YES YES!! I've been sifting thru the pages just to find this. I knew there was something to do with the human mind. You realize that the opening was done in profile? And the when the scenes of the dancer editted into the back of Ayu's mind...it just felt like it was going on in her head. Somehow the word "hypothalamus" just jumps out at me.

The opening first scene of Ayu screamed HEAVEN COVER at me haha. But her profile is gorgeous. THat's something new because I don't think we have seen her entire face in full profile singing.

Yes I believe that's the idea behind the PV. Perhaps we think so much in our own lives but its really all just happening in our heads. First it starts of like a little doll and soon as we dwelve on, it becomes ingrained into our minds (like how robots are fixed). Then that spark scene was probably the highest form of...imagination?

Contrast the entire marionette thing with Ayu's scenes. Don't they look so normal and pure as compared to the myriad of colours? I think it's saying how normal we humans can look even that the most ordinary setting (the cardboard trees..sry they looked really..cheap BUT i think they made Ayu stand out really well) but deep in ur minds, we have soooooooo much going on it's just crazy. I can sympathise with this.

I appreciate this PV so much. Im that fond of Ayu's hair but SHE WAS GLOWING. Stunning facial features and I really like the robots. Their costumes are so avart garde (and gaga-ish hahaa). Well done. Simple, Classic PV in a long long time.

(i hope BALLAD is epic)

and let's wait for waterballoon to go into the specifics..the above is just the vibe I get. And...i think it does fit hahaha

i love the effect and how futuristic the PV is...
but same like you all, i wondering what ayu trying to say from this PV?
we need the lyrics translation and then we can know what the meaning behind this PV..

The biggest nod to the brain/mind thing is probably when one of the dancers was just holding a glowing brain, hahah. Oh, and the face that was molded into the exploding-hand dancer's hair...

Uhhhh....ummmmm......WHAT? That PV was not what I expected. The dancers looked out of place because most of them were scary looking. They did not compliment the mood of the song nor the did they mesh well with the snowy scenes and Ayu's Christmas light dress. Maybe that was the point, but BLAH. Too jarring and weird for me. It was like, being weird for weird's sake.

And I'm not digging the song yet, either, but as I always say, I'll give it a few more listens before I make a judgment. Sadly, I never ended up liking Sunrise / Sunset, and I'm worried this single is shaping up to be the same.

Luckily, I wasn't planning to buy the CD+DVD versions for this single.

Didn't like the PV at all, except for the cute teddy bear in the beginning. Ayu doesn't look too good here, she is usually so beautiful in pvs. She looks old. :/ I don't feel like the music video matches with the song at all... but the song is pure win! <3

These are my thoughts on the PV:

From this PV I get four main characters:
1. The present-day Ayumi.
2. The former Ayumi
3. The subject of the song
4. The subject's lover

Whenever Ayu is singing about her present situation, we always see her in this dim light, and barely able to make out her full face but then when she starts to talk about the past, we see flashbacks and we are able to make out her more clearly.
In the flashbacks, we see the clowns representing the other main characters.
I think that the reason she's chosen clowns is because in theory clowns and circuses are meant to be joyful and happy things and playful places, right? But in practise a lot of people have phobias of clowns and circuses. So it's playing on this theme that whilst love is all great...there's a darker side to it.
Then in the second verse we're introduced to this new character the subject of the song and his lover, in the lyrics she introduces this new person by wondering about who is seeing his smile now and in the PV we see these two embracing and the new character almost rubbing our faces in the fact they're together.
After this we see the fire scene (is it Ayu holding the fire? I think it is...?) which to me symbolises how Ayu's jealousy towards this woman is building up and the only way she can stop her sorrow is for this woman to simply not exist any more, but obviously this jealousy is all consuming and eventually surrounds not only Ayu.
Then the brain scene. The brain is technically where our memories are stored and here she sings about it being better to forget, but she doesn't want to.
Then with the end we're seen this metaphorical path again. Ayu's life has ended without her lover, but obviously she must go on. The repetition of the last line of the chorus shows us that she's made up her mind. She's decided to go on living with the memories in her heart and not let them overcome her.

Does that make sense?

EDIT: Oh, posting about the trees made me think, someone else said that it seemed like Ayu was in a different dimension and I completely agree. It's saying to me that those trees are symbolising people of her past and she's in the future walking a road that just at times seems bleak. :P

^gotta replay the mv :P. I didn't read the lyric translation but I believe what you've said :D

Okay this is what I've gathered so far... I think this video represents the path of life, or life itself. I must say again this is my personal interpretation of the video, so...

Okay, firstly we see a teddy bear. Does the teddy bear represent childhood, since it's a toy - something that we associate with children? But why a teddy bear? I think it's because of Ayu's personal... encounters with a teddy bear; the last gift that her father left for her, so it's something special to her, and so we have a teddy bear to represent a child.

The teddy bear seems to have 2 pairs of legs, a pair which belongs to itself which it almost never used, and another 2 pair of legs that doesn't look like its legs... as if it's someone else's legs... it's kind of like when you're a child, you either get influenced by your friends, or your parents decide where you should go, right? This kinda reinforces itself when the teddy bear looks forward, as if wanting to move forward, yet in the end it moves to the side, using the pair of legs that isn't its own legs. It's like... we never get the freedom to make our own decisions when we were young.

Then we "grow up", and thus enter the next scene with Ayu. These images... the ballerina and the clown, it's like they represent being a pre-teen, going to circuses, or (if you're a girl) having the dream to be a beautiful ballerina. And these go on in Ayu's mind; it's like she's telling us these are the things she see when she was a young girl.

Then we get even older, and discover love, as represented by the couple in the Lady Gaga clothes. We discovered love, but is it really all that good? I think Ayu wants to show us that, when the female is left alone... as if seeking for her lover, who is already gone. This pain... it's a part of life, isn't it?

When love is gone, and the reluctance to let go is present... it shows as the female's hand goes in flames; like everything is burning away - the feelings, the memories, her lover himself, all burnt away...

But at the end, she holds a brain. It's like the brain represents thoughts... thoughts and feelings that never changed even after everything has changed. Feelings like, she still loves him, and she still thinks of him... or at least that's what I see there.

Also note that around the time "love" appears in the video, the path Ayu is on lights up, as if to show that by that time, we have our own dreams, and we know what path we wish to take in the future.

But why is it straight? The path is like a straight line that cuts through with no curves... no nothing. It's like... should life be like this? Straight and without bumps, or any detours and roundabouts?

Then we reach the final destination of life - death. I feel these are represented by the falling red man/person in Ayu's head, and the fire burning around the earlier female dancer. It's also not death per se, but death of other things - love, dreams... like the female.

And then we see the male actually looking at the female with all the fire... I never got to really think what that is actually about...

Anyway, after that it starts to snow, signifying a change in season. Like it's time to move on from everything that happened... and the whole path is lit up at the end, and there is still a long way to go in the path of life...

But of course, I think it's confusing because it seems like all these symbolism don't link to the song or anything. But I think... You were... isn't exactly a love song, right? I mean I guess it's a love song, but it isn't really talking only about romantic love.

All these symbolism - the teddy bear, the childhood visions, the lovers... I think they link to the final two lines of the song really well:

"You might have forgotten everything
But I won't forget a single one of them" (paraphrasing)

Assuming the teddy bear represents her father, the childhood visions her life when she was young (mother, grandmother, school life), the lovers her ex-lovers (Nagase and whoever elese)... they might have all forgotten her or whatever, but she wouldn't forget a single one of them.

And that's what I think that's what the video is about... sorry for the lengthy post - I just can't help it cos it's been ages since Ayu had a PV with symbolism like this~ Of course you can correct me or disagree with me if you want... it'll be great if we could get different interpretations. ^^

You Were...PV was a little on the strange side, but nice!

good job jun xiang...i agree almost all part of your interpretation

If Kazu do BALLAD, we may see the close up faces like GREEN again perhaps...

You were... PV is amazing, looks like it's something that Ayu didn't show this kind of PV for a long time.
The director also do Ladies Night which are cool PV,so in the end, this PV absolutely WIN! :D

EDITED:
Agree with your interpretation waterballoon~

When Disney said that the image of Tinker Bell is a perfect match with Ayu, this PV seems telling it all, it looks like all about Ayu, i think.

Well that was certainly...probably the most artistic PV she has ever done.

I'm not going to say that I'm a fan or gonna be watching it over and over, because I don't like the song...but I think the themes are interesting, and the sort of chaos she has going on is interesting as well.

Nothing really meshes...but then again, I don't really think it's supposed to. I think Ayu's supposed to have that contrast to...I guess whatever the hell the crazy dancer people are doing.

I don't really care to know the meaning behind the song or the PV, but I've skimmed through some of your guys' interpretations and the PV does seem interesting and different, without being retarded or having an overly cheesy plot (like GREEN for instance) which is honestly a major plus for me.

So...all in all...I give it a 7.5/10 or maybe like a 7.8/10.

Pretty much my reaction. It's very different from what anyone expected.

i thought it is something like waterballoon explained. i have to watch this for a several times more just to got that vision of its whole cuz first time you are watching this dancers and teddy bear seem so random. i think plot was not random either, it seemed like she's in theater.

i loved her hair, i like when ayu looks so divalicious. song itself is amazing, i like it even more and pv overall is epic.

I'll just disagree with that notion about the bear having two sets of legs, cause I think the "nude" fingers are supposed to represent hands. That's what I gathered from the body language given.

I think both waterballoon and zyoeru's interpretations are both plausible, the former being more broad talking about life itself while zyoeru's is a little more narrow dealing with Ayu's personal love woes. This seems like a Mirrorcle World like PV, where the interpretation can go many ways. And to me, that's an excellent thing because people can connect to the PV or the song at different levels. :)

-----

My personal opinion? One of her best PVs, period. From what I can understand lyrically, the PV is pretty spot-on, but leaves room for different interpretations. :)
Another point that I find REALLY important in this PV is the seemingly randomness of the scenes (which have left some of you without a clear opinion yet). I think it's a subtle way to get people to watch it more than once, thus getting them to listen to the song multiple times.

I really liked the PV. In addition to what others mentioned, for those of us who know the very dark winter months of the north, this PV brings back such memories with its dark gloomy forest and the dim lights. To me it was very christmasy simply because of that. =P

The visuals are amazing in themselves.

The full song sounds so much better than the preview!!! i am glad that i like the song!! but i feel that the tune of the bridge sounds a lil bit out of place.. :(

the PV is GREAT!!! It's a beautiful PV. Although some may say it's boring, but its nothing compared to Sunset... Not really sure about the metaphors some of u are talkin about.. But i LOVE it! giving the PV a 8/10 and the song 7/10!

its not a boring PV..its a artistic PV and have strong meaning on it^^ the visual effect awesome and i love ayumi looks in that PV...thats my opinion...

I agree with this. It's like the teddy "grows" arms, like it is growing up and learning new things. That's what I think it symbolises.

I think a combination of the two interpretations ends up being the best. waterballoon didn't really explain the brain sequence much, which I think it is a very important scene. But I agree with waterballoon's interpretation of the clowns etc. being of joyful things in childhood. Then the person grows up and learns that not everything is so joyful. For example, the pain of love which is what the fire symbolises. I definitely don't think the fire symbolises Ayu's jealousy, because Ayu and the fire are never in the same scene. There is no link there in the video that I can see.

I really like this PV. But, it is about as ambigious as Mirrorcle World. It can literally mean anything. But, the way in which it is done is probably the most artsy way any of her video's have told a story. With the dark, the characters lighting up the scene, giving the video life. I dig that. The style really reminds me of her Memorial Address PV days, which is a very good thing.

love the PV and all^^
but just one question... it's about everyone's interpretation of the bear.
why does everyone think he has 2 pair of legs???? O_o''
those are supossed to be arms! he's walking and then he puts his arms behing his back and kicks with his feet. they don't just "grow" out of nowhere. the bear is just walking and his arms are always there...
it's like a shy/girlish or even bored moment... everyone's done that a few times in his/her life.

no offense to anyone but it just seems like everyone's a bit over-reacting and trying to make an elefant from a fly xP
the PV has great meaning and i agree with lots of things you all said, but i have the feeling it's going a bit too far, trying to put more meaning in something than it actually has....

hope no one gets offended, i'm just beeing a bit realistic :P

Uh well, that song deserved better. Put 1999 ayu in there and no one would know the difference, it looked so low budget it was like the first or second video from a new artist's career. Sure it might have more meaning than some of her other videos, but I can't get past the cheapness. She looked pretty, that was about the most enjoyable part, and a few of the artistic shots. It does get better as it goes along, but still. Eh. The song is so nice and now it feels cheap.

I only herd/saw You were... and I was very impressed. The PV has a JEWEL-ish feeling to it. The lighting and funky looking people also make it feel abstract like some of her older PVs alterna/ourselves/etc. The song is also really enjoyable and its easy to like just from the first listen.

I love "You were..." after hearing the full song. It's been a long time since there was a ballad from a single I really liked.

The PV is okay, I might watch it a few more times to see if I might like it more.

I really dig the setting. The fakeness of it all seems to symbolise that it is not real--the setting that Ayu is in is simply part of her mind, it doesn't exist in reality. So this PV does explore the workings of Ayu's mind, or maybe just someone's mind, and feelings. I feel that the clowns show the thoughts, and the lighting is very important.

Most of all, the fire--the pain!! The climax of the song showing the clown surrounded by fire is absolutely beautiful. I can't quite express what I think it means yet but it tugs at my heart.

I watched again and again the PV, but i'm not really able to find something meaningful.
Although the amazing explaination by waterballon and keikeiaznqueen i still feel the PV too weak respect the song.
Maybe i'm a dumb -__-"

This is by far one of the most bizarre videos she's ever made. There is A LOT of symbolism in it, and that's odd in and of itself since we haven't had a video this complex since...ehh, I don't know "Ladies Night" perhaps? Of course that doesn't mean that it isn't cheaply made. The editing in and of itself is an atrocity---did you all see the tree zoom-in towards the end? One tree was white & the other was brown.

I can definitely see Greek-influences throughout the video---her dress, her hair, and the simplicity of her makeup, the two-horned demon-person, and the costumes of a few other demon-persons/clowns. (I really don't want to call them clowns, but I guess it's better than saying demons.)

The color schemes also play a good role in this video as well. I haven't read the english translation of the song (and Idk if its even avaliable now~forgive me, it's exams week), BUT I do think that in the beginning of the PV it's a "you were everything to me and I'm so dark and lonely without you" and in the end it's a "you were everything to me but I'm okay enough to move on".

Overall, one of the weirdest videos ever released by Ayu, yet it's the most beautiful song she's put out this era. I'm really shocked at how this song got a beautiful single cover, the opportunity to be an A-side, to be beautiful in sound, and STILL end up with a cheap PV. I hope BALLAD looks better, but knowing Ayu's track record lately it will sound horrible to me but have the better PV.

Of course, why should I complain? I'm just glad Shuya and his bloodshot-eyeball~self hasn't shown his face in anything since the tour.

I didn't read all the posts, but am I the only person loving the cardboard trees? Probably because I love theatre.

Pretty much agree with everything in waterballoons interpretation.

Well then I must be dumb too. Cause I feel the same way.

Except I only watched it once. I can't bring myself to watch it again... Maybe in a few weeks....

omg i like the pv and the song a lot!
the song was so understated by the lq version...
Thank god the actual song is so much nicer.
The pv.. though it looks cheap with the fake trees, i think it is rather interesting but i shall read on the translation of the song after my exam, in order to understand the meaning of the song pv

For most of you saying that it looked cheap, I'm not sure where you'd like the cost of the video to go but I think the editing was really well done and a lot of detail was given to it.

Look at videos like Greatful Days and HANABI ~episode II~ .. there are transitional scenes that blend together and then one just cuts out and it looks so messy. You were... is really clean visually and definitely better on production.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with the scene full of the white tree cut outs. If I read a lot of your interpretations of the video correctly this is a reflection all internally done. Why would someone have such an active imagination with every other scene and then have to have accurate/real trees in the next scene? I think the white trees continue the notion that this is all in her mind.

Someone made mention to the one tree being brown. I don't think the tree was brown I just don't think it was lit. If you look at other trees around their base you can see that they put lights behind them to light all the other trees going back.

Also, the path lighting up. We all know that Ayumi loves her damn paths.

The cardboard trees are intentional people. If they wanted to use real trees, they could have gone outside and filmed her near some. It doesn't take money to use a real tree.

I don't see how this video is cheap. Besides for the "cardboard" setting of the trees/path, none of the other effects look cheap in any way.

NICE ONE WATERBALLOON! makes so much sense. I think what i interpreted on apge 6 is just another interpretation haha..

^this
if she uses real tree, there will be complains too...

I liked the bear in the begining.

It was interesting I guess.

I don't care for the song or PV but it's an upgrade from stuff she's been doing.

Staff: Ayu! Just watched ur new video and we found a problem! U used the cardboard trees and forgot to use the CG effects on the scene so they would look real!

Ayu: Damn! The pv is set for its debut tomorrow!

Staff: What can we do?

Ayu: Let`s pretend the trees are not there, no one will pay attention on it when they can see me! ;D

Staff: But Ayu, and what will we do if someone notice?

Ayu: My stupid fans at AHS will create some bizarre interpretation to it! Now, I need to see a doctor, I'm going to make my eyes bigger for CDL!

---

I find it easier for the trees being like that on purpose xD

omg LOL @ people thinking that the trees were supposed to look real.. umm..

i love the cardboard trees, it's like a pop-up storybook setting or something.

I thought the PV's storyline was pretty clear. Here's how I see it (I'm not going through everything). I'm going to refer to the 'I'-person in the song as SHE as I find using Ayumi awkward.

First of all, I believe the the artistic scenes with the marionettes are flashbacks.

In the scene with the male and female marionette, they look awkward. The female one tries to approach the other, but the male one isn't interested.
The person SHE is in love with didn't want to be with her.
(Note: This female marionette can also be seen as a new lover, which brings another meaning to the PV, but they look awkward so I don't see them like that.)

Then there's the scene in which the MALE marionette burns by a large fire. SHE needs to burn her love from her memory otherwise it is too painful, or the fire simply represents the pain SHE is in because he doesn't love her.

The face in the hair of the other female marionette represent how she feels as one with the person she loves, and how the person she loves has taken over her thoughts, etc. The fire bursting from her hand represents pain and burning desire.

lol, for this..why everyone is complaining bout the tree?nwey i didn't read all posts but i think it's more artistic with that cardboard tree..seems like ayu wanna tell that we're always in our own old,dreaming of something that never happen..just to differentiate the real live and the things around us..and yes the fire means the pain,and the teddy bear at the beginning show that maybe when we're lonely or feel lost,we have no idea of where to go but however we have to keep on moving...

that's all i can say for now,but for some reason,this PV is soo intense and has a strong meaning..it makes me cry for the first time watching it..

and like Disney said,and Ayu looks like tinkerbell in this Pv..

I really have no idea what the PV is about. It did remind me of some of her older PVs... I do really like the song. :)

no,noidea i'm second for this,i really like it,for me it has it's own special meaning :yes

yes i can see the tree and i wonder why just one of it? :rolleyes and i agree for the greek influence, and Ayu's hairdo,dress,and the path with the fake snow and the carboard tress really reminds me of the witch in The Chronicles of Narnia, the witch and the wardrobe :yes i love this PV

and thank god no overdramatic lead man (Shuya of cos) :D

@ keikeiaznqueen, I think were on the same track. It seems almost Freudian in a sense, but I think I can appreciate the song a little better now.
I watched the video twice because despite the sadness of the song's lyrics, Ayumi simply looks elegant and composed. I thought it was strange that Ayumi always embodies the song's emotion to the full and it made me wonder why that was. I think the video represents a serene, reflective Ayumi while the other characters are her subconscious acting out as she would like to due to her emotional sate; run away, cry, become as broken physically as she is mentally etc.

:roflmao

That's totally how it went down. :P

I think it's odd that people think the PV looks cheap, as if Avex wouldn't use a big budget for Ayu if she wanted everything to look glamorous (GREEN, JEWEL, Mirrorcle World anyone?). I'm pretty sure the backdrop and cardboard cut-out trees were very intentional. As if to imply the memories and feelings she has of a past love are more real to her than reality. And I'm sure everyone would have freaked if she went with the traditional lost love story plot line that we've just seen with Days a year ago. Calling it repetitive and that she can no longer make a decent PV anymore. Yet this time she does and it's cheap and boring. :laugh

But honestly, I think that's Ayu's thing this year, and I like it. NEXT LEVEL tour was stripped down, very little props, just Ayu. Sunrise and Sunset PVs were stripped down, very little props, just Ayu and her fans. You were PV comes out, stripped down, very little props, just Ayu. Maybe the super glam diva era of Ayu is over? And now she's focusing more on her music and fans now. Isn't that what everyone wanted? :shrug

This.

Ayu got 3 PVs in the top 20 most expensive PVs of all time dammit! She can easily do something expensive if she wants to. But this was obviously not intended to look expensive and glamourous.

^4
fairyland, my name`s woman, jewel, green
=)

^ since when is GREEN in the list and how much did it cost? o.0 wouldnt that make her the female artist with most pvs in that list? madonna has 3, doesnt she?

For the first two, mostly because they had to build everything from scratch, right?

I don't think a lot of money is needed to make a great PV, especially in Ayu's case. Her most expensive videos usually hit or miss for me (esp. GREEN & fairyland, both were pretty but could have easily been made with less money).

Momentum is an example of a PV that I thought was beautiful and fairly cheap. The most expensive thing about it was probably the technology needed for the blue screen.

As far as budgeting is concerned, I can't imagine Avex having a problem with financing Ayumi's videos unless they are (1) Spending the revenue earned from Ayu's products on the production of other musicians (2) Saving up for something really big, IE: Arena Tour 2010, the REAL PV for "you were.." or (3) Avex is just losing money big time.

EDIT: Just listened to "BLAND"...I mean, "BALLAD". This song would have been much better in the instrumentation were more dramatic. Ayu's vocals are very strong at the end, but the beginning was just MEH.

You were... looked like a Neo-Nutcracker stage production, to me. Lots of plays come out for the Christmas season, so I thought that it looked appropriate.

Green costed 1,800,000... she said that on her blog^^

damn, so GREEN even is in the top 10 o.0

Just because she has videos in the most expensive doesn't mean they all are. This PV, in my opinion, does look hideously cheap.

I do agree with that it probably wasn't intended to be expensive looking or glamorous, but that doesn't excuse it from being so ugly. xD

On another note-- I like the way people are interpreting the concept, but I still hate the PV. The concept and the imagery are all wrong for this kind of song. It's just weird and awkward. :irked

And about the list of most expensive music videos--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...e_music_videos

GREEN isn't listed. Only fairyland, my name's WOMEN, and JEWEL are listed.

^ With that I just wanted to show that, if she wanted to have it expensive she could have done it expensive, so it being cheap isn't about her losing popularity or something(because somebody would most likely have said something like that sooner or later)

Why do people compain about the trees? It's obviously a styalistic decision.

No, it was "Ayu+millions of dancers." If it had just been Ayu I would have been a lot happier. :)

I second this. The dancers were used to the point of overkill this year. :dead2

i know there were a ton but i hardly noticed them sometimes. less in-your-face or something?

lol

yeah, even in this PV where it wasn't like they were blatantly in your face...they're still too much of a part of the PV...

But I don't think she really thinks about that.

green isn't listed, but if it costed 1,8m as AYU said, it is among the most expensive =)

those weren`t her dancers... they were random western people...

uh huh...doesn't really matter...

avex probably has to file it or something. Maybe it needs to be submitted to a certain place for it to be counted in lists like that.

It's a wikipedia list... anyone can change it xD

yeah, some of the sources for the list are very fishy also, especially the one for the video placed one, the video is said to be 13 million but the only source is some list that doesn't include sources at all? enough reason for me to not believe it, such an expensive video would have gotten MANY news reports

Well, yeah... but all the sources are cited which means the official costs were published somewhere. I don't think Ayu's blog is counted as an official source since its a personal blog. That's what I meant. ^^

Saw the You were... PV. The song is pretty average and I didn't like the PV in the least. I'm not a big fan of "Ayumi PV symbolism." Too weird for me.

^
^
the sources are just random websites that often dont cite any sources, rarely the list is based on official sources

You were... is certainly one of her best PV since... a long time^^ Although the song is highly forgetable, the PV is not. For sure, she looks beautiful, but I prefer the clown skaters (I immediatly though about the joker in Batman lol) and the pasteboard set.

i absolutely LOVE the song now that i've heard the full HQ version :love and surprisingly, despite the PV being pretty weird (and i have no clue what the actual storyline was :P) i really liked it. i dunno, because it was so different (to me, at least) i just enjoyed it so much and i really liked it. i hope BALLAD will be a bit better, though. but regardless, i'm satisfied :D

oh and i LOVE the teddy bear (or was it a teddy bear puppet?) at the beginning of the video. whenever i see it, it makes mme happy :tipsy

Love the song, glad to be able to hear a good quality version of it. The video is very beautiful, kinda boring though (Reminds me a bit of Jewel). I love the wintery feel of it.

Also idk if anyone pointed this out (I havent taken the time to read back through the thread) but I thought Ayu looked kinda similar to the White Witch from Narnia.....

What dancers? :roflmao

I swear this PV was the first time I really noticed any dancers. But maybe it's because I never really pay attention to Ayu's dancers in the first place.

But that wasn't my point. My point is she hasn't really relied on ridiculous props or extravagant PVs this year. Her dancers are always going to be there as surely as she is. They're part of the "certainty list." In life there are three things that are certain, death, taxes and Ayu's dancers. :laugh

My interpretation of "You were..." PV
 

I don't know if my thoughts are correct... but I've been trying to get with some meaning for you were... PV...

Maybe I would had to post it in the thread of "you were/BALLAD thoughts", but it ended being really long... so I though it was better to create a new thread... If not, move it to that thread, and sorry -_____-


____________________________



For me this is about the entertainment world and how this affected Ayu's life. I'm going to explain, or try at least, which is the meaning of what we can see in this PV.

First, all the lights, all the brilliant things... this PV is full of lights... i think this is the symbolism for this artists world. Artists are always in front of focuses, they have always a focus pointing at them... and also people, fans, think of this world like something far from us... I mean... at least when I think of Ayu, it's like she has some aura around her... I don't know if I explained it well...


http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4791/71431774.png


Then all the "characters" we can see in it... I think they are a personification of Ayu's feelings or attitudes.

The first one is a girl, dancing, she looks beautiful, with a nice dress, she looks happy and free, and we can see her face... she's still her... this is like the beginning, the beginning of being a singer.


http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/9793/66611024.png


then we can see something similar, the one that is skiing, we can still see her face, she's living in this place she found...


http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/3980/22330129.png


This 2 characters, we see how they move smoothly, fluently, with freedom...

The next character, her face is covered, we can't see the real person behind it, her movements are static... then we can see this same character, moving like a marionette, it's being controlled.. the flower she had covering all her chest is gone, an we can see some lights just were we have our heart, this are like pieces, her heart is broken...


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4352/72189233.pnghttp://img189.imageshack.us/img189/87/46923957.png


after this character we see for the first time the stage, her path... The background... this fake trees, is like a stage, she is in a stage, this is what she chose years ago, and we can see in this stage a path. She always talks about this path, the path she chose to take and keep on going, this path of being a singer, she is in this path, she can't change it. We see ayu in this path, facing it, she's still, maybe she is sad and has been hurt, but she faces it...


http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/594/52081333.pnghttp://img229.imageshack.us/img229/5033/78954883.png


the next two characters are completely like robots, their movements are limited, they can't move. I think that these are two attitudes for facing this situation, they are together and they are like fighting a little... which is the correct way of acting?? Accepting everything, the world is like this, I can't do nothing, or can I still believe that there's hope, that I can wish for happiness?


http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/6493/30892368.png


the last character we see is a girl around sparks, she's being cornered, she can't move, and she's moving desperately... and they focus her head, and we see she has two faces, and one is starting covering the real one... I see her like the original self, the one inside us, she's like trying to take it out, wanting this mask to disappear... we see again this "fake" face and her hand with a light that fades away.. I think of it like she is seeing how her essence is disappearing, she knows it...


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7180/56496293.pnghttp://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7243/85566840.png
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4931/44095629.png


Where I see the meaning of that two characters that are together?

There's one that wears like a warrior, and this clothes give me a feeling of something strong, like a shield that protects the person inside it, instiead of fighting, this one protects herself and do nothing... she wears a mask, but this mask has something that hang from it... I think of it as tears... she is inside it, she wants to accept it, but she still cries...


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3898/36456414.png


this is also the character that holds the brain, I don't know what to think about it, maybe it's like "I have to abandon my own standards"...


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5631/57464715.png


after that we see this character around fire, standing, without moving... it gives me more the feeling of "there's still feelings inside her", there's fire, she's still not totally "dead"...


http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5318/22846169.pnghttp://img341.imageshack.us/img341/109/59119268.png


the other one, we see her trying to move with more freedom, when she turns her head, looking up, a light appears... this light of hope that shines... this is what makes me think this character symbolizes the desire of hope, to believe that there can be something more if we fight....


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3786/43212152.pnghttp://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5589/18674871.png


Then we see Ayu's face, still, like a doll. This is the result, she's posing... Seeing her eyes, I have the feeling that inside her there's this character, the one with a second face almost covering the real one, that is seeing this and cries... she is broken inside...


http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/8532/14495468.png


But like everything in this PV, it fades away... and finally we see Ayu standing in her path, but this time she's not standing without moving, she is fighting, she wants to shine with her own light, not the one that others want.


http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/5064/97151652.pnghttp://img42.imageshack.us/img42/531/33948896.png


the tree at the end, the only one that is brown... I understand it like... how to explain... With winter the trees are "dead", they are covered with snow... but when winter ends, this trees will live again when spring comes, they will grow strong and flourish again... that tree in this scene, between trees all "dead", one is starting to live again, spring is coming...


http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3154/53934495.png


I see it like, she is starting to be happy again...


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Okay, this is my interpretation... For me the PV is talking about her live like an artist, maybe from the beggining, the first years, maybe she felt like this, what I explained, and since then she has been fighting... She has been always an artist that tried to make all the way she wanted, this has been her fight, to shine with her own light...

I know this has nothing to do with "You were..." lyrics, but this love that ended, maybe she thinks that this path she chose to take has the fault of its ending.


So, this is only MY OWN interpretation, I'm not pretending to say this is the TRUTH xDD maybe you'll agree with me, maybe not, and maybe some people will understand this PV more ^^


so here it is...



P.D: sorry if some explanations are bad or difficult to understand, I'm not that food in english and it was difficult for me to explaing difficult interpretations in another language ^^'

wow...i love your explaination.i agree with this statement

BALLAD: wayy better than You were.. but its so creepy how much it sounds like alan's BALALD :o >_>
but i do enjoy & appreciate the flute and the orientalness of it <333

Who's this alan person everyone keeps mentioning? :eyebrow

Cheap and glamorous aren't the two ends of the spectrum though. It can be high budget/professional looking without looking glamorous.


The trees certainly wasn't the part that looked cheap to me, they actually made the video sorta artsy looking. I think the editing was one of the main reasons, specifically the transitions, how it turned into bokeh or whatever.

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/4...nap5914190.png


Then there was the lighting of her by the trees, those scenes just screamed cheap at me. By the end when the light was changed, it looked at whole lot better. Overall the video just didn't look like it was from 2009 to me :no

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/5...nap5914354.png

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/9...nap5916003.png

I was referring to what you wrote about the tour. :)

Ah, I honestly haven't seen the entire thing, so I don't know if there were more than usual. But like I said, her dancers are going to be around no matter what lol.

I like your interpretation, walking.proud. Really beautiful. However, I didn't think too complicated like this, my understanding about this PV is quite simple and follow the lyric.

And here is my interpretation. Of course, it's just my point of view.

Note:
* words in quote is "You were.." lyric, I took it from the translation of tenshi no hane.
[translation + romaji] You were... by tenshi no hane

* And images, I used these in walking.proud first post ^^

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In the beginning, a bear-glove appears, rite? This is symbolize for the whole concept of the PV and the meaning of lyric. It represents for "Ayu" - she still remembers her love.

She walks in the street she has ever walked with her ex-love, then she stops, and stands at the place they used to see each other when dating. She puts her arms behind her back, kicks her feet while waiting. After watching other couples pass by, she feels very lonely and walks away.

* everybody in other thread think the teddy bear is a male, for me is "Ayu" so I think teddy bear's gender is female :P

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4791/71431774.png

Then real Ayu appears. But forgot this real Ayu, she is just the singer who sings the song, LOL :D

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/9793/66611024.png

I thought the colorful clown is Ayu herself in the past. Because she was in love, so she was very colorful, even in the dark background, we still can see she shines very brightly.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4352/72189233.png

This clown with a flower in the chest appears when she sang this line, so I thought this is the time when the couple separate, then she is heart-broken. We also can see in PV that this clown later was exploded, rite? I think this clown represents her hope with this person. But now it is over.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/87/46923957.png

The next clown, I don't care about the appearance, I just notice about the action. She moves like a marionette. I think it is the reaction of losing her love. It is so painful that she even lost her mind.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/6493/30892368.png

... I'm still thinking about the meaning of those 2 robots ^^ however, due to the lyric, these two are not Ayu. One is her ex-love and one is his new-love (maybe :innocent)

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7180/56496293.png

I think she is wonder how long she has to suffer this sorrow?

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4931/44095629.png

For me the fireworks she is holding in her hand is "the dream". Last time, they always talked about the future, maybe they wish for a happy family or success in their jobs together... However, they were separated so the dream looks like fireworks, it broke and disappeared. Nothing left.

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5631/57464715.png

The clown holds the brain means she still respects for her memories. She wants to throw all away, in the other hands, she wants to keep even a single moment because that all she have about her precious love.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5318/22846169.png

A light appears, rite? For me this light is the kind and the warm memories that help her a way out of the silence and sorrow.

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3786/43212152.png

We can see the clown clearly now. It means Ayu is recovered. She is back to herself, continue to live without him. The black and white color is opposite with the colorful in the beginning ^+^

--

I myself think that "You were..." has a connection between the lyric and PV. The PV is just represents Ayu herself since the time she was happy in love, heart-break and then being recovered. Other weird characters (clown or marionette) appear is just her subconscious due to her emotional state.

P/S: sorry if I wrote something wrong because my english is not good, even I want to say a lot but I can't ^^'

miayu's theory is exactly the same as mine but yours was interesting too, I never thought about it that way!

That's the exact feeling I get while watching the PV.
Sure, there is a deeper meaning behind the PV and it's somehow connected to the lyrics, but it's just too much symbolism at some points. And symbols and metaphors don't have to be weird to deliver a meaning.
Don't get me wrong, it's ok. The PV is better than S/S for sure, they try to do something different or/and something the older Ayu would have done, that's great.
It just don't get me interested enough to watch it more than once. All those weird symbols are just too much, it puts me off.
A little bit simpler, just one or two pairs of weird dancers, to make it more understandable would have been better.

I don't get it how the PV looks cheap.
I assumed that nobody never see a cheap MV :shrug.

^exactly...
i thought that this PV cost a fortune...
the property, clothes, model, decoration, effect, CG, director, make up, etc...

Everyone has such different and cool interpretations! I'm glad she finally has a PV since God knows when there were so many in-depth thoughts from people who watched it...

yea i really agree with miayu interpretation but the interpretation by walking.proud is interesting too. yes,for me Ayu's like on the stage with the fake snow and tress..i think that this can have both these meaning, she can't forgot her ex that she loves very much but in the same time,she has made her mind,that this is the path that she has chosed years ago...bak to reality, who knows what happen between ayu and nagase..maybe that they gone through a lot of hard time,being and artist and a normal loving couple at the same time is really challenging..

so for me,this PV is really interesting,Ayu made something new,i've waited for this kind of PV for long time,mean that just AYU singing naturally,being herself and convey her feelings to her fans sincerely.this is more touching for me rather than having a story line PV that is for sure we know that she will cating for the role,but i do like the Days PV.but sometimes,having a unique stuff from Ayu is just cool ha? XD

Waterballoon, that was brilliant. I liked the PV but I thought it was all random pretty scenes but you really nailed it.

I can never understand symbolism like that.

I'm loving people's interpretations. Nice job, guys! :thumbsup

On a more negative note, let me just say this to all the cardboard tree haters, lol:
Just because something LOOKS low budget, doesn't mean it is (although, I do think this PV was cheaper than a lot of hers); just because something actually DOES turn out to be low budget, doesn't make it bad! The small things in life can be appreciated just as much as something glamourous and that costs ten million dollars. ;)

And one more thing:
How the **** does this sound like Alan's song??? Just because it has the same name, doesn't mean it SOUNDS the same. I really think it's all in your head, whoever thinks that. :o

they're talking about BALLAD, which doesn't sound like an alan song to me either, but it makes some sense, Asian=alan even though she hasn't done something Oriental since April

I can see why BALLAD sounds so not Jpop, it is because the song is for the movie that is produced by both Japanese and Chinese.

and the chinese drama is a historical type.. dunno which dynasty though

You Were... is a nice winter ballad, nothing new. At first, I didn't like it and I found Ayu's voice irritating. But now, the song is growing on me and the refren is very nice, but that doesn't mean that I'm impressed because, I don't listen to it so often... Also, I think I loved Days more when it first came out.
BALLAD I love the fact that Ayu is doing smth traditional! It's not going to be as epic as Will, but it seems that it's going to be nice.

I recommend everyone to download the MP3 rip of You were... from the HD PV, much clearer, and it's so beautiful oh gosh... T_T

LOL I totally thought the same thing!

But yeah, I like it. It was kinda abstract and artsy, and I felt like it was kinda of an artistic interpretation of the lyrics (like IMO it really captured the atmosphere of the lyrics).

Although it would have been better if her skin didn't look so oily, and I'm not sure what to make of her coif, but I loved the set with the fake trees (it looked like a pop-up book or a pop-up christmas card, which is kinda awesome)

That quote contains the last two photos of the post.

I think I'm being overanalytical, but it seems like that was done on purpose to show the winding road she's taken since her woes, and the faint lighting in the distance is where she is now (she traveled back to the past, which is why she'd be in the front?). Then when everything finally lights up, I think it symbolizes the past, present, and future coming together as one, kind of at peace with each other.

Again, me being overanalytical. Hahaha.

You are probably just seeing all the diamond dust they put on her face. It bothered me a little bit when I first saw it, but it doesn't really bother me now after I watched it a second time.

I loved the songs :D I just didn't like the You were.. pv :/ Kind of.. too much stuff that are too random. The begining was adorable though :D It was filmed in a weird way, and I wanted more close-up shots.. I'll make my own with winter PV's when the DVD rip is out (sooner the better hehe) :D

You were... is finally growing on me. :D But I still HATE her voice in it.

I don't really like the fake tree set, it just... I dunno.

And I don't like Ayu in it still. She looks pretty and all, and I'm over her overdramatic acting and stuff, but I don't like... how she looks... I dunno, she's just like, too dark in the PV, and her skin is... weirdly colored. I can't explain, but she looks so... bland? *can't explain at all*

That's the thing... I believe the PV was probably NOT low budget, and it probably was intentional that it looked the way it did... but that doesn't stop it from being ugly, imo. :laugh A PV can be low budget and look wonderful or high budget and be detestable.

I just want to get across that when I say it LOOKS cheap, I'm not trying to say "OMG AYU, YOUR RICH SO BLOW MILLIONS ON EVERYTHING YOU DO." haha Because in actuality they probably did spend a pretty penny on it. But cost aside, I think it's pretty ugly. 'Cheap' is just a nicer way of saying it. But it's all opinion so...

And I definitely agree with you about this 'alan' girl. I don't even know who the heck she is, but I looked up her song and Ayu's BALLAD sounds nothing like it. :irked

Just listened to the full BALLAD leak, and the intro is BEAUTIFUL omg. I love it so much. The whole song is beautiful as well :heart

BALLAD must be ayu's most oriental song to date.

It also pwns all of the others (theme of n-ation '03, Will and GREEN) and You were...
imo.

I really liked her vocals on this one, the arrangement is really pretty and it builds up well as the song goes.

Listened to BALLAD! i nv expect BALLAD to be so oriental.. and to be honest, it was a bit lacklustre despite being Will-ish, which was a great song..

BALLAD needs to have a very good PV for me to appreciate this song better..

BALLAD sucked in the previews, but the actual song is amazing! I love it almost as much as You Were..., this single is a must-buy now with the beautiful covers, amazing songs and the You Were...PV.