Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi, real name 浜崎歩) (born October 2, 197… Read Full Bio ↴Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ, Hamasaki Ayumi, real name 浜崎歩) (born October 2, 1978, Fukuoka, Japan) is an award-winning Japanese singer, and one of the most popular and influential artists to come from Asia. Apart from being a singer, Hamasaki is also a songwriter, a model, an actress, a composer, a record producer, a spokesperson and an entrepreneur. Through her entire career, she has written all her lyrical content, and has sometimes composed her music.

Hamasaki started her musical career in 1994 and released her first album "NOTHING FROM NOTHING" in 1995; the album was not successful, and she was subsequently dropped by her record label. In 1998, Hamasaki released her first single, poker face, via the Avex Trax label, after being discovered by label head Masato "Max" Matsuura partying at the Avex-owned club, Velfarre. Hamasaki's debut album, "A Song for ××", was released in 1999, and won her a Gold Disk Award. She has since sold more than 50 million records in Japan alone with the releases of her 9 full-length studio albums, 1 mini-album, 4 compilation albums, 45 singles, and 17 remix albums, becoming the top selling solo and female artist and the 4th top selling Japanese artist in history. With the release of her 40th single "BLUE BIRD", Hamasaki's single sales passed the 20 million mark, making her the first solo and female singer to reach that milestone.

With the release of her 45th single "Rule/Sparkle", Hamasaki currently has 20 consecutive #1 singles (starting from "Free & Easy") and 32 #1 singles in the Japanese ORICON charts. In addition, she is the first Japanese artist to have her first original 8 studio albums top the charts.

Hamasaki released her ninth studio album, GUILTY on January 1, 2008. Shortly after the release, Ayumi revealed that she had become completely deaf in her left ear, and that it is inoperable. It is believed that she suffers from tinnitus, and Ayumi has known about the condition of her left ear since 2007 after an examination. She also stated that she would continue on with her career for her fans, explaining that "nevertheless, I would like to continue as a singer. That's why I would like to continue singing until I reach the limit with my remaining right ear".

In addition to serving as background music for television advertisements, some of Hamasaki's songs have been used as themes for video games and film productions such as television shows and motion pictures. "Depend on you" and its b-side "Two of us" were used as the opening and ending theme, respectively, of the video game Thousand Arms, while the video game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams used "Startin'" and "rainy day" as its opening and ending theme, respectively. The dorama My Little Chef featured "Voyage" as its theme, while the anime InuYasha featured "Dearest." Finally, Hamasaki's songs "HEAVEN", "Secret", "fated", and "Rule" have been used as the themes for the movies Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, Confession of Pain, Kaidan, and DragonBall Evolution, respectively.

In January 2008, Hamasaki announced on her blog that an inoperable condition, possibly tinnitus or Ménière's disease, had caused complete deafness in her left ear. She had been diagnosed with the condition in 2006 and that the problem dated to 2000, when she developed an ear infection but continued to perform against the advice of doctors. Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone". On May 20, 2017, she wrote that she is also losing hearing in her right ear, and had experienced dizziness and nausea. She vowed to continue performing, writing: "The stage is where I belong. It's the only place I really, truly exist. I don't know anything else."

Official site: http://avexnet.or.jp/ayu

About You
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

誰もがきっと心のどこかに隠された
闇を持っているもの
それが時々邪魔して
思う様に生きれない自分を創るの

人の痛みは計り知れないからね
分け合う事もなかなか難しいね

だけどねもしもちゃんと向き合いたいと思える
人に出会えたなら怯えたくない

激しい音立てて閉ざした心の扉
開く鍵なんてもうずっと遠い日に見失ったのなら
ありきたりな言葉とかありふれた表現でいい
何にも包まれていないそのままをあなたから聞かせて
私へ響かせて

決して目には映らない
形のないものを信じてみる事は
とても恐くもあるけど
それが出来るのなら素晴らしい事ね

正気保っていられなくなりそうな
こんな灰色の街の真ん中でも

そんなもんなんだって何か諦めたように
力なく笑ったりしないで

何も犠牲にせず欲しいものだけを全て
手に入れる事が出来た人だなんてどこにいるって言うの
ねぇどんなに望んでも二度とは手に入らない
私が失った憧れのものをあなたは持っている

激しい音立てて閉ざした心の扉
開く鍵なんてもうずっと遠い日に見失ったのなら
ありきたりな言葉とかありふれた表現でいい
何にも包まれていないそのままをあなたから聞かせて

何ひとつ犠牲にせず欲しいものだけを全て
手に入れる事が出来た人だなんてどこにいるって言うの
ねぇどんなに望んでも二度とは手に入らない

私が失った憧れのものをあなたは持っている
それがとても眩しい

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ayumi Hamasaki's song "About You" explore the idea that everyone has some darkness hidden within them that can sometimes get in the way of living their life the way they want to. The pain that people experience is immeasurable, and it can be difficult to share it with others. However, if someone were to meet another person who they feel they can face and share their pain with, it would be a wonderful thing. The lyrics suggest that it's okay to believe in things that aren't visible, even if it's scary to do so. This can be seen as a metaphor for having faith and hope in something even when there's no physical evidence to support it.

The lyrics also touch on the idea that it's possible to want something very badly but never be able to attain it. The singer acknowledges that it's easy to feel defeated and give up, but they encourage themselves to keep going and not give up. The song suggests that there's something beautiful about being able to persevere through pain and come out the other side stronger.

Line by Line Meaning

誰もがきっと心のどこかに隠された
Everyone surely has a hidden darkness in their heart

闇を持っているもの
Those who hold onto the darkness

それが時々邪魔して
Sometimes it gets in the way

思う様に生きれない自分を創るの
Creating a version of oneself that cannot live as desired

人の痛みは計り知れないからね
Because the pain of others is immeasurable

分け合う事もなかなか難しいね
Sharing it is also quite difficult

だけどねもしもちゃんと向き合いたいと思える
But if you can find someone you really want to face together with

人に出会えたなら怯えたくない
Don't be afraid anymore if you meet that person

激しい音立てて閉ざした心の扉
The door of the closed heart makes a loud noise

開く鍵なんてもうずっと遠い日に見失ったのなら
If you've lost the key to open it a long time ago

ありきたりな言葉とかありふれた表現でいい
Ordinary words or common expressions are fine