He first began to play professionally at the age of 17, and attended the Kunitachi College of Music from 1962 to 1967.
Yamashita formed the Yosuke Yamashita New York Trio in 1988 with bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Pheeroan akLaff. In 1994 he was invited to perform at the 50th anniversary concert of jazz label Verve, held at Carnegie Hall, and was the only Asian musician to play at the event.
Yamashita moved into film scoring in 1998, scoring the Shohei Imamura film Kanzo Sensei, and his work in this earned him the "Education Minister's Education Award," amongst others. This was followed by his score for Kihachi Okamoto's Vengeance Is Such A Great Business.
In May 2003 Yamashita was awarded a Purple Ribbon by the Japanese Government for his contributions to the arts and academia, and since 2004 he has served as a visiting professor at Kunitachi College of Music.
*Yes burning pianos. Have a look:
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoChannel=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZdKz4My_NM
'Round Midnight
Yosuke Yamashita Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
In the first stanza of this song, the singer talks about how they do pretty well until after sundown, when they start to feel sad. However, things really start to get bad 'round midnight. The lyrics could suggest the singer is struggling with feelings of loneliness and heartbreak. The second stanza talks about memories starting around midnight and how it's hard for the singer to stand those memories because their heart is still with someone who they seem to have quarreled with. They question whether the quarrel means the end of their love but express a need for their love interest. The last stanza offers hope that their love can be restored and asks for them to return safely.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The story starts
'Round midnight, midnight
Around midnight, when it's late at night
I do pretty well, till after sundown
I'm okay during the day, but things change after sunset
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
When it's time to eat dinner, I start feeling down
But it really gets bad
Things start to become worse
'Round midnight
Around midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
I always remember things from the past around midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
I can't bear to remember those memories
When my heart is still with you
When my heart is still thinking of you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
Even midnight knows that my heart still belongs to you
When a quarrel we had needs mending
When we need to fix a fight that we had
Does it mean that our love is ending
Does it mean our love is coming to an end?
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
My dear, I need you, and I've realized it recently
You're out of my heart
You're no longer in my thoughts
And I'm out of my mind
I'm going crazy
Let our hearts take wings'
Let our emotions soar
'Round midnight, midnight
Around midnight, when it's late at night
Let the angels sing
May the angels rejoice
For your returning
When you return to me
Till our love is safe and sound
Until our love is secure and protected
And old midnight comes around
And when midnight arrives
Feelin' sad
Feeling down
Really gets bad
Things start to become worse
Round, Round, Round Midnight
Around and around midnight
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind