Are fans not satisfied?

Originally Posted by ImpactBreaker

I've seem people saying the same thing to some of her latest songs lyrics. Why do people actually forgets that the "ayu of amazing lyrics" also has songs like AUDIENCE? A song from the time Duty was released, so yep, the moment she was on top, from a time most people considered her stuff to be decent. The lyrics of that song are as empty as B&D. "YES! Datte, clap your hand, spread your arms, shout blah blah blah". But people tend to forget she sometimes writes songs like that and blame it all that she has changed lately so much, because she never ever wrote stupid lyrics until recently. I guess it's because whatever is new has actually got to be extremely criticized. I'm not sure why fans get dissapointed as if it's the first time she is doing that becaused she always release at least 1 song that's all about being random, jumping, etc.

But "AUDIENCE" came from somewhere; it's a tribute. "Bold and Delicious" just feels so random and careless.

Her lyrics really are going down in meaning, though. And it makes sense -- how much can she have left to write about? She's done being lonely, being confused, being angry, being sad, being happy, being in love, being lost, being shy, being weak, being strong, and every combonation of those. In great depth, I might add, and detail. But "MY STORY" was very watery, it didn't dig quite so deep and wasn't as gritty. Of her singles since then, only "alterna" has really had powerful lyrics. "STEP you" has average J-pop lyrics; "is this LOVE?" is great, but a very different style for Ayu - it's kind of a story song more than any of her others; "fairyland" is sweet, and there's nothing really to attack about it - it sets a mood, more than expresses emotion, which is fine; "HEAVEN" ... I love the song, but I'm not so sure how genuine the lyrics are - I get the impression she wrote mostly from the film, rather than personal experience, or at least embellished her experience to meet the movie's story; "Will" has 2 good lines, really, and then just a lot of imagery.

I'm not saying any of this is bad, because a good writer can never really write a bad lyric without cringeing. But it seems to be that her lyrics have already begun a transition into a different place. She's written everything already. She seems to be happy in her life now, and all the nitty-gritty stuff is out of the way and in the past.

"alterna" warned us, didn't it? "If you're afraid of change, watch from far away." She's different now. And while I can totally appreciate her new stuff, her older stuff is just much more me. Some people grow with an artist and follow them all the way through to the end. Others don't, and go their own way. You can't say she hasn't changed, that would be blatantly ignorant. You've gotta look at the big picture. Looking back on Ayu 20 years from now, you'll see a pattern of hills and valleys. She had her high points and her low points.

"A Song for XX" was really rough around the edges, her writing was good, her voice was bad, she had potential. "LOVEppears" was much more polished and had a completely new sound; her thoughts were much more gathered, as well as her voice being much stronger. "Duty" was another reinvention, with more serious music and her lyrics delving even deeper into her heart. "I am..." was where the music and the lyrics met at a really really strong place. "RAINBOW" was where "new Ayu" started to emerge; it was very similar to "I am...," but more shiny and glossy where "I am..." was gritty. "Memorial Address" was kind of a grab bag; level ground. "MY STORY" was a little watery all around, in that it was kind of a summary of her entire career wrapped into one album; nothing incredibly substantial, because it was kind of a review -- still good material, though. I feel like "MY STORY" was even a goodbye to the old Ayu, and now we're in new Ayu land. She's happy, she lovin' life, she's done it all, she's said it all, she has it all... of course she's changed.

But "Bold and Delicious" still sucks.

[mui-gei-tal]

i'm not dissatisfied...her new singles don't "disappoint" me or what not.
i'm just glad that she is still here in the pretty pony~pretty pony~pretty pony~ music industry...
especially with neg. reports of how she is declining and all~
also, i like how she is exploring her music options. you may never know, maybe the next single, she'll start to rap and then do some major dance offs.

to conclude, i'm just glad the world still has ayu making music.

[ImpactBreaker]

evolusean, I agree with a lot of the things you mention about her changing. However, that's no excuse to say AUDIENCE is a tribute. The lyrics are cheap, be it a tribute or not (what if B&D is a tribute as well?), and it was ayu who wrote them, and she made it in the Duty era, a moment you even mentioned her lyrics were deeper.
And well, I'm looking at the bigger picture, I know that her songs have changed and that her lyrics in a way too, but I also know her past was not all made of gold, she has written cheap lyrics before (AUDIENCE), she has some old songs that aren't exactly masterpieces. She had her flaws in the past, some of them she improved, others not, she got other different flaws, and her style changed, for worse or for the better depending on fans tastes. But that's what she has always done, since ASFXX is completely different from LOVEppears and that one is completely different from Duty and so on.

And it makes sense -- how much can she have left to write about? She's done being lonely, being confused, being angry, being sad, being happy, being in love, being lost, being shy, being weak, being strong, and every combonation of those. In great depth, I might add, and detail.

A lot of her past lyrics could actually be quite confusing and with breaks, sometimes not even having a conclusion to it (I actually like that though). To me it sounds she's being a little more objective with her lyrics recently, I think I can get the messages more easily now. I'm not sure if that means her lyrics have cheapened, but I can say she still can make rather good lyrics. She doesn't only talk about happiness at the moment, About you is proof enough of it (there are several other new stuff as well). I also disagree that she has worn out everything she could talk about. All of the subjects you pointed out can be felt by the same person in several different situations and felt in several different ways. If I were to write down my feelings about personal experiences roughly to make songs, I would have material for thousands of lyrics, anybody has, but I don't have ayu's talent to write it down on paper the way she does. That's one of her real talents, to pick several things of her personal life and write it down into lyrics the way she does.

[jerms]

Her lyrics really are going down in meaning, though. And it makes sense -- how much can she have left to write about? She's done being lonely, being confused, being angry, being sad, being happy, being in love, being lost, being shy, being weak, being strong, and every combonation of those. In great depth, I might add, and detail. But "MY STORY" was very watery, it didn't dig quite so deep and wasn't as gritty. Of her singles since then, only "alterna" has really had powerful lyrics. "STEP you" has average J-pop lyrics; "is this LOVE?" is great, but a very different style for Ayu - it's kind of a story song more than any of her others; "fairyland" is sweet, and there's nothing really to attack about it - it sets a mood, more than expresses emotion, which is fine; "HEAVEN" ... I love the song, but I'm not so sure how genuine the lyrics are - I get the impression she wrote mostly from the film, rather than personal experience, or at least embellished her experience to meet the movie's story; "Will" has 2 good lines, really, and then just a lot of imagery.

since when was being depressed and mentally unstable the only way to be deep and meaningful? you can still have good lyrics that are happy. (although i agree, STEP you and bold/delicious are pretty lame imo). i wouldn't say things are exactly changing though; alterna was a masterpiece and real me was tacky. the order is random, it's not one thing or another.

[LEOyumi]

I'm really enjoying 2005 releases, B&D is wonderful for me. And yes, I love the lyrics, the video, everything about it. I'm really satisfied about her recent releases.

[hopeorpain]

I like both of Ayu's older and most recent releases. It doesn't matter to me the time of release.

[Endless_RAINBOW]

Ayu is getting better every day... My favourite songs are from her recent albums (RAINBOW, Memorial address, MY STORY)

[hopeorpain]

Originally Posted by Endless_RAINBOW

[COLOR="Blue"]Ayu is getting better every day... My favourite songs are from her recent albums (RAINBOW, Memorial address, MY STORY)[COLOR]

Yeah that's true..but I always liked loveppears even though it's not recent~^^

[Edvent]

Originally Posted by MikAYuko

am I thwe only one who sees the progress ayu has made????

There are 3 types of ppl in this:

1. Those who Think that since RAINBOW her career is over (I don't know why the keep visithing the forum)

2. Those who still worhsip her

3.Those who think She's Getting better (me alone)

I think this lines can be seen now more than ever. I don't care what others think cuase most of them are either against it or with it andwhen they don't like 1 release or song or single or whatever is the end of the world they overreact.

No, no, you're not alone^^ I think she's getting better, too. Mostly I like the new singles more than the old ones

[hopeorpain]

Originally Posted by Edvent

No, no, you're not alone^^ I think she's getting better, too. Mostly I like the new singles more than the old ones

#2 and 3 applies me ^^

[elepop]

Originally Posted by hiro

What's wrong with complaining? hahahahah

There's nothing wrong with complaining. But gees. If every fans can't even just accept the songs Ayu works so hard on and just complain about every little thing because it's not their taste and they're not satisfied, well she might as well just retire. It would be fun for her to only make music her fans like instead of music she likes. In mean, the woman can't please everybody. She has a life to you know.

[*Petit*]

I don't think it's right to criticize her for not always making "deep&meaningful" lyrics. To me, lyrics are supposed to either contrast or go along with the theme of the musical piece, if the music is fun and carefree, why are lyrics "bad" or "bland" if they reflect it. I always thought the lyrics for AUDIENCE were really good, because they reflected the mood of the song perfectly.

^ I think the lyrical depth is only an issue if people assume that Ayumi will always be "deep" in her songs. If there apparently isn't a meaning, then it would make Ayumi like the (unfairly) maligned artists who just do fun songs, and that's somewhat disappointing to some fans. This has nothing to do with the lyrics of Audience, it's just a general observation from mod-ing.

[BanFan]

Originally Posted by MikAYuko

There are 3 types of ppl in this:

There are more types of people than that.

Me for example. 'A Song for XX' to 'I am...' are really good. 'RAINBOW' is not as good, but still has plenty of good, stand-out tracks. 'Memorial address' is a masterpiece, one of Ayu's best. 'MY STORY' is about 90% good.

And now onto this year. I loved 'STEP you'. 'Is this LOVE?' was pretty good. 'fairyland' has grown on me but still isn't very good. 'alterna' is quite good. 'HEAVEN' is ok. 'WILL' is bad. 'B.A.D' is just awful.

As you can see, it's a song-to-song thing with me. Sometimes Ayumi goes up, sometimes she goes way down. And I'm sure most of the people who seem like total "haters" since the 'B.A.D' PV like plenty of Ayumi's good music.

Just because someone hates one song, doesn't mean they completely hate Ayu. They may just have lost all respect for her at the moment for making 'B.A.D' at all (Me included), but many will still enjoy her new album.

And depth I could care less about, as Ayumi is a popstar, and it's not unexpected that several of her songs/PVs are/will be pointless and fun.

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by devilayu

^ I think the lyrical depth is only an issue if people assume that Ayumi will always be "deep" in her songs. If there apparently isn't a meaning, then it would make Ayumi like the (unfairly) maligned artists who just do fun songs, and that's somewhat disappointing to some fans. This has nothing to do with the lyrics of Audience, it's just a general observation from mod-ing.

ANd just why they would assume such a thing remians an unanswered question, I mean, she's always had some carefree lyrics on each album.

[eriko]

i prefer the past ayu, with all her rock songs and maxi singles with lots of remix, her past looking was better i think too

my favourite song will stay "surreal"

[Piccolo]

It seems a lot of people are comparing her lyrics in the past and present and talking about the heavy changes in them. Personally, I read the lyrics for enjoyment and I find them interesting to analyze and what not, but when I listen to the song I do not particular pay attention to the meaning of the song, rather then the emotional effort put out in her voice. Instead of lyrics of which I'm suppose to understand, her voice becomes an instrument to me. When people say her songs are getting weaker and emptier, it kind of bothers me because I feel her singing has improved significantly, and her songwriting abilities have remained equally good. I enjoy her earlier voice, but I really do like her voice right now. I also like the direction of her new songs. I think she really does a good job on her newer pieces. I'd take fairyland and alterna over daybreak and dearest anyday of the week.

Like I said before, things like lyrics don't particularly affect me since I do not know japanese. I think I speak for a lot of people here when her vocals become an instrument as opposed to words we are suppose to understand. I also think that some of the meaning and emotions are lost through translations when they're put into english. So you can't say "these lyrics are cheap and meaningless" because perhaps we have missed something. Maybe it's just me, but I find a lot of her lyrics really odd, but not in a bad way. I feel most of her songs have many meanings, and are really open to debate and discussion of what they really mean based on the translations (masa, wataru) I have read.

If this doesn't make sense or lacks organization then I apologize, I'm just writing what I feel based on what I've read in this thread. I hope you all get what I'm saying though.

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by Piccolo

Like I said before, things like lyrics don't particularly affect me since I do not know japanese. I think I speak for a lot of people here when her vocals become an instrument as opposed to words we are suppose to understand. I also think that some of the meaning and emotions are lost through translations when they're put into english. So you can't say "these lyrics are cheap and meaningless" because perhaps we have missed something. Maybe it's just me, but I find a lot of her lyrics really odd, but not in a bad way. I feel most of her songs have many meanings, and are really open to debate and discussion of what they really mean based on the translations (masa, wataru) I have read.

If this doesn't make sense or lacks organization then I apologize, I'm just writing what I feel based on what I've read in this thread. I hope you all get what I'm saying though.

I totally agree with you. And I think you make a lot of sense. Well put. =) It's really how I feel too, one of the things I find/found unique about ayu, how she sung when I first heard her songs gave me some impression of what the song was about (along with the arrangement and all that), and when I checked the lyrics.... They were almost always like the impression/feelings I had from listening. I really love ayu's ability to do that, I haven't ever heard any other singer that does is equally well.

[JesA]

i can honestly say, i like evry Ayu song up to date. Bold and Delicious is even my favorite.

[minkAYuko]

Originally Posted by BanFan

Just because someone hates one song, doesn't mean they completely hate Ayu. They may just have lost all respect for her at the moment for making 'B.A.D' at all (Me included), but many will still enjoy her new album.

And depth I could care less about, as Ayumi is a popstar, and it's not unexpected that several of her songs/PVs are/will be pointless and fun.

that;s what i'm saying too...(at t-n) her music is supposed to be funand pointless if you want... but there are a lot of extreme ppl saying like.. ''OMG B.A.D. is sooooo aweful!! she's defenittly going down!'' this kind of comments are funny...

I understand that not everyone has to like everything ayu does... and that maybe not everything ayu touches turns gold (as I once said a loooooong time ago n_n) but why being so critical about pop music to the point that you get all mad and grumpy?? haha these ppl may not be freaky-ayu-fans that like evrything ayu does, but they are certainly freaky in other ways

you just have to like the music and feel it n_n it's just pop music n_n