She initially debuted in 1992 as the lead singer of SUPER MONKEY'S, with fellow Okinawa Actors School classmates MAX as back dancers. After the group disbanded, she eventually had her solo debut in 1995 on the Avex Trax label with the Tetsuya Komuro produced single "Body Feels EXIT", which was an instant hit. The following singles "Chase the Chance", "Don't wanna cry" and "You're my sunshine" all sold 1 million copies during a short period of time. In 1996, Namie released her debut solo album "SWEET 19 BLUES" which sold 3.8 millions of copies throughout Japan and broke sales records at the time. It is the 12th most selling album of all time in Japan. At the end of 1996 she won the Grand Prix Award, the highest honor at the Japan Record Awards, for "Don't wanna cry". Another monumental release for Amuro was 1997's "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?", which was the best selling release of the year, and remains the best-selling physically released single by a solo female artist in Japan.
In 1997, Namie shocked everyone when she announced that SAM (from the band TRF) and she were getting married and that she was pregnant. Namie took a break from the entertainment business and her son, Haruto, was born on May 19, 1998.
Her comeback single, "I HAVE NEVER SEEN", released on December 23rd the same year, gave Amuro a warm welcome back to the industry. "I HAVE NEVER SEEN" became Amuro's 9th number-one single.
On March 17th, 1999, Amuro released her 12th single, "RESPECT the POWER OF LOVE". On the same day, Emiko Taira, Amuro's mother, was murdered. All promotional activites for the single grinded to a halt as Amuro flew to Okinawa to identify Emiko's body. A short break followed for Amuro to recover.
A few months later, Amuro began to work with producer Dallas Austin, known for his work with American hip-hop/R&B trio, TLC. This shift was in part to Amuro's personal desire to create more R&B and Hip-Hop oriented music. In 2001, Amuro parted ways with long-time producer Tetsuya Komuro, as part of her musical direction shift. From this point on, Amuro always would be in complete creative control of her career. Around this time, Amuro made a few attempts at writing lyrics for her songs, including her single "Say the word", which hit #3 on the Oricon charts, and remained a fan-favorite with Amuro performing the song over numerous tours, including her final tour, which included 20 songs that garnered the most fan votes.
Amuro and SAM would divorce in 2002, and Amuro would completely mmerse herself in her work, hardening her R&B and Hip-Hop sound, collaboriating with a number of artists under a sonic project entitled "SUITE CHIC". "SUITE CHIC" helped empower Amuro to not "be stuck in the past" with her music, as she felt mentally constricted by her name at the time. Feeling liberated after releasing a SUITE CHIC album, Amuro would continue to refine her sound and image with the following albums "STYLE" in 2003, and "Queen of Hip-Pop" in 2005.
"PLAY", released on June 27, 2007, became Amuro's highest-selling studio album since her 2000 album, "GENIUS 2000", sold 540,000 copies, and contained another fan-favorite release, "Baby Don't Cry", which reached #3 on the Oricon charts.
2008 marked a new peak in Amuro's career. In March, she released a new single, "60s70s80s", which became her 10th #1 single, the first one for Amuro since 1998's "I HAVE NEVER SEEN".
Amuro released her third "best of" album "BEST FICTION", on July 30, 2008. "BEST FICTION" proceeded to spend 6 weeks at the #1 position on the Oricon charts, had the highest first-week album sales of any release in 2008, became the #2 best overall-selling album of that year, and has sold more than 1.4 million copies since its release.
Namie started a new arena tour called Namie Amuro BEST FICTION 2008-2009 tour. It ran from October 25, 2008 to May 31, 2009. This was her first tour Amuro held sans songs produced by Tetsuya Komuro.
From 2009 on, Amuro would steadily release chart-topping studio albums. Straying from the traditional methods of the Japanese music industry yet again, Amuro decided to utilize a strategy of focusing on touring as means of promotion, rather than TV and commercial appearances. What resulted was a beneficial business move, while fulfilling Amuro's long-time preference to perform over giving interviews. This cultivated a very loyal and diverse fanbase that would consistently result in sold-out shows whenever Amuro toured.
From 2010 to 2018, as Amuro performed relentlessly long tours every year, Amuro remained consistent and dedicated to giving performances she felt she could be proud of, and in the process, quietly withheld that after a vocal cord injury in 2010, Amuro's vocal cords slowly were deteriorating. Amuro later revealed this was the deciding factor in her retirement, as she did not want to perform at a level she personally could not accept.
After her 25th anniversary concert in Okinawa, Amuro announced that she would retire from the industry on September 16th, 2018. The masses, aggrieved with this announcement, even created the name "Amuloss" for the emotion that was felt, knowing Amuro would leave a great void in the music industry.
A greatest hits album, "Finally" would be released in November of 2017 and would go on to sell over 2.5 million copies and be the best-selling album in Japan for both 2017 and 2018. Starting in March 2018, "namie amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~" would result in Amuro breaking both ticket and Blu-ray/DVD sales records. With shows in all 5 major Japanese domes, including and a handful of shows outside of Japan, nearly 800,000 were in attendance. Pre-orders alone for the Blu-rays/DVDs would exceed the best-selling concert video release at that time. Combined DVD and Blu-ray sales for "namie amuro Final Tour 2018 ~Finally~" have sold over 1.74 million since its release in late August 2018.
Asking why
安室奈美恵 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
こみあげてくる この切なさ 近すぎて
でも遠くて きづいてはくれないの
ねぇ揺るぎない愛で 揺るぎない
そう微笑みで いつも 包んであげるから
Take a look and stop asking why
閉ざした 心を溶かすには
人の温もりも 必要な時もあるってわかった
Take a look and stop asking why
Take a look and stop asking why
Boy stop feeling sorry for yourself
Boy stop feeling sorry for yourself
自分を責めすぎて 傷ついて
愛することを恐れずに そう立ち止まらないで
その心の扉開けば そこには愛の場所 二人の場所がある
Take a look and stop asking why asking why
Oh why oh why
もう時間はいらない 閉ざした 心を溶かすには
人の温もりも 必要だとわかった 人の温もりが そうあなたの
そうあなたの温もりも必要
Boy stop feeling sorry for yourself
今ここで唄う この歌あなたの心に
今ここで唄う この歌あなたの心に響け
いつでもそばに いつでもそばにいるから
きっとあなたを きっとあなたを包むから
今ここで唄う この歌あなたの心に響け
いつでもそばにいるよ きっとあなたを包むから
Boy stop feeling sorry for yourself
The lyrics of ASKING WHY, by 安室奈美恵, convey a sense of longing, regret, and self-reflection. The singer seems to be experiencing a lot of pain because of a loved one's suffering. The first verse expresses how close but distant they feel from that person's pain, how they wish that person would notice their concern and reciprocate their feelings. The chorus encourages the person to stop asking why they are enduring such difficulties and to take a look around them, see the love and warmth that surrounds them. The second verse expands on this idea, with the singer recognizing that they, too, need people's warmth and support sometimes. They then encourage the loved one to stop feeling sorry for themselves and see the beauty and love that is around them.
This song is filled with metaphors of warmth, love, and healing, which contrast with the singer's pain and loneliness. It seems the singer is trying to extend comfort and warmth to their loved one, but they too need it. The song's overall message is that we all experience pain and suffering, but it is the love and warmth we give and receive that can help us cope and heal.
Line by Line Meaning
Why must I be the one to feel your pain
I feel your pain too closely and I wonder why it has to be me who feels it.
こみあげてくる この切なさ 近すぎて
This painful feeling wells up too closely within me.
でも遠くて きづいてはくれないの
However, it feels far away and you don't seem to notice it.
ねぇ揺るぎない愛で 揺るぎない
Hey, with unwavering love, unwavering.
そう微笑みで いつも 包んであげるから
Yes, I always wrap you up in a smile.
Take a look and stop asking why
Look and stop wondering why.
Oh why oh why もう時間はいらない
Oh, why, oh why, there's no need for more time.
閉ざした 心を溶かすには
To dissolve a closed-off heart.
人の温もりも 必要な時もあるってわかった
I now understand that the warmth of another person is sometimes necessary.
Take a look and stop asking why
Look and stop wondering why.
Take a look and stop asking why
Look and stop wondering why.
Boy stop feeling sorry for yourself
Boy, stop being sorry for yourself.
自分を責めすぎて 傷ついて
You blame yourself too much, and it hurts you.
愛することを恐れずに そう立ち止まらないで
Don't be afraid to love, and don't stop moving forward.
その心の扉開けば そこには愛の場所 二人の場所がある
If you open the door to your heart, there's a place of love there, a place for us.
Take a look and stop asking why asking why
Look and stop wondering why.
Oh why oh why
Oh, why, oh why.
もう時間はいらない 閉ざした 心を溶かすには
There's no need for more time to dissolve a closed-off heart.
人の温もりも 必要だとわかった 人の温もりが そうあなたの
I now understand that the warmth of another person is sometimes necessary, and it's yours.
そうあなたの温もりも必要
Yes, your warmth is necessary too.
Boy stop feeling sorry for yourself
Boy, stop being sorry for yourself.
今ここで唄う この歌あなたの心に
I sing this song for your heart, right here and now.
今ここで唄う この歌あなたの心に響け
Hear this song within your heart, right here and now.
いつでもそばに いつでもそばにいるから
I'll always be by your side, always.
きっとあなたを きっとあなたを包むから
I'll surely wrap you up, hold you.
今ここで唄う この歌あなたの心に響け
Hear this song within your heart, right here and now.
いつでもそばにいるよ きっとあなたを包むから
I'll always be by your side, I'll surely wrap you up.
Boy stop feeling sorry for yourself
Boy, stop being sorry for yourself.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Nico, Tetsuya Komuro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind