BALLAD is just ****ing amazing! It's been since the release of Sparkle I haven't really been impressed by one of her song. The arrangements are magnificent, yet very well controlled. The verses are discrete but not as boring as in HANABI or Dolls IMO. The title really fits the song...

So BALLAD is pretty good, You were... is fine with a nice PV, covers OK... Hope BALLAD's PV will also be good and RED LINE too (well if RED LINE is bad I won't be upset!). Best single since... a while!

I JUST LOVE BALLAD. :)

BALLAD is so beautiful! :luv2
i was hoping this song wouldn't be another oriental-style one 'cause i don't like her others that much, but i absolutely love BALLAD.
her voice is so emotional and sad, and the music is gorgeous. i like this better than You were...
i hope the PV is as beautiful as the song is :yes

ok,the beginning and the ending just give me a goosebumps! i'm sooo in love with it :luv2 Ayu's voice blend beautifully..listening to BALLAD makes me feel like i'm watching another epic film by jackie chan or jet li! :D this song is very epic!

now,just hoping that the PV is going to be epic too :P

oh yes.. i bet this song will never be performed.. Just like Will (unless another PCDL occurs again). It's just a feeling..

^ I think it will be performed this CDL. Will didn't have a PV.

I think until the single is actually released, I have wavering opinions on both songs. I actually like BALLAD, she's doing something right with her voice there. It seems like ever since we found out she had Meniere's, her voice has been deteriorating rapidly. o.O

I'm VERY interested in viewing BALLAD's PV now.

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After a re-listen to both You were... and BALLAD, I conclude this single is DAMN strong. I actually find both to have their own charm points, such as You were...'s incredible lyrics, stylizing, and soaring voice, while BALLAD has sultry vocals and classical Asian appeal. I'd say it's like Days/GREEN Part II, with a lot of evolution I think.

It's just a matter of what RED LINE will be like. :D

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With even more listening, I realize the two songs really match each other well. :)

My last edit, I promise! :P

i love this single. :] go ayu!

I said this in the news section, but I guess I should post my feeling towards both songs in this thread instead.

I like You were.... It's an ayu-style song to me. I dun like BALLAD at all. Probly my background is Chinese, so I dun really think ayu's voice matches with songs arranged in Chinese style. That is part of the reason I didn't like GREEN at all (another reason is the horrible pv). I prefer songs like part of Me, which has a hint of old Japanese feeling, and that really matches her.

Yeah that's my feeling towards BALLAD, nothing against people who love this song :).

...part of Me, Asian? What are you hearing? XD

You were... [song]
Incredible. It's powerful, it's sad, it's just a beautiful song. And the bridge just gives me goosebumbs! This is her best ballad since the GUILTY era imho.
I love it

You were... [pv]
Cheap, boring. I really don't like it :( It just looks like the director didn't have a budget to edit the PV after filming it, everything still looks cheap.. I'm very disappointed, I'd rather watch Sunset.. lol

BALLAD [song]
Really pretty as well! Seriously, music-wise, this single is pure brilliance! BALLAD is beautiful.

I really hope BALLAD will have a stunning PV, like JEWEL!

I love BALLAD :heart

I love BALLAD, seriously. It just reminds me a little of part of Me, which is another gorgeous song.

I love how the song builds up... I can't believe I said there wasn't much of a climax in this song, when though the climax wasn't that "big", the build up to it was amazing.

The arrangement was really beautiful as well... just love this song to death!

And I gotta say, BALLAD does remind me of some of alan's songs; not because of anything, but because of the oriental sounds... it's much stronger here than in other Ayu songs (Will, part of Me, theme of a-nation '03 etc had more of a Japanese sound, and GREEN's oriental feel was very mild to say the least).

I can see this fit so well into the Chinese period drama... I may hate the drama and the tie-in in general, but it's really fitting, so.. ^^

And did I mention how much I LOVE Ayu's voice in BALLAD? She sounded so vulnerable... like it just makes you sad, and towards the end, I envision this Ayu like in the momentum PV where she just dissipates into snow...

This! :( I never would have thought I'd exactly, perfectly agree with every single thing you'd say in a post, Sunshine, but this is that post! :headache If BALLAD were a B-side I'd be more supportive of it, but it's just not good enough to be a leading song, no matter how pretty it is. I really don't understand why some people LOVE it sooo much more than You were... :dead2 Maybe because you're hyped up on BALLAD, since You were... isn't new anymore, ah hah..? :innocent

Maybe people like it because it's soft and vulnerable and that reminds them of the old Ayu? :shrug

I like it, not more than You were... they're about equal. But I can see how BALLAD can be boring, I think the interesting Chinese arrangement (especially from 3:05 - 3:54 as someone mentioned) kind of saves the song for me. I get your point though, I can see how this should have been a b-side. Like I've said a few times before, if this song were just darker I think it would have been better.

Can't people just have a different taste?

lol this :laugh

You forgot were we are! Let me help you:
The artist this forum is about likes this dance move:
:banana1:banana2:banana1