Inspire is the thirty-third single released by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on July 28, 2004, by Avex Trax. "Inspire" was used as the image song for a Fuji TV special about the Guggenheim Museum in New York[1] as well as a tie-in for Avex auditions 2004. The B-side "Game" was used as the Panasonic 700MD CM song. This was her first release in about 4 months since her previous single, "Moments." It was released in two formats; "CD only" and "CD+DVD". The single was her last to be released in CCCD format. Both songs were featured on the album My Story, which came out in December that same year.
| "Inspire" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
| from the album My Story | ||||
| B-side | "Game" | |||
| Released | July 28, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | J-pop, hip-hop | |||
| Length | 17:35 | |||
| Label | Avex Trax | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ayumi Hamasaki (lyrics) Tetsuya Yukumi (music) BOUNCEBACK (music) | |||
| Producer(s) | Max Matsuura | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official Music Video | ||||
| "Inspire" on YouTube | ||||
| Official Music Video | ||||
| "Game" on YouTube | ||||
Composition
editThe lyrics to "Inspire" and "Game" were written by Hamasaki and the songs were composed by Tetsuya Yukumi and BOUNCEBACK respectively; while both songs were produced by Max Matsuura.[2] "Inspire" is a heavy digital beat number with rock influences, and with lyrics that have a strong message, showcasing her more aggressive side.[3] The song "Game" starts with a nostalgic intro like a reminiscence, and then changes gears to a hard rock number.[4]
Music video
editThe music video for "Inspire" was directed by Inoue Tatsuo and was filmed in Los Angeles, California.[2][5] The synopsis is that Hamasaki is walking down the city and sees a promotional poster of "Inspire" with arid earth as the promotional image. Then it shows Hamasaki going to a tropical island by raft. There she sings and dances in the ocean water with her dancers, and also does a versioned tribal dance.
The music video for "Game" was directed by Sunaga Hideaki.[2] It shows Hamasaki singing in a hall full of screens on the walls, on a platform with her band and a mysterious being in black leather.
Chart performance
edit"Inspire" debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, with 181,325 copies sold in its first week.[6] The single slid to number three the following week, logging sales of 59,179 units.[7] It descended to number four on its third week, shipping 37,357 units,[8] before dropping out of the top ten on its fourth week.[9] The single charted in the top 100 for fifteen weeks,[10] selling a reported total of 329,145 copies,[11] making it Hamasaki's highest selling single of 2004. It also was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.[12] "Inspire" ranked at number 16 on the year-end Oricon Singles Chart for 2004.[13] "Inspire" was also successful in digital markets, being certified Triple Platinum for Chaku-uta downloads of 750,000 in August 2006.[14]
Track listing
edit- "Inspire" – 4:33
- "Game" – 4:16
- "Inspire" (instrumental) – 4:33
- "Game" (instrumental) – 4:16
- DVD
Live performances
edit- July 22, 2004 – AX Music – "INSPIRE"
- July 23, 2004 – PopJam – "GAME"
- July 23, 2004 – Music Station – "INSPIRE" and "GAME"
- July 24, 2004 – CDTV – "INSPIRE"
- July 27, 2004 – CDTV Special – "GAME"
- August 2, 2004 – Hey! Hey! Hey! – "INSPIRE"
- August 11, 2004 – Sokuhou Uta no Daijiten – "INSPIRE"
- December 31, 2004 – CDTV Special 2004-2005 – "INSPIRE" and "GAME"
- December 31, 2013 – Kouhaku Uta Gassen
Charts
editCertifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[15] Physical |
Platinum | 329,145[11] |
| Japan (RIAJ)[16] Chaku-uta |
3× Platinum | 750,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "「グッゲンハイム美術館展」開催、あゆがイメージ曲を" (in Japanese). 2004-05-26. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ a b c Hamasaki, Ayumi (2004). MY STORY (Liner notes). Ayumi Hamasaki. Japan: Avex Trax, Avex Taiwan. AVCD-17611.
- ^ CD Journal Staff (July 28, 2004). "Ayumi Hamasaki – INSPIRE [CD+DVD] [CCCD]". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ CD Journal Staff (December 15, 2004). "Ayumi Hamasaki – MY STORY [CD]". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "INSPIRE" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ オリコン 2004.8.9. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ オリコン 2004.8.16. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ オリコン 2004.8.23. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ オリコン 2004.8.30. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "INSPIRE 浜崎あゆみ". Oricon. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ a b "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Taiju']. Oricon. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ 日本レコード協会 認定作品 2004年7月度認定作品を閲覧。 2017年4月17日閲覧。
- ^ a b "オリコン 2004年TOP100". Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ 日本レコード協会 認定作品 2006年8月度認定作品を閲覧。 2017年4月17日閲覧。
- ^ "Japanese single certifications – 浜崎あゆみ – INSPIRE" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 31, 2021. Select 2004年7月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "Japanese digital ringtone certifications – 浜崎あゆみ – INSPIRE" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 31, 2021. Select 2006年8月 on the drop-down menu
External links
edit- "Inspire" information at Avex Network.
- "Inspire" CD+DVD information at Avex Network.
- "Inspire" information at Oricon.
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