I’ve always thought that in “And What if I Can’t” the constant triplets are a symbolism of Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn. One note is dissonant because Emmeryn’s gone.
While ill admit the story of awakening has its flaws, these tracks particularly don't speak her name are still heart wrenching, it just goes to show how much you can communicate narratively just through music alone. Also, there isn't an intensified version of the theme between the map view and battle scenes, nor does it change between player and enemy phases, allowing the piece to dominate the entire chapter with no obstruction. It really juxtaposed this chapter against every other one in the game; like the situation is so direct not even the plegians can escape the reality of the situation brought on by the war that both sides caused, leading to emmeryns sacrifice. The music fits with the moral grey of the chapter voss Mustafa as well, he's a real chad.
Hello, there. I was one of the Spanish translators of this game (David Garcia Abril. My name is in the credits, albeit you have to put the Spanish version in order to see it). I really enjoyed your analysis of this fantastic piece. I've been following your videos occasionally for a while now, so I'm so happy to see you talking about this game. We played the Japanese version during the project, and even back then, when the game hadn't made it to Western markets just yet, I could feel this melody would leave a mark among game music lovers. Keep up your fantastic job.
Nunca pensé que podría ver a alguien encargado de la traducción de este juego. Uno de mis puntos favoritos del juego fue su traducción y la personalidad que transmitían los personajes. El uso del voseo castellano tradicional en personajes como Frederic le daba un toque único al juego que en otros idiomas era más difícil de apreciar. Una pregunta, ¿conoce el porqué del cambio de localización del nombre del avatar y sus respectivos hijos en las versiones europeas? En inglés fueron localizados como Robin y Morgan, pero en el resto de idiomas europeos como Daraen y Linfan, respectivamente. Le agradezco de corazón al equipo de traducción por poder darle vida a esta gran obra. 🙂
@@danius88 Me alegro de que te gustara. Lo cierto es que trabajamos mucho en el equipo para asegurarnos que cada personaje tuviera una voz propia. Sobre tu pregunta, me temo que estoy todavía bajo un NDA, así que no puedo dar detalles específicos sobre el proyecto para cosas así. Lo que sí puedo decir es que, si ves esa clase de cambios que afectan por igual a más de un idioma, la respuesta suele ser alguna versión de "órdenes de arriba". La razón para dichas órdenes ya depende de proyecto a proyecto, o incluso término a término. Puede que los nombres tengan connotaciones distintas en otros territorios, o que tengan problemas de copyright (como pasó con las películas de Disney "Zootopia" y "Moana", que como esos nombres tenían ya copyright en Europa, tuvieron que cambiarlos por "Zootrópolis" y "Vaiana").
Gracias por todo. La versión española de awakening trajo mucha gente a la franquicia y fue un verdadero placer de jugar. Recuerdo traer la consola en el bolso durante los meses que siguieron y encontrar comandantes de battlepass en todas partes. No te atrevas a pronunciar su nombre.
Gracias por todo que haces, jugué el juego en inglés, pero tu ayudaste en una manera que yo y mis primos pudiamos hablar sobre el mismo juego. Muchísimas gracias, lo que haces toca vidas un muchas maneras
I also love this track because it also keeps playing throughout the map. For those who aren't familiar with Fire Emblem, there's usually an Enemy Phase track that plays between turns, but instead they continue this track up until you fight the map's commander. The give it the amount of grace and respect it deserves.
Which really helps sell the fact that Mustafa and his men have their morale just as broken as the Shepards, Mustafa is only fighting for the chance to capture the Shepards and give them a mundane punishment, away from his mad king's hands and his men, loyal to him alone, hold the line for his sake. This map is heart rending and I would argue the best written one in Awakening. Edit: Fixing mistaken name: Barbosa -> Mustafa
Agreed, I also liked "......" which plays during unit placement (right before Don't Speak Her Name), almost like a moment of silence before all the emotions explode.
Yeah. I've got the most limited musical tastes of anybody I've met. Don't Speak Her Name is just an absolute masterpiece. The best thing I've ever heard.
@@leaftune4427 the sheer absence in that piece hit me so hard like it gives the player a moment to resonate with what just happened before we’re thrown into this devastating fray
Worth noting, the general who’s sent to intercept you in this map has his own independent story, every bit as tragic as Emmeryn’s. This track does double duty, and it works perfectly.
I feel like this scene wouldn't be half as impactful without that guy to be honest. He's just a very understanding and reasonable person that was put on an awful situation due to living in a country governed by evil. After Emmeryn's sacrifice, he and most of the enemies on the map are moved by her noble ideals and feel for Chrom's loss, yet they are forced to stop him. They have to follow the orders or else their families would be sentenced to death, so the commander motivates his troops to fight for their loved ones, which makes killing any enemy on the map much more tragic. Once he takes the finishing blow, he can finally use his last breath to announce defeat, avoiding more unnecesary deaths among his men. Amazing character. Especially when you compare him with some of the bat-shit insane commanders of the game. (Also I'm sorry if I got any detail wrong)
@@gallo123 No, no, that’s spot-on. Mustafa, despite only appearing for this one chapter, is one of my favorite characters in the game. Honestly a shame we never got a paralogue involving him.
another unique thing about Don't Speak Her Name is that unlike almost every other battle theme in the game, there isn't both a combat version and a map version that switch based on the actions of the player i feel like the intensity of the music going according to the track rather than reflecting the gameplay adds to the feeling of helplessness in the story
I think one of the effects of not having a combat version of the theme or enemy phase theme for the map is that it kind of serves to dissociate the player from the gameplay. Your brain isn't fully paying attention to the fight anymore, because the music isn't calling attention to the fight, but to itself instead. Which is exactly Chrom's perspective as well! Even if the Shepherds are fighting, his mind isn't really on what's in front of him, but rather, the tragedy that just happened, and otherwise he's just going through the motions. I really like how the game chooses to convey that sense of dissociation.
@@auvski5903 Agreed! It fits even with the direct result of the gameplay. You aren't fighting on to win. You're pulling away to escape, and you're only trying to preserve your group after the tragedy you just faced.
Not to mention it also replaces the prep phase, enemy phase, and I believe boss fight themes as well - Don't Say Her Name is the only track used on this map lol
Absolutely. The fact that there isn't always loud sound effects or dialogue like movies would during scenes that good movie scores are unfortunately plagued by, helps as well.
What's interesting leitmotif-wise is that "Open For Business" is in Fates too (for the DLC menu), but the Prelude/Don't Speak Her Name leitmotif is swapped out for Lost In Thoughts All Alone. It's a tiny part of the song but it's cool how they re-did part of it just to keep the Awakening leitmotif specific to Awakening.
I think another important aspect of the song's title isn't just that it was something Chrom said, but also the context it was said in. So far in the game, the vast majority of the enemies you've been fighting are "cruel evil guys" usually without much characterization beyond being part of the "evil bad guy's army". However here, the leader of the enemies Mustafa introduces himself by saying that Emmeryn's sacrifice was not lost on him, or his army, and he requests you surrender to avoid more bloodshed. Chrom obviously gets royally pissed off, yelling the "Don't speak her name!" line. However Mustafa responds calmly, calling his anger completely justified, and promises to do whatever he can to protect you all if you surrender. The title of "Don't say her name" isn't just "Chrom angry at the enemy because of his grief", it's emphasizing how he was so consumed by his fury and grief that he had lost himself in it. Chrom would always praise the power of friendship and trust, that a group supported by tight bonds are stronger than anything, but here he's so blinded by the emotions that he loses those ideals. But even moreso, at the start of turn 2 there's a brief scene of Mustafa speaking with his soldiers, who are losing morale after becoming unable to see any kind of honor in what they did, and this battle, and some of them can't even muster the will to fight back, even if that means death. Mustafa realizes they were there when Emmeryn spoke about the pointlessness of this war before she fell, and says any soldiers who won't fight are dismissed, he'll take the blame and punishment for their "desertion". However the kindness and understanding towards his troops makes them recover their morale, now seeing honor in fighting for the sake of loyalty to him, rather than to their cruel king. Even when you finally kill him, which is required to win, his last words are to praise you for fighting so well, and to please spare his men. It makes the song take on a second layer of depth, that it isn't just Chrom going through these turbulent emotions, but even the Plegian army. It was the "final nail in the coffin" that made many of the Plegian troops wake up to what kind of empire they were really serving. Playing through the game itself, it really felt like the song was just as much for Mustafa and those soldiers doubting their cause as it was for Chrom. It's actually rather tragic how similar he and Mustafa are as people, and if it was any of situation they met, I bet you Mustafa would have been recruitable to your side. He mentions he won't abandon the fight because he knows what the King would do to his wife and child back home, and later when he got released in the Heroes mobile game, he even has some lines about how he genuinely wished he could have not fought that battle at all... Similar to you, I still very distinctly remember this chapter of Awakening despite having played so long ago now and forgetting a lot of the rest of the story. I even remember that it was the first time in my life I went onto a game wiki, specifically in the hopes that there was some secret way to recruit him, or at least not have to kill him. I'm still pissed they didn't give him a spotpass paralogue, but they did for basically every other villain, including the horrible jerk ones...
You're spot on here and I wished this had been touched on more in the video. This never felt like a desperate battle for survival for me but more like a pointless slaughter of two sides driven by rage and grief. The two demoralised armies fighting it out in the mud and rain evokes WWI trenches and you feel bad killing the enemies even though the game doesn't give you any other choice. The music absolutely drives the emotion of all that though.
It's also the first ever combat in Awakening that's not a Rout map. It's a Defeat the Leader. Mustafa's soldiers don't want to fight, but they will for their general. Mustafa himself is being blackmailed by Gangrel, iirc.
It's been a few years since I've played Awakening, but aren't there some enemy units who do leave the battle? I seem to remember a few of them losing heart so much that they actually did leave, while the rest of the enemy stayed.
If it's any consolation... Fire Emblem Heroes did have a conversation between an older Chrom and Mustafa, where they talked and empathize with each other. I know it's years afterwards and in the mobile game, but it seems some writers wanted to see that conversation too.
@@wallywalrus2 There are a handful of thieves on the map that aren't allied with either army, they're carrying loot and scurry off the field in a few turns. You might be thinking about them, Mustafa does make a comment about them but he just leaves them be. No Plegians actually leave the map, in fact, Mustafa actually calls for reinforcements on turn 5
Incredible analysis -- an additional point that I think worth bringing up is that Chrom and the Shepherds aren't the only ones struggling with Emmeryns death. The music truly cements the idea that even the enemy general/army don't want to fight after being moved by Emmeryns words. The only reason they persist and march to their deaths is because they know Gangrel will have their families murdered if they refuse. It's absolutely tragic for every single person involved.
Holy moly this song literally brought me to tears the first time I played through the game. Like yes the story makes it emotional, but the song itself is so beautifully composed I was moved to tears
Fire Emblem: Awakening was the first game I played in the series and I can distinctly remember how I was so emotionally moved by the track upon my first time listening to it. As always, thank you for your musical analysis (despite my very limited understanding of music theory) to help explain why it hit me so hard emotionally and why it is an unforgettable track.
Along with 'No Reaction', 'Dry your tears, love' is another soundtrack whose name is a line spoken by Emmeryn, which could work here to represent the comfort of her memory to Chrom as he resolves to answer back for the grief he has suffered. Its full name being 'Dry your tears, love. This is not good-bye'. Absolutely fantastic video! I've been hoping for your exceptional analysis to touch this game for a long time, and I'm so glad it finally happened. Thanks so much!
Another particularly devastating note about when that track first plays is that it *is* goodbye. It's the last time Chrom and crew see Emmeryn before she's captured.
I cried in 2012 when I first heard it. Still my favorite piece of the game. The Japanese name is 貴様らが…姉さんの言葉を語るな! "Don't speak my sister words" with the implication of "Don't you dare mock my sister's words" and I felt the sheer fury Chrom had when I saw that with full rude Japanese tone. That sort of language implies unbridled fury. But I also felt the sadness portrayed through the music. The grief. The confusion. Despite the story itself sometimes having it's shortcomings now in hindsight... I still remember this song fondly even in repeat playthroughs even in 2022. Thank you for this wonderful analysis and providing actual words and something concrete to how the music hits so hard for the people who cannot fully understand why music feels the way it does.
Notice that in the main theme section (4:31), the approach note A is repeated at the end before resolving to the B, like a stutter, a catch in your breath. That's what the realization of grief feels like to me. When I have had someone close to me die, my mind won't accept it. My brain stumbles and for a half second, I can't believe that it's real. It happens every time I think about it for days.
Glad to see you covered this track! I hope that someday in the future you cover more Fire Emblem tracks since the series has multiple breathtaking themes like this one (like God Shattering Star or many other final boss/final map themes in general). Anyways, great analysis and video dude! Keep up the good work^^
This chapter combined with the track made me realize at the time that war isn’t a clear-cut thing. There can be legitimate good people on the other side but they could have no choice but to fight (like Mustafa). Don’t Speak Her Name and the level will forever be ingrained in my soul. Also, it’s an absolute travesty that this song isn’t in Smash Bros.
Fire Emblem music is so good, especially Awakeninf and Echoes. I'd love to see more analysis on these games, because the games have such good composition
i'm almost surprised that you went past the absolutely phenomenal leitmotif work across the various Id tracks, but "Don't Speak Her Name!" is definitely right up there in terms of great topics to discuss in Awakening.
In "Don't Speak Name," the constant triplets in the left hand always seemed super deliberate to me. No matter which melody is in control, no matter which emotion tugs on Chrom the most in a given moment, they are ultimately still in a battle and war. The Shepards' theme lining up rhythmically with these militaristic feeling triplets makes it clear to me that the left hand is the clashing of swords and the flares of magic ringing through Chrom's ears as he fights back tears and leads his army through Mustafa's forces.
Don't Speak Her Name and And What If I Can't are some of the main tracks that got me into Fire Emblem Awakening. I know a lot of original fans don't like it, but seeing how much effort the Fire Emblem team put into this game to save the franchise really touches me. You can tell heart and soul was put into these themes. Some songs really inspire me, and Don't Speak Her Name is one of them. A masterpiece!
I think it's a little more nuanced than old fans just not liking Awakening. I would hope that most people would recognize how great the moments in the video are, absolutely heart-wrenching, but the game undercuts these moments *constantly*. Emmeryn died? No lol she's good, survived with amnesia and you can recruit her in a paralogue. Chrom having some of the coolest character moments? No lol he's not the main character, Robin is because she's the avatar and the avatar must always be the most important character in a Fire Emblem story, the daughter of Grima and the savior of everyone. Fantastic writing during many parts of the main story? No lol supports are often written terribly because we had to pump out a 4 part marriage storyline between every possible combination of characters
while not the one of the first cases of tragedy in a game for me, this one was when i reached both a better grasp of the English language and emotional maturity to analyze all aspects of the scene, one of the first times i got how the dialogue inflections in voice acting, the bgm and all directed the scene, and seeing it here throughly analyzed gives me so much happiness
I’ve been looking forward to seeing you dissect Awakening’s soundtrack. In my opinion, one of the best soundtracks on the 3DS, and in the Fire Emblem series in general.
damn they really put all the good stuff in the gangrel arc.for those of you who dont know the gangrel arc is the first 11 chapters of awakening and is generally considered to be the best part of it to play on normal and hard at least (lunatic and espescially lunatic+ are almost never fun to play).Also out of awakenings 3 mini arcs it has the best story if you care about that
it really makes me wish that it could have been fully fleshed out into its own game, and maybe it could have if awakening wasn't the 'save the franchise' game
This song means a whole lot to me, and I'm really glad you also touched on the songs (minus "......") surrounding this chapter as well. I could almost entirely attribute this song to the reason I'm as into music as I am now. Got this game around the time I also got a keyboard for playing the piano a few years after I quit taking piano lessons. I started learning some of the songs from this game, but some of my favorites didn't have people making piano arrangements for them. So I started making my own in musescore, starting with "......" I've still got it up on my own channel (can't recommend). There were obviously arrangements of this song though, but there were so many parts that didn't feel like I wanted to, so I spent a long long time trying my hand at it as well. All those countermelodies and motifs really speak to me, inspired me to start writing some of my own music. All of it really taught me a lot about using my ears and composition in general, and I honestly got a bit emotional during this video. I probably would have been a music listener regardless, but thanks to this game I am also a music maker.
WOW, I had no idea how I overlooked this track in Awakening - what an amazing piece! This and id Purpose are phenomenal examples of motif development and express their purpose with beautiful textures and perfect insight to their contexts. Thank you!
A longer version of "Main Melody #2," including the "variation," also appears elsewhere in the soundtrack. I can only think of one spot off the top of my head, and that's "Id (Hope)," the final boss theme of The Future Past DLC. That piece is fairly short, and pretty much goes straight from Main Melody #1, to Main Melody #2, to Id.
what a nice surprise; I've actually been coming towards the end of writing an fe awakening arrangement album, and just got to work on this track a couple days back. so cool to see your take on this, and some of the other tracks I've already gone through. these analyses and transcriptions should be handy :v
Dude same here, I recently just did a string ensemble of “you may call me Marth”. A bit strange how this video came out at the perfect time for us. Also, I just checked out your Channel. Great stuff man it all sounds awesome!
@@andimarimusic4549 just checked out your string arrangement, it sounds really good; it'd be awesome to hear that kind of thing with fully recorded strings that'd let you get creative with all the different styles of playing. and thanks for your kind words on my own work!
@@lolosyntonia right? I would love to have a real ensemble play. And of course! You got a new subscriber my friend. Looking forward to your future projects
Your breakdown of the song (Chrom's rage, the struggle of dealing with grief but also the situation at hand, and the Shepherd's theme as a backbone of support) really showed the thought put into Don't Speak Her Name. Despite never having played the game, I absolutely adore the track and how heartbreaking it sounds. This analysis is top tier and I'm so glad I was recommended this video! Thanks for your work! One track I would recommend looking into is Funeral of Flowers from Fire Emblem Three Houses. I feel like it's overlooked as a final theme because of how popular the other two (The Apex of the World and God Shattering Star) are. This song is similar to Don't Speak Her Name imo, focusing on grief but also the battle at hand.
I've never played Fire Emblem, but I can already feel the weight of the scene explained in the intro. Having a level take place after that, which gives no progress and is simply to pull away in the middle of your grief, is a stroke of narrative genius. It doesn't allow you to fully process the scene and lets your own shock instead well up with rage at the game's enemies in the same way Chrom fight against them. It's no wonder the track that accompanies it, and also Don't Speak Her Name is such a perfect name for it, is just as beautifully tragic.
The key change to Fm (see 7:11) combined with the low bell/tamtam hit is my favourite part of this peace. It feels so powerful and tugging at the heartstrings at the same time.
Omg I've never been more excited to receive a notification for one of your videos. I cried when I first heard this song, it's one of my all-time favorite pieces of music.
I AM SO HAPPY THAT MY FAVORITE PIECE OF VIDEO GAME MUSIC EVER WAS ACTUALLY COVERED! "Don't Speak her Name!" is one of the most powerful pieces of music I have ever heard and when I played through this chapter, "The Midmire," for the first time this track absolutely broke me. It perfectly encapsulates pain, grief, sorrow, loss, beauty, sacrifice, and duty all mixed together into a confusing fog of war that obscures the obvious path forward. Even so, the music compels both Chrom and you as the player to keep pushing forward even if neither is sure what the exact right next move is. "Don't Speak Her Name!" forces the player to wrestle with the conflicting themes of "self-sacrifice for the greater good," and "the pain of loss in the face of injustice," that Emmeryn's loss have come to represent in Chrom's mind. This "beautiful confusion," is something that overtakes not only Chrom but even the enemy forces on the battlefield. The enemy general, Mustafa, wishes that he did not have to fight Chrom's army and even bids any of his men who have not the will to continue the battle to flee. The game even weakens the stats of the enemies over time to communicate that they are losing the will to fight. "Don't Speak Her Name!" is also the one of only themes in the game to not be overwritten by a Battle Theme Variation (an Ablaze Version) or a Boss Theme. Its melody persists and plays uninterrupted the entire map.
I played through this game last year and it's now my favourite game of all time. I had seen the title of the Chapter 10 map track in my recommended on UA-cam a bunch of times prior to playing, but heard the actual piece for the first time in the game itself. You could feel the despair, resolve, anger and regret in each of the piece's sections, it was so moving. It was this moment in the game where my respect for Chrom skyrocketed and I became truly invested.
i played awakening when i was around 7 or 8, and it's the first game that i really fell in love with, so this track is probably one of the most nostalgic video game songs for me. definitely one of my personal favorites from fe13, alongside divine decree and chaos
Got me crying over this chapter nearly 10 years later, it's such a thought out beautiful piece and definitely the best builup for the rest of the game. Thank you for making a video on this masterpiece of video game music.
One of my absolute favourite Nintendo titles music wise, and considering all the amazing music in those games that says a lot. Definitely wouldn't mind seeing a breakdown of ID (purpose), Monstrosity or Here we are! The Shepherd's garrison. -Or even the cult classic "Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!"-
One of the best aspects of the track's use in the battle is the hammering rain that accompanies it. Really adds to the mood. Fantastic vid btw, what a gift this channel is!
This piece of music has always been the go to for me to remember all the high points of Awakening and how it made me fall in love with not just Fire Emblem, but JRPGs as a whole. Thank you for analyzing such an important song from my childhood.
Great analysis! A lot of series vets rag on Awakening for a lot of things, but I think most agree its soundtrack is amazing and it had a lot of heart put into it.
damn bring me back to when I discover the FE series w/ this game, and listening back to this soundtrack makes me almost want to cry, FEA ost is so good in my opinion. One of the best of the series for sure
I'm so happy to have found your analysis of this track. "Don't Speak Her Name!" too often seems to get overshadowed by other Fire Emblem songs. Its well understood, with the epic grandiosity of songs like "Id (Purpose)," "God-Shattering Star," and "Apex of the World," or even the invigorating and inspiring energy of the classic recruitment song "Together We Ride" But "Don't Speak Her Name!" has always been my favorite Fire Emblem song, and possibly my favorite video game song of all time, so I'm glad to see it get the recognition and proper analysis it deserves!
Despite not knowing anything about music theory, even I knew this song was great and was able to somewhat identify why it was. Thanks for explaining why this track is great on a music theory level and for fleshing out my thoughts!
If Fire Emblem Awakening ever had the good fortune to get covered again in one of these videos, I would love for someone to breakdown how the Id Suite tells the story of Robin in Fire Emblem Awakening through music. This game has a series of tracks in it that are all related and are all called Id (something) and all of the pieces work together to essentially tell the story of the game in musical form. Id (Purpose) is the most well known of these pieces but all of them are exceptional pieces in their own right. Id (Sorrow) is probably the second most emotional piece of music in the game after Don't Speak Her Name.
Bro I have no idea what this guy is ever talking about, I have know nothing about music theory, but I just watch these videos and nod my head as if I understand, and I just enjoying watching them. Anywho, I love Fire Emblem and this game and this track. Awesome video.
Awakening isn't my favorite fire emblem game, but the series has a very special place in my heart. This was an excellent video on what I agree is the most memorable part of the game. Side praise: I love the white notation on top of gameplay used in this video to show examples from other tracks! It's a stunning contrast from the usual black notation on white background, and I hope this shows up more in future videos!
This track is definitely great, but the final track of the game is also an absolute banger, especially knowing the context of this game being the final go at Fire Emblem, at the time. EDIT: Younger me with the lack of musical knowledge at the time ALWAYS loved that climactic part of the piece with the string swell. It was my favorite section of the song despite the overall pieces phenomenal writing. It just HITS so hard and it always floored me how interesting the song continued to be despite its length. The music of Awakening is so very inspired and so varied. There's an insanely good piece in the game that has some crazy rhythms for a battle piece, I believe the name is: Conquest (Ablaze) Definitely a cool af track to check out too!
I have never wanted an analysis so much. this is a favorite of mine, so it's easy for my uninitiated brain to follow along with the explanation compared to some others. Very cool hearing how the same basic sounds were used in other tracks too. And just as a side note, I think the devs made a *brilliant* decision in making this track play though combat and everything on the stage so it was JUST the track, the rain, and the exceptionally well-written interaction with the stage boss.
Yet another great analysis video. I'm shocked I didn't realize the tracks were named after some dialogue in the game itself, which makes Don't Speak Her Name all the more tragic. That Dbmaj7(#5) to Db6 is absolutely heart wrenching.
i still remember being a little kid and feeling so many emotions during this moment of the story, it made the experience feel so much more than just "fantasy game with PG deaths". games available to young players should not be afraid to include these type of powerful moments.
Thank you so much for analyzing this one. I remember showing this OST off to my friends in college and hyping this track up the most, so glad others can share in how brilliant it is. Ty!!!
Mmm. I am a little sad you didn’t mention the fact that the battle preparation theme for this battle is replaced by the song “…” (yes that’s the name, it’s super hard to find on UA-cam). It’s a somber solo piano that fits making sure everyone has their weapons ready, even after such a tragic event that everyone’s still processing. Regardless, Don’t Speak Her Name is one of the best songs in the soundtrack and I am grateful for you bringing attention to it. Great analysis as always
This is a good one from Awakening to cover. Perhaps the only other piece in Awakening that invokes a lot of emotion from me is Divine Decree, but this was really well done!
The melody of the 'Shepherds Theme' you mention was interesting to me, since it reminded me of the song Beyond the Sky from Fire Emblem 6, where it's used as the first of the player's turn themes. Comparing the two, there's not as many similarities as I thought, but there are some- It's most likely coincidence, though. Thanks for getting me thinking about it! The Fire Emblem games on the GBA had a surprisingly rich soundtrack, although not as much as Awakening, with its full orchestra, of course.
Thank you for this, I really truly mean it. This track and game meant a lot to me and seeing it remembered closing on a decade later floods me with a warm feeling I really can’t describe, so I’ll settle for thanking you for it instead.
I tried to explain to my less music-taught school colleagues at a time what a masterful accomplishment this track was. How it took the "Leitmotiv" and wove it into this sad masterpiece. I immediately noticed it playing the level for the first time and had to cry. Cool to see a video pointing out all the genius things about the song.
I was not prepared for feels today, lemme tell you. What a beautiful breakdown of a truly amazing piece of video game music. I remember the first time I played that chapter I had to pause for a few minutes just to take in everything.
I clicked on this and immediately remembered the first few notes of this track and man, your video title is perfect! It's one of my most favorite FE map themes even after all these years, it's quite memorable. Hyped for your analysis of this wonderful track!
"Don't speak her name" is one of the best pieces of music ever written imo. It made me fall in love with orchestral music and showed me that music is the peak of story telling.
Honestly the first time I heard the song it broke me. I knew a lot of what was gonna happen beforehand, and new the song, but it hits so much harder in games and I was in tears that entire battle. RIP Mustafa you deserved better
One of the things I did to get me through lockdown was learning to play "And What If I Can't" on piano. I also printed out "Don't Speak Her Name" but that was always a pipe dream.
Fire Emblem Awakening was my first Fire Emblem game back when I bought it in 2013 and this song is definitely the most memorable in the game for all the good reasons.
“Don’t Speak Her Name” is definitely up there in the Awakening soundtrack, and I applaud you for talking about this masterpiece. Sometimes, it even makes me feel a bit of regret for never owning a 3DS in my childhood, let alone Awakening. However, I have played Three Houses and I’d totally be interested in watching a review about one of Three Houses’ hidden gems, “Roar of Dominion”. It’s one of my favorite songs in the entire Three Houses soundtrack and depending on your choices throughout the game, this song could change in meaning.
Stellar video as always! This theme is one that does what the best video game themes do, and make the moment they're tied to unforgettable. To me, the gravity really hit hardest when the game bent its own mechanics slightly, and the default Battle Preparations music was completely taken away in favor of just letting this continue playing, which the game doesn't do for any other moment. It conveyed the emotions so lastingly they've been immortalized to me.
this is definitely my favorite track of all time in any game, and wow what a thorough analysis!! this entire sequence is so raw and messy and intimate, and you've done an incredible job analyzing this in the context. the awakening soundtrack is so full of complex and thoughtful pieces that you'll only hear bits of, depending on how fast you go through the game, and i always love to see em in the spotlight. thank you!!
I have such a fondness and nostalgia for the Awakening OST that I'll never forget. I've always thought Id (purpose) was the ultimate song of the game, possibly because it's the last you hear in a mission; but the freakin accordion just hits in a different way in a 'final battle' theme unlike something I've heard before. Don't Speak Her Name, You May Call Me Marth, Id (serenity), Conquest (calm version)... personal favourites and all amazing.
!["Don't Speak Her Name!" [Extended] ~ Fire Emblem Awakening ost](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9jMwxKEL48g/mqdefault.jpg)
I’ve always thought that in “And What if I Can’t” the constant triplets are a symbolism of Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn. One note is dissonant because Emmeryn’s gone.
Holy crap what a fantastic analysis. Love how much that hurts.
@@johnnyspillowfort377 it’s because it’s tragic, that’s why my brain latches on lmao. It can’t help but sit in the angst
While ill admit the story of awakening has its flaws, these tracks particularly don't speak her name are still heart wrenching, it just goes to show how much you can communicate narratively just through music alone.
Also, there isn't an intensified version of the theme between the map view and battle scenes, nor does it change between player and enemy phases, allowing the piece to dominate the entire chapter with no obstruction.
It really juxtaposed this chapter against every other one in the game; like the situation is so direct not even the plegians can escape the reality of the situation brought on by the war that both sides caused, leading to emmeryns sacrifice. The music fits with the moral grey of the chapter voss Mustafa as well, he's a real chad.
Hello, there. I was one of the Spanish translators of this game (David Garcia Abril. My name is in the credits, albeit you have to put the Spanish version in order to see it). I really enjoyed your analysis of this fantastic piece. I've been following your videos occasionally for a while now, so I'm so happy to see you talking about this game.
We played the Japanese version during the project, and even back then, when the game hadn't made it to Western markets just yet, I could feel this melody would leave a mark among game music lovers.
Keep up your fantastic job.
Nunca pensé que podría ver a alguien encargado de la traducción de este juego. Uno de mis puntos favoritos del juego fue su traducción y la personalidad que transmitían los personajes. El uso del voseo castellano tradicional en personajes como Frederic le daba un toque único al juego que en otros idiomas era más difícil de apreciar.
Una pregunta, ¿conoce el porqué del cambio de localización del nombre del avatar y sus respectivos hijos en las versiones europeas? En inglés fueron localizados como Robin y Morgan, pero en el resto de idiomas europeos como Daraen y Linfan, respectivamente.
Le agradezco de corazón al equipo de traducción por poder darle vida a esta gran obra. 🙂
@@danius88 Me alegro de que te gustara. Lo cierto es que trabajamos mucho en el equipo para asegurarnos que cada personaje tuviera una voz propia.
Sobre tu pregunta, me temo que estoy todavía bajo un NDA, así que no puedo dar detalles específicos sobre el proyecto para cosas así. Lo que sí puedo decir es que, si ves esa clase de cambios que afectan por igual a más de un idioma, la respuesta suele ser alguna versión de "órdenes de arriba". La razón para dichas órdenes ya depende de proyecto a proyecto, o incluso término a término. Puede que los nombres tengan connotaciones distintas en otros territorios, o que tengan problemas de copyright (como pasó con las películas de Disney "Zootopia" y "Moana", que como esos nombres tenían ya copyright en Europa, tuvieron que cambiarlos por "Zootrópolis" y "Vaiana").
Gracias por todo. La versión española de awakening trajo mucha gente a la franquicia y fue un verdadero placer de jugar. Recuerdo traer la consola en el bolso durante los meses que siguieron y encontrar comandantes de battlepass en todas partes.
No te atrevas a pronunciar su nombre.
Gracias por todo que haces, jugué el juego en inglés, pero tu ayudaste en una manera que yo y mis primos pudiamos hablar sobre el mismo juego. Muchísimas gracias, lo que haces toca vidas un muchas maneras
Xenosaga pfp you are obviously a cut above the rest good taste all around
I also love this track because it also keeps playing throughout the map. For those who aren't familiar with Fire Emblem, there's usually an Enemy Phase track that plays between turns, but instead they continue this track up until you fight the map's commander. The give it the amount of grace and respect it deserves.
Yep, iirc, there is also no Map Preparation theme its still Do not Speak her name!
Which really helps sell the fact that Mustafa and his men have their morale just as broken as the Shepards, Mustafa is only fighting for the chance to capture the Shepards and give them a mundane punishment, away from his mad king's hands and his men, loyal to him alone, hold the line for his sake. This map is heart rending and I would argue the best written one in Awakening.
Edit: Fixing mistaken name:
Barbosa -> Mustafa
I love that
@@morganjary There actually is a preparation theme, but is a special one for the occassion
@@relic5752 OK I totally agree on that but his name is Mustafa. Where'd you get Barbossa from?
Immediate thumbs-up for Don’t Speak Her Name being the best track. I was blown away by the emotion when first hearing this piece.
Agreed, I also liked "......" which plays during unit placement (right before Don't Speak Her Name), almost like a moment of silence before all the emotions explode.
Yeah. I've got the most limited musical tastes of anybody I've met.
Don't Speak Her Name is just an absolute masterpiece. The best thing I've ever heard.
@@leaftune4427 the sheer absence in that piece hit me so hard like it gives the player a moment to resonate with what just happened before we’re thrown into this devastating fray
I'm playing this for the first time right now and this really hit when I heard it yesterday
Worth noting, the general who’s sent to intercept you in this map has his own independent story, every bit as tragic as Emmeryn’s. This track does double duty, and it works perfectly.
I feel like this scene wouldn't be half as impactful without that guy to be honest. He's just a very understanding and reasonable person that was put on an awful situation due to living in a country governed by evil. After Emmeryn's sacrifice, he and most of the enemies on the map are moved by her noble ideals and feel for Chrom's loss, yet they are forced to stop him.
They have to follow the orders or else their families would be sentenced to death, so the commander motivates his troops to fight for their loved ones, which makes killing any enemy on the map much more tragic. Once he takes the finishing blow, he can finally use his last breath to announce defeat, avoiding more unnecesary deaths among his men.
Amazing character. Especially when you compare him with some of the bat-shit insane commanders of the game.
(Also I'm sorry if I got any detail wrong)
@@gallo123 No, no, that’s spot-on. Mustafa, despite only appearing for this one chapter, is one of my favorite characters in the game. Honestly a shame we never got a paralogue involving him.
@@fihyrulesmonado7659 at least he’s talked about in Henry’s backstory. Gives the character a lot more depth.
another unique thing about Don't Speak Her Name is that unlike almost every other battle theme in the game, there isn't both a combat version and a map version that switch based on the actions of the player
i feel like the intensity of the music going according to the track rather than reflecting the gameplay adds to the feeling of helplessness in the story
I think one of the effects of not having a combat version of the theme or enemy phase theme for the map is that it kind of serves to dissociate the player from the gameplay. Your brain isn't fully paying attention to the fight anymore, because the music isn't calling attention to the fight, but to itself instead. Which is exactly Chrom's perspective as well! Even if the Shepherds are fighting, his mind isn't really on what's in front of him, but rather, the tragedy that just happened, and otherwise he's just going through the motions. I really like how the game chooses to convey that sense of dissociation.
@@auvski5903 Agreed! It fits even with the direct result of the gameplay. You aren't fighting on to win. You're pulling away to escape, and you're only trying to preserve your group after the tragedy you just faced.
Not to mention it also replaces the prep phase, enemy phase, and I believe boss fight themes as well - Don't Say Her Name is the only track used on this map lol
Musical leitmotifs are among some of my favourite things about video games
Absolutely. The fact that there isn't always loud sound effects or dialogue like movies would during scenes that good movie scores are unfortunately plagued by, helps as well.
Kirby is huge on those.
Love me some ace combat
What's interesting leitmotif-wise is that "Open For Business" is in Fates too (for the DLC menu), but the Prelude/Don't Speak Her Name leitmotif is swapped out for Lost In Thoughts All Alone. It's a tiny part of the song but it's cool how they re-did part of it just to keep the Awakening leitmotif specific to Awakening.
It's been some time since my first FEA run, but this track still gives me so much emotion
I cannot stop listening to it, such a masterpiece
Every time I listen to this track I get misty eyed, lol
@@KBY30 How can we not ?
Used to seeing it called FE13
I think another important aspect of the song's title isn't just that it was something Chrom said, but also the context it was said in.
So far in the game, the vast majority of the enemies you've been fighting are "cruel evil guys" usually without much characterization beyond being part of the "evil bad guy's army". However here, the leader of the enemies Mustafa introduces himself by saying that Emmeryn's sacrifice was not lost on him, or his army, and he requests you surrender to avoid more bloodshed. Chrom obviously gets royally pissed off, yelling the "Don't speak her name!" line. However Mustafa responds calmly, calling his anger completely justified, and promises to do whatever he can to protect you all if you surrender.
The title of "Don't say her name" isn't just "Chrom angry at the enemy because of his grief", it's emphasizing how he was so consumed by his fury and grief that he had lost himself in it. Chrom would always praise the power of friendship and trust, that a group supported by tight bonds are stronger than anything, but here he's so blinded by the emotions that he loses those ideals.
But even moreso, at the start of turn 2 there's a brief scene of Mustafa speaking with his soldiers, who are losing morale after becoming unable to see any kind of honor in what they did, and this battle, and some of them can't even muster the will to fight back, even if that means death. Mustafa realizes they were there when Emmeryn spoke about the pointlessness of this war before she fell, and says any soldiers who won't fight are dismissed, he'll take the blame and punishment for their "desertion". However the kindness and understanding towards his troops makes them recover their morale, now seeing honor in fighting for the sake of loyalty to him, rather than to their cruel king. Even when you finally kill him, which is required to win, his last words are to praise you for fighting so well, and to please spare his men.
It makes the song take on a second layer of depth, that it isn't just Chrom going through these turbulent emotions, but even the Plegian army. It was the "final nail in the coffin" that made many of the Plegian troops wake up to what kind of empire they were really serving. Playing through the game itself, it really felt like the song was just as much for Mustafa and those soldiers doubting their cause as it was for Chrom.
It's actually rather tragic how similar he and Mustafa are as people, and if it was any of situation they met, I bet you Mustafa would have been recruitable to your side. He mentions he won't abandon the fight because he knows what the King would do to his wife and child back home, and later when he got released in the Heroes mobile game, he even has some lines about how he genuinely wished he could have not fought that battle at all... Similar to you, I still very distinctly remember this chapter of Awakening despite having played so long ago now and forgetting a lot of the rest of the story. I even remember that it was the first time in my life I went onto a game wiki, specifically in the hopes that there was some secret way to recruit him, or at least not have to kill him.
I'm still pissed they didn't give him a spotpass paralogue, but they did for basically every other villain, including the horrible jerk ones...
You're spot on here and I wished this had been touched on more in the video. This never felt like a desperate battle for survival for me but more like a pointless slaughter of two sides driven by rage and grief. The two demoralised armies fighting it out in the mud and rain evokes WWI trenches and you feel bad killing the enemies even though the game doesn't give you any other choice. The music absolutely drives the emotion of all that though.
It's also the first ever combat in Awakening that's not a Rout map. It's a Defeat the Leader. Mustafa's soldiers don't want to fight, but they will for their general. Mustafa himself is being blackmailed by Gangrel, iirc.
It's been a few years since I've played Awakening, but aren't there some enemy units who do leave the battle? I seem to remember a few of them losing heart so much that they actually did leave, while the rest of the enemy stayed.
If it's any consolation... Fire Emblem Heroes did have a conversation between an older Chrom and Mustafa, where they talked and empathize with each other. I know it's years afterwards and in the mobile game, but it seems some writers wanted to see that conversation too.
@@wallywalrus2 There are a handful of thieves on the map that aren't allied with either army, they're carrying loot and scurry off the field in a few turns. You might be thinking about them, Mustafa does make a comment about them but he just leaves them be. No Plegians actually leave the map, in fact, Mustafa actually calls for reinforcements on turn 5
Incredible analysis -- an additional point that I think worth bringing up is that Chrom and the Shepherds aren't the only ones struggling with Emmeryns death. The music truly cements the idea that even the enemy general/army don't want to fight after being moved by Emmeryns words. The only reason they persist and march to their deaths is because they know Gangrel will have their families murdered if they refuse. It's absolutely tragic for every single person involved.
Don't Speak Her Name has always been one of my favorite game tracks of all time
Holy moly this song literally brought me to tears the first time I played through the game. Like yes the story makes it emotional, but the song itself is so beautifully composed I was moved to tears
Fire Emblem: Awakening was the first game I played in the series and I can distinctly remember how I was so emotionally moved by the track upon my first time listening to it.
As always, thank you for your musical analysis (despite my very limited understanding of music theory) to help explain why it hit me so hard emotionally and why it is an unforgettable track.
Along with 'No Reaction', 'Dry your tears, love' is another soundtrack whose name is a line spoken by Emmeryn, which could work here to represent the comfort of her memory to Chrom as he resolves to answer back for the grief he has suffered. Its full name being 'Dry your tears, love. This is not good-bye'.
Absolutely fantastic video! I've been hoping for your exceptional analysis to touch this game for a long time, and I'm so glad it finally happened. Thanks so much!
Another particularly devastating note about when that track first plays is that it *is* goodbye. It's the last time Chrom and crew see Emmeryn before she's captured.
Hey look, there I am and the request I made. Again, thanks for the video. Absolutely amazing work breaking it down.
Thanks for the request!! Great tune!
I cried in 2012 when I first heard it.
Still my favorite piece of the game.
The Japanese name is 貴様らが…姉さんの言葉を語るな! "Don't speak my sister words" with the implication of "Don't you dare mock my sister's words" and I felt the sheer fury Chrom had when I saw that with full rude Japanese tone. That sort of language implies unbridled fury.
But I also felt the sadness portrayed through the music. The grief. The confusion.
Despite the story itself sometimes having it's shortcomings now in hindsight... I still remember this song fondly even in repeat playthroughs even in 2022.
Thank you for this wonderful analysis and providing actual words and something concrete to how the music hits so hard for the people who cannot fully understand why music feels the way it does.
Notice that in the main theme section (4:31), the approach note A is repeated at the end before resolving to the B, like a stutter, a catch in your breath.
That's what the realization of grief feels like to me. When I have had someone close to me die, my mind won't accept it. My brain stumbles and for a half second, I can't believe that it's real. It happens every time I think about it for days.
Glad to see you covered this track! I hope that someday in the future you cover more Fire Emblem tracks since the series has multiple breathtaking themes like this one (like God Shattering Star or many other final boss/final map themes in general). Anyways, great analysis and video dude! Keep up the good work^^
Despite being from the same game, Id:Purpose absolutely deserves a video like this one
This chapter combined with the track made me realize at the time that war isn’t a clear-cut thing. There can be legitimate good people on the other side but they could have no choice but to fight (like Mustafa). Don’t Speak Her Name and the level will forever be ingrained in my soul.
Also, it’s an absolute travesty that this song isn’t in Smash Bros.
I would love to see you do something like this for Twilight of the Gods from Shadows of Valentia. One of my favorite Fire Emblem tracks.
That one would be a good one for analysis but Lord of a Dead Empire would be interesting to analyze as well.
Fire Emblem music is so good, especially Awakeninf and Echoes. I'd love to see more analysis on these games, because the games have such good composition
hell yea they're my two favourite OST's also
i'm almost surprised that you went past the absolutely phenomenal leitmotif work across the various Id tracks, but "Don't Speak Her Name!" is definitely right up there in terms of great topics to discuss in Awakening.
In "Don't Speak Name," the constant triplets in the left hand always seemed super deliberate to me. No matter which melody is in control, no matter which emotion tugs on Chrom the most in a given moment, they are ultimately still in a battle and war. The Shepards' theme lining up rhythmically with these militaristic feeling triplets makes it clear to me that the left hand is the clashing of swords and the flares of magic ringing through Chrom's ears as he fights back tears and leads his army through Mustafa's forces.
Don't Speak Her Name and And What If I Can't are some of the main tracks that got me into Fire Emblem Awakening. I know a lot of original fans don't like it, but seeing how much effort the Fire Emblem team put into this game to save the franchise really touches me. You can tell heart and soul was put into these themes. Some songs really inspire me, and Don't Speak Her Name is one of them. A masterpiece!
I think it's a little more nuanced than old fans just not liking Awakening. I would hope that most people would recognize how great the moments in the video are, absolutely heart-wrenching, but the game undercuts these moments *constantly*.
Emmeryn died? No lol she's good, survived with amnesia and you can recruit her in a paralogue. Chrom having some of the coolest character moments? No lol he's not the main character, Robin is because she's the avatar and the avatar must always be the most important character in a Fire Emblem story, the daughter of Grima and the savior of everyone. Fantastic writing during many parts of the main story? No lol supports are often written terribly because we had to pump out a 4 part marriage storyline between every possible combination of characters
I recently started playing FE Awakening as my first ever FE game, and legitimately teared up during chapter 10.
while not the one of the first cases of tragedy in a game for me, this one was when i reached both a better grasp of the English language and emotional maturity to analyze all aspects of the scene, one of the first times i got how the dialogue inflections in voice acting, the bgm and all directed the scene, and seeing it here throughly analyzed gives me so much happiness
I’ve been looking forward to seeing you dissect Awakening’s soundtrack. In my opinion, one of the best soundtracks on the 3DS, and in the Fire Emblem series in general.
damn they really put all the good stuff in the gangrel arc.for those of you who dont know the gangrel arc is the first 11 chapters of awakening and is generally considered to be the best part of it to play on normal and hard at least (lunatic and espescially lunatic+ are almost never fun to play).Also out of awakenings 3 mini arcs it has the best story if you care about that
it really makes me wish that it could have been fully fleshed out into its own game, and maybe it could have if awakening wasn't the 'save the franchise' game
I agree it’s the best arc, tho I really like how walhart felt like an unstoppable force that you’d eventually need to collide into
lunatic's alright if you're experienced in the game but lunatic+ is practically self harm. haha.
This song means a whole lot to me, and I'm really glad you also touched on the songs (minus "......") surrounding this chapter as well. I could almost entirely attribute this song to the reason I'm as into music as I am now. Got this game around the time I also got a keyboard for playing the piano a few years after I quit taking piano lessons. I started learning some of the songs from this game, but some of my favorites didn't have people making piano arrangements for them. So I started making my own in musescore, starting with "......" I've still got it up on my own channel (can't recommend). There were obviously arrangements of this song though, but there were so many parts that didn't feel like I wanted to, so I spent a long long time trying my hand at it as well. All those countermelodies and motifs really speak to me, inspired me to start writing some of my own music. All of it really taught me a lot about using my ears and composition in general, and I honestly got a bit emotional during this video. I probably would have been a music listener regardless, but thanks to this game I am also a music maker.
This map was what made me realize how much I love this game. Glad that you are giving it justice.
WOW, I had no idea how I overlooked this track in Awakening - what an amazing piece! This and id Purpose are phenomenal examples of motif development and express their purpose with beautiful textures and perfect insight to their contexts. Thank you!
Dude stop, you're making me cry.
This song always gets me so emotional.
This video reminded me of how much I loved this song. To this day it's one of the only songs that has brought me to tears.
A longer version of "Main Melody #2," including the "variation," also appears elsewhere in the soundtrack.
I can only think of one spot off the top of my head, and that's "Id (Hope)," the final boss theme of The Future Past DLC. That piece is fairly short, and pretty much goes straight from Main Melody #1, to Main Melody #2, to Id.
what a nice surprise; I've actually been coming towards the end of writing an fe awakening arrangement album, and just got to work on this track a couple days back. so cool to see your take on this, and some of the other tracks I've already gone through. these analyses and transcriptions should be handy :v
Dude same here, I recently just did a string ensemble of “you may call me Marth”. A bit strange how this video came out at the perfect time for us. Also, I just checked out your Channel. Great stuff man it all sounds awesome!
@@andimarimusic4549 just checked out your string arrangement, it sounds really good; it'd be awesome to hear that kind of thing with fully recorded strings that'd let you get creative with all the different styles of playing. and thanks for your kind words on my own work!
@@lolosyntonia right? I would love to have a real ensemble play. And of course! You got a new subscriber my friend. Looking forward to your future projects
Why did you do it Lolo
Your breakdown of the song (Chrom's rage, the struggle of dealing with grief but also the situation at hand, and the Shepherd's theme as a backbone of support) really showed the thought put into Don't Speak Her Name. Despite never having played the game, I absolutely adore the track and how heartbreaking it sounds. This analysis is top tier and I'm so glad I was recommended this video! Thanks for your work! One track I would recommend looking into is Funeral of Flowers from Fire Emblem Three Houses. I feel like it's overlooked as a final theme because of how popular the other two (The Apex of the World and God Shattering Star) are. This song is similar to Don't Speak Her Name imo, focusing on grief but also the battle at hand.
I've never played Fire Emblem, but I can already feel the weight of the scene explained in the intro. Having a level take place after that, which gives no progress and is simply to pull away in the middle of your grief, is a stroke of narrative genius. It doesn't allow you to fully process the scene and lets your own shock instead well up with rage at the game's enemies in the same way Chrom fight against them. It's no wonder the track that accompanies it, and also Don't Speak Her Name is such a perfect name for it, is just as beautifully tragic.
The key change to Fm (see 7:11) combined with the low bell/tamtam hit is my favourite part of this peace. It feels so powerful and tugging at the heartstrings at the same time.
Omg I've never been more excited to receive a notification for one of your videos. I cried when I first heard this song, it's one of my all-time favorite pieces of music.
This song still gives me chills and makes me tear up INSTANTLY. All these years later.
I AM SO HAPPY THAT MY FAVORITE PIECE OF VIDEO GAME MUSIC EVER WAS ACTUALLY COVERED! "Don't Speak her Name!" is one of the most powerful pieces of music I have ever heard and when I played through this chapter, "The Midmire," for the first time this track absolutely broke me. It perfectly encapsulates pain, grief, sorrow, loss, beauty, sacrifice, and duty all mixed together into a confusing fog of war that obscures the obvious path forward. Even so, the music compels both Chrom and you as the player to keep pushing forward even if neither is sure what the exact right next move is.
"Don't Speak Her Name!" forces the player to wrestle with the conflicting themes of "self-sacrifice for the greater good," and "the pain of loss in the face of injustice," that Emmeryn's loss have come to represent in Chrom's mind. This "beautiful confusion," is something that overtakes not only Chrom but even the enemy forces on the battlefield. The enemy general, Mustafa, wishes that he did not have to fight Chrom's army and even bids any of his men who have not the will to continue the battle to flee. The game even weakens the stats of the enemies over time to communicate that they are losing the will to fight. "Don't Speak Her Name!" is also the one of only themes in the game to not be overwritten by a Battle Theme Variation (an Ablaze Version) or a Boss Theme. Its melody persists and plays uninterrupted the entire map.
I played through this game last year and it's now my favourite game of all time. I had seen the title of the Chapter 10 map track in my recommended on UA-cam a bunch of times prior to playing, but heard the actual piece for the first time in the game itself. You could feel the despair, resolve, anger and regret in each of the piece's sections, it was so moving. It was this moment in the game where my respect for Chrom skyrocketed and I became truly invested.
i played awakening when i was around 7 or 8, and it's the first game that i really fell in love with, so this track is probably one of the most nostalgic video game songs for me. definitely one of my personal favorites from fe13, alongside divine decree and chaos
Got me crying over this chapter nearly 10 years later, it's such a thought out beautiful piece and definitely the best builup for the rest of the game. Thank you for making a video on this masterpiece of video game music.
One of my absolute favourite Nintendo titles music wise, and considering all the amazing music in those games that says a lot. Definitely wouldn't mind seeing a breakdown of ID (purpose), Monstrosity or Here we are! The Shepherd's garrison. -Or even the cult classic "Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!"-
One of the best aspects of the track's use in the battle is the hammering rain that accompanies it. Really adds to the mood.
Fantastic vid btw, what a gift this channel is!
This piece of music has always been the go to for me to remember all the high points of Awakening and how it made me fall in love with not just Fire Emblem, but JRPGs as a whole. Thank you for analyzing such an important song from my childhood.
Holy crap I never even noticed the melody at 7:54 was roughly the same as the one heard in tracks like Prelude and Duty! That is genius.
Great analysis! A lot of series vets rag on Awakening for a lot of things, but I think most agree its soundtrack is amazing and it had a lot of heart put into it.
damn bring me back to when I discover the FE series w/ this game, and listening back to this soundtrack makes me almost want to cry, FEA ost is so good in my opinion. One of the best of the series for sure
O snap man, the FE OST is really something.
Would massively recommend the premium arrange version of this piece, absolutely beautiful
I'm so happy to have found your analysis of this track. "Don't Speak Her Name!" too often seems to get overshadowed by other Fire Emblem songs. Its well understood, with the epic grandiosity of songs like "Id (Purpose)," "God-Shattering Star," and "Apex of the World," or even the invigorating and inspiring energy of the classic recruitment song "Together We Ride" But "Don't Speak Her Name!" has always been my favorite Fire Emblem song, and possibly my favorite video game song of all time, so I'm glad to see it get the recognition and proper analysis it deserves!
Despite not knowing anything about music theory, even I knew this song was great and was able to somewhat identify why it was. Thanks for explaining why this track is great on a music theory level and for fleshing out my thoughts!
This whole part of the game is so good. Even has one of the more popular enemy bosses in the game in Mustafa
I'VE BEEN WANTING THIS VIDEO FOR YEARS!!!!! FINALLY!!
If Fire Emblem Awakening ever had the good fortune to get covered again in one of these videos, I would love for someone to breakdown how the Id Suite tells the story of Robin in Fire Emblem Awakening through music. This game has a series of tracks in it that are all related and are all called Id (something) and all of the pieces work together to essentially tell the story of the game in musical form. Id (Purpose) is the most well known of these pieces but all of them are exceptional pieces in their own right. Id (Sorrow) is probably the second most emotional piece of music in the game after Don't Speak Her Name.
You had me tearing up just describing Emmeryn’s sacrifice. Man, Awakening is a good game.
I discovered this piece through a nuzlocke challenge of all things, and was absolutely floored by the emotion in it. Drew me right to the game.
Hyped! This is one of my favorite video game songs EVER. Super excited to watch!!
As I was watching this I realized I still remembered the names and personalities of all the characters all these years later.
I'm embarrassed I havent watched your vids sooner. Teared up just realizing how powerful "phrases" of music are so cool
There's like 4 moments in that game that still keep me up at night. And yeah the music never leaves you, hope and sorrow side by side.
now we need a breakdown for excellblem's airhorn remix
YESSS. Awakening has some of my favorite music and I love seeing it get some proper analysis. Great work as always
I'm just beginning to replay this game, so I'm extra happy to see a video by you on it!
I hadn't heard this song before, but listening to this now it's... Holy *crap*, what a creation.
Bro I have no idea what this guy is ever talking about, I have know nothing about music theory, but I just watch these videos and nod my head as if I understand, and I just enjoying watching them. Anywho, I love Fire Emblem and this game and this track. Awesome video.
Awakening isn't my favorite fire emblem game, but the series has a very special place in my heart. This was an excellent video on what I agree is the most memorable part of the game.
Side praise: I love the white notation on top of gameplay used in this video to show examples from other tracks! It's a stunning contrast from the usual black notation on white background, and I hope this shows up more in future videos!
This track is definitely great, but the final track of the game is also an absolute banger, especially knowing the context of this game being the final go at Fire Emblem, at the time.
EDIT:
Younger me with the lack of musical knowledge at the time ALWAYS loved that climactic part of the piece with the string swell. It was my favorite section of the song despite the overall pieces phenomenal writing. It just HITS so hard and it always floored me how interesting the song continued to be despite its length.
The music of Awakening is so very inspired and so varied. There's an insanely good piece in the game that has some crazy rhythms for a battle piece, I believe the name is:
Conquest (Ablaze)
Definitely a cool af track to check out too!
YESSS FINALLY 🎉 the music of Awakening is SO powerful!!!
I have never wanted an analysis so much. this is a favorite of mine, so it's easy for my uninitiated brain to follow along with the explanation compared to some others. Very cool hearing how the same basic sounds were used in other tracks too.
And just as a side note, I think the devs made a *brilliant* decision in making this track play though combat and everything on the stage so it was JUST the track, the rain, and the exceptionally well-written interaction with the stage boss.
The choice to name a majority of Awakening's OST after spoken dialogue is a really cool one. Makes for some memeroable titles.
Yet another great analysis video. I'm shocked I didn't realize the tracks were named after some dialogue in the game itself, which makes Don't Speak Her Name all the more tragic. That Dbmaj7(#5) to Db6 is absolutely heart wrenching.
this is so exciting!! i don't know much about fire emblem but this track has always been extremely impressive to me
i still remember being a little kid and feeling so many emotions during this moment of the story, it made the experience feel so much more than just "fantasy game with PG deaths". games available to young players should not be afraid to include these type of powerful moments.
Thank you so much for analyzing this one. I remember showing this OST off to my friends in college and hyping this track up the most, so glad others can share in how brilliant it is. Ty!!!
Mmm. I am a little sad you didn’t mention the fact that the battle preparation theme for this battle is replaced by the song “…” (yes that’s the name, it’s super hard to find on UA-cam). It’s a somber solo piano that fits making sure everyone has their weapons ready, even after such a tragic event that everyone’s still processing.
Regardless, Don’t Speak Her Name is one of the best songs in the soundtrack and I am grateful for you bringing attention to it. Great analysis as always
YEEEEEESSSSS. Thank you for this video. I loved it ever since i first heard it!
This is a good one from Awakening to cover. Perhaps the only other piece in Awakening that invokes a lot of emotion from me is Divine Decree, but this was really well done!
If I could give a second like, I would.
Love this piece of music
The melody of the 'Shepherds Theme' you mention was interesting to me, since it reminded me of the song Beyond the Sky from Fire Emblem 6, where it's used as the first of the player's turn themes. Comparing the two, there's not as many similarities as I thought, but there are some- It's most likely coincidence, though. Thanks for getting me thinking about it! The Fire Emblem games on the GBA had a surprisingly rich soundtrack, although not as much as Awakening, with its full orchestra, of course.
Thank you for this, I really truly mean it. This track and game meant a lot to me and seeing it remembered closing on a decade later floods me with a warm feeling I really can’t describe, so I’ll settle for thanking you for it instead.
I tried to explain to my less music-taught school colleagues at a time what a masterful accomplishment this track was. How it took the "Leitmotiv" and wove it into this sad masterpiece. I immediately noticed it playing the level for the first time and had to cry. Cool to see a video pointing out all the genius things about the song.
This beautiful and puts everything I love about this peice into words
And goddammit it's time I replay this game
This helps explain how themes can go throughout a soundtrack. Also I don't think I've played this Fire Emblem, it looks good.
I'm a longtime fan. The 3DS titles are pure unadulterated anime trash and I love them
@@agromchung I know I played one of them and really enjoyed it, I think this one I haven't played. Time to binge play this!
Awakening is so good. I absolutely loved it
@@hideharu-xiii8852 I'm really enjoying it so far.
I'm not gonna cry, I am not gonna cry!
*Chrom, Lissa*
Uncontrollable sobbing. I can't believe I still react so strong to the music.
I was not prepared for feels today, lemme tell you. What a beautiful breakdown of a truly amazing piece of video game music. I remember the first time I played that chapter I had to pause for a few minutes just to take in everything.
Love this track! Excited to see what you say!
I clicked on this and immediately remembered the first few notes of this track and man, your video title is perfect! It's one of my most favorite FE map themes even after all these years, it's quite memorable. Hyped for your analysis of this wonderful track!
"Don't speak her name" is one of the best pieces of music ever written imo. It made me fall in love with orchestral music and showed me that music is the peak of story telling.
this video reminded me how amazing awakening's soundtrack is
Honestly the first time I heard the song it broke me. I knew a lot of what was gonna happen beforehand, and new the song, but it hits so much harder in games and I was in tears that entire battle.
RIP Mustafa you deserved better
One of the things I did to get me through lockdown was learning to play "And What If I Can't" on piano. I also printed out "Don't Speak Her Name" but that was always a pipe dream.
Fire Emblem Awakening was my first Fire Emblem game back when I bought it in 2013 and this song is definitely the most memorable in the game for all the good reasons.
“Don’t Speak Her Name” is definitely up there in the Awakening soundtrack, and I applaud you for talking about this masterpiece. Sometimes, it even makes me feel a bit of regret for never owning a 3DS in my childhood, let alone Awakening. However, I have played Three Houses and I’d totally be interested in watching a review about one of Three Houses’ hidden gems, “Roar of Dominion”. It’s one of my favorite songs in the entire Three Houses soundtrack and depending on your choices throughout the game, this song could change in meaning.
Damn I guess I'm taking my work break.
Stellar video as always! This theme is one that does what the best video game themes do, and make the moment they're tied to unforgettable. To me, the gravity really hit hardest when the game bent its own mechanics slightly, and the default Battle Preparations music was completely taken away in favor of just letting this continue playing, which the game doesn't do for any other moment. It conveyed the emotions so lastingly they've been immortalized to me.
this is definitely my favorite track of all time in any game, and wow what a thorough analysis!! this entire sequence is so raw and messy and intimate, and you've done an incredible job analyzing this in the context. the awakening soundtrack is so full of complex and thoughtful pieces that you'll only hear bits of, depending on how fast you go through the game, and i always love to see em in the spotlight. thank you!!
I have such a fondness and nostalgia for the Awakening OST that I'll never forget. I've always thought Id (purpose) was the ultimate song of the game, possibly because it's the last you hear in a mission; but the freakin accordion just hits in a different way in a 'final battle' theme unlike something I've heard before.
Don't Speak Her Name, You May Call Me Marth, Id (serenity), Conquest (calm version)... personal favourites and all amazing.