My Story (Ayumi Hamasaki album)
My Story (Stylized as MY STORY) is the sixth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki, released on December 15, 2004 by avex trax. The album's lyrics were written in their entirety by Hamasaki herself, with composition on the album handled by a team of composers including Kazuhito Kikuchi, Bounceback, Tetsuya Yukumi, and, on some songs, Hamasaki, under the pen name CREA.
| My Story | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 15, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | Pop, pop rock | |||
| Length | 74:18 (CD) 56:58 (DVD) | |||
| Label | Avex Trax | |||
| Producer | Max Matsuura | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from My Story | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Stylus Magazine | B+[2] |
By the end of her 2004 arena tour, Hamasaki became dissatisfied with her position at Avex. She felt that the company was treating her as a product rather than a human being and artist. After her two previous efforts, I am… and RAINBOW, which she felt had been rushed, Hamasaki decided that on her next record she would not write to "give people hope" or write "something good"; instead, she simply wrote "freely and honestly" with no set theme. These writing sessions resulted in autobiographical lyrics, exploring Hamasaki's own emotions and reminisces about her career. The music of MY STORY reflects the free theme of the lyrics; its noticeable rock overtones expressed Hamasaki's liking for rock music. Pleased with its sound, Hamasaki declared that My Story was the first album of her career with which she felt truly satisfied.
Lead single "Moments" was released on March 31, 2004 to positive reviews from critics, who praised its rock influences. It was a commercial success too, debuting at number one, selling over 300,000 copies, and receiving a platinum certification. The second single, "Inspire", was successful as well, reaching number one and being certified platinum; it sold over 329,000 units, becoming the highest-selling single from My Story. Similarly, "Carols" topped the charts in Japan and was certified Platinum.
My Story was positively received by critics, who appreciated its aggressive style compared to Western pop music at the time, and its alternative sound. A commercial success, it became Hamasaki's sixth consecutive number-one album in Japan, debuting at the top spot with first week sales of 574,321 copies. In its 43-week chart run, My Story sold 1,132,444 copies and became the seventh best-selling album of the year in Japan. Combined with the sales of its three singles, My Story sold 2,073,640 copies which makes it the 222nd best-selling album in Japan of all time. This album would serve as Hamasaki's final LP to hit over a million physical sales.
Promotion
The album includes the three singles: "Moments", "Inspire", and "Carols". During its first release, four different limited edition covers were released for fans to choose from. There were also two versions released, the first that included the CD only and a second that included a DVD that contained music videos to some (including the singles) of the tracks from the album. For promotional purposes, Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2005 A: My Story was scheduled from January to April. During the concert tour, My Story was released again in two more formats, SACD and in DVD Audio. All of the lyrics on the album were written by Hamasaki and three of the tracks, "Wonderland", "Winding Road" and "Humming 7/4", were composed by her under the pen name "Crea". It topped the Oricon charts for several weeks (the Japanese equivalent of Billboard). It is currently certified four times platinum in Japan. My Story is the 222nd best-selling album in Japan to date.[3]
Since the single "Moments", her singles have been released in at least two versions, CD and CD+DVD format. "Carols" featured four versions of the single: CD, CD+DVD, SACD, and DVD Audio.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Ayumi Hamasaki
| No. | Title | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Catcher in the Light" | CMJK | CMJK | 2:44 |
| 2. | "About You" | Kazuhito Kikuchi | tasuku | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Game" | Bounceback | HΛL | 4:11 |
| 4. | "My Name's Women" | Bounceback | HΛL | 5:38 |
| 5. | "Wonderland" (instrumental) | Ayumi Hamasaki[Note 1] | Ayumi Hamasaki | 1:34 |
| 6. | "Liar" | Raita Ikemoto | CMJK+Takahiro Izutani | 4:58 |
| 7. | "Hope or Pain" | Tetsuya Yukumi | CMJK | 4:19 |
| 8. | "Happy Ending" | Tetsuya Yukumi | CMJK | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Moments" | Tetsuya Yukumi | Hikari | 5:29 |
| 10. | "Walking Proud" | Tetsuya Yukumi | Hikari | 5:14 |
| 11. | "Carols" | Tomoya Kinoshita | CMJK | 5:29 |
| 12. | "Kaleidoscope" (instrumental) | HΛL | HΛL | 1:49 |
| 13. | "Inspire" | Tetsuya Yukumi | HΛL | 4:31 |
| 14. | "Honey" | Tetsuya Yukumi | HΛL | 5:10 |
| 15. | "Replace" | Kazuhito Kikuchi | HΛL | 5:05 |
| 16. | "Winding Road" | Ayumi Hamasaki | Hikari | 5:02 |
| 17. | "Humming 7/4" | Ayumi Hamasaki | Kotaro Kubota | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Director | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Moments" (Video Clip) | Tetsuo Inoue | 5:38 |
| 2. | "Inspire" (Video Clip) | Tetsuo Inoue | 5:37 |
| 3. | "Game" (Video Clip) | Hideaki Sunaga | 4:23 |
| 4. | "Carols" (Video Clip) | Masashi Muto | 6:15 |
| 5. | "About You" (Video Clip) | Hideaki Sunaga | 4:02 |
| 6. | "Walking Proud" (Video Clip) | Ken Sueda | 5:41 |
| 7. | "Humming 7/4" (Video Clip) | Wataru Takeishi | 4:40 |
| 8. | "Moments" (Making Off-Shot) | Tetsuo Inoue | 5:33 |
| 9. | "Inspire" (Making Off-Shot) | Tetsuo Inoue | 5:01 |
| 10. | "Game" (Making Off-Shot) | Hideaki Sunaga | 4:19 |
| 11. | "Carols" (Making Off-Shot) | Masashi Muto | 5:49 |
| Total length: | 56:58 | ||
My Story Classical
My Story Classical is a compilation with classical versions of the songs from Ayumi Hamasaki's album My Story. My Story Classical was released on March 24, 2005. Most of the tracks were recorded with the Lamoureux Orchestra of France.
Oricon charts
Album
| Release | Chart | Peak position | First Week sales | Sales total | Chart run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 15, 2004 | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | 574,321 | 1,200,000 | 43 weeks |
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 | ||||
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 1 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 7 | ||||
- Total Sales : 1,200,000 (Japan)
- Total Sales : 1,420,000 (Avex)
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Catalogue number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | December 15, 2004 | CD+DVD | AVCD-17610/B |
| CD | AVCD-17611 | ||
| SACD | AVGD-17676 | ||
| DVD Audio | AVAD-91300 | ||
| Taiwan | December 17, 2004 | ||
| Hong Kong | December 30, 2004 | ||
| China | February 6, 2005 | CD+DVD | |
| CD | AVTCD-95793C
| ||
| South Korea | August 4, 2005 |
Notes
- Crea is the pseudonym of Ayumi Hamasaki.
References
- Yeung, Neil Z. "My Story – Ayumi Hamasaki". AllMusic. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- Love, Josh (January 21, 2005). "Hamasaki Ayumi – My Story". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on February 13, 2005. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- 歴代アルバムランキング