well i'm just speculating...out of curiousity...

indeed ayu doesnt know if her father is dead or alive

I personally think Replace is more for her dad and walking proud is for herself.

I thought that, honestly, the second I heard the song title, I knew she was singing for her dad, because in Japan a family has much honor in their name, and they take pride in anything they do in their family name "Hamasaki" and since her father is gone, and because she's been so successful, and because the father in a family is considered most important in Japan, who else would she be "walking proud" for?

Herself. Maybe it's about her Grandmother or something, I don't know. I just don't see her looking up to her father for anything.

For those people who say ayumi dedicate song to his father, do you guys realize he's the one who abandon ayu's family? I've read this article once about ayu watching his father leaving one night and stuff like that and she didn't know what happen. I'm not too sure about the whole details since it's quite long ago.

I doubt Ayu would write a song about her father. I remember reading an article about how much she hates her dad because how he abandoned the family without saying anything. And besides, she doesn't even remember anything about him. I dont' think anybody knows why the dad left the home, but i would like to know.

Ayu's life is such a mystery eh?

DEAD?????????? WOWman! wel i thought Memorial Address was dedicated to him, too.... btw.... she was crying hard up there :(

very mysterious even her music video's are too :thud

relli?? was Teddy Bear dedicated to her father?

no way, Ayu has no dad in her life.
I will definitely think when someone says "walking proud" it will be about him/herself... 92% of the time.
No song is for her dad. Why drag this on?!
ahhh stop it all already... unless anyone can bring factual proof to this.

In this interview she alludes to Teddy Bear being about the lonliness she felt after her dad left: http://www.taipei-taiwan.org/interview2.html

I also remember reading that A Song For Xx was about her mother, but I can't remember where. If I find that link, I will post it as well.

EDITED to add: I've found it. It's the translation of the All Night Nippon radio interview: http://homepage2.nifty.com/morimasa/allnight.html It's an interesting article to read through as it gives quite a bit of background about her upbringing - more so than I have seen anywhere else. Here is the part that pertains to "A Song for Xx" being about her mother though:

"I've looked at the person as a woman, Hamasaki Mariko, for twenty years and thought I would not like to be a woman like her and would not like to make the same mistakes as hers. I've learned a lot from my mother in such senses. Sorry for my nasal voice. Honestly speaking, there are no points in her at all I like or I dislike, maybe because I've never looked at that person as a human. Well, this is the song whose title is that of my first album, too. "A Song for XX". I'd like you to insert whatever words you like to the part XX. Well, I wrote this lyrics in my own manner thinking about the person I've told you now, which some of you may understand only by listening to this song. Please listen. "A Song for XX" by Hamasaki Ayumi."

teddy bear is about her father, a song for xx is about her mother, but surely walking proud is not for either of them, it is talk about herself only!(if you look through the lyric of the whole album, you'll know what i mean)

My sentiments exactly, Yamogi. Thanks. :)

memorial address's story is similar to teddy bear except in a different view

why some of the comments are way offensive in a way turning into a "i know more than you" :/...

I dont really know ayumi's background but when i read something like "walking proud" definetly would think it's about himself/herself...or someone givin' an advise or something;tho...if her dad abandoned her...the victim, in this case, and the person the song should be is for her...i dunno if u get me but yeah...IMOPO

You meant she's proud of the fact she's able move on (and had success) despite not having a father in her life? Is that it?

maybe some of us read to much into her lyrics x_x truthfully, if she's never specifically mentioned her father, we'll never know. we can only speculate...

Kinda & adding that shes available to despite the ppl that hates her for random or nonsense reasons, tabloid and about...that things wont bring her down i dunno, im gettin lost myself but yeah i meant that IF the situation that you all are holdin "walking proud for her dad"[omg :shakehead ]but yeah...

haha whatever that is... i dont think it is for anyone of her parents... sounds more like it is for herself and did u all notice in the pv... the statue is actually ayu ... yeah i think is ayu.. i saw her face but at her neck there is this greyish thingy like the rest of the characters in the pv... maybe should also look into the oricon's magazine interview too.. kind of related :) maybe being able to be walk proud without being influence by others opinion, being able to think and decide for oneself... something like that if i have not interpret wrongly =)