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

Moments
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

心が焦げついて
焼ける匂いがした
それは夢の終わり
すべての始まりだった

憧れてたものは
美しく思えて
手が届かないから
輝きを増したのだろう

君の砕け散った夢の破片が
僕の胸を刺して
忘れてはいけない痛みとして刻まれていく

花のように儚いのなら
君の元で咲き誇るでしょう
そして笑顔見届けた後
そっと一人散っていくでしょう

La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

君が絶望という
名のふちに立たされ
そこで見た景色はどんなものだったのだろう

行き場所を無くしてさまよってる
剥き出しの心が
触れるのを恐れて
鋭いトゲ張り巡らせる

鳥のように羽ばたけるなら
君の元へ飛んでいくでしょう
そして傷を負ったその背に
僕の羽を差し出すでしょう

花のように儚いのなら
君の元で咲き誇るでしょう
そして笑顔見届けた後
そっと一人散っていくでしょう

鳥のように羽ばたけるなら
君の元へ飛んでいくでしょう
そして傷を負ったその背に
僕の羽を差し出すでしょう

風のように流れるのなら
君の側に辿り着くでしょう
月のように輝けるなら
君を照らし続けるでしょう

La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

君がもうこれ以上
二度と怖い物を

見なくて済むのなら
僕は何にでもなろう

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 浜崎あゆみ's song Moments are a tribute to the fleeting nature of beauty and the pain that comes with letting go. The first stanza sets the tone by describing a feeling of burning and the smell of something being consumed- a metaphor for the end of a dream and the start of something new. The second stanza is about the things we long for to the point where they seem unattainable, and how this longing makes them seem even more beautiful. This can be interpreted as a lesson in appreciating the beauty in our lives, even if we do not possess it fully.

The chorus brings the metaphor of a short-lived flower to the fore, as the singer envisions themselves blooming beautifully in the presence of their beloved, only to wilt and fade away once they have seen their smile. The second half of the chorus changes to a bird metaphor, imagining the singer flying to their beloved and offering them support in their pain.

The third stanza further explores the themes of pain and fear, with the metaphor of an exposed and vulnerable heart being guarded by thorns. The chorus is repeated, drawing parallels between the fleeting nature of beauty and the fragile condition of the singer's love for their beloved. The final stanza brings the song full circle, as the singer offers themselves up as anything their beloved needs them to be if it means that they never have to face anything as scary as they have before.

Line by Line Meaning

La, la, la, la, la, la
The sound of an unspoken emotion, a longing expressed through vocalization

心が焦げついて
The heart is left with a scorching burn

焼ける匂いがした
The burning scent fills the air

それは夢の終わり
The end of a dream

すべての始まりだった
The beginning of everything, a new start

憧れてたものは
The things that were longed for

美しく思えて
Appear more beautiful

手が届かないから
Out of reach

輝きを増したのだろう
This makes them shine even brighter

君の砕け散った夢の破片が
The fragments of your shattered dream

僕の胸を刺して
Pierces my heart