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

Call
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

君は覚えてなんかいないんだろう
あの日見た朝陽を
始まりのような終わりだったから
何も言えなかった

ただ精一杯精一杯笑っていた

声が聴こえたひとりにはしないよって

隣に居るから大丈夫だよって
その時僕はずっと探し続けてた
何かを見つけたそんな気がしてた

ねぇ一体あれを何と呼ぶの?

全て幻だったんだよって
夢見てたんだろうって
誰かこの目を真っ直ぐ見つめて
どうか言い聞かせて

忘れたふりなら今でも上手にできるけど

温もりがあった涙を拭ってくれた
その手でぎゅっと抱き締めてくれた
僕は生まれて初めて感じていた
感情にまた泣きそうになってた

ねぇ一体あれを何と呼ぶの?

声が聴こえたひとりにはしないよって
隣に居るから大丈夫だよって
その時僕はずっと探し続けてた
何かを見つけたそんな気がしてた

温もりがあった涙を拭ってくれた
その手でぎゅっと抱き締めてくれた
僕は生まれて初めて感じていた
感情にまた泣きそうになってた

ねぇ一体あれを何と
ねぇ一体あれを何と呼ぶの?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Call" by Ayumi Hamasaki describe a moment between two people that was both a beginning and an end. The singer remembers the sunrise they saw together on that day, which marked the start of something new, but also the end of something that couldn't be put into words. The singer tried to express themselves but found themselves unable to, so they smiled as much as they could instead. Later, the singer heard a voice that reassured them that everything was okay because they weren't alone.

Despite this, the singer is haunted by the memory of that moment and wonders what to call it. They feel that everything was just an illusion or a dream, and they ask someone to look into their eyes and confirm that it was real. They know they could pretend to forget it all and move on, but the warmth and comfort of that moment stay with them, and they cry again just thinking about it.

The lyrics capture the bittersweet feeling of experiencing an important moment that can't be fully expressed or understood. There's a sense of longing and confusion, but also gratitude for the connection that was made.

Line by Line Meaning

君は覚えてなんかいないんだろう
You probably don't remember that day, do you?

あの日見た朝陽を
I saw the morning sun on that day

始まりのような終わりだったから
It felt like the beginning of something, but it ended

何も言えなかった
I couldn't say anything

ただ精一杯精一杯笑っていた
I just laughed as hard as I could

声が聴こえたひとりにはしないよって
I heard a voice saying 'I won't leave you alone'

隣に居るから大丈夫だよって
'It's okay because I'm right here next to you'

その時僕はずっと探し続けてた
At that moment, I felt like I had been searching for something all along

何かを見つけたそんな気がしてた
I felt like I had found something

ねぇ一体あれを何と呼ぶの?
Hey, what do you call that thing?

全て幻だったんだよって
It was all just an illusion