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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.
Eye to Eye
植松伸夫 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the stage,
On my own.
Whenever I said my words,
wishing they would be heard.
I saw you smiling at me,
Was it real or just my fantasy?
You'd always be there in the corner, of this tiny little bar.
My last night here for you,
same old songs just once more.
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no.
I kind of liked it your way,
how you shyly placed your eyes on me.
Did you ever know that I had mine on you?
Darling so there you are!
With that look on your face.
As if your never hurt.
As if your never down.
Shall I be the one for you,
Who pinches you softly but sure?
If frown is shown then,
I will know that you are no dreamer.
So let me come to you
Close as I want to be.
Close enough for me
to feel your heart beating fast
and stay there as i whisper
how i loved your peaceful eyes on me
did you ever know that i had mine on you?
your love if you have enough,
your tears if your holding back,
or pain if that's what it is.
How can i let you know?
I'm more than the dress and the voice.
Just reach me out then,
You will know that you are not dreaming.
Darling so there you are!
With that look on your face.
As if your never hurt.
As if your never down.
Shall I be the one for you,
Who pinches you softly but sure?
If frown is shown then,
I will know that you are no dreamer.
The lyrics to "Eyes on Me" by 植松伸夫 feat. Crystal Kay depict the singer reflecting on their experiences as a performer, specifically on stage singing their own songs. The singer wonders if the smiles they see from the audience are genuine or merely a figment of their imagination. They mention a small bar where someone was always present, observing from the corner. It is implied that this person holds a special significance to the singer.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that this may be their last night together, potentially alluding to their departure from the stage or even a farewell to a relationship. They express an appreciation for the way this person looked at them, shyly placing their eyes on the singer. The singer reveals that they, too, had their eyes fixed on this person all along.
The chorus then transitions to a tender moment. The singer addresses this person as "darling," implying a romantic connection. They observe the expression on their face, as if they have never been hurt or down. The singer contemplates whether they could be the one to provide support and comfort, symbolized by softly pinching them. If this person shows any sign of sadness, it would assure the singer that they are not merely existing in a dream.
The bridge continues this intimate exchange, with the singer wanting to be as close as possible to feel the person's heartbeat. They express the desire to whisper how much they loved the peaceful look in their eyes. The singer questions how they can convey that they are more than just their appearance and voice. They urge this person to reach out and touch them to discover that they are not in a dream but a reality.
Overall, "Eyes on Me" conveys the longing for genuine connection and the uncertainty of whether the feelings are reciprocated. It explores themes of vulnerability, the desire to be seen, and the willingness to offer support and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Whenever I sang my songs,
Every time I expressed myself through my music,
On the stage,
In front of an audience,
On my own.
Without anyone else by my side.
Whenever I said my words,
Whenever I spoke my truth,
wishing they would be heard.
Hoping that my message would resonate.
I saw you smiling at me,
I noticed you smiling in my direction,
Was it real or just my fantasy?
Was it genuine or simply a figment of my imagination?
You'd always be there in the corner, of this tiny little bar.
You were always there, in the corner of this small establishment.
My last night here for you,
This is my final evening here, performing for you,
same old songs just once more.
Singing the familiar tunes one final time.
My last night here with you?
Could this be our last night together?
Maybe yes, maybe no.
Possibly yes, possibly no.
I kind of liked it your way,
I actually enjoyed the way you approached things,
how you shyly placed your eyes on me.
The way you timidly gazed at me.
Did you ever know that I had mine on you?
Were you aware that I had my eyes fixed on you too?
Darling so there you are!
My love, here you are!
With that look on your face.
Sporting that expression on your face.
As if you're never hurt.
As if you've never experienced pain.
As if you're never down.
As if you've never felt down.
Shall I be the one for you,
Should I be the one who cares for you?
Who pinches you softly but sure?
Who gently reminds you of reality?
If frown is shown then,
If a frown appears on your face,
I will know that you are no dreamer.
I will realize that you are not lost in dreams.
So let me come to you
Allow me to approach you
Close as I want to be.
As close as I desire to be.
Close enough for me to feel your heart beating fast
Near enough for me to sense your rapidly pulsating heart
and stay there as I whisper
And remain there by your side as I quietly speak
how I loved your peaceful eyes on me
Expressing my affection for your serene gaze upon me
did you ever know that I had mine on you?
Were you aware that my focus was locked on you?
Darling so share with me,
Dearest, open up to me
your love if you have enough,
Your love, if it is abundant,
your tears if you're holding back,
Your tears, if you're suppressing them,
or pain if that's what it is.
Or your pain, if that's your reality.
How can I let you know?
How can I make you understand?
I'm more than the dress and the voice.
There is more to me than my attire and vocal ability.
Just reach me out then,
Simply reach out to me
You will know that you are not dreaming.
You will realize that you're not lost in a dream.
Darling so there you are!
My love, once again, you're here!
With that look on your face.
Sporting that expression on your face.
As if you're never hurt.
As if you've never experienced pain.
As if you're never down.
As if you've never felt down.
Shall I be the one for you,
Should I be the one who cares for you?
Who pinches you softly but sure?
Who gently reminds you of reality?
If frown is shown then,
If a frown appears on your face,
I will know that you are no dreamer.
I will realize that you are not lost in dreams.
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kako Someya, Nobuo Uematsu
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Zelink108
0:22 Garnet "I have a favor I wish to ask of you..."
"I wish to be kidnapped... right away."
Zidane "H-Huh!? I don't... I mean..."
To use a quote from Rabtoon's "FFIX in a nutshell":
Zidane: "What's the catch?"
Garnet: "Four Disks of 'will they, won't they' bulls*** between us."
As I've said before, one of the worst parts of IX is the poorly done love story of Zidane and Garnet, which the game tries to make it all out to be a bigger deal and focus than it actually is. It is really overhyped, and if you think I'm exaggerating, consider:
a) The 'I want to be your Canary' play that clearly represents Zidane and Garnet, and it being shown at the beginning and end of the game, which I've already discussed above.
b) The fact that the main theme of the game, 'Melodies of Life', is a love song- and is even called "our song" by Zidane and Garnet, which plays constantly, in different mixes, throughout the whole game. (Even serving as the World Map theme music! Until Disk 4, anyways) Not even VIII's and X's main love songs were played out that much.
And finally,
c) The commercials and ads for IX generally gave off the impressions that it was heavily romance focused, with most of them playing 'Melodies of Life' in them and showing off mostly Zidane and Garnet's FMV scenes together.
As the game goes on, I will be talking a lot about how badly done this love story is, and before anyone says anything, yes, I am a big romance, love story, cute, feminine grace kind of guy. Not embarrassed to admit it.
Now, I don't judge other stories that aren't love story focused. Heck, I read/watch One Piece, one of the best stories, and that isn't even romanced focused. (Though it does have a lot of teases) But the reason that I am judging IX on this so much is because that the game acts like it is love story focused, but does not really deliver.
After FFVII, which had the love triangle with Cloud-Tifa-Aerith and also that whole invisible affection score which determines who you date at the Gold Saucer, the three main games after it, VIII, IX and X (Which I like to call the "love story trilogy") all had major love stories of the main male and female characters, Squall/Rinoa, Zidane/Garnet and Tidus/Yuna, and Zidane and Garnet is the worst done out of these three. Squall/Rinoa and Tidus/Yuna had real developed romances while Garnet and Zidane fell in love for being within five feet of each other for a long period of time, and despite Garnet ABANDONING HIM and blowing him off (which renders this whole “kidnapping” completely pointless) but we will get to that scene when the time comes in Lindblum. Heck, even VII's love story had more focus and better execution, despite it not even having a love song as its main theme, nor did it have the main couple on it's box cover art or logo like VIII or X did, and the VII remake is even expanding on all this!
@Vandri2388
Love how they used the phrase Eye to Eye but made it have multiple meanings depending on the context of that particular scene, that was clever.
@KT-jd5ey
FF9は本当に優しさで溢れている世界だと思います。
言葉、表情、仕草、風景、音楽‥どれからも優しさが伝わってきて優しい気持ちになれる‥
そんな最高の物語ですね
@Maxim.Nazarenko
I like that the video is original, not the remastered one.
@天道総司朗
ビビがガーネットのこと名前じゃなくて「おねぇちゃん」って呼ぶの可愛いよなぁ
@chubbycatfish4573
The music in FF9 is so lovely.
@sniper712
somber, sad, BEAUTIFUL to my heart and soul
@Kazuma_ch
私は去年にあらためて再び
冒険させて頂きました❣️
@sirobuta-p9t
あぁ懐かしい‥私の人生初のFFだった。当時の私はFFシリーズにはまったく興味がなかった。けど、コカ・コーラとのコラボcmをみて「なんて素敵なキャラクター達だろう！」と感動して、必死に親を説得して買ってもらたな‥素晴らしい音楽と世界観に一気に引き込まれた！序盤のチャンバラは100点狙えるまでやったし、その後の展開もロマンチックで‥ダガーが「私を誘拐してください！」の場面もジタンが膝をついて「今からワタクシめに誘拐させていただきます。」と宣言するところはいまでも素晴らしい。これ以上は文章では書き記すのは無粋かな‥ぜひ、プレイしてもらいたい逸品だね。
@williamsanborn9195
I’ve always loved the chemistry of Zidane and Garnet/Dagger. Then again, I’m a lot like Zidane in that I’m a hopeless romantic. 😅
@Zelink108
Too bad that Zidane and Garnet had terrible chemistry and Garnet spent most of the game giving Zidane the cold shoulder to mope and whine about her mother and kingdom and even drugged and abandoned him the first chance she got. The love story of IX was poorly done and overhyped.