[*Petit*]

I never said the melody of fairyland and Blue Bird were the same, I said that the instrumentation and feeling of the song were similar.

First I must apologize for quouting you, the content wasen't all directed just at your posts. I don't want to be bashing And I agree that the instrumentation to a certain extent sounds a bit the same, but it's hard to judge from this preview. To me fairyland gives a feeling of nostalgia, born to be a "victorious" olympic feeling (before it gets on my nerves =P) and BLUE BIRD is just fun, cute and catchy.

The melody of Born to Be though, is quite similar to Blue Bird's chorus.(from where she starts saying takara no michi in Born to Be)

I was trying to make a MIDI of the two different passages, perhaps I post it later. =P I don't think they're that similar, not at all as similar as fairyland and Angels sonng are. The first three notes in BB are the same as in AUDIENCE. as for the rest.. I don't know.

It's still verse-chorus-verse-chorus-instrumental-bridgy thingy-chorus-close - but that is the structure of most of her songs these days anyway, not just the pop songs.

Almost every song released is like that no matter which genre, even a lot of classical pieces are arranged like that. That structure is basically the same as for traditional written novels, stage palys etc too, it builds towards an intense climax and then the solution or ending.

The last ayu-song that was "unusual" was HEAVEN which was basically verse verse bridge bridge chorus. And her songs have always been mostly like that, the other songs are exceptions.

I think it sounds like most of her ultra poppy songs released post Rainbow, ie Angels Song, Replace, fairyland and the like - you basically could have substituted anyone of those songs into your comparison instead of using fairyland I think.

Actually I thought of doing that with each and every song, but it would've taken too much time. =P

But all of this aside, my main point has always been, that yes this song isn't bad and it can be fun. But that I think at this point in Ayu's career, she needs more than that - especially with all the Koda stuff happening. She needs to have a song that is really going to grab the public and make them want to get to the store to buy it and not have it be something that the general public feels like they have heard from her multiple times before.

Well, you have a point, but I don't know what type of song that could be. It would have to be a song that still is considered mainstream, if people are to buy it. What can she do would be considered "New" without going too far outside her style (we all saw what happened to B&D, Pride and BTB right?). Ayu's problem is that she's done so many diffrent thing, there're few styles left to do.

IMO koda's popularity isen't mainly because of music, but I haven't got enough material of hers to make a sensible statement. But the songs I've herad of hers are very traditional popular songs in every aspect. And she hasen't got as big a reportoire as ayu either (rock, classical, trance, dance, etc etc.) =X Perhaps this will change now though, when she's releasing more and getting to work with more different people.

I do think however that it's smart from avex as a company's point of view to push forth koda instead of ayu or f.ex otsuka, because they'll make more money from koda and can hire more people. Koda doesen't do anything except singing and dancing (I think...?) Just like the traditional idols. She doesen't make any money writing songs or lyrics (Or does she..? Forgive me if she does, but I haven't got that impression).
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IN the end it's all about whether we like what we hear or not. Someone can do a lot to try to quirk the song into something interesting, but all in all it's the overall impression that counts. I feel like there's so much focus on "I don't like this or that with the song (arrangement, lyrics, melody, whatever)" and sometimes these wordsdoesen't really apply to whatever someone doesen't like. For me it's ok just to "dislike" a song because it doesen't grab you, you get no feelings from it, you generally don't like it. Because in the end there's not the arrangements or melody alone that makes you like the songs, but the song as a whole. F.ex I really love HEAVEN, but Surreal never really got to me for some reason, allthough the arrangements for both songs are "untraditional", and there's nothing wrong with either melodies.