A Song for XX

I recently listened to A Song for XX (album) completely again, and I read over the English lyrics while doing so. The songs are actually really good and fit the lyrics well. I think this album is severely underrated. I think some people just list it as their least favorite Ayu album because it isn't modern... and the songs obviously aren't composed as well as today. I don't think that should matter very much though. I think the lyrics are also some of Ayu's best, and very relatable at times.

So what is your opinion of this album?

If this was discussed before, sorry.

[pommy48]

only started looking into the english lyrics after i blotched them up?

but i think ASFXX is one of her best album as lyrics-wise
i think most people can't stand the album is because of her high-pitched voice

i truly don't think of ASFXX as my least favorite, the songs may sound simple, but i love it

[Taru86]

I really like the ASFXX album. I like the lyrics, and the music in each of the songs. The album honestly ranks pretty high with me!

People often say that they can't stand her high pitched voice, but in my opinion her voice is even higher pitched in her 'Duty' and 'I am...' albums, which are also really great albums too.

[Majutsu]

I love this album! There are so many good songs on it, and I agree that it is quite underrated. I think that besides "My Story", I listen to "A Song for XX" more than any other.

[Yum!Fruit_Salad!]

I enjoy listening to A Song for XX. It's not my fave Ayu album but it is high, higher than what most people would rank it. One of my all time favourite songs is in there, Depend on you, and other good songs such as POWDER SNOW, Hana, FRIEND II, A Song for XX, SIGNAL, and Trust.

The reason most people don't like it is her high-pitched voice. The 90s sounds probably plays a part.

[jimex289]

Probably her "dark horse" albums. She writes some very thought-provoking lyrics; it really makes you see she was quite mature for her age, being able to write and think of things people her age would not even consider or give thought to. The songs are written very well. For example, the first chorus part in YOU; I absolutely loved how she described all the seasons so vividly and related it perfectly to the passage of time, like a sort of nostalgia. For me, she was obviously writing about friends or memories from her school days. Really, really heartfelt lyrics that convey very powerful emotions. It may be old but it definitely has its own merits.

[Delirium-Zer0]

The voice is squeaky & high-pitched, not to mention frequently flat & offkey. Plus, of all her albums, this one has the most unprofessional & sloppy production, and that's specifically what makes it my least favorite. The arrangements aren't as rich & full as they are later on, and it makes the whole thing sound like a bunch of demos. The result is songs that could have been much more powerful, like POWDER SNOW, Hana, and For My Dear... having very little impact, especially compared to later comparable tracks like M, talkin' 2 myself, and HEAVEN. The album just sounds like it isn't done yet.

The whole album needs a redo with her new vocals & production crew, if you ask me. YOU and Depend on you benefitted GREATLY from that treatment.

[dawnss]

I agree with what jimex289 about the seasons described in YOU i love how autumn is described. However it depends on what you as the listerner is looking for lyrically. The album is great when you think of introspective 90 songs. Yet, I am a fan of My Story lyrically because she reflects on her past, present, and future. Secret I find very interesting. Yet I really enjoy GUILTY when I think of her lyrics and mvs. I don't know maybe it is just me but I like her lyrical styles in all her albums because I think that there is a very distinct quality in them.

[freedreamer]

u jjust made me wanna hear this album again..and probably even try to get into it..

and @dawnss: You're amazing.

[Evolution7/4]

The thing about her voice, yeah its high pitched and nasally, but its a different high pitched and nasal then her usual voice, thats what keeps me away from this album. but after I listened to it through I really did realize, yes , its very very good.

[Gus-tave]

I love her A Song for ×× album... I don't care if people hate it... I totally agree! I relate to her lyrics on that album a lot. That's probably why the three quotes that I have (the two in my signature and the one on my picture) are both from that album (A Song for ×× and Depend on you) I love to listen to that album in the wintertime~!

I really love the lyrics to the title song A Song for ××. For some reason, I love the part at the end of A Song for ×× when she says "一人きりで生まれて一人きりで生きてゆく、きっとそんな毎日が当り前と思ってた" (Being born alone and living alone, I actually thought that was a normal way of life) I always love that.

Also! Interesting fact about "A song for ××"...
When you write "××" it is not the letter "x" (See the difference)
it's a multiplication sign! Look at the sleve (obi) and you'll notice it.

Anyways, I love that album, and even though I love all of Ayu's albums (some more than others), A Song for ×× is very special to me (maybe/probably my favorite).

[AyUta]

I love that album!

[vampireknightzero]

Love this album..her thoughts were clearly written in her lyrics.. That's how we see her change throughout the years.. It's her 1st album, of cos she doesn't sound as a professional at that time. Nevertheless, it's somehow the 1st Ayu... Love the lyrics and some songs inside were great too

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

personally I really like this album!!

but she never perform any song from it!! so maybe thats one of the reasons why people do not care about it that much...

so, I'm really happy that she sang a few songs from ASFXX in the PCDL this year!!


I hope that she learns from it! xD that she HAS to sing her older songs more frecuently!! specially from this album!!

[jimex289]

Lol to me a multiplication sign and a regular X are the same thing. It's not even concrete in the first place. That is, in the end it's meant to reflect whatever we make it out to be. I guess I can see why some people get annoyed when it's tagged wrong though hehe.

I don't think this album should be as harshly criticized for many reasons. Being her first album, I think there will naturally be some undesirable things for people. This is not to say it's an excuse for not making a good album. Knowing Ayu, I'm sure she really tried her hardest to write the songs and sing them and put them together into an album. I just feel that if one looks at the album alone without comparing to her other works (in which her person and voice have obviously seen much growth), he or she can appreciate it a lot more. Even if we did, I don't think we can say much seeing as how she was not stuck with this way of singing or thought and moved on. This album was at the very bottom as far as Ayu albums went, until I took the time to actually read the lyrics and see what she was trying to convey. That's when I actually truly appreciated it.

Out of her nine original studio albums, this one stands alone and is significantly different from any album she's ever done I think. Just the thoughts and the mood of the overall album. It's more of an autobiography and account of her experiences as an adolescent reaching adulthood than anything else.

[ashleychow]

I started to love this song after I saw the live in Limited TA tour, best live of A Song for XX absolutely! It is actually always regarded as the most significant and representative song of Ayu among all. REALLY LOVE IT.

[sugarbasil]

LOL. You read my mind. I've been badgering myself for some time to create a poll about "A song for XX," but never actually got around to it.

"A song for XX" is actually one of my top favorite albums. I ADORE it. The lyrics are absolutely powerful and beautiful; and while some people may call her high-pitched and untrained voice as sloppy and untoned, I find it refreshing and engulfing (if that makes sense). Her voice hasn't been trained--it's amateur. And that's why I like it so much. You can hear all the raw emotion that she puts into it with all that she has and can do at the time being. This is emotion in it's rawest form, in my opinion. She just sings as powerfully and passionately as she can, unconcerned about her key or tone. That is why I love this album so much.

Also, I very rarely can listen to the tracks by themselves, but I love listening to the album as a whole. It's very nostalgic to me. By listening to her 1st album it takes you back in time to her beginning; you're almost starting all over by listening to her from the beginning with her first album. It's also an album very reminiscent of the time (ohhhh yeah), and that brings a very nostalgic feeling, too.

So, yeah, I'm a huge fan of this album. I think it's just not really what people are into as her style changes and because the modern music style is so dissimilar.

[Aga-chan]

Originally Posted by jimex289

I just feel that if one looks at the album alone without comparing to her other works (in which her person and voice have obviously seen much growth), he or she can appreciate it a lot more.

I guess what makes many people dislike the album is probably also the fact that most people outside Japan started listening to ayu at a later time of her career. If one started listening to her during the "I am..." era, for example, when going back in her discography, "A Song for XX" has probably an even more outdated quality to it.

I actually truely love "A Song for XX". I don't listen to it very often, though. But now I really feel like listening to it. ^^
It's a very different album from anything after it. Not only her voice, but also the lyrics, her image. It's so, how should I put it? Unpolished is probably a good word. "A Song for XX" is an album which can't be done another time.

[kendelle]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

The voice is squeaky & high-pitched, not to mention frequently flat & offkey. Plus, of all her albums, this one has the most unprofessional & sloppy production, and that's specifically what makes it my least favorite. The arrangements aren't as rich & full as they are later on, and it makes the whole thing sound like a bunch of demos. The result is songs that could have been much more powerful, like POWDER SNOW, Hana, and For My Dear... having very little impact, especially compared to later comparable tracks like M, talkin' 2 myself, and HEAVEN. The album just sounds like it isn't done yet.

The whole album needs a redo with her new vocals & production crew, if you ask me. YOU and Depend on you benefitted GREATLY from that treatment.

I agree with this. The lyrics themselves are amazing, and probably some of her best work ever but the production really lets down the album.

I would love to see more 10th anniversary versions from this album, YOU and DoY's 10th versions were great and are far more listenable than the original versions. ASFXX is a great work but it could be given more work to suit the new millenium..

[waterballoon]

I'm sorry but the only things I like about this album was

1) Her lyrics
2) The BASIC sound of the songs (the arrangements were like... argh!)

And she actually dabbled in various genres/style in this album that she has never done ever again. Like "from your letter"... it sounded very jazzy; very 60's to me. And she has never done something like that ever again... =|