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.
WHAT A FEELING
安室奈美恵 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody call me dancin' queen
人影の無いオフィス街 真夜中
ビルディングの窓ガラスミラーにして
倒れてしまうまで 日が昇りはじめるまで
Steppin' out
I'll keep steppin' out
Poppin' my body
I'll keep poppin' my body
エキサイトし過ぎてオーバー・ヒート
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
What a, what a, what a
What a feelin'
気分がハイになる
What a feelin'
やめられなくなる
What a feelin'
Show the world the best of me
Someday put my name in lights
抜け出す為 また登り詰める為
すり切れたシューズ見つめて
I'm proud myself
誰よりもかがやける様に
誰の心も照らせる様に
Steppin' out
I'll keep steppin' out
体中を波打つビート
Poppin' my body
I'll keep poppin' my body
エキサイトし過ぎてオーバー・ヒート
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
What a, what a, what a
What a feelin'
気分がハイになる
What a feelin'
やめられなくなる
Forth! Forth! And forth! Forth! And Forth!
Get on up! Get on up! Get on up! Get on up!
Forth! Forth! And forth! Forth! And Forth!
Get on up! Get on up! Get on up! Get on up!
Mama said 踊りなさい
いつでも最後のステージかのように
What a, what a, what a
What a feelin'
気分がハイになる
What a feelin'
やめられなくなる
What a feelin'
気分がハイになる
What a feelin'
やめられなくなる
What a feelin'
The song "WHAT A FEELING" by Japanese pop star Amuro Namie is all about the joy of dance and the rush that comes from performing. The song starts off with Amuro proclaiming her love for dancing and being called the "dancing queen" by everyone around her. She paints a picture of a deserted office district in the dead of night, where the only thing that can be seen are the flickering reflections of the city lights on the glass windows of the buildings. Amuro then describes how she keeps dancing and popping her body to the beat until she feels like her body is overheating from excitement.
Amuro’s desire to be the best, to show the world what she's made of, and to someday have her name in lights motivates her to keep pushing herself. She is determined to break free from the exhaustion of her worn-out shoes and go further every day, vowing to shine brighter than anyone else and illuminate the hearts of others. The song ends with Amuro urging herself to keep dancing, to always perform as if it's her last stage, and to never stop feeling the exhilaration of dancing.
Overall, the lyrics to "WHAT A FEELING" encapsulate the joy, passion, and drive that comes from dancing and performing. It inspires listeners to embrace their love for dancing and to never give up on their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
I love to dance
Expressing the love for dancing
Everybody call me dancin' queen
Referring to how everyone refers to her as the queen of dancing
人影の無いオフィス街 真夜中
Describing an empty office area in the middle of the night
ビルディングの窓ガラスミラーにして
Seeing the reflection of oneself in the mirrored glass windows of the building
倒れてしまうまで 日が昇りはじめるまで
Dancing until one collapses and the sun starts to rise
Steppin' out
Stepping out to start dancing
I'll keep steppin' out
Continuing to step out and keep dancing
体中を波打つビート
Feeling the beat throughout one's body
Poppin' my body
Moving and shaking one's body to the music
I'll keep poppin' my body
Continuing to move one's body to the music
エキサイトし過ぎてオーバー・ヒート
Getting too excited and overheating
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Vocals expressing pleasure and excitement
What a, what a, what a
Expressing awe and excitement
What a feelin'
Expressing positive feelings
気分がハイになる
Feeling high and happy
やめられなくなる
Cannot stop dancing and feeling good
Show the world the best of me
Striving to show the world one's best self
Someday put my name in lights
Aspiration to be recognized and celebrated
抜け出す為 また登り詰める為
Escaping to a better situation and continuing to strive
すり切れたシューズ見つめて
Looking at one's worn-out shoes
I'm proud myself
Feeling proud of oneself
誰よりもかがやける様に
Striving to shine brighter than anyone else
誰の心も照らせる様に
Striving to make everyone's hearts shine brighter
Forth! Forth! And forth! Forth! And Forth!
Repeating a chant to pump oneself up
Get on up! Get on up! Get on up! Get on up!
Another chant to get hyped up
Mama said 踊りなさい
The mother encouraging her to dance
いつでも最後のステージかのように
Dancing as if it were the final performance
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Giorgio Moroder, Irene Cara, Keith Forsey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Isaaq De Armas
This song is everything, I wish Namie makes more music like this ❤️
trixie firecracker
It's a song that I've never forgotten ever since it's release. I love it.
Capitano Koizo
当時、レトロっぽさと近未来感という、相反する要素がミックスされていて、楽曲とファッションの絶妙なセンスがカッコ良かった!
大好き💘
なつき くだか
サビに入る前(WHAT A…×3の前)の音楽の高揚感がたまらないです!
あお
この歌めっちゃ好き
pipichan
作り物でない感情が好き♡
ぴぃぴぃ
初めてこのPVを見た時、見事な返り咲きどころか、もの凄い桜吹雪が舞ってるみたいだと鳥肌全開になったのを覚えてます
aura aura
多分1番リピしてると思う。
なんか、勝手な妄言だけどROCKSTEADYでママに認めてもらうために飛び出して、ここの最後でママにいつでも踊りなさいってなる流れが好き。
あめみ
安室ちゃんのダンスって肩の力が抜けてて何気なく踊ってるように見えて好き。だからといってダンスそのものが適当なわけじゃないし、変にイキった感じもないし、計算されたゆるっと感とでも言いましょうか…
この曲のダンスの振り付けが特にそう感じられて見るたびに好き…❤️ってなる。PVの雰囲気も大好き。いろんなカメラワークがあったけど、安室ちゃんのダンスだけひたすら追いかけるカメラワークであのPVの世界観のままを見てみたいなー。
Mana u-g-crane
これ生で見ましたがやっぱり凄かったです😢
またライブ行きたい…と叶わない夢を抱いてます。。