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Nobuo Uematsu (植松伸夫 Uematsu Nobuo) (born March 21, 1959) is a Japanese composer of video game music. He is best known for his work with game developer Squaresoft (now Square Enix), having provided scores for a majority of installments of Square's Final Fantasy series of role-playing games. Uematsu's body of work - composed, in its entirety, on keyboards - is known for its distinct eclecticism, and has secured his status as one of the most popular and beloved composers of video game music in the world.

Nobuo Uematsu was born in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. A self-taught musician, he began to play the piano when he was eleven or twelve years old, and he did not take any formal piano lessons. After graduating from Kanagawa University, Uematsu played the keyboard in several amateur bands and composed music for television commercials.

When Uematsu was working at a music rental shop in Tokyo, a Square employee asked if he would be interested in creating music for some of the titles they were working on. Although he agreed, Uematsu considered it a side job, and he did not think it would become a full-time career. He said it was a way to make some money on the side, while also keeping his part-time job at the music rental shop. His first score for Square was Cruise Chaser Blassty, released in 1986.

Uematsu enjoyed massive commercial success with the song "Eyes on Me" performed by 王菲 and featured in Final Fantasy VIII. The single sold 400,000 copies, a record for a video game song, and won the "Song of the Year" award at the 1999 Japan Gold Disc Awards. Uematsu was subsequently named in Time Magazine's list of the Top 100 Innovators - Music, and has toured Japan playing classical concerts on several occasions.

His music itself is notoriously eclectic, tracks featured skip between pop-style balladry, to fusion styles incorporating African traditions, to, in recent years, a number of Celtic-influenced recordings and releases. Many of his works also contain elements of progressive rock and hard rock. His formation of The Black Mages, a rock band, in 2003, allowed him to experiment with his own compositions, releasing band renditions of a significant number of tracks from his soundtracks. The Black Mages disbanded in 2010, but Uematsu formed a new band featuring other ex-Black Mages members and some new faces, Earthbound Papas, in its wake.

In 2004, Uematsu formed his own production company, Smile Please, to which Uematsu's compositions for CG-animated film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is credited. Uematsu continues to compose for Square Enix and other video game developers, such as Mistwalker. Notably, he worked on the soundtrack for the Nintendo crossover fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, having composed its main theme.

いつか帰るところ〜Melodies of Life
植松伸夫 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

忘れていたよね
抑えてた気持ち
苦しいのは

君の方なのに

幸せをいつも
支えていたのは

やさしい瞳で
隠した涙

いつか帰ろうふたり
心をたどり
ハッとしたそうあの日へ
君にハッとしたあの日へ

季節は巡るね
花もまた咲いて
そんな風に
僕らも変れる

そして帰ろうふたり
風をたよりに
ハッとしたそうあの日へ
君にハッとしたあの日へ

きっと帰ろうふたり
心をたどり

ハッとしたそうあの日へ
君にハッとしたあの日へ

Overall Meaning

The song "いつか帰るところ" by 植松伸夫 delves into the deep emotions of a person who is reminiscing about the past and the moments they shared with someone special who is no longer with them. The opening lines "忘れていたよね抑えてた気持ち苦しいのは君の方なのに" portray the idea of suppressing one's emotions and not acknowledging the pain. The singer reminds the other person that they were the ones who were hurting, despite their efforts to hide their feelings.

The second stanza "幸せをいつも支えていたのはやさしい瞳で隠した涙" highlights the emotional support provided by the singer, who always concealed their tears behind their gentle eyes. The chorus "いつか帰ろうふたり心をたどりハッとしたそうあの日へ君にハッとしたあの日へ" expresses the desire to go back to the time they met and relive those moments once again, acknowledging the impact that the other person had on them.

The final stanza "きっと帰ろうふたり心をたどりハッとしたそうあの日へ君にハッとしたあの日へ" reflects the singer's confidence that they will undoubtedly return to those beautiful times, holding onto the precious memories they shared. The song captures the essence of longing for someone and wanting to relive the moments that brought happiness and love.

Line by Line Meaning

忘れていたよね
You forgot, didn't you?

抑えてた気持ち
The feelings you were holding back

苦しいのは
The one suffering

君の方なのに
Is you

幸せをいつも
You always supported

支えていたのは
Happiness

やさしい瞳で
You hid your tears

隠した涙
With your gentle eyes

いつか帰ろうふたり
Let's return someday, together

心をたどり
Following our hearts

ハッとしたそうあの日へ
To that day when we were taken aback