Okazaki was born in Nagasaki but her family moved to Tokyo when she was in third grade. As a high school student, she formed a band with two classmates called Eleanor (エレナー), in which she played piano and sang backup vocals. It was at this time she began writing original songs. She began her professional career in 1985 composing music for TV programs and commercials as well as for other singers under a variety of names, the most frequently used being Ritsu ("Ritz") Morino (森野律). She debuted as a solo artist in 1993 with the single "Kanashii jiyû" (悲しい自由) followed shortly by her first album, "Sincerely yours,". She spent much of the 1990s creating solo works. Around 2000 until her death, her career became profoundly more focused on music for animated series. To this end, in 2001 she teamed up with singer-songwriter Megumi Hinata (日向めぐみ) to form Melocure, a project that produced music for a variety of series.
In the spring of 2003, Okazaki discovered she had stomach cancer. This information was not announced to the public at the time and she continued to pursue her professional activities to the best of her ability. On May 5, 2004, she passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from septic shock. She was 44 years old. Her album "For RITZ", which was in production when she passed, was completed with what voice recordings were available (some were only preliminary) and released as a tribute.
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長崎県西彼杵郡高島町（現長崎市）端島出身。高校一年の時に同期生2人とバンド「エレナー」を結成し、3人で音楽活動を始める。当時の担当はピアノ、コーラスだった。
音楽業界に入った後に「森野律」などの名義でコマーシャル音楽などを手がけたり、アーティストに楽曲を提供していた。OVA『1月にはChristmas』主題歌「冬のないカレンダー」で、歌手の「岡崎律子」としてトーラスレコード（その後、会社自体がポリグラム（現在はユニバーサルミュージック）に編入された）からデビュー、晩年はスターチャイルドに移籍した。テレビアニメ『魔法のプリンセスミンキーモモ』イメージソング「4月の雪」「約束」を担当。歌手活動と並行して、ラジオやエッセイなどで活躍したり、アニメ・ゲーム作品や声優の曲を数多く手がけている。日向めぐみとのユニット「メロキュア」も、広く注目を得る。ヤマハ音楽教室のピアノ・エレクトーン教室の音楽教材にも、曲をいくつか提供しており、音楽教室の生徒向け教材CDに収録されている。
2004年5月5日に敗血症性ショックのため死去。44歳没。
その死後、2003年春にスキルス胃がんを発病して、闘病生活を送りつつ創作活動を続けていたことが明らかになった。交流のあった芸能関係者以外では一部の例外を除き、親族の意向により墓所は一般公表されていない。遺作となった『for RITZ』は、制作途中であったため、発表時には冥福を祈る意味でタイトルが変更された。同アルバムには、本番収録が間に合わずテスト状態で収録された曲もある。
サクラサク
岡崎律子 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
見上げる空 体じゅう元気がみなぎってく
That's so wonderful! 生きてるんだ!
やめられない あきらめるだなんて
※途方に暮れた昨日にさよなら
ふつふつと湧きあがるこの気持ち
思い出はいつも甘い逃げ場所
だけど断ち切れ 明日を生きるため
祝福の時は来る 手をのばして※
うるわしの柔らかな肌 未だ手は届かず
目を閉じればふくらむイメージ 魅惑の果実
That's so wonderful! 生きてるんだ!
やめられない その先を見たい
怒涛の日々は続く どこまでも
天国と地獄 行きつ戻りつ
何度でも甦る 花を咲かせよう
走れ走れ 愛を手にするまで
それで苦しむなら望むところ
祝福の時は来る 手をのばして
The first two lines of the song describe the feeling of looking up at the clear blue sky on top of a rooftop. It is a bright and energetic sensation that fills the singer's body as they gaze upon the sky. They express how wonderful it is to just be alive and that they cannot stop and give up now. They emphasize the idea of not letting themselves be defeated and continuing to strive for life.
The chorus then talks about saying goodbye to the hopeless feelings of the past and letting go of them. The singer mentions the feeling of continuously rising up with a strong and persistent feeling that they will face tomorrow. They encourage themselves to keep on blooming like flowers with every chance they get, and how memories will always be there as a sweet escape. However, they urge themselves to break free and move forward to live for the present and the future. They firmly believe that it is only a matter of time until the blessed moment of arrival comes, and they reach out for it.
The third verse speaks of the wonderful and tempting sensation of soft skin, something that is far but can be imagined and felt. Even with eyes closed, the image of a fascinating fruit can be seen, and the singer revels in the fact that being alive means there is so much more to experience, explore, and look forward to. The final part of the chorus then talks about continuing to face the ups and downs of life and blossoming like never before, running with everything they have until they find love. The song ends with the encouragement that if life brings pain, one should hope for a blessing and reach out their hand to receive it.
Line by Line Meaning
屋根の上で空を仰ぐ 日射しはうららか
Looking up at the sky from the rooftop, the bright sunlight fills me with energy.
見上げる空 体じゅう元気がみなぎってく
The entire body fills with vitality as I gaze at the sky.
That's so wonderful! 生きてるんだ!
It's amazing! I'm alive!
やめられない あきらめるだなんて
I can't stop. Giving up is not an option.
※途方に暮れた昨日にさよなら
Goodbye to the yesterday when I was lost.
ふつふつと湧きあがるこの気持ち
These feelings well up inside me.
何度でも甦る 花を咲かせよう
I will revive as many times as it takes and make the flowers bloom.
思い出はいつも甘い逃げ場所
Memories are always a sweet escape.
だけど断ち切れ 明日を生きるため
But I must cut them off to live for tomorrow.
祝福の時は来る 手をのばして※
The time to celebrate is coming. Reach out your hand.*
うるわしの柔らかな肌 未だ手は届かず
The beautiful soft skin is still out of reach.
目を閉じればふくらむイメージ 魅惑の果実
If I close my eyes, an image of a tempting fruit swells up.
That's so wonderful! 生きてるんだ!
It's amazing! I'm alive!
やめられない その先を見たい
I can't stop. I want to see what's ahead.
怒涛の日々は続く どこまでも
The stormy days continue on, forever.
天国と地獄 行きつ戻りつ
Going back and forth between heaven and hell.
何度でも甦る 花を咲かせよう
I will revive as many times as it takes and make the flowers bloom.
走れ走れ 愛を手にするまで
Run, run until you find love.
それで苦しむなら望むところ
If that's what causes pain, I can only hope.
祝福の時は来る 手をのばして
The time to celebrate is coming. Reach out your hand.
Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John_Andaman
セルフカバーは殆ど聴けなくなってたんで助かる
野中ハル
いい歳したおっさんが泣いてしまった・・・