why "Maria"?

[Dreamland]

nv

[ImpactBreaker]

Funny because I've never seem catholics going to churchs and praying for Mary Magdelene. I've seem them praying for Virgin Mary. Is ayu praying for Maria Magdalene in the start of the PV? I doubt it.
The song is obviously a Prayer, a prayer she's making wondering about how life can have it's up and downs, how relationships can begin slowly but they can end fast, how some people are facing happiness and other sadness at the same time, and in order to bear such insecurities people usually resort to praying, so she's doing that now, praying for Maria (she's not talking about Maria, she's praying for Maria). I don't really think she would be praying for Mary Magdalene

[chocochii]

It's nice to make an understanding to the concept of religion and the concept of listeners and fans. When artists make a reference to a religious figure (japanese figuratively choose maria, based on roman catholic traditions that are closely linked and related to Shinto, which ayumi happens to be a member of) they always try to make a spiritual connection in their music.

Maria, happening to be the "Virgin Mary" is a glorious and misunderstood figure that looks like an angel even in human form, but yet is battered down and slain because of her deathly beauty.

Another take on this is Mary Magdeline the supposed mother of Jesus Christ. A good concept on this that ayumi could have been doing is to promote a cultural shock in her music, a balad song is good mix with spirituality and however the momentum used, Maria is a figurehead that is easily rejoiced in music over... however never in anything rockish as seen in "greatful days" or "ourselves."

It's good to think of this as a call.. or a prayer.
When someone can connect to ANY spiritual energy, then they too can understand the passion that can be felt by song or by writing. Hamasaki-san has a wonderful ability to use these objects and ideals in her music to promote a figure that makes you fall to your knees to shout "MARIA!"

It helps to think of this open-mindedly... Don't fall into the religion traps thinking that Hamasaki-san is Catholic or anything of the suit, that only brings up rumors and unfortunately can disbain the name of our glorious white princess.

It's a nice song to listen too when you're down, when you need a chill pill... and I've even heard it saved a live from suicide.

If a song can touch even one person, Hamasaki-san should be proud.

[ph33r]

Originally Posted by chocochii

Another take on this is Mary Magdeline the supposed mother of Jesus Christ.

Mary Magdalene is not Jesus' mother.

And ImpactBreaker is correct, Catholics nor Christians pray for Mary Magdelene. Catholics pray for Virgin Mary.

You all realize that this thread is over a year old, right?

Anyways, in an old article, Ayumi says the song apparently came about because her producer was like, "Let's write a Christmas song" and they thought about it for a while (even sent out pleas to others to write the music, but in the end Ayumi/CREA was credited for it) So, I think any claims that Ayumi is Catholic or Christian just because of this song are most probably wrong.

[ImpactBreaker]

Yeah, the fact she wrote the lyrics M doesn't mean she's christian or catholic. It's kinda like actors acting as a lawyer for example, they aren't one, but they study a bit of how a lawyer works and such in order to do a good acting. The same goes to novel writers, they can talk about things they don't really live in real life, just by reading and researching about it. (of course in the case of producing M, there wasn't really much to study about since the references picked were rather simple and ayu used a lot more of her personal thoughts than religious references).

[orenji_jaro]

ayu is catholic! ^___^
100%! ^^
and why maria? it's because it was shot in the church, she's in a white wedding dress. she has a cross necklace.. there were pigeons! ^^
so it resembles to virgin mary! ^^
and as the song says.. she's like talking to virgin mary and wishing that the guy she loves will meet her in that snowy day! ^^ but he didnt appeared and still ayu keep on waiting and keep on praying to maria. ^__^

^ Ok, seriously, that doesn't mean anything. It's just imagery for the PV. The first cross necklace Ayumi got was from her stylist and meant as a fashion accessory.

In all the articles I've read with "M" references, Ayumi never mentions anything significant about religious stuff and she never said that the PV was her idea (in fact, she's more likely to mention that her band was in the PV and that's what's so different about it)

[Delirium-Zer0]

Okay, I have to step in here. This is for everyone knocking the Mary Magdalene theory on the basis that The Da Vinci Code is inaccurate.

Yes, the book is inaccurate on alot of counts. Like that's not Mary in The Last Supper, it's Saint Peter, who was almost always described as VERY effeminate looking.

But the theory is not at all based on anything in that book. I think i was one of the first people to introduce the theory a few years ago (WAY before I ever read the Da Vinci Code, btw), and it ended up being backed up later by an interview somewhere that I haven't read but I've heard about.

I'll tell you why I came up with it here though. Mary of Magdala was Jesus' best friend, and most likely in love with him. I'm not sure it was requited, but she really cared for him. He trusted her VERY deeply, and to the other disciples it often seemed as though he gave her more attention than he gave the rest of them. In the Gospel of Mary of Magdala (yes it exists, I recommend the interpretation by Karen L. King if any of you want to read it), it is written that Jesus came in the night, giving Mary insight into the nature of goodness and sin that he did not give the other disciples (what he said is VERY controversial to Christianity as it is widely taught now). When Mary told this to the other disciples (who asked for any wisdom the Christ may have given Mary, as he loved her more than he loved them), they cast her away. Jesus' intention may have been to pass his teachings down to her, for her to pass down and carry the word. The other disciples, however, took the story for their own and taught it how THEY wanted it taught. The first bible as we know it wasn't written for several hundred years so the details may never be known. But it does seem like Christianity, as taught by Jesus Christ, was intended for Mary to pass down. They call Mary's life "rife with sin", but they also talk about how she was the first to see that Jesus had risen, and the angel spoke to HER directly, telling HER to spread the word.

Mary had to endure so much heartbreak; the true lessons of the man she loved were lost to the pride of jealous friends. Her reputation was tarnished for nearly two thousand years following, the man she cared for most was lost to her forever, and her friends all betrayed her. The resulting heartbreak could translate easily into lyrics like those in "M". Only recently has this story really been accepted by any measurable amount of people so it's worth writing about. Given the controversial nature of the subject, Ayu may have left the "Mary" reference ambiguous. But she is a very feminist person and Mary Magdalene, not the Virgin Mary, is the one who feminists most admire and, I'm sure, pray for. Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute, but a woman considered equal with the other disciples by Christ. Her memory, though, has become so dirtied that it's worth praying for, and it's worth praying for her to be reunited with her love in heaven.

[ImpactBreaker]

^Mary Magdalene is way too specific for ayu to know about. A lot of people hardly know who she is. As far as I know catholicism is the religion that pray for saints, I don't think other christian religions pray for saints (might be wrong though). Most of these people pray for Virgin Mary, I'm actually yet to see someone praying for Mary Magdalene, because I've never seem that (I live in the country with the largest ammount of chatolic population in the world). And honestly, if there ate people who pray for Mary Magdalene, they must be a very restricted group compared to the ones who pray for Virgin Mary. Delirium that story you told is long and complex, do you really think ayu knows all that? We are not even sure about what her religion is, much less that she will know about controversial stories of christian religion. I honestly don't think so. I think it was much simpler, she just picked a very well known religious icon and put it in the song to make it sound like a prayer, and it is undeniable that there are far more people who knows who Virgin Mary was than Mary Magdalene, specially those who hardly knows anything about christian religion.

Plus, a lot of japasnese artists have songs for Virgin Mary (i.e LUNA SEA)

[JackieRos]

also dragon ash made a song named M