Best Ballads of 2009
 

Ballads are always my favorite so I'd like to know what were your favorites of 2009 since there were so many amazing ones. The only rule is that the songs have to have been released in an album or single released in 2009 ( :yes ).

I added video or a link to one in spoilers for some of the lesser-known songs that I think deserve(d) more attention that I particular loved. In order of singer:

alan
Gunjou no Tani
Kuon no Kawa

Ayaka
Yume wo mikata ni
Koikogarete mita yume
Minna sora no shita

Ayumi Hamasaki
You were...
BALLAD

Becky
Kokoro komete


BENI
Mou nido to...
Koikogarete


BoA
Mamoritai~White Wishes~

Kaela Kimura
Doko


Kobukuro
STAY


KOH+
Saiai

MISIA
Yes forever
Aitakute ima

Monkey Majik
Aishiteru

Ringo Shiina
Ariamaru tomi

Sayuri Sugawara
Kimi ni Okuru uta

Spontania feat. JUJU
Kimi no subete ni

Superfly
My Best of My Life

Thelma Aoyama
Todoketai
Wasurenai yo

Tohoshinki
Doushite kimi wo suki ni natte shimatta n darou
Stand by U

i think this song is considered as ballad also
EXILE-ai subeki mirai e

Chihiro Onitsuka - Last Melody

That is all.

Ayaka :Yume wo mikata ni

chihiro onitsuka - kagerou



hitomi - Sagashi Tsudzuketeta mono



misia - aitakute ima

alan:
Tsuki ga Watashi
Kuon no Kawa (tie with my life for favorite ballad of 2009)

my life (tie with Kuon no Kawa for favorite ballad of 2009)

Gunjou no Tani
Together

Utada:
This One (Crying like a Child)

BoA:
Eien
Mamoritai ~White Wishes~

Perfume:
Negai

I still love u


Mika Nakashima:
Nagareboshi

Shoko Nakagawa:
Arigatou no Egao


Yes....no Ayu or Kumi on this list....though sadly...if this was the end of 2008, Koda Kumi's Moon Crying wouldve been my favorite ballad and Ayu's Days would be a top one too

oh this's easy of sorts 8D & I will not list down what other people have already listed since it's quite obvious/boring to a certain extent

I just list those that people might know or might not know

BREAKERZ

Hikari

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Awgzdk8SrE

the song means a LOT to the guys & so do other songs in their discography but I remembered I was watching their 1st DVD BREAKERZ LIVE 2009 "WISH" in Nippon Budokan & they did this song as the 2nd last encore no.

frontman DAIGO was almost on the verge of breaking down as this's 1 song that's very touching ;___;

I was pissed at that time when someone on here who downloaded their Hikari single said that it suck & all :o , well put a sock in it :eviltongu

Winter Bell

their 1st B-side to get a PV & the song's so touching/beautiful . It's perfect to balance off the crazy LOVE FIGHTER ~Koi no Battle~ xD

Orion

GIRL NEXT DOOR released Orion but I also like this from the guys :P . Guitarist AKIHIDE is a mad genius for composing/writing such a great ballad which's taken from their FIGHTERZ album

Snow Rose

ditto on what I said about Orion

Dandelion ~Acoustic Version~

Found in their 4th single GRAND FINALE & it's so beautiful :smitten

Nanzenkai ... Nanmankai ... ~Acoustic Version~

Found in their 5th single Everlasting Luv / BAMBINO ~Bambino~ , this's a great orchestra driven no which's so different from the original

damn <3

abingdon boys school - From Dusk Till Dawn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F581DaCBVE

great song . I don't know if this can be counted as a ballad but I really like it & I think it's way better than Kimi no Uta

B'z - MY LONELY TOWN

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xat...-town-pv_music

not sure if this can be counted as a ballad but this kick ass basically & frontman Koshi is hot X____X

flumpool

Mitsumeteitai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYO7ZNkKBQo

yeah I know alan has a song of the same title in her my life album but sorry I like flumpool's one a lot more than hers xD

the PV's very simple & conveys the message of this song very nicely

Frame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd5JBMOra9c

this year's answer to Over the rain ~Hikari no Hashi~ :heart . The album version's so long at almost 8 mins D: but it's still a nice no.

UVERworld - Kanashimi wa Kitto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGsVfyOjzxk

lovely ballad & frontman TAKUYA is just *_____* @_@

GIRL NEXT DOOR - Orion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGq8inl3dsw

their 1st winter ballad

too bad it's their worst charting single to date T_T

Matsushita Yuya - LAST SNOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrQPps85960

nice ballad but he looked so much older than his actual age in the PV X_____X

he's 19 but he looks 29 in there D: thank goodness he had a makeover after he released LAST SNOW LOL

Kanjani∞ - Snow White

the best GIFT song outta the 7 songs that're scattered all over their 3 GIFT singles

helps that band members Ryo Nishikido & Shota Yasuda wrote & composed this together :luv2

KinKi Kids - Yakusoku

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0FMUt5hLbE

ARASHI - Ashita no Kioku

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCI9JqlN0oE

I can list somemore but I think I stop here xD

To me 2009 was a (very) bad year for ballads. These are the ones I enjoyed:

GACKT - LOST ANGEL

hamasaki ayumi - BALLAD /You were...

BoA - White wishes

and some of the alan songs already listed.

@Deep River

How DARE I forget alan ( :no )!?

@KarenPang

Well I thought of making it a competition of sorts to see what was the most popular one but You were... or Alive would end up winning so I thought it was pointless so I'm glad you posted stuff I've never heard of.

sorry but Tohoshinki's Doushite kimi wo suki ni natte shimattan darou? was released in 2008. Their 2009 singles with BALLADS are:

Bolero
忘れないで
Stand by U

if including their album, it will also include:

TAXI

I included it cause The Secret Code was released in January 09 (right?) ( :yes ). I forgot Bolero!! Ironically that was the first song I liked by Tohoshinki.

Best ballad of 09 for me

ikimono-gakari - YELL <333
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owQFLAkGsRc

Namie Amuro - The Meaning of Us
Ayumi Hamasaki - Ballad/You Were...
TVXQ - Stand by You, Bolero, TAXI, Wasurenaide. (doushite was released in '08, ne?)
BoA - Eien/Mamoritai
Ayaka - Minna sora no shita

Probably more that I can't remember right now

Nana Mizuki - Shin Ai
Ayumi Hamasaki - BALLAD
ARASHI - Everything
Utada - This one (crying like a child)
Namie Amuro - The Meaning of Us
alan - my life

A lot of my favorite ballads from this year come from hiromi's debut album~

Here's a little CM sampler...
My favorites are Your Song, RAINBOW, Ikari Boshi, and Aisaretai.

Those are all GREAT R&B ballads.

Wow um....

ayumi hamasaki
-BALLAD
-You Were...
-Sunset~LOVE is ALL~

Utada Hikaru
-This One

Namie Amuro
-Meaning of Us

alan
-All of her ballads released thus far.

others but can't think of anymore right now :P.

thanks & yeah I also share the same sentiments as you

I could have list the usual ayumi , Kumi Kuu , alan & Namie's ballads that were released for 2009 but it will be the same ones that pretty much everybody knows

The Secret Code was released in March 25th actually, same day as Ayu's NEXT LEVEL. XD I guess technically you could say Doushite could be an 09' song, but its single was released in 08, :laugh Still one of their greatest ballads though. :yes

From my favourites:

alan:
群青の谷
月がわたし
One
白い翼

安室奈美恵:
The Meaning Of Us

アンジェラ・アキ
手紙　～拝啓 十五の君へ～

BoA
まもりたい ～White Wishes～

GACKT:
Oblivious～顔にない天使～
雪月花 -The end of silence-
斬～ZAN～

浜崎あゆみ:
GREEN
BALLAD

中村中:
さよならは言わないで

鬼束ちひろ:
蛍

Plastic Tree:
真っ赤な糸

ルルティア:
サイレントプレヤー
Opus

椎名林檎:
ありあむ富

I'm gonna name songs that were not included in the first post~

alan
my life
BALLAD ～名もなき恋のうた～
Beauty

Koda Kumi
Alive

Namie Amuro
The Meaning of Us
MY LOVE

After School
When I Fall

Big Bang
Koe wo Kikasete

Mika Nakashima
Nagareboshi
Memory

Girls' Generation
1 Year Later
Dear. Mom

Hwayobi
Once :yes

LeeSsang
Men Who Can't Break Up, Women Who Can't Leave

Park Bom
You and I

Taeyang
Wedding Dress

~there are some others, but i forgot their release date x_x ~

alan
"久遠の川" (Kuon no Kawa)
"BALLAD ~名もなき恋のうた~" (Namonaki Koi no Uta)
"my life"

ARASHI
"明日の記憶" (Ashita no Kioku)

Ayaka Hirahara
"ミオ・アモーレ" (Mio Amore!)

Ayumi Hamasaki
"You were..."
"BALLAD"
"Sunset ~LOVE is ALL"

Becky
"心こめて" (Kokoro Komete)

BoA
"まもりたい ~White Wishes~" (Mamoritai)
"THE END そして and..." (Sohite)

BREAKERZ
"光" (Hikari)

GIRL NEXT DOOR
"Orion"
"時の雫" (Toki no Shizuku)

JUJU
"明日がくるなら" (JUJU with JAY'ED)
"明日がくるなら" ballad solo ver.

Kana Nishino
"もっと・・・" (Motto...)"
"遠くても" (Tōkutemo feat. WISE)
"Dear・・・"
"missing you"
"失恋モード" (Shitsuren Mode)

Kanjani8
"冬恋" (Fuyu Koi)
"Snow White"

Mai Kuraki
"Beautiful"

Morning Musume.
"しょうがない夢追い人" (Shōganai Yume Oibito)

Miliyah Kato
"20-CRY-"
"You don't know me"
"Love Forever" (Miliyah x Shota)

MISIA
"銀河" (Ginga)

Nana Mizuki
"親愛" (Shin'ai)

Shota Shimizu
"君が好き" (Kimi ga　Suki)

Tomohisa Yamashita
"Loveless"

Tohoshinki
"Stand by U"
"Bolero"
"忘れないで" (Wasurenaide)
"TAXI"
"9095"

WISE
"会えなくても" (Aenakutemo feat. Kana Nishino)

Yuna Ito
"trust you"
"今でも会いたいよ・・・" (Ima Demo Aitai yo...)
"No one else"

alan - kuon no kawa

ayumi hamasaki - Sunset , You were... , Ballad.

koda kumi - Alive.

namie amuro - the meaning of us

@Joel

Yay another fan of Ariamaru Tomi!! Shiina Ringo and Tokyo Incidents seem to be one of the most ignored acts in AHS that are popular in Japan (along with [particularly] Kobukuro and Superfly).

^ Yes! I agree, I've always had a soft spot for Ringo Shiina and Tokyo Incidents, they're just amazing! <3
I particularly love Adult, Innocence Moratorium and Kalk, Semen, Chestnut Flowers. XD

ayu's BALLAD for sure