"Fairyland" is the 36th single released by Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on August 3, 2005. It instantly shot to #1 on the Oricon charts where it stayed for the entire week.[1][2] After one week of sales, "Fairyland" sold over 172,000 copies, the most any of Hamasaki's singles sold in one week in 2005. "Fairyland" is also Hamasaki's first single that featured different covers for both the CD and the CD+DVD.
| "Fairyland" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of artwork variants | ||||
| Single by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
| from the album (Miss)understood | ||||
| B-side | "Alterna" | |||
| Released | August 3, 2005 | |||
| Genre | J-pop, electronic | |||
| Length | 31:21 | |||
| Label | Avex Trax | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ayumi Hamasaki (lyrics) tasuku (music) Shintarou Hagiwara + Sousaku Sasaki (music) | |||
| Producer(s) | Max Matsuura | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official Music Video | ||||
| "Fairyland" on YouTube | ||||
| Official Music Video | ||||
| "Alterna" on YouTube | ||||
Music videos
editThe PV of Fairyland was shot in Hawaii and is one of the most expensive music videos in the world, as well as being Japan's most expensive music video in terms of production costs. The PV cost 240 million Yen (2 million in U.S. dollars), making it the most expensive music video for a non-English language song.[3] It depicts Hamasaki with her companions (dance team) on a lush tropical island, with some scenes showing a timber house with a deck. Eventually, a fallen oil lamp causes the entire structure to burn. Images from earlier sequences showing the group having fun are interspersed through the burning of the house. The video ends with the camera moving away from Hamasaki singing solemnly as she watches the house burn.
The PV of Alterna depicts Ayumi as an up-and-coming star who is chased by clowns.[4] The video also depicts her as a singing machine; this aspect of the music video (as well as the lyrics of "alterna") may be Hamasaki's response to either tabloid articles or to her record label's oppressive treatment of her at the time.[5]
Track listing
edit- "Fairyland" – 5:17
- "Alterna" – 5:28
- "Step You" (DJ Taki-Shit More Step Up Remix) – 4:16
- "Fairyland" (Bright Field Remix) – 5:30
- "Fairyland" (Instrumental) – 5:17
- "Alterna" (Instrumental) – 5:28
DVD track listing
editLive performances
edit- June 27, 2005 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ
- July 15, 2005 – Music Station
- July 30, 2005 – CDTV
- August 1, 2005 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ
- August 5, 2005 – Music Station
- August 5, 2005 – Music Fighter
- December 31, 2005 – 56th Kouhaku Utagassen
Charts
editOricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 3, 2005 | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 1 | |||
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 1 | 172,221 | 370,000 | 13 weeks | |
| Oricon Monthly Singles Chart | 4 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Singles Chart | 25 |
- Total Sales : 370,000 (Japan)
- Total Sales : 388,000 (Avex)
- RIAJ certification: Platinum
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "23作目の首位に向け、あゆが好発進!". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. August 3, 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^ "来週(9/14)発売の注目シングルは!?". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. September 9, 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^ "制作費2億4千万のPV『fairyland』歌姫浜崎あゆみ" [PV “fairyland” diva Ayumi Hamasaki with a production cost of 240 yen]. Matome (in Japanese). November 8, 2013. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Ayumi Hamasaki – alterna
- ^ Ayumi-Hamasaki.Net • View topic - Alterna
External links
edit- fairyland c/w alterna information at Avex Network.
- fairyland c/w alterna CD+DVD information at Avex Network.
- fairyland c/w alterna information at Oricon.