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.
Tender Sugar
Akira Yamaoka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was it body or soul
The darkness fades, fades to the light
Disappearing now, disappears from the night
And all these nightmares I once had as a child
The morning always came, it came too late
What did my mind forget, forget to hide
In or out, up or down, never know its an illusion
Round and round, on and on, every day spins my confusion
Not again, not again, not again, this dream I can't awake
What is real, what is real, what is real, it's getting hard for me to take
What I need, what I need, what I need, a little somethin' I rely
And the white sugar gently hides me
Oh the sweet sugar saves me, it's the room that confines me
Confines me...sweet sugar
Yesterday back and forth, broken door no longer opens
Breaking down, need it now, mother's sugar always loves me
Not again, not again, not again, this dream I can't awake
What is real, what is real, what is real, it's getting hard for me to take
What I need, what I need, what I need, a little somethin' I rely
And the white sugar gently hides me
Oh the sweet sugar saves me, it's the room that confines me
The lyrics of Tender Sugar by Akira Yamaoka feat. Melissa Williamson (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) convey a sense of confusion and unease, as if the singer is lost in a dream or nightmare. The opening lines suggest that the singer has somehow been wounded or hurt ("what ripped away"), but they are unsure whether it was their body or their soul that was damaged. Despite the darkness, the singer is hopeful that they will emerge into the light, but this hope is short-lived as they continue to be plagued by nightmares that they cannot escape.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "not again" and "what is real," suggesting that the singer is struggling to differentiate between reality and the nightmares that haunt them. They are searching for something to help ground them, something they can rely on, and the "white sugar" serves as a type of escape and refuge from the confusion and pain. The bridge of the song references a "broken door" and needing "mother's sugar," which may suggest that the singer is seeking comfort from a parental figure or from something that reminds them of childhood.
Overall, the lyrics of Tender Sugar convey a sense of desperation and a desire for escape from the confusion and pain that the singer is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
I run, I fall, what ripped away, check my body
I am in pain and unsure of what is causing my suffering
Was it body or soul
I am questioning whether the source of my pain is physical or emotional
The darkness fades, fades to the light
The source of my pain is becoming clearer and easier to understand
Disappearing now, disappears from the night
The source of my pain is dissipating and I am finding relief
And all these nightmares I once had as a child
I am haunted by the memories of my childhood
The morning always came, it came too late
I am frustrated that my troubles seem to pass only after it is too late
What did my mind forget, forget to hide
I am trying to understand why my feelings have become so overwhelming
Could the nightmare be awake, I don't know
I am unsure whether I am dreaming or if these problems are a waking reality
In or out, up or down, never know its an illusion
I feel trapped in a confusing and deceptive situation
Round and round, on and on, every day spins my confusion
My confusion and uncertainty seem never-ending and ever-present
Not again, not again, not again, this dream I can't awake
I am distressed and desperate to escape from my troubles
What is real, what is real, what is real, it's getting hard for me to take
I am losing my grip on what is real and what is not, which is causing me distress
What I need, what I need, what I need, a little somethin' I rely
I am seeking some kind of relief or support in order to cope
And the white sugar gently hides me
I find comfort in the sweetness of something I can rely on, like sugar
Oh the sweet sugar saves me, it's the room that confines me
The sweetness of sugar is both a comfort and a trap; while it provides relief, it also keeps me trapped in an unhealthy pattern
Yesterday back and forth, broken door no longer opens
I feel stuck, as if I am constantly cycling through the same problems and solutions with no progress
Breaking down, need it now, mother's sugar always loves me
I am feeling overwhelmed and seeking comfort, and turn to the familiarity of the sweetness I associate with my mother's love
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dunro
I run, I fall, I drift away
Check my body now, was it body or soul?
The darkness fades, fades to the light
Disappearing now, disappears from the night
And all these nightmares I once had as a child
The morning always came, it came too late
What did my mind forget, forget to hide?
Could the nightmare be awake?
I don't know
In or out, up or down
Never know its an illusion
Round and round, on and on
Every day spins my confusion
Not again not again not again
From this dream I can't awake
What is real what is real what is real?
It's getting hard for me to take
What I need what I need what I need
A little something I rely
And the white sugar gently hides me
Oh the sweet sugar saves me
It's the room that confines me, confines me
Yesterday, back and forth
Broken door no longer opens
Breakin down, need it now
Mother's sugar always loves me
theblocksays
I really love this remix, totally reminds me of Portishead.
Brendon Spencer
Definitely trip-hop vibes for sure
Sergio Vázquez
I prefer this version over the original mix
Brendon Spencer
Absolutely
ComaLies225
I love it, both the music and the vocals sound like their totally opposite, almost avant garde-ish.
dunro
I run, I fall, I drift away
Check my body now, was it body or soul?
The darkness fades, fades to the light
Disappearing now, disappears from the night
And all these nightmares I once had as a child
The morning always came, it came too late
What did my mind forget, forget to hide?
Could the nightmare be awake?
I don't know
In or out, up or down
Never know its an illusion
Round and round, on and on
Every day spins my confusion
Not again not again not again
From this dream I can't awake
What is real what is real what is real?
It's getting hard for me to take
What I need what I need what I need
A little something I rely
And the white sugar gently hides me
Oh the sweet sugar saves me
It's the room that confines me, confines me
Yesterday, back and forth
Broken door no longer opens
Breakin down, need it now
Mother's sugar always loves me
John Turner II
Forgot how good this song is. Memories...
Sebkav
00:55 i love this part
Nereidio
Saudades dessa época
Rua
Really good remix, it really have the akira feels while being original !