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
Mad World
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
何を訴えるだろう
無残に切り倒され
横たわる死の淵で
終わりなき愚かさに
ツケの神が笑ってる
こんな時何を想う
教えてよねぇ私なら
こんな時何を想い涙して
いるのかなんて
本当を誰に吐けばいい
もし風が話せたら
何を訴えるだろう
色だとか匂いとか
原型なく汚染され
肥大する傲慢さ
ツケの神が笑ってる
教えてよねぇあなたなら
この時代をどう生きる
教えてよねぇ私はもう
この時代に心から吐き気が
してるだとかって
本音はどこにやればいい
たった自分ひとりだけが
立ち上がったとこで
意味はない
そうやって知らぬ誰かが
先に立つのを待つの？
教えてよねぇあなたなら
こんな時何を想う
教えてよねぇ私なら
こんな時何を想い涙して
いるのかなんて
本当を誰に吐けばいい
教えてよねぇあなたなら
この時代をどう生きる
教えてよねぇ私はもう
この時代に心から吐き気が
してるだとかって
本音はどこにやればいい
In "Mad World," Ayumi Hamasaki questions the point of existence and the meaning of life in a world full of cruelty, destruction, and pollution. She imagines trees and winds speaking, asking what they would complain about if they could speak. The trees would have been cut down mercilessly, and their corpses would lie at the brink of death, while the wind would plead to be purified from pollutants and contaminations that have destroyed its essence. In her lyrics, Hamasaki explains that these tragedies result from the foolishness and conceit of human beings who do not realize the value of nature or their connection to it.
Throughout the song, Hamasaki laments the futility of standing for oneself. She ponders if there is any significance in standing up in the midst of the mayhem when someone else will always take the lead, waiting instead for a messiah to usher in changes. The lamentation becomes more sorrowful when the singer acknowledges that she cannot share her true emotions with anyone, as she wonders who would listen or care about her struggles or pain. All Hamasaki does is to seek answers to her questions and emotions, hoping that the people she addresses might know the right path to take.
Line by Line Meaning
もし樹々が話せたら
If the trees could speak,
何を訴えるだろう
What do you think they would say?
無残に切り倒され
Cut down mercilessly,
横たわる死の淵で
Lying on the brink of death.
終わりなき愚かさに
In endless foolishness,
ツケの神が笑ってる
The god of payback laughs.
教えてよねぇあなたなら
Tell me, what do you think at times like this?
こんな時何を想う
What do you think at times like this?
教えてよねぇ私なら
Tell me, what do I feel in times like this?
こんな時何を想い涙して
What am I thinking about, shedding tears at times like this?
いるのかなんて
What about me ?
本当を誰に吐けばいい
To whom should I tell the truth?
もし風が話せたら
If the wind could speak,
何を訴えるだろう
What do you think it would say?
色だとか匂いとか
About colors and scents,
原型なく汚染され
Polluted beyond recognition.
肥大する傲慢さ
The arrogance that swells,
ツケの神が笑ってる
The god of payback laughs.
この時代をどう生きる
How do you live in such an age?
教えてよねぇあなたなら
Tell me, what do you think?
教えてよねぇ私はもう
Tell me, I am already
この時代に心から吐き気がしてる
Feeling nauseous about this age.
だとかって
and so on.
本音はどこにやればいい
Where should I express my true feelings?
たった自分ひとりだけが
Even if you are the only one standing up,
立ち上がったとこで意味はない
It doesn't mean anything.
そうやって知らぬ誰かが
In this way, someone who doesn't know
先に立つのを待つの？
Do we wait for them to take the lead?
Writer(s): 浜崎 あゆみ, Tasuku
Contributed by Carson V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.