"Surreal" | ||||
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Single by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
from the album Duty | ||||
Released | 27 September 2000 | |||
Recorded | 2000 | |||
Studio | Avex Studios (Tokyo, Japan) | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 4:44 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | Ayumi Hamasaki | |||
Producer(s) | Max Matsuura | |||
Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology | ||||
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Official Music Video | ||||
"Surreal" on YouTube |
"Surreal" (stylized in all caps) is a song by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, taken from her third studio album Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki and produced by Max Matsuura. The song is a rock with elements of alternative rock. "Surreal" describes Hamasaki's madness and sense of confusion, while the themes of "Surreal" are based on Hamasaki's concept of loneliness, chaos, confusion, and the burden of her responsibilities, aimed mostly toward her public image as a recording artist. It was released as the fourth single from the album on 27 September 2000 by Avex Trax and Avex Taiwan.
Critical reception towards "Surreal" has been positive; the majority of critics commended the songwriting and musical delivery, and highlighted it as an album and career standout. In Japan, "Surreal" became her sixth number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, and also reached the top spot on the Japanese Count Down TV chart. "Surreal" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 500,000 units. Released as a DVD Single in December 2000, it reached number three on the Oricon DVD Chart.
The accompanying music video was directed by Wataru Takeishi, featuring Hamasaki walking along a beach front. With mysterious lighting hovering over several objects, she enters a jungle-like room to find a clone of herself; the clone wears the same outfit for the Duty and "Surreal" photo shoot. "Surreal" has been included on several concert tours and New Year Countdown shows held and hosted by Hamasaki, and has featured on majority of her greatest hits compilations.
"Surreal" was written by Hamasaki, composed by Kazuhito Kikuchi, and produced by Max Matsuura. [1] Japanese band HΛL arranged the song, which included instrumentation of guitars, keyboards, and a drum machine. [1] "Surreal" was one of three songs from the Duty album composed by Kikuchi, the other two being "Vogue" and "Far Away". [1] [2] [3] "Surreal" was his last collaboration with Hamasaki until composing her songs "About You" and "Replace" from her sixth studio album, My Story (2004). [4] It was selected as the fourth single from Duty and was released in Japan on 27 September 2000 by Avex Trax, the same date Duty was released. [5] The Maxi CD features the original track, the instrumental version, seven remixes of the track "Duty", and one remix of Hamasaki's single "Seasons". [5] A DVD single and VHS was released on 13 December 2000 by Avex Trax in Japan, with a full-frontal body image of Hamasaki that is similar to the artwork of Duty. [6] [7] Both formats feature the music video of "Surreal" along with the television advertisement for Duty and the video making for "Surreal". [6] [7] Avex released it as a digital EP. [8] [9] [upper-alpha 1]
"Surreal" is a rock song that borrows influences from numerous genres including alternative rock. [10] The song was noted for its musical similarities to other tracks from Duty. [11] "Surreal" describes Hamasaki's madness and sense of confusion, [12] while the themes of "Surreal" and other tracks from Duty are based on Hamasaki's concept of loneliness, chaos, confusion, and the burden of her responsibilities, aimed mostly towards her public image as a recording artist. [13] Based on her songwriting, she described her feelings after the writing all the tracks from Duty as "unnatural" and was constantly "nervous" for the final result. [14] A reviewer from Amazon.co.jp commented on all the tracks on Duty and praised the songs for embracing a "healing effect" that was absent on Hamasaki's two previous studio albums. [15]
"Surreal" received favorable reception from contemporary music critics. Alexey Eremenko, who wrote her extended biography at AllMusic, highlighted the song as an album and career standout. [16] A reviewer from Yahoo! GeoCities singled out "Surreal" and album tracks "End of the World", and "Seasons" as highlights. [12] Morimasa from Nifty.com was positive towards the tracks "Surreal" and "Audience". He liked how the tracks were placed in the middle of the album, which he believed highlighted the musical and lyrical delivery. [17] Hamasaki hosted an online voting poll for fans to choose their favourite tracks to be featured on her Ayumi Hamasaki 15th Anniversary Tour Best Live Tour, and "Surreal" was featured on the list. [18] The song was remixed as an orchestral song for her remix album ayu-mi-x III Acoustic Orchestra Version (2003), and was commended alongside other tracks for its "rich melody". [12]
In Japan, "Surreal" entered at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart in Japan, her fifth number one. [19] It lasted for seven weeks on the chart, selling 417,210 units, [20] and is her seventeenth best selling single according to Oricon. [21] The DVD release of "Surreal" reached number three on the Oricon DVD Chart and spent ten weeks in the top fifty. [22] It is her ninth best selling DVD and her third best selling single in DVD format; the other two are "Vogue/Far Away/Seasons" and "Voyage". [23] "Surreal" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 500,000 units. [24] "Surreal" entered at number one on the Japanese Count Down TV Chart. [25] This became her fifth number one on that chart. [26] The song slipped to eight in its second week, and lasted seven weeks in the chart, her lowest spanning since "Fly High" which lasted six. [25] [27] In the annual 2000 Count Down TV chart, "Surreal" was placed at number sixty-three. [28]
The accompanying music video was directed by Wataru Takeishi. [29] The video opens with Hamasaki asleep, dreaming about herself waking up on a rocky surface on a beach front. Takeishi required a drone to shoot scenes of the video in higher places, including the scenes of cliffs and an abandoned ship in the sea. After failing to achieve this with the drone, Avex hired a pilot to fly a helicopter. [6] Throughout the video, it features intercut scenes with Hamasaki on the top of a rocky hill singing the song. [29] Due to technical difficulties and interruptions of Hamasaki during the helicopter scenes, Hamasaki and Takeishi had to re-shoot the scenes several times to make it look right. [6]
Hamasaki begins to wander around the rocky shore, and ends up walking into a jungle with a mysterious light surrounding certain objects and plants. [29] Hamasaki constantly dreams about a "cute panther girl" in a leopard-print cat suit, similar to the outfit from the Duty and "Surreal" photo shoot. [29] [30] As Hamasaki walks into a garden with a fence surrounding it, blurry scenes of the woman in the cat suit emerges. It is revealed that the woman is a clone of Hamasaki, laying seductively on the ground, staring at the original Hamasaki. [29] During some scenes, the clones's eyes start turning red. The clone disappears, and the original Hamasaki and her surroundings start to disintegrate with the mysterious light absorbing the disintegration. The final scene has Hamasaki waking up in her room, believing to be safe, until turning her head and returning to the beach front she was at. [29]
The overall appearance of "Surreal" was primarily based on Hamasaki's photo shoot for Duty and "Surreal". [1] [6] [30] The CD artwork for "Surreal" featured Hamasaki with the exact look from the video, but coloured black and white with a red heart on her upper cheek. [1] A coloured body shot of the CD artwork was released for the DVD and VHS. [6] [7] The music video was included on the DVD and VHS formats of "Surreal". [6] [7] Seth Figlerowicz from Jame-World.com reviewed the music video, and stated positively about the "wonder landscapes" and storyline; "The entire PV really fits the atmosphere of the song." [30] The music video also appeared on Hamasaki's DVD compilation box sets: A Clips Vol.2 (2002), [31] Complete Clip Box (2004), [32] A Clip Box 1998–2011 (2011), [33] and the bonus DVD version with A Complete: All Singles. [34]
"Surreal" has been included in all of Hamasaki's New Years countdown concerts up until the Ayumi Hamasaki Countdown Live 2006–2007 A . [upper-alpha 2] "Surreal" has been included on several of Hamasaki's national and Asian concert tours. The song had made its debut tour performance on Hamasaki's 2001 Ayumi Hamasaki Dome Tour 2001 A . [40] Since then, "Surreal" has been included on Hamasaki's Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A , 2002 Stadium Tour and 2005 My Story Tour. The song's last live performance was her 2014 Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Showcase: Feel the love, in which was supported by her 2014 studio album Colours . [upper-alpha 3] "Surreal" has been included on two greatest hits compilations, which are A Best (2002), [45] and A Complete: All Singles (2008). [46]
"Surreal" has been remixed by several professional disc jockeys and producers, and has appeared on several remix albums by Hamasaki. This list is: the Thunderpuss and Peter Rauhofer remix on ayu-mi-x III Non-Stop Mega Mix Version (2001) and Ayu-mi-x 4 + Selection Non-Stop Mega Mix Version (2002), [47] the Time a Go-Go remix on Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix 2 (2001), [48] the Marc et Claude remix on Cyber Trance Presents Ayu Trance (2002), [49] the A Sentimental remix on Rmx Works from Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix 3 (2003), [50] and the Dima Euro remix on Ayu-mi-x 7 Presents Ayu-ro Mix 4 (2011). [51] The orchestral acoustic remix was included on her third orchestral remix album, ayu-mi-x III Acoustic Orchestra Version (2001). [52]
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Source: [1]
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
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Japan Daily (Oricon) [19] | 1 |
Japan Weekly (Oricon) [19] | 1 |
Japan Count Down TV Chart (TBS) [25] | 1 |
Japan Count Down TV Annual Chart (TBS) [28] | 63 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Japan (RIAJ) [24] | Platinum | 417,210 [20] |
I Am... is the fourth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on January 1, 2002 by Avex Trax and was distributed throughout Asia in both physical and digital formats. Hamasaki enlisted long-time collaborator Max Matsuura to assist with the album's creation, and was inspired by the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks to emphasise lighter themes in contrast to her previous work.
Loveppears is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in Japan, Hong Kong and China on November 10, 1999, through Avex Trax and the China Record Corporation, and distributed worldwide on April 10, 2001, by Avex Entertainment Inc. It was entirely written by Hamasaki herself, while the production was handled by Japanese musician Max Matsuura. Musically, Loveppears is a dance album and lyrically focuses on themes of love, frustration of life, loneliness, and individualism.
Duty is the third studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on September 27, 2000, by Avex Trax. Duty is Hamasaki's first studio album inside the 2000s decade, and her third consecutive studio album to be fully produced by Japanese musician and businessman Max Matsuura. The album's composing and arrangement was handled by several music collaborators, such as Ken Harada, Kazuhito Kikuchi, Dai Nagao, HΛL, among many others. Hamasaki contributed to the album as the primary and background vocalist, and songwriter to every song. Three different formats were released to promote the album: a standalone CD, a limited edition Playbutton, and a digital download. The cover sleeve has Hamasaki wearing a leopard-print cat suit.
Rainbow is the fifth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, released on 18 December 2002 by Avex Trax. Production of Rainbow had commenced after the release of Hamasaki's fourth studio album I Am... that January; All lyrics were written by Hamasaki, and Japanese producer Max Matsuura returned to produce the album. The album was Hamasaki's first to feature conversational English lyrics, where in her previous works she had only used single words.
"Whatever" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her second studio album, Loveppears (1999). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. The track is Hamasaki's sixth single with Matsuura since her debut single in April 1998, "Poker Face". "Whatever" premiered on February 10, 1999 as the lead single from the album. It was re-released on February 28, 2001 as a CD single.
"Love (Destiny)" (stylized as "LOVE ~Destiny~") is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, serving as the second single for her second studio album, Loveppears (1999). It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Taiwan on April 14, 1999, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. The track was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Three versions of the recording have been made available—a ballad version arranged by Tsunku, an edited version with vocals by Tsunku, and a dance-influenced version included on Loveppears.
"To Be" is a song by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It served as the third single from Hamasaki's second studio album Loveppears (1999). The track was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Taiwan on May 12, 1999, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. It was Hamasaki's final single to be distributed as a Mini-CD, a format that debuted at the start of her career in April 1998. "To Be" was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Musically, it is a J-Pop that was written in third person perspective, much like the content from the parent album.
"Boys & Girls" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, serving as the fourth single for her second studio album, Loveppears (1999). It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Hong Kong on July 14, 1999, and through Avex USA in North America in early 2001, while being re-distributed in 2003. "Boys & Girls" marks Hamasaki's first single to be made available for purchase as a maxi single with additional remixes. The track was written by the singer herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Musically, the song is a dance recording, a genre that heavily influences Loveppears. The single's lyrical content is written in third-person perspective.
"Appears" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released by Avex Trax on November 10, 1999 as the sixth single from her second studio album Loveppears (1999), which was released on the same day. Alongside this, it has been released in several other territories with different release dates under her Western alias Ayu. It also served as Hamasaki's first limited edition single, limiting physical sales to 300,000 copies. The track was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Musically, "Appears" is a dance song written in third person perspective, and is about the third person watching what appears to be a happy and loving relationship. Upon its release, "Appears" received positive reviews from music critics. Alexey Eremenko, writing for AllMusic, selected the track as the best song from the album and her career. However, an editor from CD Journal criticized the amount of remixes on the CD single.
"Kanariya" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her second studio album, Loveppears (1999). It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Hong Kong on December 8, 1999, and through Avex USA in North America in early 2000. The recording also served as Hamasaki's second limited edition single, with limited physical units of 300,000 copies. The track was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Two versions of "Kanariya" were made available for consumption—a radio edit produced by American disc jockey Jonathan Peters, and the album version composed by Yasuhiko Hoshino. Lyrically, the song was written in third person perspective.
"Fly High" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan on February 9, 2000, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. The recording served as Hamasaki's third and final limited edition single from her second studio album, Loveppears (1999), limiting physical units to 300,000 copies. The track was written by the singer herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Two versions of "Fly High" were made available for consumption—a radio edit composed by HΛL, and the album version produced by Dai Nagao. Lyrically, the song was written in third person perspective.
"Vogue" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her third studio album, Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. It premiered on April 26, 2000 as the lead single from the album. Her third consecutive lead single to be produced by Matsuura, the song is part of a trilogy from Duty; the other two singles being "Far Away" and "Seasons".
"Far Away" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her third studio album, Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. It premiered on May 17, 2000, as the second single from the album. The song is part of a trilogy from Duty; the other two singles being "Vogue" and "Seasons".
"Seasons" is a song by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her third studio album, Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. It premiered on June 7, 2000, as the third single from the album. The song is the final part of a trilogy from Duty; the other two singles being "Vogue" and "Far Away".
"Audience" is a song by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki from her third studio album Duty (2000). It was released as the album's fifth and final single on 1 November 2000 by Avex Trax. Hamasaki wrote the track and Max Matsuura Lewis produced it. Dai Nagao and HΛL composed both the single and album version. The single artwork was shot by Japanese photographer Toru Kumazawa and features duplicate clones of Hamasaki, resembling an audience. Musically, "Audience" is a dance–pop and disco song.
"Who..." is a Japanese-language song recorded by singer Ayumi Hamasaki. It served as a standard track to her second studio album Loveppears (1999), and was re-recorded and released as a promotional single by Avex Trax in Japan as part of the promotion towards her fifth greatest hits compilation album A Complete: All Singles on September 10, 2008. The track was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. Musically, it is a J-Pop ballad that was written in third-person perspective, like the rest of the content from Loveppears. The lyrics details the encapsulation of Hamasaki, and explaining her message of her own philosophy. During its promotional release in 2008, it reached number 49 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart in Japan, and number 19 on the RIAJ Monthly Ringtones chart. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for digital sales of 250,000 units. To promote the single, it appeared on remix and greatest hits compilation albums conducted by Hamasaki.
"Rule"/"Sparkle" is a double A-side single by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki from her tenth studio album, Next Level (2009). The song was released on a CD and DVD format on February 25, 2009 as the second single from the album. With "Rule" composed by Miki Wantanabe and "Sparkle" composed by Kazuhiro Hara, both songs were written by Hamasaki and produced by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. "Rule" was used as the international theme song for the 2009 film Dragonball Evolution.
"Feel the Love" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in six different formats on December 25, 2013 by Avex Trax, Avex Taiwan, and Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide. It was also her first physical release in three years since her EP–single L (2010), and her first double A-side single, alongside the track "Merry-Go-Round", since "Moon" and "Blossom" that same year. The track was written by the singer, whilst production was handled by Japanese musician and long-time collaborator Max Matsuura with the assistance of DJ Hello Kitty; this marks the singer's first single to be produced with another producer outside of Matsuura. Musically, "Feel the Love" is an electronic dance song that lyrically focuses on love and having a good time.
Colours is the fifteenth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on July 2, 2014, in Japan by Avex Trax, worldwide by Avex Entertainment Inc., and on July 18 in Taiwan by Avex Taiwan. The songs on the album were entirely written by Hamasaki, while production was led by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura; it also included a variety of Western producers such as Armin van Buuren, members from RedOne Productions De Paris and Rush, Darkchild, and Fedde Le Grand, among others. This became Hamasaki's first studio album to have not been fully produced by Matsuura, and her first album to incorporate a large amount of English language. Musically, Colours is an electronic dance music album.
"Merry-Go-Round" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, featuring a rap section delivered by Japanese artist Verbal, for the singer's fifteenth studio album Colours (2014). It was released worldwide in six different formats on December 25, 2013 by Avex Trax, Avex Taiwan, and Avex Entertainment Inc. It was also Hamasaki's first physical release in three years since her EP–single L (2010), and her first double A-side single, alongside the track "Feel the Love", since "Moon" and "Blossom" that same year. The track was written by Hamasaki, whilst production was handled by Japanese musician and long-time collaborator Max Matsuura with the assistance of M-Flo; this marks Hamasaki's first single to be produced with another producer outside of Matsuura. Musically, "Merry-Go-Round" is an electronic dance song that includes guitars and synthesizers in its instrumentation.
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