RAINBOW

　　　　　　　　1. The Tumult over Her Words
　To Hamasaki Ayumi, the beginning of a year seems to be the season of misfortune. In the past three years, she was given great mental shocks by the incidents or the situation changes which happened in the beginning of the years, but managed to create her albums in autumn or winter by getting over the difficulties somehow or other. The year 2002 wasn't exceptional, either, and it fell on her from the very unexpected direction.
　I write the outline briefly. -- In the middle of the Countdown Live concert 2001- 2002, she noticed some people in the front row was sitting, though the other audience were all standing, and warned them rather jokingly. The audience booed them in response to her words, and they stood up. But a few weeks later, it was rumoured that a physically handicapped person was among them. The people who gather at a BBS named "2 Channel" and like slandering and humiliating celebrities more than anything else (I call them "2 Channellers" after this) heard of it, and started to attack all together on the BBS's of Hamasaki Ayumi fansites late in January, blaming as, "Hamasaki made a discriminating remark against a physically handicapped person. Apologize! Apologize! Apologize!" All the BBS's were thrown into big confusion, and many of them were forced to be closed. -- But the fact was that there were no physically handicapped person among them sitting in the front row from the first, and indeed, they were her acquaintances. She said such words because she thought it wasn't good that her acquaintances in the special seats were sitting, while the common audience were standing. The absurdity of that tumult lied in that many prople told there must have been a victim and made a fuss, though there was no such a person actually. On Feb. 4, about two weeks after the tumult began, avex gave out the comment of President Yoda and made the facts clear. And on Feb. 12, Mr. Itoi Shigesato, who had heard the story from her, picked up the matter in his own homepage giving appropriate support to her, and the situation returned to normal at last. But even after the truth was revealed in this way, none of the "2 Channellers" who had done great harm to the fansites apologized.
　Though the incident was a year and several months ago, I feel bad recalling it now. Because the people I dislike most are those who hurt someone and enjoy it, and the "2 Channellers" are just the kind of fellows. (It's a pity that such nasty fellows seem to inhabit at higher rate in Japan in other countries.) In my opinion, they did four sinful things then. The first one was of course that they hurt her badly. The second is that they hurt the feelings of many administrators and users of the BBS's. The third is that they made themselves fall low. The fourth is that they disturbed the desirable development of democracy. (The explanation of this point would be very long, so I don't do it here.) What I want to tell them is just one thing -- "Look at yourself."
　On the other hand, there was some problem in the move of avex and her at that time. Avex first left the tumult and waited for the natural calming down. Two weeks passed, it didn't calm down at all. So they gave out the comment of the president exceptionally and intended to settle the matter immediately. And they made her not to say a word about it during the time. I hear the reason was that if she had done so, it might have added fuel to the flames or complicated the matter. But what many fans wanted then was nothing but her own words. Besides, as the correct information wasn't transmitted for as many as two weeks, the fans were also confused and splitted, which invited the unreasonable acts of the "2 Channellers" as a result. Reflecting upon the matter now, I say the best way at that time should be that she gave out her own comment soon after the tumult began and removed the misunderstandings. (Actually, as she might learn from this experience, later in September when a magazine named "Josei Seven" printed the article of her close relationship with Iseya Yuusuke, she gave out her comment quickly and stopped the rumour to grow.)
　But, as it was for the first time for both avex and her to experience such an incident, there might be no help for that reaction. By the tumult and being stopped making any remarks on it, she got depressed badly. I was afraid at that time that she might lose self-confidence again and have fear of holding a concert. But she was not so weak a person. Or all sorts of hardships since the debut as a singer made her considerably strong. During the time she was obliged to be silent, she was preparing a powerful three-piece set consisting of a single, a PV and a special issue book, as the expression of her attitude toward the tumult.

　　　　　　　　2. "Free & Easy" and "Hamasaki Republic"
　The influence of that tumult is obviously seen in the single song, "Free & Easy", released on April 24. I think it would not have been made without the incident.
　In such a dirty world like this　　("Free & Easy")
　It's quite rare and unusual for her to use the phrase, "such a dirty world", as she likes finding something beautiful in the outer world and actually has often described it beautifully. Also, have you noticed that there are a subtle difference (only two characters in Japanese) between the beginning part and the ending part of this lyrics?
　I sometimes ask myself
　How far I should go to reach the goal

　I have sometimes asked myself
　How far I should go to reach the goal　　("Free & Easy")
　I think it shows the passage of time. In other words, I think the former phrase expresses her mental state before the trial, and the latter, after the trial. (A quite delicate technique to express the past by the present tense and express the present by the past tense.) The combination of this lyrics, the dramatic and excellent melody by CREA + D.A.I (it seems to me by its feature that she took the initiative) and the grave and classical arrangement by HAL made this song great and representative of her activities in the first half of the year 2002. I also think this monumental "fighting song" deserves to be called the central song of this album.
　I'd like to touch on the PV later, together with other ones. "Hamasaki Republic", put on sale on the same day as the single, is the special issue book featuring Hamasaki Ayumi, consisting of the interview article and the photos with the unified image of Jeanne d'Arc. I think this long interview, done in the same period as the making of the single, is as substantial and valuable as that of "ROCKIN' ON JAPAN", done a year before. She had mainly talked about her past closely in the "ROCKIN' ON JAPAN" interview, while this time she talked about her various thoughts and feelings of that time honestly and openly. (Sometimes seemed to me too openly.) Let me extract just a little, for example.
　O (Onozato): Do you do the works you like and find easy?
　A (Ayumi): I do the works which I like but find difficult. Because the works I dislike are the easy ones (Q24)
　O: Do you think it's better that your life is with fun and at ease?
　A: I don't need the life with mere fun. (Q25)("Hamasaki Republic")
　How stoic she is!
　Well, so, why did she intend to make such a book and make it public at that time? -- I think as follows. The Maxi-single "A", the "ROCKIN' ON JAPAN" interview and this interview -- she made the most naked confessions when she had hard times and mentally put into the corners. In other words, when she came to mental crises and her sense of values were confused, she always wanted to return to her firmest belief -- "to be honest", without taking into account which results it would bring and feeling desparate to some degree. Those who always take a utilitarian view of things and try to find practical calculations and intentions in her words and deeds would not understand this part, "without taking into account which results it would bring."
　By the way, the only one regrettable thing of this book was the exaggerated and silly headwords and preface thought out by the editor. For example,
　The voices heard from all over Japan now are quite alike the painful cries of France in the medieval age. Unless a savior going beyond the bounds of common sense appears, this country cannot be saved. 　　(from the preface of "Hamasaki Republic")
　How could a grown man write such sentences so seriously ! Viewing the lyrics or the PV of "Free & Easy" for instance, you will see her manner of making works is just the opposite of his. To avoid talking boastfully, to keep from explaining as much as possible, not to say what she doesn't believe, etc. etc. Those who want to leave excellent works in good taste should learn from Hamasaki Ayumi.

　　　　　　　　3. A Study of "H"
　After going through the trial of that year relatively in a short time, she became quite active and energetic. The issue of her photo book "Uraayu" and the handshaking events in Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo, followed by quite a lot of concerts -- 21 times in ARENA TOUR, 2 times in OPEN AIR LIVE, 8 times in STADIUM TOUR and 10 times in a-nation TOUR. I was thinking then the next single would be in autumn for such a heavy schedule. But on July 24, unexpectedly, the maxi-single "H" containing as many as three new songs was released. And that they were all so wonderfully-made that it became the only one million-seller single in the Japanese musical market of the year. In which points was it so excellent? Speaking in a little twisted way, especially regarding the lyrics, I think it was excellent that neither a baseball, a party nor fireworks appeared in the lyrics. Looking a little more closely --
　As "independent" was made for the opening song of a baseball game broadcast on TV, it's thought to have been made in March, the earliest among the three songs. It was for the first time for her to make such a lively and speedy song. (Though the content of the lyrics is not so lively.) The intertwined sounds of the twin guitars like two gliders flying low charm me. As this song was bright and associated with summer, she had a plan to make a single with summer as its theme and wrote the other two. And I hear she did it in the quite short period between ARENA TOUR and OPEN AIR LIVE --- surprising.
　There are two usual summer events to me. One is the party held every year on June 30, the birthday of the owner of this bar (in Tokyo), when many old friends of mine I can't usually see gather here. To me, that is the one and only unhealthy night of the year, from June 30 to July 1st. (Laugh) ...(omission) ... And the other is the event of watching fireworks after gathering at the shop of my acquaintance near the sea in August every year ... 　　("Zappy" Aug. 2002)
　This article makes it clear why the second song is titled strangely as "July 1st." But the scene sung about in this song is not the party place at night but the sea in the daytime. Why? -- In fact, there was one more thing which lead her to make this song. In the interview of "Hamasaki Republic", she and the interviewer were talking as below, looking at a photo of the sea in a magazine.
　O: How do you think about the sentence? ("If it's fine tomorrow, let's go to the sea.")
　A: Nice. I'm glad to hear someone tell me so, for example. A family member or a friend or a boyfriend. Because if someone tell me so, I'm in his or her future. I'm in his or her tomorrow. I'm glad of that.　　("Hamasaki Republic")
　The sensitiveness of her heart to feel the human warmth in a commonplace sentence. Maybe the photo and the sentence remained in her memory then, and revived when she was going to make "July 1st", a song of friendship. When the two things which apparently have no relation but are substantially close link together, a poem is born. This is what many poets have related as their own experience of making poems, though she doesn't know it maybe. Her poetic quality is seen well here, too. It can be said that "July 1st" is the type of song she made for the first time as well as "independent." As she herself described it suitably as "though the lyrics are bright, there are some minor parts in the melody, but never lacking in released feelings", I think it's a beautiful song with a thread of sadness in the brightness.
　Hanabi doesn't appears in the lyrics of "HANABI" in the same way. It's only used as the title as the symbol of the lost love. And this title must not have been "FIREWORKS." To Japanese people, hanabi is the momentary beauty, both enjoyable and forlorn. As the song "Hana" had been a similar example, her sense of beauty in this way has its roots completely in Japanese tradition. I think her idea of using the sound of an old, half-broken musical box at the back was a success, too.
　Well, then, what was the reason why she titled this maxi-single as "H"? -- "H" of Hamasaki? Yes, of course. But I suppose there is one more hidden meaning in this "H", as she is attentive to every word of her lyrics. I associate with the maxi-single "A", released about three years before. The four songs put into the single were the reflections of her heart and mind at that time in four ways. And so, as "H" was released at the time when her concern was clearly turned for the outside, don't the three songs show the three relationships especially important to her? ("A" of Ayumi logo consists of four lines, while "H" consists of three lines.) The relationship with her close friends, the relationship with her old boyfriend, and the other -- would be needless to say.

　　　　　　　　4. "Voyage" and Sexual Equality
　I think on the other hand that no special person was thought of in the case of "Voyage", the theme song of a TV drama and released as a single on Sept. 26. Because she said the theme of this song was "human love." Being warmer and having less elements of sadness than "Dearest", released a year before, "Voyage" became the song which makes the listeners happy. I think the full acoustic arrangement by Mr. Shima Ken was also effective.
　We go on this journy
　To be happy
　You see? A smile suits you very well　　("Voyage")
　Isn't it completely clear now that it's wrong to regard her as a negative person attracted by unhappiness?
　By the way, I've been thinking I must touch on one of her characteristics of thought, yet haven't done so till now. (I should have said it around when I wrote about "Boys & Girls", for example.) That is her thought of sexual equality.
　Generally and roughly speaking, I think there are two ways of thinking about man and woman. One is that man and woman are essencially the different beings. The other is that both are humans before they are man and woman and basically the same beings. And it seems the majority of people think in the latter way in many countries of the world (not only in the Western countries but also in many Asian countries), while somehow the majority of people think in the former way in Japan. But it's not true that they think so from their childhoods.Japanese people of today come to think so gradually or implanted such a thought in at various places mainly from their late teens till their early twenties. Once they have a thought that man and woman are essencially different, they incline to conclude which is superior and which is inferior. But in that case, there are few who think their sex is inferior to the other sex, and a man is apt to think a man is superior, a woman, a woman is superior. Though no one tells about it, I think this is one of the hidden social problems in Japanese society of today. and one of the factors which makes Japanese people unhappy. If a man and a woman come to think they are essencially the different beings, how can they understand each other?
　But she thinks completely in the latter way. In other words, she thinks both are the humans before they are man and woman and are equal. This is very rare in Japanese society of today, innovative and almost against common sense. I wrote in the beginning part of this article that I found the mental characteristics apart from avarage more in her than in Shiina Ringo, comparing the two. I wrote so actually taking this point much into consideration. (But Shiina Ringo, who started from the former thought, perceiving the current of the grown-up world sensitively, has come to be clearly conscious of the thought itself at last and make it as the big theme of her own. Her latest album, "KALK SAMEN KURI NO HANA" is a masterpiece.) As it has been in fashion for several years that young female singers use "boku" as the first person pronoun in their songs, it sounds false and unnatural in many cases. But I don't feel any wrongness when she uses it. As I think no one but her can write this lyrics, "Voyage", as well as many other lyrics of hers, though it's apparently simple, it's because of such a background of thoughts before the lyrical technique. (Is it usual that a young Japanese girl intends to make a lyrics with "human love" as the theme?) And also it could be explained by this why she gave entirely healthy impression even when she became nude in the jacket photo of "LOVEppears", "I am ..." and "RAINBOW", why she isn't supported so much by the generations older than her (especially by women), while she gets great support from the generations younger than her, and so on. (So I think she doesn't have to try hard to get more support from the generations older than her. It would rather be advisable for her to turn her eyes overseas.)
　As I wrote the last time, her "thoughts" are changeable. I can't assert here she will surely have this thought of sexual equality after this, too. But I hope she will. Because I think that to have the thought even after growing up is just a challenge, the new way of living and of value itself in this country.

　　　　　　　　5. "Real me" and the English Lyrics
　I'd like to pick up some from among the album songs, too. As the uniquest song in her previous album, "I am ..." was "Connected", that in this album would be "Real me." (Both are the third song.) As she challenged trance music in "Connected", she has tried the new style of music called R & B pops in "Real me", suggestive of BoA, with success. There are two marked features in the lyrics. One is that it relates her view of woman, a general matter completely apart from a personal matter. The other is that more than half of the lyrics is in English.
　I vaguely liked to write such a lyrics as "What is woman?" I have an image that a man is struggling and wriggling about. But a woman is different. I have my personal proverb -- "A woman must not be wriggling about."　　("CD Data" Jan. 2003)
　You might think at first sight that this is contradictory to her "thought of sexual equality" I was mentioning above, but it's not. Because what she is saying is just the opposite to the general current. In other words, as it's often said generally, "A man must be strong, but it's not a bad thing a woman is weak", she is objecting and saying no to such an assertion which makes the gap between a man and a woman, severe on a man and soft on a woman.
　You should not want to be healed
　Without fighting　　("Real me")
　I think it's a strong and right assertion. (Though it's actually hard to observe this completely.) The two lines also sounded to me the concise objection to Matsutouya Yumi who had been spoiling Japanese women from the 1980's to the 1990's. (Though she has never dreamed of such a thing of course.) As there must have been many reasons why she has come to have such an uncommon view of woman, I suppose the biggest one would have been her repulsive feeling against her mother.
　On the other hand, how is her English lyrics? I think it's considerably good, though I don't like to admit it so much.
　a woman could be having fun
　a woman could be like a nun
　in order to survive　　("Real me")
　Trying to translate this part, for example,
　Onna wa tanoshimu koto mo dekiru shi
　Shuudoojo no yoo ni mo nareru
　Ikinuku tame ni
　It's awfully unnatural as a Japanese lyrics. In other words, there is a necessity of using English in this part. Also, there is a clear difference between the way of using English and Japanese in this song. She is expressing her assertions and thoughts as they are in the Japanese lyrics, while she is exaggerating them and telling extremely on purpose in the English lyrics. In short, the Japanese lyrics are heavy, the English lyrics are light. She is serious in the Japanese lyrics, but is rhyming and playing in the English lyrics. And on the whole, the English part has mainly brought a good result of making this song pop and nimble. I think the way of using English in this song is well-advised and skillfull, different from those of many other singers.
　Then, how are the other two songs with English lyrics, "Heartplace" and "Over"? I didn't have any unnatural feelings in the former, but I had in the latter. And it seems the difference of my impressions mainly comes from the difference of the melodies. Because in "Heartplace", the English lyrics is used just in the climax part where concise and strong words are suitable, while it's not in "Over." And besides, it would have been better without the phrase, "It's over", as it has already been said as the songtitle. As "Over" is the song with such a delicate lyrics and beautiful melody, I think only the English part is regrettable and the unification in Japanese would have been better. One more complaint of mine is the word, "heartplace", which doesn't exist in English and incomprehensible. Though we can imagine the rough meaning from the content of the lyrics, I think it's not good to make such a coined word easily.

　　　　　　　　6. The Dilemma of Freedom
　"Freedom" has been one of her main themes of thought since the last year 2001, and the word, "free" is used in the lyrics of the two songs, "Heartplace" and "everywhere nowhere", in this album. But the usage is a little different from that in the previous album.
　We're free to go anywhere we want
　We're free to do anything we want
　Maybe I keep on fighting with freedom　　("Heartplace")
　This phrase, "fighting with freedom" should be interpreted as "fighting in order to make freedom valuable", and not "fighting to be free." Considering her situation now, though she apparently has no freedom, pressed with work and schedule, she can write whatever lyrics and make whatever songs. She can make whatever PVs and CMs. She can direct her concerts in whatever way and say whatever words in the interview of magazines. Unlike the situation when she made a debut, many things have already been put in her free will. But at the same time, her words and deeds have social influence and rebound directly upon her, as was seen in the tumult after the Countdown Live concert, for example. As she herself said, "Responsibility goes with freedom."
　On the other hand, she turned her eyes to the outer world in "everywhere nowhere", and described such Japanese social situation of today as people are free and don't know what to do, productions and informations are flooding and they can't find what is important.
　Yes, we are free
　But are too free
　We can go anywhere
　And can go nowhere　　("everywhere nowhere")
　I think this is what many people have experienced and actually feel. (For example, you took holidays, but didn't know what to do and spent the time in vain after all.) It's true that freedom has such a burdensome side. But I think there is no definate answer to this question, how to go with freedom, and each one of us has to find his own answer, making trials and errors.
　But, adding a few words here, I have to say her recognition of the social situation like this still seems one-sided, though it cannot be helped because she writes lyrics thinking of the generaions as same as or younger than her. Then, how is it going with the generations older than her? There are still not a few cases that once entering a company, they are deprived of freedom and forced to work hard and hard. Overtime work for many hours, overtime work without pay, norm, settai (to entertain business customers), stress, dismissal, age restriction in case of seeking a new job. (And most people aren't doing such creative work as hers.) In quite short, this country "gives freedom to young people, but will not give it when they become grown-ups", which is a problem and a dark side of this country. I hope this country will be the one where grown-ups can have freedom in the near future.

　　　　　　　　7. Melody and Arrangement
　She had composed five songs for herself out of the six single songs put into the previous album, "I am ...", while the composers of the five single songs put into this album are all CREA + D.A.I. And so, the songs of her sole composing in the albums has decreased markedly in number from nine previously to three this time (or four, if "+" is so, too). A good thing. Because I think it was too hard for her to compose most of the songs for herself, apart from writing lyrics. There were some songs in the previous albums whose melodies I felt discontented with, but there are none in this album. I think they are all excellent. And I think I cay say definately now that she has got the first-rate ability as a composer, too, exceeded Komuro Tetsuya and ranked with D.A.I-san.
　The remarkable melodic features of this album are many songs in major key and a few key changes. There are ten songs in major key out of sixteen, and in "taskinillusion" and "everywhere nowhere", the key changes from minor to major halfway. This is just in contrast to her first album, "A Song for XX", in which eleven songs out of sixteen were in minor key. Also, the key change, used so often in the previous album, has decreased markedly in number of times, and there are none in any songs of her sole composing ("Heartplace", "Dolls", "Close to you") this time. Why? -- I think the situation has changed. As the reason of the frequent use of key change in the previous album, I wrote that it reflected "the conflict between severe reality and her will to make for the light in spite of that." I don't think such conflict has disappeared, but think it has become less serious than before. (Only in the melody of "Free & Easy", made first in this album and strongly influenced by the tumult, the unique and dynamic key change like a remain of the previous album is seen.)
　But they are not what she did consciously, maybe. A melody is the form of feelings. It can express various feelings directly and not through words. I think she has naturally come to prefer major key to minor key and want less key changes, as her mind became stable with the situation change.
　The arrangement of each song is elaborate, too. It seems she intentionally adopted simple and rough arrangements much especially in the album songs previously. But it's not so this time, and we can enjoy various colours just like the album title, "RAINBOW." (The songs with my favourite arrangements are "Heartplace" in which the sounds get thicker gradually, "Over" with the delicate and beautiful piano tones, "Close to you" full of Christmas feelings, "Free & Easy" and "independent".) I think the three instrumental tunes are also well-made and played the role of introduction and scene changes efficiently. I was especially impressed by "neverending dream" by HAL. The first half was the colorful flood of sounds, which made me think there would be no other way to express a rainbow by music. And the latter half sounded as if it were the film music of "Dolls."

　　　　　　　　8. Total Estimation
　From a personal matter to a general matter. The tendency seen in the previous album, "I am ..." has got even stronger in this album. For example, "Real me" is her view of woman, "everywhere nowhere" is a song like a social criticism, "Over" was based on the experience of a friend of hers, and she wrote "Dolls", inspired by the movie directed by Kitano Takeshi. (This song quite well matches that movie with very unnatural plots and very beautiful pictures.) And what shows this tendency most clearly is the song sung first in each album. The title was "I am ..." previously, but it's "WE WISH" this time. (I don't count "everlasting dream" as a song.) Asked in the interview of a magazine why it wasn't "I WISH", she answered as follows.
　Huh? I didn't have such a phrase as "I WISH" in my mind till I've been told it now. I suppose it's maybe because I've come to think as "We ..." or "People ...", not "I ...", when I think about many things.　　("R & R NewsMaker" Feb. 2003)
　As few Japanese women think in such a way, as I was relating, does she notice it? Anyway, it seems she has become stable in mind more than ever before, achieving emotional closure of various personal problems. This albums gives no uneasiness to the listeners, unlike the four previous albums. (Did you notice that the album title is all in capital letters for the first time?) There was some bleak feeling in the previous album, "I am ...", just like the scenery of the jacket photo, but it has also disappeared in this album. Well, so, is this album commonplace lacking in dramas? -- Not at all. As I have related, each song is made thoughtfully, beautiful and impressive, and there are almost no defects found in it. (Without the English lyrics in "Over" and the coined word, "heartplace", I would have used the word, "perfect.") I think this is "a box of dream", as in the lyrics of the first tune, the album which makes the listeners happy.

　　　| Move -- Still

　As I've written again such a diagram too simple, I think this applies to the relation between the fourth and the fifth album even more suitablly than between the second and the third album. In other word, I think "I am ..." and "RAINBOW" is clearly the set. (Please read the titles without stopping.) Moreover, as I was relating, I feel "RAINBOW" is also related with her first album, "A Song for XX", just like a positive picture and a negative picture, an object and its image in the mirror. Compared with the days of her debut, her sailing out in solitude and anxiety with almost nothing on hand, how many things she has got now ! Her five albums are not only on the high artistic level least commonly, but also the record of her voyage of life as they are, which I think attracts and moves so many people. And as it seems the first chapter of the story reflecting her life deeply has come to a happy conclusion in this "RAINBOW", I'd like to end my article on her, too, which has become very long unexpectedly.


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