Ayu singles in Oricon Yearly Ranking

[Uemarasan]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

From oricon. I didn't check it right now, but I have a good memory, and at around 2001-2002 CHEMISTRY would top ayu in terms of units sold. However, ayu had far much more releases than them, that's why she actually sold more units but if you single out in a single release, that would be a different story. Their album sold far much more than I am... when both had been released.

I don't know how we can possibly compare their single releases in 2001 fairly (Ayu released 5 including a "special" release - A Song is Born, Chemistry released 3), but if we use the sales of Ayu's top three singles of 2001 and compare their sales numbers to Chemistry's three singles, Ayu still would have sold more. Of course, I'm not saying that's the fairest way to compare. Anyway, Chemistry's Pieces of a Dream just sold a little more than Ayu's Evolution (her top-selling 2001 release). Planet Chart numbers: Pieces - 1298320, Evolution - 1087690. That is not "far behind".

I think the FAIREST way to compare Ayu and Chemistry is to compare their overall top-selling singles for the December 2000 - November 2001 cycle. (Oricon uses this time-frame for its year-end charts).

Pieces of a Dream - 1298320
M - 1319070

I guess Ayu has sold more in what is probably her peak year on the Oricon (December 2000 - November 2001). Not Chemistry.

In the next year (2002), Ayu would have a mega-hit with H. Chemistry would sadly fall from grace. Their best-selling single of 2002 (It Takes Two) just managed sales of 498180. Even Ayu's worst-selling single of 2002 (Free & Easy, I wont be counting Daybreak since it's an album cut) outsold Chemistry's highest-selling single.

Okay, Chemistry's The Way We Are outsold I Am..., but there is this little thing called A Best. A Best was released in 2001, the same year as The Way We Are. Anyway, The Way We Are sold just a little more than I Am... It sold around 2.5 million units, while I Am... sold around 2.4 million. I don't think that's "far behind".

And Chemistry would just fall, and fall, and fall.

So where is Chemistry now? I don't see any of their singles in the top 20.

Exile was virtually nonexistent during Ayu's peak years (2000-2001-2002).

My mistake, by the way. Ayu was best-selling artist for 2000, 2001, and 2003.

[The Dao of Poo]

lot of info to process, dude. why don't you respond, impact breaker? maybe coz you're wrong.

ayu was never far behind. chemistry and exile are inferior. they're only worthy enough to lick her prada shoes.

[lotusoka]

Originally Posted by The Dao of Poo

lot of info to process, dude. why don't you respond, impact breaker? maybe coz you're wrong.

ayu was never far behind. chemistry and exile are inferior. they're only worthy enough to lick her prada shoes.

o_o

wow, thats a bit harsh.

[gakkun]

Originally Posted by The Dao of Poo

lot of info to process, dude. why don't you respond, impact breaker? maybe coz you're wrong.

ayu was never far behind. chemistry and exile are inferior. they're only worthy enough to lick her prada shoes.

You want an example? Chemistry's Second to None was the highest selling album of 2002 and outsold both I am...and RAINBOW. EXILE's Exile Entertainment and Perfect Best outsold Memorial Address and My Story. Is your music taste so narrow that you have resort to dissing other artists.

[The Dao of Poo]

Originally Posted by gakkun

You want an example? Chemistry's Second to None was the highest selling album of 2002 and outsold both I am...and RAINBOW. EXILE's Exile Entertainment and Perfect Best outsold Memorial Address and My Story. Is your music taste so narrow that you have resort to dissing other artists.

second to none didn't outsell i am. too bad. it sold like 2 mil. i am sold 2.4 mil.

2002: none of chemistry's singles sell more than ayumi's. like da man says above.

so second to none sold more than rainbow? so what? it's all about total sales.

total sales in 2002 (singles, albums): ayu on top of chemistry.

memorial address was a mini-album. regular albums are expected to outsell it.

perfect best was a best album. best albums are expected to sell better than regular albums.

it's all in j-pop history.

and chemistry is now at the bottom.

do your research, dude. like i said, exile and chemistry are only worthy enough to lick her prada shoes.

if you want a sampling of my musical tastes, click on my public profile. then we'll discuss it.

[gakkun]

Originally Posted by The Dao of Poo

second to none didn't outsell i am. too bad. it sold like 2 mil. i am sold 2.4 mil.

2002: none of chemistry's singles sell more than ayumi's. like da man says above.

so second to none sold more than rainbow? so what? it's all about total sales.

total sales in 2002 (singles, albums): ayu on top of chemistry.

memorial address was a mini-album. regular albums are expected to outsell it.

perfect best was a best album. best albums are expected to sell better than regular albums.

it's all in j-pop history.

and chemistry is now at the bottom.

do your research, dude. like i said, exile and chemistry are only worthy enough to lick her prada shoes.

if you want a sampling of my musical tastes, click on my public profile. then we'll discuss it.

Total numbers don't count at all. With the rate Ayu releases of course she can pile up the numbers like no one else can.

I still question your taste in music when you count sales like they represent quality. fyi, Chemistry and Exile can sing, while Ayu cannot. Chemistry and Exile can sing CD quality lives but Ayu will probably never manage to do that. Admittedly singing is not Ayu's strength but her assets lies in her lyrics and her image. I don't mind if you don't like other artists but that's only your opinion you don't have to be so harsh. Lots of people say similar stuff about Ayu is that what you want as well?

[The Dao of Poo]

Originally Posted by gakkun

Total numbers don't count at all. With the rate Ayu releases of course she can pile up the numbers like no one else can.

I still question your taste in music when you count sales like they represent quality. fyi, Chemistry and Exile can sing, while Ayu cannot. Chemistry and Exile can sing CD quality lives but Ayu will probably never manage to do that. Admittedly singing is not Ayu's strength but her assets lies in her lyrics and her image. I don't mind if you don't like other artists but that's only your opinion you don't have to be so harsh. Lots of people say similar stuff about Ayu is that what you want as well?

exile and chemistry can't sing. ken hirai can sing. rag fair can sing. gospellers can sing.

ayumi can sing. utada can sing. mika nakashima can sing.

chemistry and exile are not great live. i think ayumi is better. rag fair is great live. nakashima too.

i didn't say sales represent quality. i never said that. i'm reacting to people saying exile and chemistry are bigger than her, when they're not.

let's remove daybreak and one of her singles. let's remove kimi o sagashiteta. now they're on even ground. two single and an album each. ayumi would have still outsold them.

same goes for exile.

yeah, i'm harsh. i don't like exile and chemistry and orange range and whatever boy groups/couples are out there.

[Yarumi]

wow! if I ever wanted to know the sales between ayu, exile, and chemistry I sure know now...

Don't most boy bands fall from grace after a few years anyways? Well I don't know about Japan... Do they in Japan? I only know they do from America so I was wondering the same about Japan...

What do Ayu's albums sale now? Just curious with how downloading and buying off itunes etc has hurt her sales...

and wow, I think Ayumi can sing. But it's kinda like singer's Alanis Morisett or Macy Gray (no I'm not saying she sounds like them) BUT they all have unique voices... so you either like the way they sing... or you don't... If you don't like the way Ayumi sings then why be a fan? Well her lives in the beginning were kinda... off pitch, but it's not that she can't sing on pitch... alot of things go into account on a live... such as the pitch in her earphones... the crowd's loudness, the band's volume... you can't say she doesn't know how to sing on pitch unless she sings acapello, which she has in some concerts and it sounded great!

Besides I think Ayu's lives get better and better every year! I'm finding it hard to listen to her older lives because the quality of her newer ones are far greater... She is improving greatly I believe.

[Neo Daydream]

yay Ayu!

[Uemarasan]

It's a bit sad that this discussion has come to the point wherein an Ayu fan says flat out that she can't sing.

Yarumi: most boy groups don't last that very long in Japan. The longest lasting one is probably SMAP. It's really male-fronted bands that have long lives in the J-pop scene. Mr. Children, Southern All Stars, B'z (I can't really call them a boy group because one of them plays an instrument ).

I agree that Ayu can sing. It's not that she's technically superior with a great octave range like Celine Dion or Maria Callas. Her voice is very expressive which, for me, make her a far better singer than someone who just sings all the big notes but fails to put any emotion in their singing. Ayu's voice is great precisely because she is able to sing with great emotion, and in return her fans "feel" her songs. I might even say that Ayu is one of the greatest expressive singers I have ever heard. But that's my opinion.

With Chemistry and Exile, I don't "feel" their songs. They have really good stuff, but their songs don't connect with me on any emotional level. They're just pleasant to listen to. I feel the same way about Mariah Carey. Sorry to any of her fans out there.

Everyone's sales in the J-pop industry are down now compared to, say, 2001. In 2001, 10 singles sold over a million copies. In 2004, 1 single (Hana) sold a million copies. (Some people won't agree with me here, but I'm relying on RIAJ labels.)

Look at Hikki, who always used to sell 250,000 ++ units (for her singles) the first week alone. Be My Last hasn't sold much.

In my opinion, Ayu has live performances which are better than her CD performances. I remember one Dearest performance (accompanied only by piano) which blew me away. It was better than the CD.

And, yes, she has been improving live Although her TV show performances are usually better than her concert performances, in my humble opinion. Maybe it's the acoustics?

[gakkun]

It's a bit sad that this discussion has come to the point wherein an Ayu fan says flat out that she can't sing.

Yarumi: most boy groups don't last that very long in Japan. The longest lasting one is probably SMAP. It's really male-fronted bands that have long lives in the J-pop scene. Mr. Children, Southern All Stars, B'z (I can't really call them a boy group because one of them plays an instrument ).

I agree that Ayu can sing. It's not that she's technically superior with a great octave range like Celine Dion or Maria Callas. Her voice is very expressive which, for me, make her a far better singer than someone who just sings all the big notes but fails to put any emotion in their singing. Ayu's voice is great precisely because she is able to sing with great emotion, and in return her fans "feel" her songs. I might even say that Ayu is one of the greatest expressive singers I have ever heard. But that's my opinion.

With Chemistry and Exile, I don't "feel" their songs. They have really good stuff, but their songs don't connect with me on any emotional level. They're just pleasant to listen to. I feel the same way about Mariah Carey. Sorry to any of her fans out there.

Everyone's sales in the J-pop industry are down now compared to, say, 2001. In 2001, 10 singles sold over a million copies. In 2004, 1 single (Hana) sold a million copies. (Some people won't agree with me here, but I'm relying on RIAJ labels.)

Look at Hikki, who always used to sell 250,000 ++ units (for her singles) the first week alone. Be My Last hasn't sold much.

In my opinion, Ayu has live performances which are better than her CD performances. I remember one Dearest performance (accompanied only by piano) which blew me away. It was better than the CD.

And, yes, she has been improving live Although her TV show performances are usually better than her concert performances, in my humble opinion. Maybe it's the acoustics?

Maybe I was exaggerating when i said she can't sing but can't I critisize her just because I'm her fan? You've seen her lives; half of them are good and half them are terrible, makes you wonder how she sings so well in the studio. And personally I do like Ayu better than the two said artists but I'm sick of seeing fanatical fans who worship Ayu like a god and sees other artists as dirt. There are heaps of people who thinks of Ayu as worthless do you want them to go everywhere and say 'Ayu only deserves to lick ***'s boots'.

[ImpactBreaker]

Originally Posted by The Dao of Poo

lot of info to process, dude. why don't you respond, impact breaker? maybe coz you're wrong.

Are you insane LOL? honestly, I have a life, different from you maybe. I work and study and my work demands a lot of responsibility because I deal with lives. If you don't have a life and can't even wait for others to have a free time to be able to respond, that's not my problem..but you could try treating your anxiety problems because it seems you're very impatient LOL

ayu was never far behind. chemistry and exile are inferior. they're only worthy enough to lick her prada shoes.

I'm not defending EXILE and CHEMISTRY. I prefer ayu several times much better than those. Just because I love ayu I won't deny a fact I saw with my own eyes, whenever CHEMISTRY released something at the same time as ayu, CHEMISTRY would outsell ayu.
Uemarasu, I don't understand where are you trying to get. I'm not sayng E and C has been beating ayu forever, but somehow you distorted my point. I was saying that in Japan, male bands can become a serious fever. If CHEMISTRY with only 1 single was able to beat ayu's best selling single from 2001, what is your point to comparing much more ayu releases against fewer CHEMISTRY releases? ayu released more material, had CHEMISTRY released as much as her, you would have a point making all that comparison. Plus that's totally insane of you to compare a Best album with a regular album. That would be like saying koda kumi is far much more popular than ayu just because her best album outsold MY STORY.
I said she was alçways behing boy bands. These boy bands might not last long, but as long as they last they sell tons. You're blind if you deny ORANGE RANGE is selling far MUCH better than ayu.
The Dao of Poo, I'm sorry but the fact you don't like ORANGE RANGE, EXILE and CHEMISTRY will not change japanese people's taste over them.

Originally Posted by Uemarasan

With Chemistry and Exile, I don't "feel" their songs. They have really good stuff, but their songs don't connect with me on any emotional level. They're just pleasant to listen to. I feel the same way about Mariah Carey. Sorry to any of her fans out there.

The fact you don't feel their songs is not a fact to compare your tastes with japanese people. EXILE has one of the BEST selling singles this year, and don't tell me it was because of GLAY because GlAY's Sale have been extremely low for a LONG TIME.

And well if you want any recent proof, gakkuns first post pretty much shows it:

*2 924，379 ***，*** 四次元 Four Dimensions Mr.Children
*4 628，329 ***，*** * ～アスタリスク～ ORANGE RANGE
*5 537，783 ***，525 SCREAM GLAY×EXILE
.
.
.
.
17 345，340 ***，*** STEP you/is this LOVE? 浜崎あゆみ

If you don't consider those male bands then...

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by gakkun

Maybe I was exaggerating when i said she can't sing but can't I critisize her just because I'm her fan? You've seen her lives; half of them are good and half them are terrible, makes you wonder how she sings so well in the studio. And personally I do like Ayu better than the two said artists but I'm sick of seeing fanatical fans who worship Ayu like a god and sees other artists as dirt. There are heaps of people who thinks of Ayu as worthless do you want them to go everywhere and say 'Ayu only deserves to lick ***'s boots'.

Personally I don't think any of her lives are totally terrible except for a very few ones. Because of the emotion she is able to give through performance, I can take her false notes once in a while. SOmetimes it even suits the performance.

I agree that Ayu can sing. It's not that she's technically superior with a great octave range like Celine Dion or Maria Callas. Her voice is very expressive which, for me, make her a far better singer than someone who just sings all the big notes but fails to put any emotion in their singing. Ayu's voice is great precisely because she is able to sing with great emotion, and in return her fans "feel" her songs. I might even say that Ayu is one of the greatest expressive singers I have ever heard. But that's my opinion.

I totally agree with all of the above. I never saw any of her live performances before I discovered her music, in which her emotinal singing is more through expressed and personal, but even in the "gone through computers" CD versions the emotion shines through. THat's what totally blew me away when I heard M the first time. I was thinking "WHAT have I been listening to before!? this song IS music able to give away something like nothing Ive ever heard before.". LOL. But I still think she's able to do it better in the songs she wrote herself (not just lyrics).

[Uemarasan]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

Uemarasu, I don't understand where are you trying to get. I'm not sayng E and C has been beating ayu forever, but somehow you distorted my point. I was saying that in Japan, male bands can become a serious fever. If CHEMISTRY with only 1 single was able to beat ayu's best selling single from 2001, what is your point to comparing much more ayu releases against fewer CHEMISTRY releases? ayu released more material, had CHEMISTRY released as much as her, you would have a point making all that comparison. Plus that's totally insane of you to compare a Best album with a regular album. That would be like saying koda kumi is far much more popular than ayu just because her best album outsold MY STORY.
I said she was alçways behing boy bands. These boy bands might not last long, but as long as they last they sell tons. You're blind if you deny ORANGE RANGE is selling far MUCH better than ayu.

Hi ImpactBreaker,

I will never deny Orange Range selling much better than Ayu. They are the artists of the moment. These are their peak years. It's one of the most unfortunate things I've seen in my life. I don't mind Mr. Children or B'z or Ken Hirai, but Orange Range on top is just... I have no words.

Sorry if it sounds like I distorted your point. The only thing I had a problem with was the phrase "far behind". I don't think Ayu was very far behind with Exile and Chemistry in terms of sales. They might have sold a bit more than her, but it wasn't as if they blew her away and that she couldn't compete with them. I'd say it was more like they were equally popular, duking it out to see who gets the bigger fanbase.

I was just saying that M outsold Pieces of a Dream, and the Oricon considers them to be released in the same time cycle (December 2000 - November 2001). I was also saying that Evolution wasn't far behind Pieces of a Dream in terms of sales. I hope I've made it clear.

Fine, I'll never use the A Best card again. It's kinda unfair

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

The fact you don't feel their songs is not a fact to compare your tastes with japanese people. EXILE has one of the BEST selling singles this year, and don't tell me it was because of GLAY because GlAY's Sale have been extremely low for a LONG TIME.

And well if you want any recent proof, gakkuns first post pretty much shows it:



If you don't consider those male bands then...

Mr. Children is a male-fronted band. They will never ever be a boyband

Honestly, I really couldn't care less if the Japanese public shared the same taste as I do. I was just expressing my opinion that I don't "feel" their songs. I don't know if the Japanese public "feels" their songs, but then that's their personal business. I really only care about what I think and "feel".

I hope this post sounds friendlier.

[Uemarasan]

Originally Posted by gakkun

Maybe I was exaggerating when i said she can't sing but can't I critisize her just because I'm her fan? You've seen her lives; half of them are good and half them are terrible, makes you wonder how she sings so well in the studio. And personally I do like Ayu better than the two said artists but I'm sick of seeing fanatical fans who worship Ayu like a god and sees other artists as dirt. There are heaps of people who thinks of Ayu as worthless do you want them to go everywhere and say 'Ayu only deserves to lick ***'s boots'.

I was not saying you can't criticize. I was just saying it's a bit sad for me. But that's just me.

There is really only one live performance which I did not like. And that was her first Evolution performance on the Countdown live. I don't want to remember that.

Why she sings better in the studio? Because in the studio you redo the song again and again and again until it sounds the best. When live, you've only got one shot, and you have to deal with so many external factors and distractions. Crowd noise, anxiety, moving around so much, etc. When in the studio, it's a very controlled environment. You stay still, you relax. They try to make it the most pleasant place ever. I've seen people record

I worship Ayu like a god. I don't see anything wrong with that. She's my personal god. But I believe in being nice. I don't treat other artists like dirt. Ayu has taught me to be better than that.

Anyway, I like other artists too. Like I said, I like some of Chemistry and Exile's songs, but they aren't among my favorite artists. Tsukiko Amano, on the other hand, would be like another god to me.

[ImpactBreaker]

Yep I agree that "the far behind" thing I used was kinda exaggerated.

[andre2907]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

LOL I don't think so, I think she did well. Most people in AHS prefer the female japanese artists over the male ones. In Japan it seems like the opposite happens (there's simply a fever over boy bands and male artists). Even in her peak days, ayu was always far behind masle groups like CHEMISTRY and EXILE.
Mika Nakashima was the best selling female artist (we can't really be sure

It's not a Japanese thing, it's a universal thing. Male artists usually sell better than females. Since 1997 with the Spice Girls, the annual charts in US never had a female on the top position.

Plus, in 2000, 2001, females artists were more popular than male artists. Utada Hikaru was selling extremely well, Mai Kuraki too and Ayumi was always outselling the males and the boybands [EXILE just surpassed Ayu now, after her peak] and was the most powerful performer. Now, males are more popular again.

whether it was her herself, or the sucess of NANA, which is a very famous japanese series in Japan at the moment so it could be getting a ride in that fact, not to mention HYDE's name is printed because there's his collaboration on that single)

No, it wasn't Mika, it was NANA. Mika singles always sold poorly, but thanks to NANA her single sold VERY well. If it wasn't for Nana, than Yuna Ito wouldn't have sold so well, because that was her first single, she didn't had a fanbase to go and buy her singles, who went to buy her single was Nana's fanbase.

[andre2907]

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

From oricon. I didn't check it right now, but I have a good memory, and at around 2001-2002 CHEMISTRY would top ayu in terms of units sold. However, ayu had far much more releases than them, that's why she actually sold more units but if you single out in a single release, that would be a different story. Their album sold far much more than I am... when both had been released.

In 2002, CHEMISTRY outsold Ayu, but in 2001 and 2000, Ayu was unbeatble. She was selling more than B'z, selling more than Mr. Children, more than Chemistry, Exile, SMAP, every Johnny's band... she was only selling less than Hikki.

[andre2907]

Originally Posted by Uemarasan

Look at Hikki, who always used to sell 250,000 ++ units (for her singles) the first week alone. Be My Last hasn't sold much.

Sorry, I REALLY don't want to go off-topic, but I need to say that: in my opinion, Be My Last sold extremely well. I mean, 90.000 copies in a week for a single who have ONE song? I love Ayu, more than Hikki, but I dobut royally she would sell 90,000 copies with a single with just one song. Plus, Be My Last sold 230,000 downloads in iTunes in a week and download the song legally in iTunes, the ONLY song on the single, is cheaper than buy the single, so just the hardcore and collector fans went to buy the single, so looking at all that, I think Be My Last was a hit as every other Hikki song.

[ayu_fan929]

^Be My Last 1st week sales were actually 80,000