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.
THINGS I COLLECTED
安室奈美恵 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
慰め合っても もう仕方ないから 信じられない
こんな終わり方 でも夢じゃないのよ
あんなに抱きしめた
愛さえも なんにもなかったように
消えるのね ここまで導いたのは
ずっと 止まらない涙
今日も眠れない夜
そっと 繰り返す夢
いつも笑顔だった二人
All the time oh baby
だけど これでよかったの
These are things I collected along the way
一人きりじゃ もう動けないって
貴方がいないと もう生きられないって
泣いたあとにも 朝は訪れて
毎日が過ぎてゆく あんなにときめいた
始まりも 遠くに離れてゆく
運命も ここまで導いたのは 二人の心
選んだのはみんな 私と貴方なの
ずっと つないでた手と手
今日も独り 瞳を閉じて
そっと めくるしかないの いつも
想い出のページ
All the time oh baby
きっと これでよかったの
These are things I collected along the way
In "Things I Collected" by Namie Amuro, the lyrics describe a relationship that has ended, but despite the pain and heartache, the singer collects memories and treasures them as she moves forward. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song as the singer states that she doesn't need any more words of comfort because it won't change anything. She can't believe that their love, which was so strong and passionate, has now disappeared as if it never existed. The second verse describes the tears that never stop falling, and she returns to the same painful dream every night. Despite all this, the singer collects these memories as treasures, reminding herself of the love and happiness she shared with her partner.
The chorus emphasizes that the two hearts that made the choice were hers and her partner's, and no one else. Even though they can't be together anymore, she can't move without him, and she can no longer live without him. The bridge mentions that after crying all night, morning comes, and every day goes on as it did before. The singer remembers the beginning of the relationship, but it is now far away, and destiny itself has led to this moment where the relationship has ended. The last two lines of the song emphasize that the singer will always hold onto the memories and know that everything happened for a reason.
Line by Line Meaning
どんな言葉も もういらないから
I don't need any more words, so don't try to comfort me with them.
慰め合っても もう仕方ないから 信じられない
Even if we comfort each other, it won't change anything, so it's hard for me to believe.
こんな終わり方 でも夢じゃないのよ
This may be an unexpected ending, but it's not a dream.
あんなに抱きしめた 愛さえも なんにもなかったように 消えるのね ここまで導いたのは
The love we held onto so tightly seems to have vanished into thin air, and this is where our paths have led us.
二人の心 選んだのはみんな 私と貴方なの
Our hearts have made this choice, and it's just between you and me.
ずっと 止まらない涙 今日も眠れない夜 そっと 繰り返す夢
Tears keep rolling down my face, and I can't sleep tonight. All I can do is repeat the same dream over and over again.
いつも笑顔だった二人 All the time oh baby
We were always smiling together, all the time oh baby.
だけど これでよかったの
But maybe this is for the best.
These are things I collected along the way
These are the things I've gathered throughout our journey together.
一人きりじゃ もう動けないって 貴方がいないと もう生きられないって
I can't move forward alone anymore, and without you, I can't go on living.
泣いたあとにも 朝は訪れて
Even after crying all night, morning still comes.
毎日が過ぎてゆく あんなにときめいた 始まりも 遠くに離れてゆく
Each day passes by, and the excitement of our beginning fades away into the distance.
運命も ここまで導いたのは 二人の心
Even fate led us to this point through our hearts.
ずっと つないでた手と手 今日も独り 瞳を閉じて
I'm still holding onto the hands we held so tightly, but today I'm alone with my eyes closed.
そっと めくるしかないの いつも 想い出のページ All the time oh baby
All I can do now is gently turn the pages of our memories, all the time oh baby.
きっと これでよかったの
I'm sure this was for the best.
These are things I collected along the way
These are the things I've gathered throughout our journey together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dallas Austin, Dallas L Austin, Debra Lou Killings
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tones amethyst
Can you～でアルバムを締め括るんじゃなくて、ラストにHow to～をもってくることに小室さんの素晴らしいセンスを感じる。
Moon light2
私は最後なぜCAN YOU〜で締めないのか疑問に思ってましたよ〜
なぜ敢えてHow to〜で締めたんでしょう？？？
たくあん眉
@Moon light2 結婚するから女の子になるための方法を考えてみました〜的な解釈爆笑
rizumu ss
このときの声が、素敵過ぎる。
L [500人目標]
How to~の前にI knowを入れてI know how to be a girlにするの小室さんのセンスを感じる
NIGHTMARE
Me Love Peace は個人的に好き
19 kkk
finallyの前のライブで
concentration 20も披露して欲しかった
後期のライブにも違和感なく馴染めそうな曲だよね
Whisper(LS2014)、close your eyes〜(LIVEGENIC)、ときたから
てっきりこのアルバムからLS16-17で何かしら披露があると思ってたのは私だけだろうか…
erieri
寂しくもあるけど
この時代、
とっても元気をもらったので感謝してます。
高木めぐみ
このアルバム、数え切れない程ききました。大好きなアルバムです。
n
今聴くとかなり手が込んでますね。
ヒット曲があったからこそ、当時小室さんが嵌まっていたオルタナを余すことなく味わえます。安室さんもロックが元より好きだったのでHow to〜の曲調になったとか。Can youが大ヒットしたご褒美的な感じですね。