"Whatever" | ||||
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Single by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
from the album Loveppears | ||||
B-side | "Whatever" (J version) | |||
Released | February 10, 1999 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | Dance-pop | |||
Length | 5:36 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | Ayumi Hamasaki | |||
Producer(s) | Max Matsuura | |||
Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology | ||||
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Official Music Video | ||||
"Whatever" on YouTube |
"Whatever" (capitalized as "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.
Musically, "Whatever" was described as a dance song, and is written in third person narrative. Upon its release, the track garnered mixed reviews from music critics. Critics praised Hamasaki's move from pop rock to dance music, but criticized her vocal delivery and song writing. It also achieved success in Japan, peaking at number five on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart. The re-released single peaked at number 28 on the same chart. As of March 2016, "Whatever" has sold over 218,000 units in Japan alone and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
The accompanying music video for "Whatever" was shot in Tokyo; it features Hamasaki in a small white room with waterfalls, with inter cut scenes of an angel in the middle of a destroyed city. An alternative music video was shot for an alternative arrangement of the song; it features Hamasaki singing in front of a red backdrop. However, Avex scrapped it after they preferred the former version. For additional promotion, the song was featured on several concert tours and New Years live countdown shows by Hamasaki.
"Whatever" was written by Hamasaki, composed by Kazuhito Kikuchi, and produced by Max Matsuura. [1] Japanese composer Izumi Miyazaki was in charge of arranging the song, which included instrumentation of synthesizers, keyboards, and a drum machine. [1] It was one of three songs from the Loveppears album composed by Kikuchi. [1] [2] The song was also the only song from Loveppears to be arranged by Miyazaki, and was his final collaboration with Hamasaki. [1]
"Whatever" was selected as the lead single from Loveppears and was released in Japan on February 10, 1999 by Avex Trax. [3] The Mini CD features: the original track, the instrumental version, and alternative versions (under the alias "J Version") of the former tracks. [3] A CD single was released on February 28, 2001 by Avex Trax in Japan, with a full-frontal body image of Hamasaki in front of a blue backdrop. She is wearing angel wings on her back, with Hamasaki's and the song's title superimposed on her. [4] The CD single features: the original version, the instrumental, the two alternative versions, one remix of "Whatever", one remix of "Appears", and one remix of "Immature". [4]
"Whatever" is a dance song that lasts five minutes and 36 seconds long. [3] [5] An extended version appeared on the album, which lasts seven minutes and 20 seconds. [1] The song was noted for its musical similarities to other tracks from Loveppears, and is written in third person narrative. [5] [6] [7] [8] It became Hamasaki's first single to have featured any English, with the word "Whoa" [upper-alpha 1] in its lyrics. However, it does not count in using English–language conversation like Hamasaki did in tracks from her 2002 album Rainbow . [9] [10]
"Whatever" received mixed reviews from most music critics. Alexey Eremenko, who had written her extended biography at AllMusic, highlighted the song as an album and career stand out track. [11] A reviewer from Yahoo! GeoCities criticized Hamasaki's "thin" and "harsh" vocal delivery, but went on to state that her music have "improved" from her debut album, A Song for ×× (1999). [12] Morimasa from Nifty.com highlighted it as one of the album's best tracks. He commented that despite the "easily" written lyrics for the sing, he commended Hamasaki's emotional delivery in both the production and her singing. [13] A reviewer from Amazon.co.jp was positive towards the track. The reviewer praised Miyazaki's arrangement of both the original version and the J version, and commended the song's composition and Hamasaki's "homoeopathic" delivery. [14] In early 2014, in honor of Hamasaki's sixteenth-year career milestone, Japanese website Goo.ne.jp hosted a poll for fans to rank their favourite songs by Hamasaki out of thirty positions; the poll was held in only twenty-four hours, and thousands submitted their votes. [15] As a result, "Whatever" was ranked the lowest at thirty, with 13.6 percent of the votes. [15]
In Japan, the Mini CD format entered at number five on the Oricon Singles Chart. [16] The Mini CD stayed in the top fifty for nine weeks, selling over 189,610 units, [17] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 200,000 units. [18] [upper-alpha 2] The re-released CD single format entered at number twenty-eight on the chart, the highest entry of her re-released singles. [20] The CD single stayed in the top fifty for three weeks, tallying both the Mini CD and the CD single to twelve charting weeks. [20] The CD single sold an additional 27,560 units, combing both the Mini CD and the CD single sales to 217,170. [17] "Whatever" is her thirty-fifth and fifty-seventh best selling single in Japan, her lowest in both the Loveppears and format re-release era respectively. [21] [upper-alpha 3]
The Mini CD format entered at number five on the Japanese Count Down TV Chart, Hamasaki's highest charting single and first top ten at the time of February 1999. [22] The Mini CD slipped to number fifteen the next week, and lasted nine weeks inside the top 100. [23] "Whatever" was released twice as double A-side vinyl's with Hamasaki's single "Appears". [24] [25] [upper-alpha 4] The second vinyl managed to reach ninety-six on the Japanese Count Down chart. [26] [upper-alpha 5] The re-released CD single format entered at number twenty-nine on the Count Down TV chart. [27] The CD single stayed in the chart for three weeks, tallying the total weeks to twelve. [23]
The accompanying music video was directed by Wataru Takeishi. [28] This is Takeishi's first video collaboration with Hamasaki since "Trust". [29] The overall appearance of the video was inspired by the cover sleeve of "Whatever", which also featured Hamasaki in an angel costume. [3] [28] Several photoshoot out takes were considered to be released in the CD single, but Avex restricted this. [1] [3] Because of this, only two photos of Hamasaki in the angel costume were distributed; one for the front cover, and one for the back. [3] The music video also appeared on Hamasaki's DVD compilation box sets: A Clips, [30] her self-titled video compilation (2000), [31] Complete Clip Box (2004), [32] A Clip Box 1998–2011 (2011), [33] and the bonus DVD version with A Complete: All Singles. [34]
The video opens with a bench chair inside a pale-blue room, surrounded by interior waterfalls. Glitches of Hamasaki appears, and she starts singing the song while seated. [28] The next scene features damaged–archive footage of a destroyed town, fenced in with barbed wires. A young boy, with pale white skin, blonde dreads, and angel wings, appears in the distance. Several scenes features the boy looking towards the camera, which then inter cuts to scenes with Hamasaki singing the song in the room. [28] The young boy wonders through the destroyed town, observing damaged homes and objects. The boy places his hands upon a dying tree, where he envisions the events of how the town became destroyed and dismantled. [28] These scenes include burning flowers, falling construction, and broken religious statues. [28] The second chorus has Hamasaki singing, and the song break shows the boy observing a blossoming flower which hasn't died. Smiling, he walks towards it, unbeknown that there is sharp barbed wire surrounding it. Scenes features Hamasaki singing, and shows brief inter cut scenes of barbed wire wrapped around the young boy. Struggling to become free from the wire, the young boy dies and leaves behind a large pile of angel feathers. [28] The final scene features Hamasaki wearing exactly the same outfit as the angel, trapped in a large bird cage, in the room the video started with. The video zooms out on the overall appearance of her. [28]
An accompanying music video for an alternative version for "Whatever" (labelled the "J Version") [3] was also directed by Takeishi. [33] The J version, composed and arranged by Keisuke Kikuchi, was intended to be the lead single from Loveppears and use the M version as the b-side. [3] [6] When Kikuchi and Miyazaki submitted their J and M versions of "Whatever" to the head offices of Avex, Matsuura favored Miyazaki's version over Kikuchi. [6] Kikuchi was disappointed of the verdict, but Avex went ahead in releasing the M version. [6] Because Takeishi had already shot and produced the music video for the J version of "Whatever", Takeishi had to re-shoot a new video for the M version. [6] The J Version was used in Valentine's Day commercials for 7-Eleven. [35]
The J version features Hamasaki singing the J version on a white platform in front of a silky red backdrop. [33] The entire full-length video has never been released, but a thirty-second snippet was used as the commercial video for "Whatever". [33] The J version has been included on her self-titled video compilation (2000), [31] Complete Clip Box (2004), [32] and its most recent appearance is on the A Clip Box 1998–2011 (2011). [33]
Hamasaki has performed "Whatever" on several concert tours and New Years countdown shows throughout Asia. The song has been included in one of Hamasaki's New Years countdown concerts, the 2004-2005 live tour. [36] The song 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 Dome Tour and part two of the Dome Tour. [37] [38] Since then, "Whatever" has been included on Hamasaki's Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A, [39] and its most recent inclusion was on her Premium Showcase: Feel the Love concert tour in 2014. [40] During Hamasaki's performance, she wears a metallic mini dress, and dances to back-up dancers wearing robotic outfits. [40] "Whatever" has been included on one greatest hits compilation, which is A Complete: All Singles (2008), [41]
"Whatever" has been remixed by several professional disc jockeys and producers, and has appeared on several remix albums by Hamasaki. This list is: the Laurent Newfield remix on Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix , [42] the FPM's Winter Bossa remix on Ayu-mi-x II Version JPN , [43] the Ferry Corsten remix on ayu-mi-x II Version US+EU , [44] and both appeared again on Hamasaki's remix compilation Ayu-mi-x II Version Non-Stop Mega Mix (2000). [45] The orchestral acoustic remix was included on her fifth orchestral remix album, Ayu-mi-x 7 Version Acoustic Orchestra (2011). [46]
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Credits adapted from the singles liner notes; [3]
| Visual and video credits
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Weekly charts
| Certifications
|
Country | Date | Format | Label |
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Japan [3] | 10 February 1999 | Mini CD | Avex Trax |
Taiwan [3] | 5 March 1999 | Avex Taiwan | |
Japan [25] [48] | 29 March 1999 | Vinyl |
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29 March 2000 | Vinyl ("Appears/Whatever") |
| |
Europe [49] | Early 2000 | Ferry Corsten Remix Vinyl | Avex Trax |
Japan [4] | 28 February 2001 28 February 2016 | CD single | Avex Trax |
Taiwan [50] | 29 March 2001 29 March 2016 | Avex Taiwan | |
Japan [51] | 25 February 2004 | Digital EP | Avex Trax |
Australia [52] | |||
New Zealand [54] | |||
Germany [55] | |||
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 2000 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.
A Best is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001, by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc. Hamasaki had originally planned to release the greatest hits album after her 2002 studio album I Am..., but the idea was denied by Avex head staff. Instead, Avex released the album in 2001, which caused conflict between the label and Hamasaki. The compilation was released in two different formats including a physical and a digital release. Seven different artworks were released in several editions of the album. The album includes one new track, three re-recorded tracks, and the rest of previously released singles.
"Surreal" 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.
"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.
A is an extended play (EP) by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Hong Kong on August 11, 1999, in 10 different editions, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. It additionally served as a single from her second studio album Loveppears (1999), and is her first single marketed as an EP. The 12-track EP contains four new original songs: "Monochrome", "Too Late", "Trauma", and "End Roll", and eight remixes. All songs were written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura.
"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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