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The Japanese are a unique kind of people. From their art, to their music, to their cars, and mostly to their video games, there’s an otherworldly quality that feels so unique, yet so close to the very essence of the human condition.
Eyes On Me, is a song featured in the video game Final Fantasy VIII, sung by Faye Wong and composed by the G.O.A.T, Nobuo Uematsu. It’s a very unique song, a song with a twist, a song with a concept that turns a whole lyrical theme on its head. In music business, success brings fame, fame brings money, and all of the above bring a lot of erotic interest from a multitude of people who visualize their favourite singers, forging them into an ultimate object of desire, that probably actually exists only in their imagination, fuelled by the cult of celebrity. This can be manifested into many forms, ranging from the typical 80s “groupies”, to dangerous stalkers like Mark David Chapman. Famous musicians often get so caught up into this pedestal they’re bestowed upon, that many times seem to forget that they are actually people, made of flesh and bone like everyone else. This “persona” tends to gradually take over their everyday life.
This song is not sung from the perspective of a groupie; it is not from the perspective of a star either. This song is sung from the perspective of a singer who takes all of her emotional “clothing” off, to present herself bear, as a real person, to the eyes of a lonely man that has been visiting the bar where she sings every night, but never had the courage to even speak a word to her. We don’t know if this singer is a big star, or just a local artist making ends meet by singing on a small stage. In his eyes, she is definitely something more than human, a manifestation of all his fears, and all his hopes at the same time, shaped in the form of a person. This song is an exercise in mental gymnastics, a 4th wall break between “fame” and real life emotions. It fits the themes of the game so perfectly that it’s beyond words.
Speaking about the game, FFVIII nowadays is considered a “black sheep” of the series, a controversial entry more or less. Having played the game the same day it came out, and being a huge fan of the series, I can certainly tell that this was not the feeling at all at the time. Hindsight is a useful, but sometimes tricky thing. Nowadays people (myself definitely included) tend to have opinions on games they have never played, based on CZcams video analyses, which, though understandable, tends to be quite unfair. Final Fantasy VIII took a dramatic change in tone from its smash hit predecessor (which I find far superior of course), but it takes a lot of courage to change a winning formula, so my hat is off to Squaresoft. People tend to focus so much on the Junctioning system and gameplay mechanics, but for me, the whole game was an emotional journey. An emotional journey of a young man who had severe avoidant attachment issues*, a man who was clearly a top level military academy graduate, but could not form any kind of emotional connection with other people due to his personal trauma. It’s a beautiful story of how, sometimes, all we need, no matter how many heights of success we can achieve, is for someone to reach a hand for us, drag us out of our personal cage, and maybe just make a silly joke and provide some much needed true affection. To show that sometimes, it’s not about winning or being the best, but just enjoying a moment.
Or, you can just say that Squall was just “Emo”, before “emo” was a thing, like all reviewers nowadays.
Whatever. (Pun intended)
Lyrics
Whenever sang my songs,
On the stage, on my own,
I never 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?
Mayber yes, maybe no.
I kinda 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 you're never hurt,
As if you're 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 wanna be,
Close enough for me,
To feel your heart beating fast,
And stay there as whisper,
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me,
Did you ever know?
That I had mine on you.
Darling so share with me,
Your love if you have enough,
Or tears if you're 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.