What do you think of How Beautiful You Are?
 

I love it! I love it so much :heart

I hope I'll see it live some day so I can burst out of crying :laugh And I honestly love her vocals here. I'm happy she sounds like she used to some time ago *.* though it's obvious she's more mature now.

And it's a shame this is not a physical single release. I'd buy it, no doubt.

i really love it.

i think the ending is beautiful (which i've thought since the live version came out)

the first verse is a bit weak in my opinion, but the rest works fine for me. :)

Song is ok. Doesn't really feel it, but that happens with a lot of Ayu's ballads. hbya isn't bad though, just boring.
I do like the ending, apart the last note, the "kana" sounds bad.
And I agree with the first verse being weaker. I also hear her cute voice there, idk.

gorgeous covers, boring song

I didn't like the snippet or the live so I am not surprised the studio did nothing for me,my main problem is the English chorus is so blah

it's good! not really great but a ton better than the live version!^^!

I can't stop listening to this song... so beautiful :love

such a beautiful song, sounds like classic. made me emotional. I love how it evolves towards the end.

The song is beautiful, I love how Timmy made the music arrangements :yes

I love it :heart

The studio version brings much more beauty to the song imo.
The live one was nice, but the studio version it's absolutely stunning.
I love how Timmy arranged the song, it sounds like her old ballads to me but it's kinda new at the same time. Sorry, I don't know to explain it so well :laugh.
Her voice is lovely and doesn't sound weak or too much stressed like on Love songs. Maybe she try too much to sound cute sometimes, but it's ok :yes and her engrish sounds so cute lol.

Before it was out (digital single), I used to watch the "Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi" interview clips on repeat for the purpose of listening to the full-length studio version. It is a beautiful ballad and like most of you I like how it evolves towards the end. My favorite part is at the 2:10~2:40 mark where it slowly starts to build up its pace.

its really good! i like it

I love it, but I usually like Ayu's ballads anyway. I'm going to have "you don't know, you don't know how beautiful you are" stuck in my head now, which is a good thing :D

Curtain call, meaning of Love, beloved, how beautiful you are ZZzzZZZzzzzz

Last ballads that were good: Together When... and You were..., in my opinion.

sounds gorgeous, much better than beloved :P

I don't really like it. I dislike the way her voice sounds, the song itself sounds like something I've heard before and the lyrics don't really appeal to me either.

But it's nice to see that many people do love the song :yes

Her vocals are not AS good as on FIVE(except for progress) but it's still one of the best studio vocals of her career, so happy about that!
The song itself is not a masterpiece but a really nice ballad. The most important thing is the mix I think, it's just very detailed and clear. It sounds like it may be David Reitzas work.
The melody is highly western and I like the small gospel influence with the backings at the end.
Would be a 4/5 for me.

I really like her vocals in this song! :D The arrangement is awesome, and I like the male choir too (was that Timmy?). The only things I can complain about is her Engrish. I hoped that they would have edit the 'beodyfull' to 'beautifull', but that's just me.

beautiful vocals, ew vibrato but it wasnt tooo crazy, weird composition in the beginning but pretty.

I dont care for the first chorus, but I very much love how the song builds up. Im over the english after cdl performance.

I feel that while the song is super sweet, the composition makes it interesting and not boring. Yey for no sweet season part 2.

Her vocals are so mature sounding, its interesting. Like not just that it isnt her higher voice, but it reminds me.more of like, her regular talking voice..idk. Timmys part is here, weird but interesting sound *_*

So emotional ^^; I think I prefer the live, but that wasnt too bad. And I kinda like how it was over quickly. Like, I didnt get a chance to get sick of it :laugh

....at least it felt quick :tired I thought it was like 3 mins lol oops.

3.7/5 Its got a weird sound lol I like that.

I don't like ballads at all and this is no different but is an ok song.

I really love that song. Such a beautiful Ballad. (^-^)''

i love it. :D i like how powerful her voice sounds.

i''m loving it. But i'm a huge fan of ayu ballads, so .. :laugh i hope she has more beautiful ballads like this on Party Queen :3

Honestly I don't have any feelings for it. No hate and no love.

Till the chorus it sound like beloved/meaning of Love etc, nothing sound original. Especially I don't understand japanese so it sound "like usual ballad"

Her english (especially "you don't know") sounds VERY GOOD!
Vocals are smooth and pretty
That's it. It's just boring till the chorus and the choir arragment (which is very fine for me)

I love the ending part. So lovely to listen to!

Tears appear while the music is going through my ears.

I just hope that Timmy doesn't insert men chanting in every song he makes, like in BRILLIANTE & then How beautiful you are...=/

not much hyped about it, but am I the one who thinks her vocal and singing are super strange?
and that when chanting appears her vocal just can't keep it? :(

The only thing what bothers me is the choir in the end. It sounds off for me and when the two come together the magical moment Ayu had in the beginning is... gone. Well, perhaps I need to listen more to it.

one thing I've been missing from her was good vocals, I think she nailed it here at least for me. I absolutetly love her vibrato, and the song is really pretty. For once the cover of the single actually matches the song (minus that font dissaster lol). I'm really not a fan of ballads in general, but this one is beautiful, the instrumental is full of different stuff so you can find pieces and bits of new sounds....I'm pleased :)

ikr lol

I think her vocals are weird, but pretty, and they are a bit awkward but Im interested to see where she goes with it. They arent bad for her.

Vocals in this were..interesting..The vibrato,meh.. I think the choir part was nice and the song itself is well composed. Kinda average, 3/5.

at first i saw the length and i'm like "oh no, it's going to drag being 5m long" but by the end i wanted it to be longer :( i hope an extra long acoustic orchestra version is released. it's a beautiful ballad and her vocals are flawless. ;_; best vocals in a ballad since JEWEL imo.

Yeah, I really don't like the harmony/choir part. It's much more subdued than the live version, which is something I was hoping for, but it still seems Ayu's fighting to be heard over it.

At first I didn't liked it very much. But miraculously I find it very beautiful now. Can't remember when was the last time I played an Ayu-single that was a ballad that often in a row. Virgin Road, Sweet Season, You were..., Sunset ~LiA~, MOON etc. weren't all that good for me.

Its incredibly meh. I'm hoping the album has something on it I love.

It's okay. The ending was nice. But I'm at a point where I'm really tired of ballads, so it might take time to grow on me... I like how she says: "You don't know..." :laugh

I think it's really good. It's of a much higher quality than FIVE (besides Progress)
And yeah, she's killing it vocally. She sounds a little too controlled in the beginning,
but really unleashes toward the end. I love it.

conclusion (after listening to it some amount of times...)

till last chorus it's meh.
last chorus is very pretty.

I can't wait to see PV! I hope it won't be something like beloved :headache

IN LOVE X 10000 WITH THIS SONG!

Really liking this song since first listen! The music builds up nicely, the male chanting sounds nice and is kept to a minimum, but I hope it won't become a trend... Her English pronunciation sounds fine to me--I understand what she's saying, I don't expect it to be perfect

I really like/almost love it :luv2

It doesn't stand out from Ayu's other songs, but from what she has recently released...it's great!

I'm really liking it. I'm not sure how necessary Timmy's vocals in it are - I'd prefer if female vocals were mixed in with male vocals in the background.

The vocals are amazing, this song feels like the perfect closing sequence of a film, it's kind of like a journey, I guess, across an imaginary world. It makes me think of flower petals carried on the wind, travelling across fields, towards the ocean, then through a valley when the chanting starts, then finally at the end, coming to rest in a small puddle somewhere in a quiet street.

Ayu's vocals sound "dry" to me here, and very raw, compared to similar ballads. These are better quality vocals than FIVE had and if this is a reflection of PQs standards.....omg xD

It's an ok ballad -around average. It's not really that exciting. Not much to say about it! 3/5. Her vocals were the highlight for me - well-controlled vibrato, nice and clear :yes It's a lovely melody as well.

Is it ayu on the background? Doesn't sound like her :O

Booooooring.

no. you can hear it's not ayu's in instrumental.

I think that she's trying a new signing style here. Like Timmy wanted her to try something different vocally. I noticed it in BRILLIANTE. Like, she's trying to sound more Western or something. Or trying to do more difficult notes or something.

I love it...not her best...
but it's really sweet...simple...everyone can sing along this song...i think this song will very appealing to lot of people that love simplicity

I barf out rainbows of happiness when I listen to this song

^ LOL, I love that XD

^ XP i speak only the truth

I love it. :heart

Not one of her best ballads, but I like it ^^

I think the song gets better during its extension...

I'm really loving it, the chorus especially.. and how it builts up in the end.
And i've haven't seen such a good single cover from her since Ballad, perfect photo, and perfect font.

Omg, you just have to make an alternative cover for it. I love your work :thud

I like it. It's nice, but my main beef is with the vibrato and the bland verses. She also has that cheesy cutesy singing thing going on. I really like the end of the song with the overly auto-tuned ahhs, and the last chorus is really nice, but that vibrato at the end makes me face palm! I think it'll grow on me, and hopefully the rest of PQ is at least this good or better!

i kinda miss her singing like this using her high pitch voice. this song brings me back to 2001 era when voyage just came out

It's simply BEAUTIFUL!!! I must say that this ballad... doesn't sounds similar to ANY of her ballad!! Wait... it might sound a little similar to "beloved" but whatever~ Kudos to Timmy ^^

I really love it..
it has very rich arrangement =))
am i the only one think that the chorus part is the most touching part of all?..the climax..
it just gives me goosebump when it hits the part... and specially when ayu starts the "you don't know.. you don't know.. how beautiful you are.." improvisation.

i've already loved this song when i watched the CDL.

I wish the arrangement could be heavier but her vocal is very incredible. this is a good sign of what's to come!!!

i also love the improvisation though it sounds rehearsed and is not natural enough

Overall i like it.

7/10~

I love it, okay I only heard it once @ CDL this year and it was awesome *-*

Wait for an official release though.


Btw: Will HAPPENING HERE not be released in any other way than digital?

It is likely that Happening Here is not getting a physical release.

However, Ayu could be a crazy!person and stick it in as a bonus track for Party Queen. That would probably be better off NOT happening though as good as that song is.

I feel like her vibrato at the end is PERFECT. It's not overdone at all like the way she did it in 2007/2008. There's no crazy a-a-a-a-aAa-a-a-a-a-a-a and instead it's done rather smoothly without being chopped up.

It's a very simple song. It's addictive.

:yes

I normally love Ayu's ballads a lot (really, there is not a single Ayu-ballad I hate), but sadly this song does nothing for me!

3:30 and onwards sounds great, because the music makes a drastic turn, but the rest of the song is boring.

the live version at cdl was just ok, but now that there's the studio version, the song is growing in me. it's a sweet and touching ballad to me. not a masterpiece but it's a great track for me

really love the song. maybe Ive heard the live too many times, so the impact of the choir has diminished..and i felt the drums were definitely stronger in the live.
yea, i agree with those that says the background can be stronger..but not overpowering ayu of coz

but i love her vocals and esp the final chorus. there is definitely passion and strength in that last chorus. The music is fantastic..very empowering and moving.

we've heard this once live, i think it's an awesome song sung live and ayu can do it :)

Its growing on me after a few listens. She hardly makes a bad ballad.

Misa posted the lyrics translation. I hadn't listened to the song since the preview and that was only once, so I didn't read any partial translations or anything xD

So, possibly being late to the party - I think this song is about Mannie...

The start is similar in feeling to Virgin Road (the "thank you for everything"/"thank you forever" type lines). Then, especially the line wishing the feeling in her hands will remain. Finally, "as long as you keep moving forward, I'll be encouraged again".

I wish this song did more for me, but it really doesn't. Timmy is like...1/3 with the songs he's done for Ayu. hbya and Party Queen pretty much cancel out the awesomeness of BRILLANTE.

In all honesty, I didn't think too much of her vocals in the song, and I find it pretty forgettable. It's like hbya got together with beloved and The meaning of love and formed the trilogy of songs that I would be okay never listening to again.

The final straw for me was Timmy in the chorus. GET OUT. You're a composer, you don't need to be making a friggin' guest appearance in every one of the songs you do for her. I buy her records because I want to hear her voice, not yours.

I don't really know why people are bothered about Timmy. He's just the back up, and the choral part sounds really nice, a nice build up.

It's no more annoying than HANABI ~Episode II~'s Lalalalala~ part.

But anyways.

I LOVE this song. :D It's SOOO beautiful.

I love the arrangement especially towards the last chrous. not her best typical Ayu ballad. but at least it's different from her usual ballad discography.
Her singing voice sounds abit different from FIVE songs..

THIS!
I don't like Timmy but his part's not that annoying!

I started having problems with Timmy when I saw the last show for PoM, and he sounded horrendous during BRILLANTE. And then I kept waiting for him to go away...and he didn't. His backing vocals during CDL were so distracting I almost had to stop watching the concert. It added nothing to the songs Ayu was performing, and instead it just detracted from the whole experience.

I just don't understand why he's being inserted into every aspect of Ayu's career. I don't think he's a very talented composer, I'm getting the feeling more and more that BRILLANTE was a fluke. I also don't need to see him in her concerts, because his voice and hers really do not work well together.

I don't think the comparison to HANABI II is very valid either, because that's an actual CHORUS, or at least more than one singer, doing the "la la la" part, and it works for me. I love it. In hbya, it's like oh--he's the composer--and he's in her song--again. I just don't see the need for it, and wish she would work with some different people. :shrug

I love it!! I always love Ayu's Ballad!!

True. I loved BRILLANTE. I thought it was the most epic thing she did in the year 2011. I was actually curious to see what more had in his sleeves. But after Party Queen and "hbya" (both was two of the biggest snoozes in Ayu's discography ever) I'm quite done with him composing songs for Ayu. BRILLANTE is indeed starting to feel just like a strike of luck...

I for one really don't enjoy his voice in her songs anymore. I enjoyed it in BRILLANTE since it was really fitting with thw whole mood and such. But please, no more. I really don't see the meaning on why he have to be on E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. she does for the moment. Just... Leave it be.

I love that Lalala part but OMG I HATE that yeah yeah wow wow part. That one is killing me. It's pretty much how I feel when I hear Timmys voice in hbya.

For now, until he proves me wrong - I will sigh loudly the next time I see him as a composer for Ayu's next songs. I will sigh even more loudly when he keep on singing in her songs where he clearly really shouldnt sing. Also, I'm not loving Timmy just because he made one good song, I don't hate him for making two really bad songs, I'm just... bored right now.

not her best ballad but I love it !!!
it is a beautiful ballad~~~

oh HANABI II is still better sounding/music/lyrics in comparison to HBYA
it's just much much better, even the chorus

I agree on everything so far

Don't make it seem like a fact! :(

I'd like Timmy's part to be gone and have ayu do that ahh choir thing :innocent I love songs with female choirs. Nevertheless I kinda love the song.

What "lalala part" do you mean? The background singers in HANABI ~episode II~ sing "yea-ha oho whohooo" all the time and it's beautiful :tired

I feel this way about Timmy too. I'm already over him. I'm not crazy about this song, or about Party Queen, so I'm cool if we never hear from him again. BRILLLANTE was epic, and I thank him for making one track of FIVE decent, but I don't need any more songs from him. I feel like when he works with Ayu she does forced sounds with her voice to try and sound Western or something, but it sounds unauthentic to my ears.

That being said, the song is stuck in my head like crazy. Maybe it will grow on me or something :/

WOW, ppl get bored of Timmy already, That's kinda fast XDDDD

The vocals are probably her worst ever and the melody is just boring. I'm surprised, since Ayu's always been one of the few singers I always love ballads from, but the last one I loved or even liked was Virgin Road.

her tone is gross in the verses, but everything else is fine. the song itself, is very average and would have made a better ending album track then any sort of single. ayu's voice has improved vastly, she isn't struggling as much (you can hear an effortlessness in her voice at times) and her voice has opened up (less nasal). she sounds like now she is using proper technique, and i think that is why people are saying she is trying to sound american. honestly, she's just using proper technique/more open tone and only strengthening her diaphragm. i love the belting parts at the end. i'm also shocked at how much people don't know about that voice.

the start is pretty boring but the ending is lovely with growing chanting..her voice sounds good (except the abuse of vibrato). My vote is 7.

I have no reason to say that I love it!

I can't describe with words,how i love her voice and feelings in this song...
SO PROUD TO BE YOUR FAN Ayu!!!!!!!!

This song is better than beloved, but isn't epic and Timmy's voice is disturbing me. It could be a grower

Not her best, but I still like it. And as for Timmy..just as others had said, wasn't necessary.

ehhh ~

I think the song is absolutely lovely. <3

And I'm usually not huge on Ayu's ballads. I find them to be repetitive and boring usually but in this case, there's a very distinctive spark about it that makes it stand out to me. It blossoms wonderfully and it's full of emotion, and every last note is simply beautiful. :3

I like it.. but I'd love it if it weren't for the choir. I don't like when she uses them. >.<

It's kind of boring but still growing on me. I didn't like progress at first and now I love it so~
I'm gonna give it some more time ^^

Boring and the cheap synthesized choir at the end were so lame. It made me think of Hanabi Ep II and how awesome the choir was there.

:shakehead

It's Timmy :laugh But it does sound synthesized. I didn't like that part either. I think it would've been nice if he'd been doing a la-la-la part with Ayu and without all the layering of his voice.

AGREE:grumpy

I like it, mainly her vocals, but I'm getting a little tired of ballads. I love her ballads, but gee, when's the last time she sung a fast dancey song? Sunrise?

I've sung it today when I was busy on toilet ^^"

"You-hu don't know... you-hu don't now... *silence*... HOW BEAUUUUUUTIFUL YOU AH-HAAAAR.... ._______."