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

flower
浜崎あゆみ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

目を閉じて浮かんだのは
これまでの歩んだ道
もうすぐで花咲く頃
あの頃は楽しみだった

優しく笑ってた君は
どこへ消えたのでしょう？

花になって棘を持って
枯れて散って朽ち果てたい
拾わないで離れてって忘れてって

雨になって霧になって
そのままで濡れていたい
横になって眠くなって独りにして

指絡め歩いたのは
置いてきたあの故郷
今思えば幸せだと
言える日も過ごしました

手を引いてくれた君の
温もりが残ってる

躊躇わないでどうせなら
トドメ刺して終わらせて
笑わないで冷たい目で嘘が下手ね

鳥になって風に乗って
あの場所を目指したい
痛みもない愛もない
向こう側へ

優しく笑ってた君は
どこへ消えたのでしょう

花になって棘を持って
枯れて散って朽ち果てたい
拾わないで離れてって忘れてって

躊躇わないでどうせなら
トドメ刺して終わらせて
笑わないで冷たい目で嘘が下手ね

(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)

Overall Meaning

The song "Flower" by Ayumi Hamasaki speaks about the journey of life, the bittersweet memories along the way, and the desire to move forward. The opening lines set up the theme of reminiscing on the past, as the singer closes their eyes and sees the road they have traveled so far. The chorus speaks about wanting to become a flower with thorns, to wither and decay, and to forget one's painful past. The post-chorus shows a longing to escape and fly away, to find a place where there is no pain, and no love.

The second verse continues to reminisce on happier times, particularly focusing on the warmth and kindness of a lost friend. They wonder where that person went and lament their loss. The pre-chorus builds on the theme of forgetting the past and wanting to move on by urging the singer to "put an end to it" and kill the pain once and for all. The song ends with a repeating refrain of the desire to become a flower with thorns, to forget and be forgotten.

Overall, "Flower" is a song about the desire to move on from painful memories and past relationships, even if that means forgetting them entirely. The lyrics evoke feelings of nostalgia, loss, and a longing for escape and renewal.

Line by Line Meaning

目を閉じて浮かんだのは
When I close my eyes and think back

これまでの歩んだ道
The path I've walked so far

もうすぐで花咲く頃
It's almost time for the flowers to bloom

あの頃は楽しみだった
Those were happy times

優しく笑ってた君は
Where did the kind smiling you go?

どこへ消えたのでしょう？
I wonder, where did you disappear to?

花になって棘を持って
I want to become a flower with thorns

枯れて散って朽ち果てたい
And wither away and decompose

拾わないで離れてって忘れてって
Don't pick me up, just leave and forget about me

雨になって霧になって
I want to turn into rain and fog

そのままで濡れていたい
And stay and get wet