[SECRET] Interview Part2

[truehappiness]

I imagine that Ayu's done something similar before with interlude placement, but we never had an interview to tell us

[BigAyuFan]

Originally Posted by devilayu

06. LABYRINTH
music & arrangement : H/\L

ayu: The melody is a really beautiful piece of music. Though in the piece there isn't really a song or words, there is meaning in it and the message is heartfelt. So, why is 'LABYRINTH' here (between 'It was' and 'JEWEL')? What does 'LABYRINTH' mean? I want you to think about it. I think you'll be happy when you find the answer.

hhmmm sounds like a challenge!! now im excited to hear the whole thing.i think it has something to do with the lyrics,this reminds me of her Duty album cover secret,where she said there was some sort of message to it but she wanted the audience to find out for themselves but she told them what it ment anyways thanks for the translation devilayu

[immel]

Thank you devilayu.

I hope someone figures out the mystery behind LABYRINTH and shares it with us .

[Aga-chan]

^ It was stated in the SPECIAL INTERVIEW that "It was" is about regret. So maybe "LABYRINTH" symbolizes being lost (in darkness, regret and the like) with "JEWEL" being the exit out of the LABYRINTH. It would fit the part with the scar changing into tenderness.

Just an idea.

-----

My condolences to evolusean and his family...

[immel]

A quite good idea, but Ayu said we'd be happy if we managed to figure it out, so I think it might be something else than that. Maybe it's easier when we have the lyrics of both surrounding songs.

[Aga-chan]

The question is what ayu meant by that it will make us happy. Will we be happy because we figured it out ourselves? Or will we find out something that will make us happy?

I guess we have to wait and see...

[AyuGAME]

thank you devilayu for translation...
still waiting for evolusean translation...
send my condolences to evolusean and family too...

[Axel_Grease]

Hmm, hope she's not pulling our leg and making us overthink. xD

[realize_!]

oh ayu^^ so bright and intelligent making us think like this yet another secret within the album.

[ImpactBreaker]

Originally Posted by Aga-chan

^ It was stated in the SPECIAL INTERVIEW that "It was" is about regret. So maybe "LABYRINTH" symbolizes being lost (in darkness, regret and the like) with "JEWEL" being the exit out of the LABYRINTH. It would fit the part with the scar changing into tenderness.

Just an idea.

This is quite an interesting idea. i want to know the lyrics for "It Was" and then compare them to JEWEL. If It Was indeed does sound
"regretful" or the likes, it would be really cool to have a track called LABYRINTH connecting it to JEWEL.

[truehappiness]

The season I was with you was so much brighter than anything,
That everything reflecting in my eyes was full of light.
- from "It was"

A snippet.

[BigAyuFan]

Originally Posted by Aga-chan

^ It was stated in the SPECIAL INTERVIEW that "It was" is about regret. So maybe "LABYRINTH" symbolizes being lost (in darkness, regret and the like) with "JEWEL" being the exit out of the LABYRINTH. It would fit the part with the scar changing into tenderness.

Just an idea.

i thought that too as JEWEL to be the end of the LABYRINTH or exit but i didnt know why It Was would be infrount of it and just like impactbreaker said it is kinda sad but the part that sounds most like a LABYRINTH is
Far across the road
But I didn't stop any more
I looked forward and kept walking
And I wonder how long it takes from now until I can accept it
so thats what i think so far there might be another meaning but this is the easyest one to be found right now.

[LacusClyne]

thanks devilayu for the translation.

at least i understand a little of what they are talking about.

[Qt Mashi]

Originally Posted by BigAyuFan

i think it has something to do with the lyrics,this reminds me of her Duty album cover secret,where she said there was some sort of message to it but she wanted the audience to find out for themselves but she told them what it ment anyways thanks for the translation devilayu

relli? her cover Duty WAS a secret? what did Duty album cover mean?

[extepan]

devilayu thank you for the translation!

[Ayumiko]

found the rest of the translations....if it wasnt posted before:

07 Jewel

Ayu: This is a symbolic work in the album Secret. It starts with solo piano and calmly ends with it, it consistently uses the piano sound to express the tone. I haven’t had this kind of song in a while so it was refreshing to me, and also nostalgic. Like meeting my former self… since I’ve sung this song several times on TV I think this is an impressive song to everyone, too, but it was originally a precious song to me through the performance on TV, it is becoming more precious to me lately.

Mr. Kaz: The PV was by Takeishi director?

Ayu: When deciding to shoot the PV of JEWEL, I thought “No one but Takeishi-san” could visualize the images of my songs so I offered him without hesitation. So it wasn’t by chance, it was a fatality. I believe it turned out to be great work.

Mr. Kaz: It was like “as might be expected, Takeishi director!” And it is awsome that you cant even tell the boarder line of real and CG.

Ayu: Yeah. Things were shiny and splendid throughout and it was just pretty. Wonder how many hours it took? I wanna see his working on it.

Mr. Kaz: Indeed I wanna see!

Ayu: Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!! We’ve gotta write that the making scenes are soooo great!

Mr. Kaz : Right! One can’t imagine that it (mystery) was happening just behind the fantasy PV shooting…. LOL


08 momentum

Ayu: It’s a song that took me forever to record my singing. I’m usually quick when it comes to recording but it took 4 days just for this song! Confined myself in the vocal booth and never got out. It was like, I almost felt like sleeping in that place *bitter smile* This song has taken the longest time to make ever since “Hamasaki Ayumi history” started. So it really reminds me or, should I say, it makes me cry just by listening to it.
My impression of this song is that the melody’s pretty. Just like Secret, it has Yuku’s unique atmosphere that is “Sad because it is too beautiful”.

Mr. Kaz: The PV also has that “sad/missing/lonely” and “fragile” feeling!

Ayu: What I want to express through momentum is that our feeling (=heart) and actual behavior don’t actually follow each other. We know things in mind, but we do it anyway… that point, the director Takeishi-san understands it well and make it into the PV. I want to touch him/her but I can’t. I want to appear in sight of her/him, but I should not. I know it, but I can’t stop crying, something like that…

Mr. Kaz: Yeah! That’s exactly like that. But for now we also have a dilemma that we want to tell the truth (answer) of the PV but we can’t say that, right? LOL

Ayu: Yup! There’s also something fun waiting to be discovered by you, too!

09 taskinst

Ayu: This is one of the task series, which has become customary to my album. LOL First of all please laugh at the title. LOL This one’s also like “this is task” and I like it. The melody’s pretty with the music box sound, it is sad and also eerie… sort of.
It starts with heart-beating atmosphere and all of a sudden, the guitar sound strikes! it really shows what task is like.



10. Born to be…

Ayu: The image of Born To Be…I had when it was a single and the one I have now after inserting this song in this place in this completed album is very different. Although it is my song, I have discovered many different aspects of it and became to like it more.
In the PV there is a scene that I talk about my future dream and such, and having asked what I’d do if I were to meet my former self, I answered “I’d want to tell me that future isn’t fearful”, but I now understand that meaning more than I did when I actually made that song. I think I can now feel what it meant.
And this year’s tour had this Born To Be… as the opening song, whenever I listen to this song it reminds me of the LEC showing the A-mark, shining lights spotting me and the audience cheering for me! A first song in a live concert have got to grab the audience’s heart or else it ruins the day. It really affects the mood of that day’s live, and sometimes the first song determines the rest. So it most requires concentration and tense.



11. Beautiful Fighters

Ayu: This song is arranged by CMJK-san and I take off my hat and bow to his idea and imagination! It says things like “Piiii! Hai, hai!” and such. LOL It’s real fun to work with him. He gives depth to the world of my lyrics!
The world of lyrics is a daily life of real girls. Girls of today are actually stronger! They are cute but they say surrealism stuff so naturally. I think that gap between the lyric world and its arrange and melody is interesting. The PV was also good! Indeed, Midoring’s post officer is cool. Lol

Mr. Kaz: You said that in your live’s MC too? Answering to “What if you were a man to choose one from the girls dancers?” and you gave an answer “Midoring!”

Ayu: Yeah. She’s cute. With Kayanocchi, Chisa-chan and Aki-chan, I feel like having fun loudly between girls like “Isn’t that *****” or “hey, you know what??”, but to Midoring I’m more like “Midori-chan, you are real cute” or something like that. Well in reality she has a 6-pack. LOL I also like that gap.

Mr. Kaz: When looking at that PV they are more like actors than dancers.

Ayu: Our dancers are not just dancers but actors and actresses. They have exceeded the frame of “dance” already!

Mr. Kaz: There are times when we said “we couldn’t have made our lives without them!”.

Ayu: Yeah. When having tours, I am hoping that they not only dance but also do tell and deliver (their emotion). There aren’t too many people who can do that, and who can get the chance to do it. I really respect them.

12. Blue Bird

ayu: I have memories of PV of Blue Bird than its recording! Niigata performance + Blue Bird PV (in Guam) + Sendai performance are like a set to me. Lol

Mr.Kaz: Yeah. Those days were awesome. They were really tough that I don’t even remember anything about Guam *bitter smile*

ayu: “Get some sleep on the way! You aren’t going home for a while!” and such. Lol Hey, you remember what kind of planes you flew with and such?

Mr.Kaz: Not at all. lol

Ayu: Our schedules are always fascinating though. lol But Niigata performance + Blue Bird PV (in Guam) + Sendai performance are the most fascinating ones ever. Lol

Mr.Kaz: The “fascinating” here is translated as “hard”. Lol

Ayu: And about Blue Bird, I feel that I tended to ask Kaz for advise than usual. How’s this way of shooting, how’s this angle? And questions of lights and advises.

Mr.Kaz: That’s right. But it was hard to be a messenger between Ishii director and each staff while taking videos and photographs. *bitter smile*

Ayu: Yeah I can imagine. Lol But there was less time than usual, and everyone was nervous than usual, but Kaz understood me well and you had known Ishii-chan for long so I had a lot to ask for help…

Mr. Kaz: And after coming back to Japan, I thought that I could try editing Blue Bird with Ishii director.

Ayu: You talked with me most at the shooting, and you knew so well like using that photo taken there to this place in this way and such.

Mr.Kaz: Yup! It was really good experience.

Ayu: It was our first time to create one work till its end so we had an unusual delighted feeling when it was done.

Mr.Kaz: Indeed! And we happened to run the PV on the last day of the tour and…. Well,, I almost started crying in the middle of shooting (there is a rumor that he actually was crying.lol). By the way, what’s your image of the PV?

Ayu: As for me, the colors are so pretty! And it could be done because it was made when I was going round with the tour fellas (dancers), and we could get over those days because of our tight bonds and trusts. Same as memories in Guam, our bonds on the stage right after coming back from Guam was also amazing.


13 Kiss O’kill

ayu: as for Kiss o’kill, I love Tanabe-san’s arrange. It “hurts” from the introduction when kids are making noises. You pass by a park and hear playing kids’ innocent voice, it is warm but makes you feel sad or miss something on the other hand. This song has that kind of image. And I feel confession-like feeling throughout the song. Because we become adults, we lose things, throw things away, earn something, learn something we don’t wish to learn, see things we are not supposed to see… through those things, we learn means to protect ourselves smoothly, but it can also hurt other people… innocent kids’ voices and the confession-like part of ourselves as grown-ups. Both are present in this song, and I think it really hurts.

Mr.Kaz: Kids’ gaya (voice) joins again and again?

Ayu: Originally there wasn’t much, but I thought it was the main point of this song.

Mr.Kaz: Contrarily, kids actually have sides that are more cruel than adults think they are.

Ayu: There is cruelness made out of innocence, too. That’s why it feels warm but also makes us sad.



14. Secret

ayu: This is a song that took me so long to record my voice and I was living in the vocal booth. Lol momentum as well took a long time, but this had a different reason… I wanted to record Secret with only 1 take. So, I didn’t want to do “Today we take the first chores part, and tomorrow we take the second part” style. I was thinking that it was definitely necessary to have some tense from the beginning to the end, so every time I challenged thinking “I record this song with one take only!” but it was really hard… *bitter smile* Devil in me interrupt my concentration. *bitter smile* “Why can’t I do this??” and I had an urge many times that I wanted to get out of the studio. But I endured it… it was totally a fight with myself. So I thought “If I run away, I lose. I will never lose myself!”.

Mr. Kaz: These days when we were recording Secret, there was unusual atmosphere in the studio. Like we cannot speak to ayu… and this Secret’s completion was also the completion of the album Secret!

Ayu: Secret was the last song to record so its mix (final adjustment of the music) was also the last, and when it ended I almost cried with the all staffs.

Mr.Kaz: “Almost cried”, you mean you didn’t cry?

Ayu: Yeah. Album Secret was done but we have many other things to do, and it’s not only this year but also toward the next year… (mystery). If we think about it, we have no time to stop and rest!

Mr.kaz: So you have no time to cry because you have that (mystery) in the next year?

Ayu: When this album Secret was done I really felt like crying, but I felt that if I cried everything might collapse, every feeling would elapse, so I can’t cry, still do your best, keep it up, and I feel that I’m still running for it.

credits to: asako @ ayunite

[immel]

Thanks for the rest of the translations. The momentum information comes in handy .

source CHAS_AYU & Ayu_China:
The mystery she's talking about towards the end, it was mentioned in the HK newspapers recently that she's said that she's saving a secret that she will reveal in 2007.

I'm looking forward to 2007.

[truehappiness]

Oh god. Ayu and her secrets O_______________________o.

[LacusClyne]

as long as ayu don't say, 'hey guys! i'm pregant.'

[Inspirelova]

Thanks for translations!