M (song)

For the Chantal Kreviazuk song, see Colour Moving and Still. For the song by the band The Cure, see Seventeen Seconds.
"M"
Single by Ayumi Hamasaki
from the album A Best and I am...
ReleasedDecember 13, 2000 (2000-12-13)
Recorded2000
Genre
Length4:26
LabelAvex Trax
Composer(s)Crea
Lyricist(s)Ayumi Hamasaki
Producer(s)Max Matsuura
Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology
"Audience"
(2000) 		"M"
(2000) 		"Evolution"
(2001)
Ayumi Hamasaki German
singles chronology
"Connected"
(2003) 		"M"
(2003) 		"Depend on You"
(2004)
Music video
"M" on YouTube

"M" is the nineteenth single by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki.[1] "M" serves as the lead single to her first greatest hits album A Best (2001) and her fourth studio album I Am... (2002). The track marked Hamasaki's increased creative control over her music, as it was the first song she composed, under the pen name "Crea". The lyrics of "M" are about Hamasaki talking to Maria (the Japanese reference to The Virgin Mary), or also possibly to Mary Magdalene, hence the title "M".

"M" received a positive response from music critics, praising the composition and songwriting. The single is to date one of Hamasaki's most commercially successful; it peaked at the top spot on the Oricon Singles Chart, selling over 500,000 units on its first week. Moreover, the single eventually sold over 1,000,000 copies over its eighteen-week run and became a RIAJ-certified million-seller; "M" also won the Japan Gold Disc Award for "Song of the Year". Since its release, the single is listed as the 113th best-selling single of all time in Japan.

Background and themes

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Shortly after the release of her studio album Duty, Hamasaki began writing "M". Before then, Hamasaki's staff had composed the melodies; Hamasaki only wrote the lyrics. However, with "M", Hamasaki felt that none of the melodies composed by her staff fit her vision of the song. Consequently, she decided to compose the melody herself.[2] She began work on an electronic keyboard; however, as she had little proficiency in the instrument, Hamasaki eventually resorted to singing the melody into a voice recorder.[2]

Throughout the song, Hamasaki addresses "Maria". Hamasaki is ambiguous as to the identity of "Maria"; however, she has stated that the song was inspired by a story told to her by a friend about a saint named Mary.[3][4] The story was pivotal in the shaping of the theme of the song, which, according to Hamasaki, is about a "woman who won't change with time".[3] Finally, like other songs from I am..., Hamasaki explores the topics of couples and love.[5][6]

Composition and musical style

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"M" (2000)
A 25-second sample of "M". At 0:15 of the clip, Hamasaki's voice shifts from C-sharp major to A-sharp minor.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

According to Hamasaki, the melodies composed by her staff for "M" did not fit her image for the song because they were too "warm"—she had envisioned a melody with a "cold" feeling. That, according to Hamasaki, meant a melody that was "difficult to grasp" and started in a lower key before progressing to a higher key.[3] The song is written in common time and begins in the key of C major before progressing to the key of C-sharp major.[7] The song uses piano, electric guitar, triangle, and various stringed instruments.

"M", unlike Hamasaki's antecedent songs, does not follow the verse-chorus form; rather, the song opens with an introduction that is followed by a brief instrumental bridge that precedes two verses.[8] The verses are followed by a pre-chorus after which comes an instrumental bridge; that is followed by a repetition of the pre-chorus and the verse. The chorus and a repetition of it follow; the chorus and its repetition are separated by another instrumental bridge. Finally, a second verse is sung before the repetition of the introduction, at which point the song ends.[9]

Music video

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A scene from the music video

The music video for "M", directed by Wataru Takeishi,[10] opens with Hamasaki singing the introduction against a stained-glass window. The first instrumental bridge follows, during which is seen the exterior of a church. When the first verse starts, the doors of the church open and glowing particles sweep into the church; at the start of the second instrumental bridge, the particles merge and Hamasaki appears in a white gown, at the intersection of the transept and the aisle, also in this scene she is wearing blue contacts. When the chorus starts, Hamasaki is seen outside the church (no longer in a gown) singing with her band; subsequent scenes switch between Hamasaki singing outside the church and standing inside. At the end of the video, the glowing particles sweep out of the church and the gown-clad Hamasaki disappears.

Critical response

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"M" was positively reviewed by music critics. Jeff from Random.Access.Reviews stated that "M" was his favorite song on I am.... He commented "It's a very chilled but introspective-sounding song (I can't be certain how introspective it is), a bit folksy at times but nice to listen to, plus it has some wild guitar work later on, reminiscent of Guns 'N Roses of olde." Jeff commented that the globally acclaimed remix by Above & Beyond was great.[11] Neil Z. Yeung called "M" the most moving and emotionally impactful song of the whole record.[12] Michael McCarthy of Lollipop said that Hamasaki's delivery is intense and emotional in "M' and the rest of the record's ballads.[13]

Chart performance and sales

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"M" debuted at the number-one position on the Oricon weekly charts on its first week of release, selling 541,350 copies, beating out "Ren'ai Revolution 21" by Morning Musume.[14] The single remained atop the charts the second week; however, the total sales for that week had dropped to 185,290.[15] The sales rose the third week: the single sold 246,150 copies; however, it was only able to reach the number-two position, as Every Little Thing's single "Fragile/Jirenma" debuted that week with 278,120 copies.[16] By the fourth week, "M" remained at the number-two position with 95,770 copies sold.[17] It remained in the Top 10 the following three weeks, dropping from the number-five position to the number-seven position.[18][19][20] It remained in the Top 30 for two more weeks; it reached the twenty-third position before dropping out.[21][22] By the end of its nine-week run in the Oricon Top 30, "M" sold 1,279,830 copies,[23] making it the best-selling single from I am... and adding to Hamasaki's million-selling singles.[24] Since its release, the single is listed as the 113th best-selling single of all time in Japan.[25]

Promotion

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The song was aired extensively as a commercial song for TU-KA, in which she appeared, and a "limited edition Ayu model" leopard print cell phone was released in honor of the leopard print she had shown on the jacket of "Surreal" from Duty released three months earlier.[26][27] The other commercial features the remix and promotes the TU-KA funstyle mobile phone; the "𝓜 "funstyle Mix" used in the commercial for TU-KA's music data distribution service "funstyle" was specially re-edited for the funstyle sound source and later recorded as the "𝓜 "RANK-M Mix".[28] She also appeared on a TV program at the time wearing an image of the Virgin Mary as she did in her music videos and jacket.[29]

Accolades

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"M" won the award for "Song of the year" at the 2001 Japan Gold Disc Awards.[30] In early 2014, in honor of Hamasaki's sixteenth-year career milestone, Japanese website Goo.ne.jp hosted a poll for fans to rank their favorite songs by Hamasaki out of thirty positions; the poll was held in only twenty-four hours, and thousands submitted their votes.[31] As a result, "M" was ranked at number two, behind "Seasons", with 93.2 percent of the votes.[31]

Additionally, the Above & Beyond remix is considered a vocal trance classic,[32] ranking at number 653 in Trance Top 1000 in 2011,[33] and number 177 in A State of Trance Top 1000 in 2021.[34]

Track listings

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Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[45]
Physical sales 		Million 1,319,070[44]
Japan (RIAJ)[46]
Digital downloads 		Platinum 250,000*
Streaming
Japan (RIAJ)[47] Gold 50,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Country Release date
Japan December 13, 2000[41]
Europe October 27, 2003

References

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  1. ^ The title of this single is properly rendered thus: Whenever the title of this single appears on any track listing released by Avex, the aforementioned symbol is used.
  2. ^ a b Shikano Atsushi. Rockin'on Japan. February 2001. Volume 165.
  3. ^ a b c J-Point. December 22, 2000. Volume 75.
  4. ^ Barry Walters of the Village Voice speculates that the "Maria" in question is Mary Magdalene; however, "Maria" in Japanese most often refers to the Virgin Mary.
  5. ^ "Interview with Ayu". U Weekly SG. February 2002. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  6. ^ In the lyrics, words for "love" appear five times in total: ai (愛, love) appears four times and koi (恋, love) appears once. Also, the Japanese word for "couple", futari (ふたり, couple, literally two people) appears twice.
  7. ^ According to musical theory, this would be a shift to the parallel key.
  8. ^ The sheet music of "M" from Ayumi Hamasaki - Piano Solo - New Piano Sounds Top 25. Volume 7. ISBN 978-4-89638-944-9
  9. ^ By "repetition" is meant a repetition of the melody, not the lyrics.
  10. ^ "TVCM" (in Japanese).
  11. ^ "Ayumi Hamasaki - "i am" review". Random Access Reviews. 2002. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Z. Yeung, Neil. "Ayumi Hamasaki - I Am..." AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  13. ^ McCarthy, Michael (August 2, 2002). "Hamasaki - I Am... - Review". Lollipop Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  14. ^ Oricon Style Staff (December 25, 2000). "Oricon Singles Chart – Chart Week December 25, 2000". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Oricon Style Staff (January 1, 2001). "Oricon Singles Chart – Chart Week January 1, 2001". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Oricon Style Staff (January 15, 2001). "Oricon Singles Chart – Chart Week January 15, 2001". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Oricon Style Staff (January 22, 2001). "Oricon Singles Chart – Chart Week January 22, 2001". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  18. ^ Oricon Style Staff (January 29, 2001). "Oricon Singles Chart – Chart Week January 29, 2001". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Oricon Style Staff (February 5, 2001). "Oricon Singles Chart – Chart Week February 5, 2001". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Oricon Style Staff (February 12, 2001). "Oricon Singles Chart – Chart Week February 12, 2001". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Oricon Weekly Charts for the third week of February 2001. Oricon. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  22. ^ Oricon Weekly Charts for the third week of February 2001. Oricon. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  23. ^ According to the total of the sales while "M" was in Oricon Top 30 charts. Oricon does not publish the sales or positions below thirty; therefore, it is possible that "M" sold more.
  24. ^ "浜崎あゆみ ミリオンセラー". Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "オリコンCDシングル歴代売上ランキング" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  26. ^ "「浜崎あゆみ」オリジナルデザインケータイ新登場！" (in Japanese). TU-KA. Archived from the original on April 9, 2001. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "ツーカー東京・東海、浜崎あゆみデザインのケータイ" (in Japanese). TU-KA. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  28. ^ "ツーカーは浜崎あゆみだけではない" (in Japanese). ITmedia. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  29. ^ "浜崎あゆみ _ M _ 2000年". Bilibili (in Japanese). Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  30. ^ "THE JAPAN GOLD DISK AWARD 2001" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Archived from the original on December 20, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Aramajapan Staff (2014). "What are Ayumi Hamasai's most popular songs?". goo.ne.jp; published by Aramajapan.com. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  32. ^ "The 100 Best Vocal Trance Classics (1997-2011)". Armada Music. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Trance Top 1000 2011". TranceFamilySF. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  34. ^ "Armin Van Buuren's All-Time A State of Trance Top 1000 List!". A State of Trance. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  35. ^ M (Japanese maxi-CD single liner notes). Ayumi Hamasaki. Avex Trax. 2000. AVCD-30197.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. ^ M (Japanese 2×12-inch vinyl discs). Ayumi Hamasaki. Avex Trax. 2001. AVJK-3040, AVJK-3041.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. ^ M (Part 1) (German 12-inch vinyl sleeve). Ayumi Hamasaki. Drizzly Records. 2003. DRIZ3002-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ^ M (Part 2) (German 12-inch vinyl sleeve). Ayumi Hamasaki. Drizzly Records. 2003. DRIZ3002-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  39. ^ M (German maxi-single liner notes). Ayumi Hamasaki. Drizzly Records. 2003. DRIZ3002-CD, 376.3002.3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  40. ^ Takeuchi Cullen, Lisa. "Empress of Pop". TIME. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  41. ^ a b "M | 浜崎あゆみ" [M | Ayumi Hamasaki] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  42. ^ "2001年　シングル年間TOP100" (in Japanese). Oricon (published via GeoCities). Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  43. ^ "2000年代シングル売上ランキング" (in Japanese). Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  44. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  45. ^ "Japanese certifications – Ayumi Hamasaki – M" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2001年1月 on the drop-down menu
  46. ^ "Japanese digital certifications – Ayumi Hamasaki – M" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2014年1月 on the drop-down menu
  47. ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – Ayumi Hamasaki – M" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved September 27, 2023. Select 2023年8月 on the drop-down menu
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