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
Depend On You
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
そこからふたりで始めよう
目指してたゴールに届きそうな時
本当はまだ遠いこと気付いたの?
一体どこまで行けばいいのか
終わりのない日々をどうするの?
羽根休めていいから 私はここにいるよ
あなたがもし旅立つ その日が いつか来たら
そこからふたりで始めよう
一筋の光を信じてみるの?
それとも暗闇に怯えるの?
ずっと飛び続けた翼がもう
はばたけずに いるなら 私があたためるよ
あなたのこと必要としている人はきっと
必ずひとりはいるから
あなたが必要とする人ならいつもきっと
隣で笑っているから
ずっと飛び続けて 疲れたなら
羽根休めていいから 私はここにいるよ
いつかは皆旅立つ その日がきっと来るね
全てを捨ててもいい程
これから始まって行く ふたりの物語は
不安と希望に満ちてる
Depend on you, a ballad by 浜崎あゆみ Ayumi Hamasaki, expresses a feeling of hope, understanding, and support to a special someone who is about to embark on a journey. It starts by saying that when the day comes that the person leaves, they will start things together from where they left off on their return. It then asks if the person realized that even if they were close to achieving their goal, they were still a long way off. It asks how they would cope with the never-ending days and if they would believe in a single ray of hope or be afraid of the darkness around them.
It then reassures the person that if they ever feel exhausted from flying and need to rest, they can always take a break as the singer will be there to support them. If the person's wings can no longer flap, the singer would keep them warm. Finally, the song speaks of the belief that there will always be someone out there who needs the person leaving and someone who loves and laughs with them. The song ends with hope for the journey ahead of the individuals' stories to be filled with anxiety and optimism.
In conclusion, the lyrics of Depend on you are touching and full of hope. They seek to motivate and encourage someone who is about to embark upon a new journey, a venture of endeavors that might exhaust them, to keep going and always remember that the people they left behind love and support them. The message is clear that no matter how hard things get, one can always depend on someone else to get through challenging times.
Line by Line Meaning
あなたがもし旅立つ その日が いつか来たら
If the day comes when you leave on a journey,
そこからふたりで始めよう
let's start together from there.
目指してたゴールに届きそうな時
When you feel like you're about to reach the goal you aimed for,
本当はまだ遠いこと気付いたの?
have you realized that you still have a long way to go?
一体どこまで行けばいいのか
How far do you need to go?
終わりのない日々をどうするの?
What will you do with the endless days?
ずっと飛び続けて 疲れたなら
If you continue to fly and get tired,
羽根休めていいから 私はここにいるよ
it's okay to rest your wings, I'll be here.
一筋の光を信じてみるの?
Will you believe in a single beam of light?
それとも暗闇に怯えるの?
Or will you be frightened by darkness?
ずっと飛び続けた翼がもう
If the wings that have been flying all along
はばたけずに いるなら
can no longer flap,
私があたためるよ
I'll warm them up for you.
あなたのこと必要としている人はきっと
Surely there is someone who needs you.
必ずひとりはいるから
At least one person.
あなたが必要とする人ならいつもきっと
If you need someone,
隣で笑っているから
there will always be someone laughing beside you.
いつかは皆旅立つ その日がきっと来るね
Someday, we'll all embark on a journey. I'm sure that day will come.
全てを捨ててもいい程
It's okay to give up everything.
これから始まって行く ふたりの物語は
The story of us, which is about to begin,
不安と希望に満ちてる
is filled with anxiety and hope.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ayumi Hamasaki, Kazuhito Kikuchi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind