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
Dearest
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
全て捨ててしまえたらいいのにね
現実はただ残酷で
そんな時いつだって 目を閉じれば
笑ってる君がいる
Ah いつか永遠の眠りにつく日まで
人間は皆悲しいかな
忘れゆく 生き物だけど
愛すべきもののため 愛をくれるもののため
できること
Ah 出会ったあの頃は 全てが不器用で
遠まわりしたよね 傷つけ合ったよね
Ah いつか永遠の眠りにつく日まで
どうかその笑顔が 絶え間なくある様に
Ah 出会ったあの頃は 全てが不器用で
遠まわりしたけど 辿りついたんだね
The song Dearest expresses the singer's longing for a simpler life where everything except what is truly valuable can be discarded. The lyrics delve into the harsh reality that life is not always fair, and that humans are naturally sorrowful. The singer finds comfort in remembering the moments spent with someone dear to her, whose smile she can see when she closes her eyes. Even though the singer knows that every living thing must eventually forget, she hopes that the smile of her beloved will remain forever with her until the day she joins them in eternal slumber.
The first verse implies that the singer longs for a life free of materialistic possessions, where only important things matter. She wishes to discard everything else, but in reality, this is difficult. The singer further talks about how, at any given moment, she can vividly see the smiling face of someone whom she loves when she closes her eyes. This shows how important that person is to her and how much happiness they bring her. The lyrics emphasize the inevitability of death and how everything fades away eventually, but the singer?s wish is for the smile of her beloved to remain with her forever.
Line by Line Meaning
本当に大切なもの以外
If only we could discard everything except what is truly precious
全て捨ててしまえたらいいのにね
Wouldn't it be great if we could just throw everything away?
現実はただ残酷で
Reality is just cruel
そんな時いつだって 目を閉じれば
Whenever that happens, if you just close your eyes
笑ってる君がいる
You'll see the you who is smiling
Ah いつか永遠の眠りにつく日まで
Ah, until the day you eventually fall into an eternal sleep
どうかその笑顔が 絶え間なくある様に
May that smile of yours remain ceaselessly
人間は皆悲しいかな
It's unfortunate, but all humans are sad to some extent
忘れゆく 生き物だけど
We may be forgettable living beings, but
愛すべきもののため 愛をくれるもののため
For the sake of the things we love, and for those who love us
できること
We can do what we can
Ah 出会ったあの頃は 全てが不器用で
Ah, when we first met, everything was so clumsy
遠まわりしたよね 傷つけ合ったよね
We went around in circles and hurt each other, didn't we?
Ah いつか永遠の眠りにつく日まで
Ah, until the day we eventually fall into an eternal sleep
どうかその笑顔が 絶え間なくある様に
May that smile of yours remain ceaselessly
Ah 出会ったあの頃は 全てが不器用で
Ah, when we first met, everything was so clumsy
遠まわりしたけど 辿りついたんだね
We took the long way around, but we made it in the end
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Crea, D.A.I., Ayumi Hamasaki
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind