[CHARTS + SALES] GUILTY - second topic

[namiie]

Originally Posted by bluegie

to be honest, sakuranbo is kinda like a one hit wonder, as ai-chan has nothing to compared with it afterwards (even tho she is still popular afterwards). Of course technically speaking it should be called "the signature song of otsuka ai".

I just hope that something like STEP you will appear this year. Maybe STEP you wasn't a huge seller, but at least it was a still big hit for ayu. Well if she's making something that can be compared with Boys & Girls/A/SEASONS/M/evolution, that will be really wonderful .

It wasn't a one-hit wonder at all. A one-hit wonder is when an artist is famous for only one song, and then you never hear from them again. Sakuranbo may be Ai's most famous song, but people definitely heard from her again afterwards and she's gone on to be one of the most famous female artists today--look at Planetarium. Look at how well Ai Am Best did--one of the top albums of 2007! I think Ayu's signature songs are Boys & Girls, SEASONS, etc. Doesn't make her a one-hit wonder

Sadly, I think the reason those songs are only considered as epic and majestic as they are is because they were released when Ayu was in her prime---1999 to 2001 (and a little of 2002). They are still good songs, but face it, if they were released in, say, 2006 or 2007, many people would brush them off as "boring" like they did BLUE BIRD or fated. Boys & Girls would be just another "cutesy happy song" and "M" would be another "Oh, another rock song?". I think that if they were released recently, they'd elicit those kinds of responses.

This is IMO only of course, but lately I'd say it's become rather trendy to hate on Ayu's recent releases and glorify her beginning days. Of course, her earlier albums were fantastic as well ("A Song for XX" remains one of my fave songs to this day), but people fail to recognize how far she's come as a singer lately too. For example, I'd rather take "Will" over "TO BE" anyday. While it's true that she's simply been in the business for a while and that people's interest in her is decreasing, I believe there is considerable bias toward her older work that causes some people to almost automatically brush off her new work.