安室奈美恵 (Namie Amuro), born September 20, 1977, is a Japanese retired pop ar… Read Full Bio ↴安室奈美恵 (Namie Amuro), born September 20, 1977, is a Japanese retired pop artist from Okinawa, Japan. She is one of the best-selling artists ever in Japan with total sales of approximately 38,000,000 singles and albums. She has released 12 studio albums, 7 compilation albums and 47 singles, as of November 2018.

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.

SWEET 19 BLUES
安室奈美恵 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

今日もため息の続き
1人街をさまよってる
エスケープ昨日からずっとしてる
部屋で電話を待つよりも
歩いてる時に誰か
ベルを鳴らして!

もうすぐ大人ぶらずに

子供の武器も使える
いちばん旬なとき
さみしさは昔よりも
真実味おびてきたね
でも明日はくる

Sweet, sweet nineteen blues
ただ過ぎて行くよできっと身について行くもの
Sweet, sweet nineteen dreams
Rhythm & blues まるで毎日の様なスタイル

自分だけで精一杯
それでもそれなりに見える
タバコの煙をかきわけ音にうもれて
いちばんとりえが何か
教えてあげなきゃならない
あの子やあいつ
世の中かっこつけてて
それよりかっこよくなきゃ
いけない
もし飛び出るんだったら

昨日はあの子が私の
明日は私があの子の
傷をいやして
Sweet, sweet nineteen blues
だけど私も
ほんとはすごくないから
Sweet, sweet nineteen dreams
誰も見たことのない顔
誰かに見せるかもしれない

Ooh, change my life
Change my life 前世があったら
絶対に maybe stray cats 路地裏の
Change my life
Change my life
熱い気持ち心に
Coolな態度はプロテクションに!

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah
Ooh, la la la la la

Sweet, sweet nineteen blues

Sweet, sweet nineteen blues
(Sweet, sweet nineteen blues)
Da, la, la, la, la, la, la
Sweet, sweet nineteen dreams

Sweet, sweet nineteen blues
だけど私もほんとはさみしがりやで
Sweet, sweet nineteen dreams

誰も見たことのない顔
誰かに見せるかもしれない

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 安室奈美恵's song "Sweet 19 Blues" are a reflection of a young woman's struggles with finding herself in the world. The first verse talks about how the singer is wandering around the city alone, trying to escape from her problems. She finds solace in the fact that she is still young, surrounded by new experiences and possibilities, and driven by a rhythm and blues-style that gives the song its uniquely upbeat tone. As she walks aimlessly, she hopes to encounter someone who will interrupt her thoughts and bring some excitement into her life.

The chorus, "Sweet, sweet nineteen blues, just passing by, but it will stay with me," speaks to the bittersweet feeling of being young and playful yet anticipating the future with a sense of responsibility. She knows that this experience will stick with her and become part of her growth as a person. The second verse reveals the singer's desire to share her knowledge with others and help them understand what they need to do to become cool in society's eyes. The lyrics emphasize the fact that although the singer may look like she has it all together, she is still lonely and uncertain in her own way.

Overall, Sweet 19 Blues is a song that captures the essence of youth and the struggles that come with finding one's place in the world. It balances a sense of nostalgia for the past, with the anticipation of what's to come. The upbeat tempo and sounds of the song are juxtaposed with the melancholic lyrics, making it a standout track in the j-pop genre.

Line by Line Meaning

今日もため息の続き
Today, too, I continue to sigh.

1人街をさまよってる
I wander through the streets alone.

エスケープ昨日からずっとしてる
I've been escaping since yesterday.

部屋で電話を待つよりも
Rather than waiting for the phone in my room,

歩いてる時に誰か
Someone rings my bell as I'm walking,

ベルを鳴らして!
So I answer it!

もうすぐ大人ぶらずに
I'll soon be an adult, but

子供の武器も使える
I'm still able to use my childlike strengths

いちばん旬なとき
At the most trendy time,

さみしさは昔よりも
Loneliness seems more real than before,

真実味おびてきたね
But tomorrow will come.