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TVTranscript
00:03His love of music was diverse.
00:06The Blue Renematsu is very melody focused.
00:10He really likes the Beatles, Bluegrass.
00:17I love rock. I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin.
00:21He started his career with a collection of simple tunes.
00:25One of the most well-known sounds in video games is that victory sound.
00:35He overcame the limits of technology.
00:37With his NES and SNES music, it was just brilliant,
00:41considering what limited tools he was working with.
00:44And created one of the greatest musical dynasties in game.
00:48Immediately when you turn on a Final Fantasy game,
00:50you hear the soundtrack rolling into your speakers
00:52and you know you're in for a big, big adventure.
00:58He's right up there with Madonna and Britney Spears over in Japan.
01:02When this guy comes out with the soundtrack, people are listening.
01:05This is the story of Nobuo Uematsu.
01:39On March 21st, 1959, Nobuo Uematsu is born in Kochi City, Japan.
01:48My home, Kochi, is about an hour by plane from Tokyo.
01:51It was kind of a countryside. There was a lot of nature.
01:55When I was in elementary school, rather than going to the city for amusement,
01:58I'd go to swim in the river or get a tent and go camping.
02:02It's not long before this young boy from the countryside finds something he loves.
02:07As for music, I enjoyed listening to it from a very young age.
02:11When he is 12, Uematsu gets even more involved with music.
02:17In my high school years, rock and pop music were very popular.
02:21And my friends wanted to get a band together.
02:24At the very start, I think we were playing Beatles tunes.
02:27A lot of people played the guitar, and the bass and drums weren't for me.
02:31So when asked what I could play, I thought,
02:34well, there's a piano at my house, so why not the keyboards?
02:37That's how I became a keyboard player.
02:40He's kind of a very traditional musician.
02:43He's very melody-focused.
02:47I love rock. I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin.
02:52He really likes the Beatles, Bluegrass.
02:57Those are some of his musical influences.
03:00Elton John writes such unique melodies.
03:03No one else writes melodies like him.
03:05I really admire that about him.
03:09Nobuo goes on to attend the University of Kanagawa.
03:12After graduating, he spends time composing music for commercials
03:15and playing keyboard in an amateur band.
03:18But one day in 1985, fate steps in.
03:23At that time, I lived in the building where a lot of aspiring artists,
03:26writers and musicians would get together every night to drink.
03:29One time, a girl who was working and planning at Square came along.
03:33She said, there's a music job at Square.
03:36Do you want to try it?
03:37I said, I'll do it.
03:38And that's how it started.
03:41Square was a very small publisher in Japan.
03:44They've come out with a number of RPGs for the tiny floppy disk type games for the Nintendo Famicom here
03:52in Japan.
03:53And they produced a handful of cartridges.
03:56But really, there was nothing to distinguish them, to set them apart from the large number of small development houses
04:03that were able to thrive in Japan.
04:04By 1986, Uematsu is hard at work for Square, composing music for both the Famicom and a Japanese computer called
04:12the PC-88.
04:14His early work includes Blasty, Rad Racer, and 3D World Runner.
04:21But all is not well with a small software developer.
04:26Square made a ton of games, and some of them stuck, but not all of them were popular.
04:32Even though they had a small level of success, they were in a fair bit of financial trouble.
04:38Really, they needed not just a hit, but a mega hit if they were going to keep the company around.
04:43Now that Uematsu has a job doing what he loves, the company he works for might go under.
04:52However, Square still has one more game up its sleeve, and Uematsu is tapped to be its composer.
05:07In 1987, Nobuo Uematsu is tasked with composing the music for what Square thinks may be its last title.
05:15Square was having some financial trouble.
05:17Final Fantasy, the name came from the finality of it.
05:22It was seen as the final project for the company.
05:25Basically, it was their one last shot at redemption.
05:28The story was called Final Fantasy because if that game didn't do well, that was it for them.
05:33So it was the final attempt to save the company.
05:38Near the end of 1987, Square releases Final Fantasy for the Famicom in Japan.
05:44Both the game and Uematsu's soundtrack win high praise.
05:47The first Final Fantasy, like the very first one, it saved Square, so they could keep on making these games.
05:55And gamers begin to take notice of Uematsu's music.
05:58One of the most memorable things about the first Final Fantasy is the way it uses motifs, like a John
06:05Williams score, a movie score.
06:10Each part of the game has music which sounds like that part of the game.
06:18When you go out into the field, you hear the exciting exploration theme.
06:27When you're in a battle, it gets tense.
06:34When you're in the ice cave, it's mysterious.
06:38At each stage of the game, he came up with a really great and fitting song.
06:46Many different styles that really strung together, made a soundtrack.
06:54It wasn't just background music.
06:57One year later, Square releases Final Fantasy 2.
07:00And again, the music is composed by Uematsu.
07:03Interest in the Final Fantasy series continues to grow, and people love the music.
07:07In my mind, Nobuo Uematsu, he really brought a lot of soul to the Final Fantasy games.
07:18Well, it's simple music, so it's easily received by people.
07:22It's easy to understand.
07:26And what I'm trying to do, also what Final Fantasy is trying to do, is not say something complicated.
07:33Nobuo Uematsu's music becomes so popular that a CD featuring his work from both Final Fantasy games is released on
07:39December 21st, 1988.
07:45Like, one of the most well-known sounds in video games is that victory sound when you defeat somebody in
07:50a Final Fantasy game.
07:52It's like, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
07:57Like, everyone recognizes that music if they've played any Final Fantasy games.
08:03And also, the Final Fantasy 2 Nintendo game had the score that was really beautiful.
08:13In 1989, Uematsu composes the music for Final Fantasy Legends on the Game Boy.
08:21One year later, he continues his work writing the music for both Final Fantasy 3
08:26and Final Fantasy Legends 2.
08:32In 1991, Uematsu's talent is given a little more room to soar
08:36when the Final Fantasy games move up to the 16-bit Super Famicom,
08:40which would later be released in the U.S. as the Super Nintendo.
08:44With his NES and SNES music, it was just brilliant, considering what limited tools he was working with.
08:51He was able to get players to really feel a story with the music itself,
08:57and a lot of people think that that's his best stuff.
09:01Even though he has more powerful tools to work with,
09:04they really think he just brought something really special back then.
09:09Uematsu composes music for the next three Final Fantasy games.
09:15And also lends a hand by writing some pieces for the hit RPG, Chrono Trigger.
09:24Final Fantasy 6 was a graphical powerhouse.
09:29It was the most beautiful game you'd ever seen.
09:32It had a fantastic musical score.
09:38The music is widely considered to be Nobulu Umatsu's best score.
09:45It has close to 100 tracks.
09:51Each of the 14 playable characters has their own theme.
09:55There's a large variety of music for the different locations.
10:04For the enemies and bosses.
10:07It's just chock full of music, and it's some of the best work he's ever done.
10:11But even with the new advancements in game hardware, Uematsu is still limited by technology.
10:18I think compared to what we can do now, limitations were huge.
10:22The amount of notes you can use were so small that you couldn't really do anything outside of what was
10:26provided in front of you.
10:28So even if I wanted to challenge myself, I think the limitations were right in front of my eyes.
10:33I didn't really have that much room to work with.
10:37However, a new system is just around the corner, and it will open up nearly limitless musical possibilities for Nobuo
10:43Uematsu.
10:53By the time Sony releases the PlayStation in 1994, there are 14 CD soundtracks featuring Uematsu's music in retail stores
11:00across Japan.
11:01The Final Fantasy games are now an established franchise, and Uematsu is one of the most respected composers in gaming.
11:08In 1997, Final Fantasy VII is released for the PlayStation, and sells over 9.2 million copies in its lifetime.
11:15Nobu just blows me away.
11:19I'll listen to Final Fantasy VII, and I'll be listening to this music, and this great orchestral scores, and choirs,
11:26and everything.
11:26And after Final Fantasy VII, I'm like, that stuff's amazing!
11:32There are actually a bunch of songs that I like in Final Fantasy VII.
11:37But Eris' theme is one of my favorites.
11:41I also like the opening sequence where Eris walks out, and a motorcycle goes by.
11:49And then you see the smokestacks.
11:52And then the logo pops up.
11:56And then, going from that transition into the actual game.
12:04The line for that part is something that I'm very proud of as a team.
12:07Not just the music element of it, but how it matches up with the whole opening sequence.
12:12And thanks to the PlayStation CD format, the possibilities for Uematsu are nearly limitless.
12:18That was a huge leap.
12:24I did feel as if I could do pretty much anything that I felt like doing.
12:27And it gave me a lot of freedom to implement different ideas.
12:30The influences from some of Uematsu's favorite musicians begin to show more clearly than ever.
12:38I don't know if I would call it an inspiration, but there was a thought that I had in creating
12:42this piece.
12:43The specific piece was Jimi Hendrix.
12:45Take Jimi Hendrix and mix that with Stravinsky, the Russian composer.
12:52And it might sound very extreme, but I wanted to know what it would sound like to mix those two.
12:57At the same time, I felt as if there was a common element, and the result is what you have
13:01in the end of Final Fantasy VII.
13:05And his soundtracks go from being movie-like to becoming something much bigger.
13:11First of all, the big difference is in the playtime.
13:13A movie is two hours, but a role-playing game like Final Fantasy is at least 40 hours of material.
13:19So the number of pieces of music needed is really enormous.
13:22It's always daunting.
13:24He completely breaks the mold.
13:27He's not doing, like, the ice-level music.
13:30Here's a guy that just pours emotion into his music.
13:37Also, I have to predict what the player will be feeling.
13:40Unlike a movie where the audience has the story played out in front of them,
13:43in the case of games, the player decides,
13:45I think I'll go to this town, or no, maybe not.
13:50And when the soundtrack to Final Fantasy VII is released on CD, the results are stunning.
13:59The Final Fantasy VII soundtrack, there is no video game soundtrack in the world
14:04that has sold more copies than the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack.
14:09He's right up there with Madonna and Britney Spears over in Japan.
14:13When this guy comes out with the soundtrack, people are listening.
14:16Just when gamers think it can't get any better,
14:20in 1999, Uematsu creates another incredible soundtrack for Final Fantasy VIII.
14:25And then Final Fantasy VIII comes out, and I'm like,
14:28oh my god, the opening cinematic, and I got goosebumps going on.
14:37Having a huge chorus had always been something that inspired me.
14:40It just amazes me.
14:47It is a big difference than just using instruments.
14:51Final Fantasy VIII is probably my personal favorite.
14:55And for the first time, Uematsu teams up with Asian pop icon Fei Wong for the song Eyes On Me.
15:00The single wins Song of the Year at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1999.
15:06It is the first time music from a video game wins this award.
15:13Once in a while, I will go to a CD store, and I'll hear Eyes On Me playing in the
15:16background.
15:17I start thinking, oh, that's such a familiar tune.
15:20I remember listening to that song a long time ago.
15:22And then, it will dawn on me, oh yeah, I wrote that music.
15:26The fact that Eyes On Me gets played all over the place, it's one piece that I'm happy about.
15:31In 2000, Final Fantasy IX is released.
15:34Uematsu composes 160 pieces of music for the new sequel.
15:38Nobuo also expands beyond games.
15:41He writes the theme song for the anime series Ah, My Goddess.
15:44And even contributes to albums by Japanese pop stars.
15:48But has the talented composer reached the peak of his fame?
16:00The year is 2001, and Final Fantasy X is out for the PlayStation 2.
16:06In less than three months, more than one million copies of Final Fantasy X are sold.
16:13And once again, the new hardware enables Uematsu to expand his art even further.
16:19For a change of pace, he writes a heavy metal piece that surprises some gamers.
16:24When I first saw Final Fantasy X, I was blown away.
16:28I'm like, it's a rock video.
16:31Death metal.
16:35That's cool.
16:36That was so different from typical Final Fantasy titles because normally we have a very orchestral kind of background music.
16:44But it's so much fun with this hard, rocking, you know, soundtrack.
16:52I just wanted to create something that is obviously different to match up with the sequence.
16:58On May 28th of the same year, Nobuo Uematsu makes it into Time Magazine's feature, Time 100, The Next Wave
17:05Innovators.
17:06A year later, Nobuo's latest work appears in Final Fantasy XI.
17:13And in 2004, Uematsu's music is finally heard live in the U.S. at the Dear Friends concert held at
17:19the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
17:26We've already done similar performances and had concerts in Japan.
17:30But this is going to be our first outside of Japan.
17:37And I guess the main thing that I want to see is the reaction of the audience in the States.
17:41I've never seen that, so that's going to be something I really want to take home with me.
17:45And hopefully this is going to serve as a kickoff to other shows.
17:49The show sells out in one day.
17:55When I heard the good news, I was in Tokyo, and I was in disbelief.
17:59I couldn't believe it.
18:00I was very surprised and very shocked.
18:02At the same time, I was very happy.
18:04I was curious to see why it sold out so quickly.
18:08Today, Nobuo's work is legendary, and the Final Fantasy franchise has sold more than 49 million games around the world.
18:16Something that's always been present with the Final Fantasy series is that it has a very well-rounded musical score.
18:28The music is so great in Final Fantasy that immediately when you turn on a Final Fantasy game,
18:36you hear the soundtrack rolling into your speakers, and you know you're in for a big, big adventure.
18:45But the composer from Kochi remains humble.
18:48To me, creating music for the Final Fantasy series is something I just do.
18:55Not just as a living, but because I just like to create music.
18:59And he hopes that his music will help bridge the gap between game music and film music.
19:06I think it's going to arrive there. The games are played by kids, but when the kids grow up, games
19:11will be played by parents, too.
19:12When we get to that point, games will be lined up on the same shelves as TV and the movies.
19:17And the difference between game music and other music will probably disappear.
19:21And until that day, Uematsu will continue to raise the bar for music and gaming.
19:30There are people who work best under pressure and those who can push aside the pressure and create something nice.
19:37I probably fall under both of those categories.
19:40Lately, I think it's the relaxed, unstrained music, as opposed to the forced music, that comes naturally.
19:46I think that's what makes it brilliant. Not that I'm totally brilliant, just that I want to become so.
19:53There's about 500 people in the world who do what we do, music composition.
19:58And I would have to say that Nobu Umatsu's music is the best of the best.
20:04And his music being known all over the world, he is number one, absolutely.
20:26It all started with Easter eggs. Before you know it, I couldn't get enough of God mode.
20:30When I don't punch them in, I get a little weak.
20:32I thought you were supposed to go backwards in Pip-Fall.
20:34I can't even make it through two levels without infinite ammo.
20:37I can't remember a time when I didn't use codes.
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20:41No one's gonna find out.
20:43Get the latest cheat codes and walk through strategies for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.
20:48All right, so hold me to see if you got one of the chances.
20:51Cheat season premiere, January 18th at 10 Eastern, 7 Pacific.
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