Are fans not satisfied?
 

:[

Judging from all the people who hated all of Ayu's recent releases, I really want to ask people something. If she was to release a single or song that you completely ADORED in the past NOW, instead of back then, would you feel the same about it? It seems that many people believe that Ayu's stuck in a hole of crap music.. but.. I just don't get it. Would you feel the same if she released the songs she releases now back then? Just wondering~ :[

Sorry :(
My head hurts x.x
Zeo

She is changing and people don't like it? I don't know, I don't think she'll ever be as good as she was when I Am... came out...after going up you have to come down?

i like this song
i have no problems in her latest songs ..
until now, to be honest, i still dont like
trauma, WHATEVER and appears
afterall she cannot always stay on top forever ~

I loved her recent releases! I adored every new single or song more than the last one! I love her songs since "&" single even more than the "I am..." ones.... and I never thought that one day I will be saying such heretic words:

"Her new single is such a big disappointment that I want to cry"

OK, we haven't heard the full versions... but we heard a lot (over 2 minutes) version of "B&D" and 30+ seconds of the funeral song "Pride"... and I don;t really think the full versions will change much... I usually adored the previews of her songs even when listening to a 15s version of a cm...

And YES - I am NOT satisfied... I am buying this single only because I want to have them all... but I really am angry... :/

@ shisho dont call it B&D call it that==>Bold And Delicious

yes yes pride is like a funeral song


what comes up must come down the higher you go up the harder and faster the fall.... she stinks now her releases are kind of like a roller coaster sometimes it is good (heaven single) sometimes it is just plain terrible (e.g. this coming single bold&delicious/pride & the fairyland/alterna single)

I would have the same feelings for her music no matter when or what she releases cause I find her music interesting no matter how much it can suck for others ^^

am I thwe only one who sees the progress ayu has made????

There are 3 types of ppl in this:

1. Those who Think that since RAINBOW her career is over (I don't know why the keep visithing the forum)

2. Those who still worhsip her

3.Those who think She's Getting better (me alone)

I think this lines can be seen now more than ever. I don't care what others think cuase most of them are either against it or with it andwhen they don't like 1 release or song or single or whatever is the end of the world they overreact.

Before the previews for the new single appeared I would have said the same thing....

^lol :P I´m still saying the same

you´re not alone ^^

Then I am 4th type:

4. The person who loves Ayu blindly and worshipes every song she have ever done... and a person who is shocked like hell with the quality of the new "MY GOD WHY ARE YOU RELEASING THIS AYU?!" single...

EDIT

PS. I just realized that my avatar shows exactly how my world is crushing after hearing the previews of the single...

^that´s sad to hear =(=( but nobody is perfect so just have patience and you´ll get awarded ^^

what about the neutral people who dont look into all the mumbo jumbo and like what they like and dislike what they dislike?

YES!!! I M SO DISAPPOINTED SOMEHOW... I NEVER EXPECT FANS WOULD REACT THIS WAY... but its their way of thinking...

I don't like how "fans" are supposed to love everything and worship Ayu (or whatever it is they're a fan of). I don't think "satisfied" is the right word to use here; it makes it sound like Ayu is our music slave who has to please us. She doesn't. But at the same time, she's been making musical choices that just don't suit my taste. I think the quality of her music has gone down recently, it just doesn't have the passion it once did. And that's understandable after some really modern masterpieces and years of hustling. But I think B&D and Pride are total crap. I don't look at it as growth in a new direction, I see it as "Well, I guess I've done it all, so now I can put out really random stuff that doesn't really mean that much." It's like she's just going through the motions.

As for why fans who feel this way keep visiting AHS -- we're still fans. Music is like literature, it's eternal. And people like to discuss things like that. There are forums out there for people to discuss Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, a million other people who are, bluntly, dead. They're not just fans of those writers so they can sit around going "OMG, Shake's new poem is out on 11.65.3009!" You can be a fan of old stuff that's no longer being made. They're called classics.

I'd like it more if she released it last time. I am attracted to new genres, and listening to songs like this in the past would have ensured my devotion towards Ayu.

I love her recent releases! All of them except fairyland.. that song was just too much like Angels Song. And I'm still not sure about Bold & Delicious.. I must hear the whole song.
I don't know wheter Ayu makes progress or not, But I still love her as in the beginning.

I definitely don't agree that her music has been getting worse since I am. I love her more recent albums too, maybe even more, and even though I'm not that fond of Pride yet, I like B&D a lot. I won't say I'm disappointed by Pride until I've heard the full song. It's hard to judge a song if you've only heard 30 seconds of it.

I'm not dissatisfied, even though there have been some weak tracks this year, there have been other tracks that have made up for that - Will, is this LOVE?, alterna, HEAVEN etc. Honestly, overall her stuff isn't as good as a few years ago, but there are some tracks that are, so I have no complaints. Like evolusean said, not every fan is going to like every single track, it's all down to personal taste, and some feel like her current work isn't as good as some of her older stuff. It's all down to personal opinions, not everyone is going to feel exactly the same way about each track, it would just be boring if everyone thought everything was good or bad.

:yes

If some fans are dissapointed, then that's too bad. I like her recent releases. I'm not dissapointed.

i wonder why are fans making so much complaints... we should support Ayu in every way we can!!! We should accept her new songs instead of grumbling about the genre because thats a fact that we can't change.. can we ask Avex not to include that track in the new album? we can't, don't we?

agrees with you
celebrities is still humans after all ^^

I think some fans are too dramatic, both sides. Either way I don't really care. I still enjoy every single release of Ayu even if some are not up to my taste. Nonetheless I am still going to be happy with her latest single and honestly I am happy to see a new genre. That way fans won't go on how it like like that song she sang before or the other.

I'm not happy with her current music choices. I think they're bad and I feel cheated by someone I really enjoyed listening to. Her quality in music has taken a sudden halt and is on its way downhill.

I feel that Bold & Delicious is her worst song, as well as PRIDE's vocals are painful to sit through (even on a 30sec preview). This single has a feel of emptiness. Nothing grasps my attention with it like previous singles.

I think that she's taking a step in the wrong direction. There is a slight hip-hop sound to the first song. Something that Ayumi Hamasaki's sqeaky pop voice can't deliver. I feel that sometimes artists should find the genre that works for them and stick with it. People can look at you going all over into many different genres as "not knowing what their doing" or "confused as to what type of music suits them".

I feel like Ayumi Hamasaki has actually become a little careless with her career as of lately. She's become generic. She wants to be shown as a singer/songwriter yet she continues to do things with not much depth.

Her age is starting to show but it's almost as if she's going back in time with her musical selection and singing something someone really young would sing. She's not 19 anymore. I figured she would start releasing things that show growth not emptiness.

i don't know .. I really love a lot of her singles this year .. my fav is still STEP you/is this LOVE? .. the PV are amazing for those songs ...

I think people are being way too dramatic about this whole deal. it's a one single , we don't know if this is just going to be this one expirement with different type of music rather than her changing her whole artistic direction. I think Bold & Delecious sounds horrible but I'm hoping her next single after B&D will be better.

I think Ayu has been making good music this year too , eventho I'm not too crazy about 'STEP you' either but the I liked 'Is This Love?' (I loved it's PV too). I wasn't all that impressed with 'Fairyland' but I liked 'Alterna'. I think both 'HEAVEN' & 'Will' were really good too. with all these hits I can forgive one miss , 'B&D' and 'Pride' :P

I think she's still really original. I mean , the most 'generic' thing to do would have been making a yet another pop song with rock elements produced by Bounceback & arranged by H/\L. instead of that she tried something really weird with the choir and all on B&D , very 'bold' decision :P
I think it's really cool that instead of playing it safe she takes risks like this, we'll see whether the japanese audience will love it or hate it :D

I don't think to be a fan, you have to blindly support everything she releases. People are allowed to not like a song here or there. It's just the few people on this board that seem to hate everything that kind of ruin it.

I don't love B&D, but I don't absolutely hate it either. So far though, it is probably my least favorite Ayu single ever.

I agree with how you view it. I like your idea on the fact that being generic could be going back to Bounceback or H/\L.

I personally dislike it and people blow views way out of the water.

lol like my wench comment. I call all people a wench. Too many people are overly sensitive.

I don't think it's fair to the fans to be like, "Well, you love it too much or you hate it too much" blah blah blah. I tend not to post in such threads because, really, I don't care about anyone else's opinion other than my own, LOL. And it doesn't bother me until people get aggressive/defensive, you know?

I think most of us are in the grey area, we'll give every single a chance but it doesn't mean you have to like it just because it is an Ayumi product. I guess it's overreacting to think that fans just aren't satisfied. But it's definitely an observation that many people share, so you aren't alone in thinking people are unsatisfied.

Exactly. I agree. Seriously, I don't really care if some fans hate it to death or love every single thing Ayu does. If her new material is nice and i'm liking it, that's great. A fan that absolutely hate the song won't change my opinion about it.

Some fans can be quite dramatic.

Exactly. Fact that I hate it and say it shouldn't cause me to be pointed out as a bad guy.

:yes

I dislike songs because I dislike them. I like songs because I like them. It doesn't matter if they were made in 2005 or 205. I give songs a chance, I do it with all my music, but there's nothing that'll make me like a song that I don't think is good.

//hikari - I pretty much agree with everything you've said.

Yeah, I mean hey, everybody has their own taste in music. You can't possibly expect every damn fans to love every song Ayu does... You hate it. I love it. And that's absolutely normal.

I think this album will come close to rivaling the power of her I am... album. The singles seem like such powerful songs and the album, unless she produces poor album tracks, will be unbelievable.

I totally agree. I must add, however, that her songs, good or bad, have a tendency to grow on me...XD

If Ayu were to release one of her old songs nowadays, I'd love it that much more because it'd be compared with today's crap.

I'm not being dramatic, I'm being me. I'm always like this.

Personally, I think that this is a better year than last year, although I still listen to MY STORY more than any of her other albums. STEP you is my favorite song of 2005. I think Ayu's doing pretty damn good.

I admire that she takes risks with her music, even though other people may call it carelessness. It's something I expect out of her, and frankly, I would disappointed if she didn't take on a new genre every once in a while. Do I want a whole album of songs by her like B&D? No, not really, but one song can be fun. I'm still waiting for more of Pride, though.

All I can say is that I'm really looking forward to her new album, whatever it's going to be called. And like somebody else said, unless she just makes really crummy album tracks, then I'll probably be "satisfied" with this whole year.

i enjoy her recent releases. they've been far better than last year and i'm glad she's trying new genres to experiment with.

i know there are people who don't like them, but it's all a matter of opinion.

I agree with you with regards to your points, Calico. Last year was not really so experimental though I must say it was probably the time where she was having most fun, most of all since she speaks about how she released what she felt like releasing. Last year was still good nonetheless. I just feel that this year was more experimental.

Sometimes I do admit that I miss her old style in her old albums but I suppose artists do indeed change after all. I was really happy how she released HEAVEN which gave me this feeling of a new version of Dearest. And she had quite a lot of powerful tracks nevertheless. is this LOVE? and Alterna were simply excellent tracks. Unless she does release some crappy album with a lot of tracks stuffed together just to release an album, I won't be satisfied. Otherwise I must say that this year wasn't really that bad.

I do agree that she is being a lot more experimental this year and I'm glad. I think it's important for musicians to do that so they can grow as artists. Just because I don't like something she puts out doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to hate everything after that. It's just one single...

Yeah, exactly :yes

yes..I'm not quite satisfied
ayu's singles is like me going on a roller coaster...theres up and theres lots of downs...

Ever since the "Daybreak" single released most of her singles qualities arn't that great..the only 2 truly single I found myself enjoy within this 3 years is actually "STEP you/is this LOVE? and HEAVEN"..mature'd in music perhaps or ayu is trying to find what is suitable for her(example of a sucess "Amuro Namie" her R&B style got her more new fans)
and you can just tell by looking back at the charts in the pre-I am.. era.

Most if not all her singles sells very well and no don't blame it on dling
is just ppl lost interests in her because of her music don't stand out compares to back then
and yes she still have her popularity but with more new artists bumbing out
with unique style..ayu is digging her own grave fast

Her recent releases might not be as great as her releases from "I am..." era but I'm just so glad it's way better than everything she released for "MY STORY".

I like B&D. And Pride.

I still think Ayu's brilliant.

If anything, I think she's getting even better.

single wise, yes.:yes Album wise, I'm not sure.. Hopefully yes too.

This new, "experimental" sound doesn't always necessarily mean that it's good. This single is definitely shows that.

I think everyone is dissapointed in the upbeat songs that she has recently come up with. :O It's like..only her ballads are working for them. I wonder why...

I guess it all depends on people's preferences. =/

You both summed it up quite well. :yes

we can't make ourselves like a song... I bet there were people who were unhappy during the "I am..." period.

I'll join you! I don't see why people hate her new releases. She's always trying something new, so give her a chance, because I know almost all of you wouldn't be able to have success on a new song or like a new topic for writing. You will never be the best on your first try, you'll always have faults. It's just Ayu doesn't have as much faults as some of us do.

A positive will look at the product, and focus on the good.

A negative will look at the product, and focus on the bad.

I think she's getting better with new genres! And I think B&D is starting to grow on me! It's not that uneven as I made it out to be and it does really sound rather catchy! And it seems even better that Ayu seems to be having fun singing!

Still, I agree that a lot of fans are not satisfied? In fact, I don't think they ever will be? If Ayu does do something like the I am ... era, people would complain "Oh, she's doing this again? It's so boring" and when she does something new, "Yucks, new genre, I don't like it".

I'm not saying that everyone should LOVE everything Ayu releases, and it's ok that people are entitled to their own opinions. However, all in all, yar, I think as fans we have to examine our own mentalities and perceptions? It does reflect on our view of life at times though ...

I wouldn't consider it "experimental" at all. Just because Ayu's never done it before doesn't mean the music is in any way "new" or "groundbreaking" or "experimental". When it's done poorly on top of that, then I have a problem with it. If she were truely trying a new sound that didn't seem so recycled then I'd be willing to cut some slack on that.

(p.s. even though I quoted you it's not directed at you, chuck ;))


And can we all stop trying to predict people's future reactions? That's when we all hit a brick wall in a dicussion and people end up offended and get defensive.

Both of you said it in a philosophical way! I think she's getting better too! In AYu's career, I prefer to look at the positive side since the good outnumber the bad. She has many milestones, Freedom/Carnival will be the next! ^^

Just what are people looking for? I think that we hit a semi-good note with Will, and people seemed to like it, but other than that, the majority were '...ew...' at her other stuff this year. At least, most of the main singles, and her coupling songs were loved, i.e alterna, is this LOVE?. I don't get it though.. What if she make some masterpiece song like from her I am... days, but it gets passed off as crap? Is it that 'easy' to distinguish what from her is bad and what isn't?

I'm a very open listener to her music I guess.. I don't listen to it comparing it to her other songs.. :x
Zeo

That's what I'm afraid of, although it's kind of inevitable. Look what happend to Madonna. She was cutting edge and cool and people listened to the message she was sending. And then she started making mediocre music and experimenting with stuff and she just got boring to people. She's still around today, sure, but she hardly has the power she once did. It's like the world just keeps her around because "Oh, isn't that Madonna?" It's like she's the mailbox or something -- you don't pay particular attention to it, but it has to be there "just because". Britney Spears is starting to go through the same thing.

While it's good to experiment and vary your art, pulling things way out of nowhere is rarely a good idea. It just shows lack of skill and says that you've basically dried up and don't know where to go next. B&D is bad because it is (1) pulled out of nowhere and (2) generic.

Some people are looking at it inside the Ayubox. For Ayu, yes, B&D is something new and exciting. But as far as the whole musical universe is concerned, B&D is nothing cool. It's gospel meets pop, chanting out "ooh, yeah!" "be free!" "let me hear ya!" Now, there's nothing wrong with that. But since when has Hamasaki Ayumi, a woman who I first started respecting because of her ability to take emotion and make it the most beautiful poetry, said things like "Woo yeah, be free, let me hear ya"? Not to mention "1 2 STEP you" "so wow wow wow wo, oh no no no no"...

How do these compare? The woman who once sang:

I'm looking up at the blurred sky
So my tears don't well up and fall.

Why can't people live
The way they feel?

I don't need a weak heart that can't cry,
Nor the strength not to cry.

I'm searching for a falling star
To wish upon,

But daybreak is so soon
And I still haven't found one.

There is never a day
That I remember you,

Because there was never a time
That I forgot about you.

...is now singing....

BOLD & DELICIOUS
Don't stay silent and watch, stand up, yeah
BOLD & DELICIOUS
Wow
Yeah, be free!
Be free!
Raise your voice higher!
Raise it!
Let me hear it!
Let me hear it!
"I'm right here!"

Sure, it's fun and it's carefree and it's positive. But surely you can see how some fans would find this change disappointing. It just doesn't say anything - it's generic words tied to a melody. And what made Ayu so special in the first place was her words.

Plus, she doesn't often compose her music. And if the composition isn't hers, and the lyrics she did write are not that meaningful... that kind of makes her a generic artist like the thousands of others out there that get shoved on the back burner.

I repeat this a million times but if anything she is only getting better in my opinion.

I see it as, if I enjoy it it's a positive thing for me and yay! and for those who hate it then their missing out. As long as I'm happy and I'm gaining something, why complain?

Ayu fans seriously should be studied hahaha but yeah a new song I enjoy can only benefit me, why should I care if someone else hates it?

Anyways I wish "Bold & Delicious" would just be released already!!!

This year has been quite disappointing. Sure she's trying new things, but that doesn't mean they're all good. 'STEP you', 'alterna', and possibly 'Is this LOVE?' are the only good things Ayumi has made this year.

But we all know 90% of the people who say they're disappointed with Ayu will still buy her new album. We always do. :P

I've seem people saying the same thing to some of her latest songs lyrics. Why do people actually forgets that the "ayu of amazing lyrics" also has songs like AUDIENCE? A song from the time Duty was released, so yep, the moment she was on top, from a time most people considered her stuff to be decent. The lyrics of that song are as empty as B&D. "YES! Datte, clap your hand, spread your arms, shout blah blah blah". But people tend to forget she sometimes writes songs like that and blame it all that she has changed lately so much, because she never ever wrote stupid lyrics until recently. I guess it's because whatever is new has actually got to be extremely criticized. :shrug I'm not sure why fans get dissapointed as if it's the first time she is doing that becaused she always release at least 1 song that's all about being random, jumping, etc.

I'm a somewhat new fan, so I like the recent releases more than the first ones, the first ones were either too poppy or too dance (though I like the dance ones), her recent music has more of an edgy sound, it's more power pop instead of pure pop, though B&D creeps me out, I'll just wait 'til I can hear a HQ version of it.

I don't think this has been a terribly bad year for Ayu, even though I do think STEP you is as puke-worthy as Greatful days was.
But, I definitely don't like Ayu as much as I did in the I am... days, and it's not because she's "experimenting" or whatever, I think it's really just because her music is often boring now. How many of us REALLY want to hear another HAL arrangement??? I just wish her music didn't sound so perfect/polished/fake...Memorial address is SUCH an amazing song; her voice cracks, the background singers aren't autotuned, etc. If she did more songs like that, I'd be "satisfied". My dream Ayu album would have tasuku and Shingo Kobayashi doing all the arrangements, and Ayu doing all the lyric and music composing herself.
That being said, I'm excited for Bold & Delicious, even if it's only because it's something she hasn't done before.

On a side note, I love your Aimee Mann sig ImpactBreaker.

I couldn't agree more.

^ Yeah I agree on that point. I am also starting to wish she could get rid of her backing vocalists for a while.

there is an eternal fight between the past ayu and new ayu... and it will always be like that. Some ppl just got tired of her but keep on thinking they will have another fly high or never ever and they complain that the new music is not as good as the past.

Well... they got stucked to an ayu that dosen't exist anymore and it goes for her music and herself as an artist the best she can do NOW is what she's been doing lately.

Like i've said she's moving forward and her music keeps getting better so she might not have another evolution or SEASONS but she will have and STEP you and HEAVEN.

So in the end I think some ppl will NEVER EVER be satisifed! that's why they are all grumpy and moody when posting haha :P

perfectly put! :D

Haha, I'm not so grumpy :)

I think she changed alot since then. Her songs, her image, many things. And when there's changes, there's bound to be some of this and that which may not be too much of your liking. Some people like it, some people don't.

If I want to compare, I would say I like her past works from I am and before compared to now. But, that doesn't mean her recent releases are crappish or lousy. There are a few nice ones like Alterna, Step You (imo).

It's hard to think of how I'd feel if the recent releases were released back then because her voice has also changed and her recent releases are catered to her current voice.

Well i am quite dissatisfied. The proportion of songs that i actually like and find listanable have gone down over the years. But still, i keep a close eye on her.

I think its more of my tastes that have changed than actually Ayumi. This is true for a lot of fans i think.

Well I know alot of people think that her I am... days were her best... but that's because she composed them herself... I think I would like her to slow down and compose some songs again... Everyone loves CREA songs... just look at Will

I love ayu's songs still. Ayu isn't changing really... it's the music industry that's changing... most n00b Ayu lovers won't appreicate her older stuff like us older fans... because music style has changed and music from 3-4 years ago does sound older...

I've always admired Ayu's new styles and trying to try every genre...

Yep, that's one good reason.


Thank you. I love her songs and thematic albums :)

I am the same. She is one of the only artists that I like thar I can confidently say that I have never heard a song by that I disliked. I love Ayu. :heart

I think some people are taking everything way too seriously.

Some can't stop complaining about every single song. Okay, "B & D" is something new. Maybe you don't like it. But have you ever thought of Ayu? Maybe she LOVES that kind of song. Maybe she always thought of singing a song like that. Maybe she wanted, for once, to sing a song she likes instead of what the fans like. Maybe I'm completly wrong.

I don't know. I think some fans expect too much and are never satisfied with anything she makes...

There's a big difference between being a fan and obsessively liking everything she releases. I still support her and her musical choices but I don't necessarily have to enjoy everything that comes out of her mouth....

I second Steven's post.

I'm not dissapointed. I think it's good thing that she's exploring different types of music genres. I like it that she's still inventive and able to come up with new stuff because people will get tired of listening to the old ones again and again. I'm just dissapointed that she didn't compose lots of songs this year. I hope her new album will contain some CREA composition. Oh well, you can't please everybody.

What's wrong with complaining? hahahahah

completly agree with you.

Mikayuko is overreacting..... its not like "why they keep visiting the forum".

we r just talking about new releases. And yes, the song are getting more and more similar, boring. "RAINBOW" was Ayu´s limit, I think. I think that maybe, just maybe, if Avex didn´t expose her so much, with PVs, remixes (uncuntables bunches of remixes), her song would seem better now. But all she could do, she did. All styles she was into..... well.... and now where does she fit?

I like her... admire her, but talking about MUSIC, i think its over, and period.

:thud u said everything.

hahaha. greatful days > step you imo. 'memorial address' the album is my personal favorite despite it's lack of quantity (i wish moments was on it). . . . i could care less when it was released.

Well, now I'm satisfied with Bold And Delicious! She managed something different yet beautiful at the same time.. Lets wait for the lyrics and Pride's PV now.. :P

But "AUDIENCE" came from somewhere; it's a tribute. "Bold and Delicious" just feels so random and careless.

Her lyrics really are going down in meaning, though. And it makes sense -- how much can she have left to write about? She's done being lonely, being confused, being angry, being sad, being happy, being in love, being lost, being shy, being weak, being strong, and every combonation of those. In great depth, I might add, and detail. But "MY STORY" was very watery, it didn't dig quite so deep and wasn't as gritty. Of her singles since then, only "alterna" has really had powerful lyrics. "STEP you" has average J-pop lyrics; "is this LOVE?" is great, but a very different style for Ayu - it's kind of a story song more than any of her others; "fairyland" is sweet, and there's nothing really to attack about it - it sets a mood, more than expresses emotion, which is fine; "HEAVEN" ... I love the song, but I'm not so sure how genuine the lyrics are - I get the impression she wrote mostly from the film, rather than personal experience, or at least embellished her experience to meet the movie's story; "Will" has 2 good lines, really, and then just a lot of imagery.

I'm not saying any of this is bad, because a good writer can never really write a bad lyric without cringeing. But it seems to be that her lyrics have already begun a transition into a different place. She's written everything already. She seems to be happy in her life now, and all the nitty-gritty stuff is out of the way and in the past.

"alterna" warned us, didn't it? "If you're afraid of change, watch from far away." She's different now. And while I can totally appreciate her new stuff, her older stuff is just much more me. Some people grow with an artist and follow them all the way through to the end. Others don't, and go their own way. You can't say she hasn't changed, that would be blatantly ignorant. You've gotta look at the big picture. Looking back on Ayu 20 years from now, you'll see a pattern of hills and valleys. She had her high points and her low points.

"A Song for XX" was really rough around the edges, her writing was good, her voice was bad, she had potential. "LOVEppears" was much more polished and had a completely new sound; her thoughts were much more gathered, as well as her voice being much stronger. "Duty" was another reinvention, with more serious music and her lyrics delving even deeper into her heart. "I am..." was where the music and the lyrics met at a really really strong place. "RAINBOW" was where "new Ayu" started to emerge; it was very similar to "I am...," but more shiny and glossy where "I am..." was gritty. "Memorial Address" was kind of a grab bag; level ground. "MY STORY" was a little watery all around, in that it was kind of a summary of her entire career wrapped into one album; nothing incredibly substantial, because it was kind of a review -- still good material, though. I feel like "MY STORY" was even a goodbye to the old Ayu, and now we're in new Ayu land. She's happy, she lovin' life, she's done it all, she's said it all, she has it all... of course she's changed.

But "Bold and Delicious" still sucks.

i'm not dissatisfied...her new singles don't "disappoint" me or what not.
i'm just glad that she is still here in the pretty pony~pretty pony~pretty pony~ music industry...
especially with neg. reports of how she is declining and all~
also, i like how she is exploring her music options. you may never know, maybe the next single, she'll start to rap and then do some major dance offs.

to conclude, i'm just glad the world still has ayu making music.

evolusean, I agree with a lot of the things you mention about her changing. ;) However, that's no excuse to say AUDIENCE is a tribute. The lyrics are cheap, be it a tribute or not (what if B&D is a tribute as well?), and it was ayu who wrote them, and she made it in the Duty era, a moment you even mentioned her lyrics were deeper.
And well, I'm looking at the bigger picture, I know that her songs have changed and that her lyrics in a way too, but I also know her past was not all made of gold, she has written cheap lyrics before (AUDIENCE), she has some old songs that aren't exactly masterpieces. She had her flaws in the past, some of them she improved, others not, she got other different flaws, and her style changed, for worse or for the better depending on fans tastes. But that's what she has always done, since ASFXX is completely different from LOVEppears and that one is completely different from Duty and so on.

A lot of her past lyrics could actually be quite confusing and with breaks, sometimes not even having a conclusion to it (I actually like that though). To me it sounds she's being a little more objective with her lyrics recently, I think I can get the messages more easily now. I'm not sure if that means her lyrics have cheapened, but I can say she still can make rather good lyrics. She doesn't only talk about happiness at the moment, About you is proof enough of it (there are several other new stuff as well). I also disagree that she has worn out everything she could talk about. All of the subjects you pointed out can be felt by the same person in several different situations and felt in several different ways. If I were to write down my feelings about personal experiences roughly to make songs, I would have material for thousands of lyrics, anybody has, but I don't have ayu's talent to write it down on paper the way she does. That's one of her real talents, to pick several things of her personal life and write it down into lyrics the way she does.

since when was being depressed and mentally unstable the only way to be deep and meaningful? you can still have good lyrics that are happy. (although i agree, STEP you and bold/delicious are pretty lame imo). i wouldn't say things are exactly changing though; alterna was a masterpiece and real me was tacky. the order is random, it's not one thing or another.

I'm really enjoying 2005 releases, B&D is wonderful for me. And yes, I love the lyrics, the video, everything about it. I'm really satisfied about her recent releases.

I like both of Ayu's older and most recent releases. It doesn't matter to me the time of release.

Yeah that's true..but I always liked loveppears even though it's not recent~^^

No, no, you're not alone^^ I think she's getting better, too. Mostly I like the new singles more than the old ones

#2 and 3 applies me ^^

There's nothing wrong with complaining. But gees. If every fans can't even just accept the songs Ayu works so hard on and just complain about every little thing because it's not their taste and they're not satisfied, well she might as well just retire. It would be fun for her to only make music her fans like instead of music she likes. In mean, the woman can't please everybody. She has a life to you know.

I don't think it's right to criticize her for not always making "deep&meaningful" lyrics. To me, lyrics are supposed to either contrast or go along with the theme of the musical piece, if the music is fun and carefree, why are lyrics "bad" or "bland" if they reflect it. I always thought the lyrics for AUDIENCE were really good, because they reflected the mood of the song perfectly.

^ I think the lyrical depth is only an issue if people assume that Ayumi will always be "deep" in her songs. If there apparently isn't a meaning, then it would make Ayumi like the (unfairly) maligned artists who just do fun songs, and that's somewhat disappointing to some fans. This has nothing to do with the lyrics of Audience, it's just a general observation from mod-ing.

There are more types of people than that.

Me for example. 'A Song for XX' to 'I am...' are really good. 'RAINBOW' is not as good, but still has plenty of good, stand-out tracks. 'Memorial address' is a masterpiece, one of Ayu's best. 'MY STORY' is about 90% good.

And now onto this year. I loved 'STEP you'. 'Is this LOVE?' was pretty good. 'fairyland' has grown on me but still isn't very good. 'alterna' is quite good. 'HEAVEN' is ok. 'WILL' is bad. 'B.A.D' is just awful.

As you can see, it's a song-to-song thing with me. Sometimes Ayumi goes up, sometimes she goes way down. And I'm sure most of the people who seem like total "haters" since the 'B.A.D' PV like plenty of Ayumi's good music.

Just because someone hates one song, doesn't mean they completely hate Ayu. They may just have lost all respect for her at the moment for making 'B.A.D' at all (Me included), but many will still enjoy her new album.

And depth I could care less about, as Ayumi is a popstar, and it's not unexpected that several of her songs/PVs are/will be pointless and fun.

:)

ANd just why they would assume such a thing remians an unanswered question, I mean, she's always had some carefree lyrics on each album. :rolleyes

i prefer the past ayu, with all her rock songs and maxi singles with lots of remix, her past looking was better i think too

my favourite song will stay "surreal"

It seems a lot of people are comparing her lyrics in the past and present and talking about the heavy changes in them. Personally, I read the lyrics for enjoyment and I find them interesting to analyze and what not, but when I listen to the song I do not particular pay attention to the meaning of the song, rather then the emotional effort put out in her voice. Instead of lyrics of which I'm suppose to understand, her voice becomes an instrument to me. When people say her songs are getting weaker and emptier, it kind of bothers me because I feel her singing has improved significantly, and her songwriting abilities have remained equally good. I enjoy her earlier voice, but I really do like her voice right now. I also like the direction of her new songs. I think she really does a good job on her newer pieces. I'd take fairyland and alterna over daybreak and dearest anyday of the week.

Like I said before, things like lyrics don't particularly affect me since I do not know japanese. I think I speak for a lot of people here when her vocals become an instrument as opposed to words we are suppose to understand. I also think that some of the meaning and emotions are lost through translations when they're put into english. So you can't say "these lyrics are cheap and meaningless" because perhaps we have missed something. Maybe it's just me, but I find a lot of her lyrics really odd, but not in a bad way. I feel most of her songs have many meanings, and are really open to debate and discussion of what they really mean based on the translations (masa, wataru) I have read.

If this doesn't make sense or lacks organization then I apologize, I'm just writing what I feel based on what I've read in this thread. I hope you all get what I'm saying though.

I totally agree with you. And I think you make a lot of sense. Well put. =) It's really how I feel too, one of the things I find/found unique about ayu, how she sung when I first heard her songs gave me some impression of what the song was about (along with the arrangement and all that), and when I checked the lyrics.... They were almost always like the impression/feelings I had from listening. I really love ayu's ability to do that, I haven't ever heard any other singer that does is equally well.

i can honestly say, i like evry Ayu song up to date. Bold and Delicious is even my favorite. :luv2

that;s what i'm saying too...(at t-n) her music is supposed to be funand pointless if you want... but there are a lot of extreme ppl saying like.. ''OMG B.A.D. is sooooo aweful!! she's defenittly going down!'' this kind of comments are funny...

I understand that not everyone has to like everything ayu does... and that maybe not everything ayu touches turns gold (as I once said a loooooong time ago n_n) but why being so critical about pop music to the point that you get all mad and grumpy?? haha these ppl may not be freaky-ayu-fans that like evrything ayu does, but they are certainly freaky in other ways

you just have to like the music and feel it n_n it's just pop music n_n