Final Fantasy 14 composer Soken admits that he dislikes musicals but assures fans that he was not 'forced' to create Dawntrail's controversial Smile song 'against his will'

Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail's soundtrack is pretty good. I found myself bopping to the majority of it. The choice to fill Tuliyollal with swingin’ jazz was also inspired. I like the corny rehash the main theme in the story's finale (even though my thoughts on the story are more complex). One song, however, is an exception. It's called Smile.

To understand why Smile was such a big deal, you have to know the level of goodwill that Final Fantasy 14 composer Masayoshi Sokoen has built up. Every expansion's soundtrack is a cornucopia leitmotifs, accompanied by swelling moments and thoughtful arrangement. I still get chills when I listen to Tomorrow and Tomorrow or Flow.

Smile isn't bad by itself, but as Dawntrail’s main theme it has a lot riding on it. It's a big, Disney-style, boisterous swing, but unfortunately it misses the mark. The lyrics are good, but I personally found Akino's vocals to be a little distracting, especially when trying to listen the game's final exposition.

You'll get some unintentionally funny moments in the story when a chorus goes from 0 percent to 100% very quickly. For example, you build a bomb and crash it against a barrier and then you are suddenly expected to clap to a cheery construction montage which blasts you out with a choir right away.

It's a rare miss, which makes Soken's commentary on a recent Dawntrail soundtrack blu-ray (shared by user Y0LOME0W on the subreddit for the game) all the more hilarious.

"This track was requested by Nacchan Ishikawa, a member of the scenario team. She asked for an ending theme that was in the style and feel of a musical. I'm sorry to say, but musicals just aren’t my thing. I get thrown off when characters stop what they're working on to sing. "Why are we singing right now?"

Soken's comments about the song Smile by r/ffxiv

It's funny to hear him say this now, considering that it happens twice in Dawntrail main scenario quest. (I didn't mind at all during Wuk Lamat inauguration ceremony.) It's interesting that Ishikawa ordered it. She's credited for some of Dawntrail's most beloved storylines, including Shadowbringers, Endwalker, and the like.

"That being said," he continued, "I like 'The Blues Brothers '"--that' explains the Tuliyollal motif, then-- "so I was confident that I could still make it... Okay, you may think I was forced to create this song against my wishes, but I assure, I wasn't. Haha, hah. Blink twice if you need help, Soken. I can help.

While I wouldn't mind Soken trying out a musical theme (it would have been nice if she had consolidated all her speeches into one solid "I want" track), I am genuinely happy to hear that he is experimenting. One of the best things about FF14's music is how diverse it is. You can be headbanging along to Metal or Under The Weight one minute, and then weeping into your G'raha Tia pillow the next. Even if Smile wasn't my favorite, I'm glad that he tried. He will continue to do so. Who knows, Alan Wake may have softened his attitude towards musical numbers. We're due for a few dance numbers.