He is best known for his work on the Silent Hill series for which he composed all the music and sound effects in all seven current games (excluding Silent Hill Play Novel for Game Boy Advance). Some of the music from the first four games was also remixed and used in the Silent Hill movie. He also played a doubly important role as producer of the third and fourth Silent Hill games (which were available for PlayStation 2/PC and PlayStation 2/Xbox/PC). His music from Silent Hill 2 was performed live in 2005 at the third Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany and at the world-premiere of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony Live! on May 27, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, where Yamaoka himself accompanied the orchestra with an electric guitar. As well, Yamaoka actively composes music for Konami's Bemani line of games, particularly, the Beatmania IIDX series.
His first original, non-soundtrack album, iFUTURELIST, was released in January 2006.
Career
He joined Konami on September 21, 1993 after previously being a freelance music composer. He is most well known for his work for the Silent Hill series of video games, for which he composed all the music and sound effects in the whole series (excluding Silent Hill Play Novel for the Game Boy Advance and Esperándote in Silent Hill, composed by 村中りか (Rika Muranaka)). Since Silent Hill 3, he is playing a more important role as the series' producer, also continuing with his music composition working.
Yamaoka's sound commonly contains strong melancholy undertones and generally identifies with the dark ambient, industrial, trip-hop and rock genres. Since Silent Hill 3, he also started working in collaboration with Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Joe Romersa for vocal compositions.
Much of his work from previous titles has been compiled for the 2006 Silent Hill movie adaptation, directed by Christophe Gans.
His music from Silent Hill 2 was performed live in 2005 at the third Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany. Yamaoka also performed music from Silent Hill at the world-premiere of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony Live! on May 27, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, and accompanied the orchestra with an electric seven-string guitar. He also composed songs for Konami's Bemani series, which has also featured tracks from Silent Hill.
His first original album, iFUTURELIST, was released in January 2006. He also wrote the theme of 101%, the main show of the French TV channel Nolife.
On December 2, 2009, it was announced that Yamaoka was leaving his long term employer Konami.
Personal Life
Before working as a video game composer, Yamaoka initially sought a career as a designer, but instead became a musician after studying product design at Tokyo Art College.
In 1993 he joined Konami to work on the game Rocket Knight Adventures 2. When Konami began searching for a musician to compose Silent Hill's score, Yamaoka volunteered because he thought he was the only one capable of making the soundtrack.
Yamaoka stated in a 2009 interview that his favorite game creator is Suda 51 and his favorite video game is No More Heroes.
Maria
Akira Yamaoka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hikisakareta katayoku no hane
Ieru made
Hitomi tojita itoshiki hito yo
Kaerinasai watashi no mune e
Usure yuku hi ni futatabi
Kono mi wo subete wo
Hikikae ni shite mo kuyamanu
Anata wo tada kono kaina de
Tsutsunde mamoritai
Katatoki sae hanare wa shinai to
Ima misora ni chikatte
The song "Maria" by Akira Yamaoka is a sentimental and heart-wrenching ode to a lost love named Maria. The lyrics are composed with beautiful yet raw emotions that touch the core of the listener. The song begins with the lines "Nemurinasai itoshiki hito yo/Hikisakareta katayoku no hane/Ieru made," which can be translated as "Sleep peacefully, my beloved/With broken wings, until I can say it." These lines can be interpreted as the singer bidding farewell to the lost love and telling them to rest assured until the singer can find the strength to move on.
In the next verse, the singer pleads with the lost love to return to their heart by saying, "Hitomi tojita itoshiki hito yo/Kaerinasai watashi no mune e/Usure yuku hi ni futatabi/Ibuki wo ataetamae." These lines mean "Beloved, with closed eyes, please return/To my heart on this fading day/Once again, give me breath." The singer is yearning to have the lost love back in their life and is desperately trying to keep their memories alive.
The final verse is a vow that the singer makes to the lost love that even after everything they have been through, they will always protect and cherish them. The verse goes, "Kono mi wo subete wo/Hikikae ni shite mo kuyamanu/Anata wo tada kono kaina de/Tsutsunde mamoritai/Katatoki sae hanare wa shinai to/Ima misora ni chikatte." These lines mean "Even if I give up everything I have, I won't regret it/I just want to protect you with this ring/I swear to the sky that I won't let go even when the time comes." These lines are powerful, and they show a promise of enduring love that lasts even beyond the boundaries of life and death.
Overall, the song "Maria" is a beautiful composition with a deep and unforgettable meaning. It portrays the pain of losing a loved one and the bittersweet yearning for their return. It's a song that speaks to the heart and soul, and it's hard to escape its emotional grip once you start listening.
Line by Line Meaning
Nemurinasai itoshiki hito yo
Beloved one, please sleep peacefully
Hikisakareta katayoku no hane
My wings, though torn apart, remain steadfast
Ieru made
Until I can speak to you
Hitomi tojita itoshiki hito yo
Beloved one, with closed eyes
Kaerinasai watashi no mune e
Please come back and rest within my heart
Usure yuku hi ni futatabi
In the days that grow faint once again
Ibuki wo ataetamae
Please give me your breath
Kono mi wo subete wo
Even if I exchange everything, including my body
Hikikae ni shite mo kuyamanu
I won't regret it, even as I barter it away
Anata wo tada kono kaina de
I simply want to wrap you in this cloth
Tsutsunde mamoritai
I want to embrace and protect you
Katatoki sae hanare wa shinai to
Even with the passage of time, we will not part
Ima misora ni chikatte
I vow to the skies now
Contributed by Kylie H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gabriel Oliveira
In inglish:
Sleep, my beloved,
Until the wing torn from your back
Is healed again
Come back to me, my beloved,
As you've closed your eyes,
Before you're given breath again
In the dying fire light
I'll trade away my life, everything,
For you without any regret
I just want to hold you close
And protect you with my own strength
I swear to the heavens here
That I will never let go of even the smallest moment
Em português:
Durma, meu amado
Até a asa ser arrancada das costas
É curado novamente
Volte para mim, meu amado
Como você fechou seus olhos,
Antes de você respirar novamente
Na luz do fogo moribundo
Eu vou trocar minha vida, tudo
Para você sem qualquer arrependimento
Eu só quero te abraçar
E proteja você com minha própria força
Eu juro pelos céus aqui
Que eu nunca vou largar nem o menor momento
Devos
In Greek / Στα ελληνικά :
Κοιμήσου αγαπητή μου,
Μέχρι τα φτερά που ξεριζώθηκαν από την πλάτη σου,
Να γιατρευτούν ξανά
Γύρνα πίσω σε εμένα αγαπητή μου,
Όπως έκλεισες τα μάτια σου,
Πρώτου σου ξαναδωθεί η πνοή και πάλι,
Στην φωτιά που σιγοπεθαίνει,
Θα δώσω την ζωή μου, τα πάντα,
Για εσένα χωρίς μετάνοια,
Απλά θέλω να σε κρατήσω κοντά, και να σε προστατεύσω με την δικιά μου δύναμη,
Ορκίζομαι στους παραδείσους εκεί,
Ότι δεν θα αφήσω ούτε την παραμικρή στιγμή να περάσει.
Gabriel Oliveira
In inglish:
Sleep, my beloved,
Until the wing torn from your back
Is healed again
Come back to me, my beloved,
As you've closed your eyes,
Before you're given breath again
In the dying fire light
I'll trade away my life, everything,
For you without any regret
I just want to hold you close
And protect you with my own strength
I swear to the heavens here
That I will never let go of even the smallest moment
Em português:
Durma, meu amado
Até a asa ser arrancada das costas
É curado novamente
Volte para mim, meu amado
Como você fechou seus olhos,
Antes de você respirar novamente
Na luz do fogo moribundo
Eu vou trocar minha vida, tudo
Para você sem qualquer arrependimento
Eu só quero te abraçar
E proteja você com minha própria força
Eu juro pelos céus aqui
Que eu nunca vou largar nem o menor momento
Devos
In Greek / Στα ελληνικά :
Κοιμήσου αγαπητή μου,
Μέχρι τα φτερά που ξεριζώθηκαν από την πλάτη σου,
Να γιατρευτούν ξανά
Γύρνα πίσω σε εμένα αγαπητή μου,
Όπως έκλεισες τα μάτια σου,
Πρώτου σου ξαναδωθεί η πνοή και πάλι,
Στην φωτιά που σιγοπεθαίνει,
Θα δώσω την ζωή μου, τα πάντα,
Για εσένα χωρίς μετάνοια,
Απλά θέλω να σε κρατήσω κοντά, και να σε προστατεύσω με την δικιά μου δύναμη,
Ορκίζομαι στους παραδείσους εκεί,
Ότι δεν θα αφήσω ούτε την παραμικρή στιγμή να περάσει.
Jedabero
Sleep, my beloved, Until the wing torn from your back Is healed again Come back to me, my beloved, As you've closed your eyes, Before you're given breath again In the dying fire light I'll trade away my life, everything, For you without any regret I just want to hold you close And protect you with my own strength I swear to the heavens here That I will never let go of even the smallest moment
SC-Art
Thank you very much! To all of you! It pleases me to know that you love this video for such a wonderful song (Thanks to outstanding service of Yamaoka's talent)! I just hope Mr. Yamaoka know about this video and he isn't angry about it =) so copyright owners wouldn't block it. At least this is the only outstanding video for Akira Yamaoka's songs (even if it fan-made and unofficial video)
Felipe Arantes
❤️
Jack Napier
ENCANTADORA VOZ
Lombardinho Mengele
Hermoso, simplemente Hermoso!!! Es un genio en cuanto a composicion se refiere.
Arkie
Wow, for essentially being a fanfilm this is surprisingly well done.
SBogdan
this is one of akira yamaoka's best composition...keep up man,you did a good work;)
phase866
i wouldv been sooooooooo proud of myself for making a masterpiece like this.man congratz