themes from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Category:Event themes from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Category:Event themes from Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Category:Battle themes from Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call