Music Sets You Free

by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sam Bett (Translator)

A bestseller in Japan, a remarkable reflection on making art, living life, and accepting death, from the legendary Ryuichi Sakamoto, the world-renowned musical genius and godfather of electronic music.

One of Japan's most influential artists and composers, Ryuichi Sakamoto was a man of multitudes. Perhaps best known as the Oscar-winning composer of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor and a founder of the groundbreaking electronic music group Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto was a pop icon, an avant-garde visionary, a techno innovator, and a proud environmentalist. While his unique brilliance transcended mediums as well as borders, Sakamoto himself was curious about how he came to be the complex phenomenon known as "Ryuichi Sakamoto”—a journey to answer the question, "Why do I lead this life?"

Filled with candid photos, Music Sets You Free is the incredible chronicle of a life excitingly lived: an intimate, contemplative, and fascinating recounting of his life story as a musical journey, from his first childhood encounter with a piano to his rise as a global pop star and award-winning composer. Sakamoto's boundless curiosity led to myriad experiences: producing catchy yet experimental hits with YMO, starring with David Bowie in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, collaborating with pop geniuses such as David Byrne, Iggy Pop, and Brian Wilson, appearing in a Madonna music video, and even modeling for the Gap.

Throughout his career, Sakamoto was also a dedicated social activist, avidly protesting nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, and restoring a tsunami-damaged piano for his 2017 album async. While the pain of surgeries and treatments left him both emotionally and physically vulnerable in his later life, Sakamoto pushed through the pain to record his final artistic evolution into more avant-garde work after a transformative trip to Greenland during which he witnessed the effects of global warming first-hand.

Music Sets You Free is both a self-reflective testament and thought-provoking meditation on life, mortality, and the enduring power of art. It is the memoir of a visionary whose life and work embodied the aphorism Ars Longa, Vita Brevis (“Art is long, life is short”). The final published work from a creative genius, it is a rare and lasting performance in words that beautifully accompanies Sakamoto's eternal, moving performances in music.

Translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett

Genres: Music, Biography, Japan, Japanese Literature, Autobiography, Memoir

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Japanese composer, record producer, and actor who pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra. With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

probablemente uno de los seres humanos más interesantes que ha existido

[smallwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

YMO 音樂對我來說有點 city pop 混一點 jazz fusion
坂本龍一也滿多有趣的創作

雖然理想的體驗是看完這本書再看紀錄片《坂本龍一 終章》，反過來卻有找尋彩蛋的驚喜

音樂讓創作者和聽眾能自由交流，能得到的迴響卻來自本身的心態和歷練，全共鬥也許造成日本民眾對政治的冷漠，但反動卻以不同形式殖入人心，當時高中的坂本龍一更混了一些中二，卻也是之後創作的涵養

書中敘述與柄谷行人交好應該是80-90年代左右彼此都建立名聲後吧

傳記有種私小說型式，知識量也滿多的

[Sougeitu · Rating 4 out of 5]

閱畢，明天就是Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 2022的日子了。
大家都說這或許是最後一次聽他的演奏會。

[sinner 江 · Rating 5 out of 5]

光是註釋就能讓人看好久的一本書⋯提及了很多20世紀具影響力的音樂家，喜歡近代音樂，乃至古典樂、現代歌曲，只要接觸過這些音樂的人應該都對這本書多少有些共鳴。書裡也可以看到坂本龍一作品和他身處環境的關聯，雖然他謙虛說道自己是很懶惰、被動地做著有關社會的曲子，但他的創作和關懷議題的連結性很強，透過音樂傳達某些呼喊的這種感覺我很喜歡

[Camila :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una biografía sobre un músico y compositor que me ha gustado leer. Ahora escucharé su música, que me ha creado curiosidad.

[Antonio Moreno Pini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiografia hecha a partir de unas entrevistas realizadas durante varios meses en una revista japonesa, nos ofrece una aproximacion muy buena a Ryuichi, a su concepcion del arte y de la musica, su genialidad, tanto en solitario, como con la YMO y en otros proyectos conuuntos con otros artistas (musica para peliculas, para danza).

Nos muestar tambien a la vez la evolución cultural del pais e incluso la evolución politica desde que era niño hasta finales del siglo XX.

No hay un analisis de sus obra, pero si muchas referencias a los artistas que le ha ido inspirando tanto en la musica, el arte, el teatro e incluso la filosofia.

[lewisian · Rating 4 out of 5]

坂本龍一の音楽は知っていたが、どんな人だったのかは全く知らなかったので、とても面白く読めた。更に、『坂本龍一』と言う人間形成に関わった人物・思想・勿論音楽・更には愛読書まで事細かに記してあり、「気が進まない」と言う割には「自分がどんな人間であるのか」に坂本自身が正面から向き合った非常に読み応えのある一冊だった。（これは有能な編集者の注解・注釈が良かったのかもしれない。）
やはり波乱に満ちた時代の、風変わりな教育・人格形成記の前半が一番面白かったが、後半の「一般的に知られる坂本像」になるまでのプロセスも興味深かった。思想的には自分とは全く違う海岸にいるのだが、なんだか「あの頃」の、と思うと納得してしまう自分がいて、それはやはりどんな人物でも文脈が大事だからなのだろうか。心に残ったのは、「葬儀のために、黙祷のために、音楽が必要になった」の一節。音楽は、芸術は、と積極的に坂本は語ろうとしなかったが、人の死・悲劇を乗り越える為、覚え、芸術によって永遠に弔う為に音楽や芸術は存在する。それ以外は全て空なのかもしれない。本来結びつくことがないものが、芸術を通して形になってしまう。そんな不可解なことが、心残りになって、でもそれ以外の方法で「そのもの」を逃す方法はないのかもしれない。

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si te gusta este artista, el libro es más que recomendado. Está escrito cronológicamente en primera persona hablando de su vida, su desarrollo, su encuentro personal con la música y sus trabajos

[Ziro Caufield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simplemente precioso

[Yu hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

因為這本書的書評才知道那首經典名曲《聖誕快樂勞倫斯先生》，然後就去看電影《俘虜》，看完整個迷上坂本龍一 的鋼琴曲，總算開始看這本了。

坂本龍一的媽媽是崇尚自由的帽子設計師，所以小時候就讓坂本龍一上自由學院附屬幼兒園，那是一間會叫你用水彩在窗戶上畫畫，還要大家輪流帶學校的兔子回家照顧的幼稚園，甚至，老師還叫他們為兔子做一首歌，坂本龍一就是在那時候寫下他人生第一首歌-「小兔之歌」。

（這件事讓我再次體悟到絕對不能限制小孩的創造力，因為他有可能成為創造經典名曲的音樂大師。）

坂本龍一的爸爸是出版社編輯，家裡總是有書，所以他從小就讀很多書，認識很多作家，讀到他寫情書給女生都是寫「妳就是住在死囚命運的劊子手」（到底誰看得出來這是告白？） 雖然爸爸比較一板一眼，父子倆的關係不是很親密，但爸爸也沒有限制他做什麼事，所以他一直都是活得很隨興很自我，跟很多人一樣，國高中時期很屁孩，上大學後有點自大，本人也知道。不知道是因為迷妹濾鏡開太大還是因為他很厲害有資格自大（應該都有），看他講很中二的話也不覺得煩。

這本書很薄，但資訊量超大，因為每一頁都有註釋，想忽視都難，最後還是會忍不住去看一下，有點干擾閱讀。紙本書的字超小我看不下去，電子書可以調大小跟排版後好讀不少，但註釋太長沒辦法用彈跳視窗，只好再開一個電腦畫面對照，邊看邊筆記想看的書跟電影就看好久，對照到眼花，但寫完又覺得有很大的收穫。喜歡坂本龍一的人應該都會喜歡，對音樂有興趣的人也蠻推薦的，因為資訊量很大，未來還會想重讀～

[W Ang · Rating 3 out of 5]

推薦閱讀順序：音樂使人自由→坂本龍一是誰→坂本圖書→我還能再看到幾次滿月

[asatoyoru · Rating 4 out of 5]

謝謝教授，永遠懷念

[DrippingThrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

他囂張得不得了，我希望自己也能成為這種傢伙

[ツツ]

….im salty.

this book introduced me to some movies and music from the last century, particularly those from the 60s and 70s.

Book 12 of 2025, (2 /March)
Read indoor at home

[Shivanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Music is a release for most and a means to freedom for very few - Mr. Sakamoto seems to have found absolution. I think of and sleep to his and Joe Hisaishi’s work most nights, liberal end to long thoughts

[Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the autobiography of Ryuichi Sakamoto, who, being sincere, I had no idea who it was until I started reading the book. It turns out that he is a Japanese musician, who, although of classical training, ended up being one of the fathers of electronics both solo and from his group, the YMO, and who has also worked adding music to many well-known films like The Last Emperor or the almodovarian High heels, as well as the inauguration of the Olympic Games of Barcelona.

And why do I read this if I did not know who this man was? I guess because the title seemed suggestive and lately I’ve reading almost everything I have at home concerning music. It has not been a bad decision, I have made known the work of Mr. Sakamoto, which is not bad, and it is interesting to read how an artist is formed practically since he was born: the relationship with his father, his experiences in the institute, the relationships he works in the university, the political context in which he is formed, etc. I've also been very struck by the part that tells how he gets to make a soundtrack (and how Bertolucci does what he wants with it). Then it gets too deep and mystical and loses interest.

I'm not sure if music makes us free, but it seems that it makes him free, and I envy him.

[Alex Pler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hasta entonces había estado en lo posible decidir: 'Voy a ir en tal dirección'. Creía que tenía que conservar tantas opciones como pudiera. Pero en ese momento, en Londres, pensé: 'Así está bien'. En realidad, quizás era la primera vez que era yo mismo quien escogía con determinación la dirección que tenía que seguir."

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book in my wish list. It's the word "freedom" atttacts me to read. Freedom makes our hearts to the world, not ourselves.