Duty (album)

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Duty
Ayumi Hamasaki with black hair wearing a leopard print outfit that includes a long tail. In lowercase, "ayumi hamasaki" is written vertically on the left edge.
Studio album by Ayumi Hamasaki
Released September 27, 2000 (2000-09-27)
Genre J-pop, pop rock
Length 51:45
Label Avex Trax
Producer Max Matsuura
Ayumi Hamasaki chronology

Loveppears
(1999)		 Duty
(2000)		 A Best
(2001)
Singles from Duty
  1. "Vogue"
    Released: April 26, 2000
  2. "Far Away"
    Released: May 17, 2000
  3. "Seasons"
    Released: June 7, 2000
  4. "Surreal"
    Released: September 27, 2000
  5. "Audience"
    Released: November 1, 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
HMV [1]

Duty is the third full-length studio album by Ayumi Hamasaki, as well as being her best-selling studio album to date, with over 2.9 million copies sold. The single "Surreal," an initial pressing-only single, was released simultaneously along with the album and the DVD Ayumi Hamasaki Concert Tour 2000 Vol.1. All three claimed the top position on the Oricon Weekly charts, making Ayumi Hamasaki the first person to hold the top position on all three charts. Prior to this, the most number of charts that a single artist or musical act topped was two. Duty is also Ayumi Hamasaki's highest selling studio album with sales of 2,904,420 in Japan. The album has been certified 3x Million by RIAJ. It debuted at the number-one position and held that position for four weeks, the album also stayed in the Top 30 for 20 weeks, making Hamasaki's only studio album to stay on the Top 30 for that long. Duty is the 22nd best-selling album in Japan of all times.[2]

According to the Oricon, it is also the 6th best selling Japanese album in the 21st century.[3]

Singles

This album features five singles, two of which were able to reach the number-one position on the Oricon charts.

The first three singles, "Vogue," "Far away," and "Seasons" were released from April to June 2000. Vogue and Far away sold over 700,000 and 500,000 copies, respectively. "Seasons" is the most successful single of the album and one of Ayumi's best-selling singles, with over 1.3 million units sold.

"SURREAL," the fourth single, was released on the same day as Duty, and the final single, Audience, was released as a recut single a month after the album. It debuted at the number-two position and sold over 290,000 units. Unlike Hamasaki's previous singles, no music video was shot for the song.

Commercials tie-ups and themes songs

Duty was used in a commercial promoting the Takano Yuri beauty clinics.[4]

vogue was used as background music in a television commercial promoting a lipstick for Kose Visee.[5][6]

The original version of Far away featured in three advertisng campaigns for the Tu-Ka cellphones.[7] The song End of the world was also used in a commercial for the brand.[8]

Seasons was the theme song of a popular Japanese drama broadcast on Fuji TV called Tenki Yoho No Koibito (Weather Reporter Lover).[9]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Ayumi Hamasaki. 
No. TitleMusicArranger(s) Length
1. "Starting Over" (instrumental)Ken HaradaKen Harada 1:36
2. "Duty"  Ken HaradaNaoto Suzuki, Ken Harada 5:15
3. "Vogue"  Kazuhito KikuchiNaoto Suzuki, Kazuhito Kikuchi 4:27
4. "End of the World"  Yasuhiko HoshinoNaoto Suzuki 4:40
5. "Scar"  Kunio TagoNaoto Suzuki 4:17
6. "Far Away"  Kazuhito Kikuchi, D.A.IHΛL 5:34
7. "Surreal"  Kazuhito KikuchiHΛL 4:42
8. "Audience"  D.A.IHΛL 4:06
9. "Seasons"  D.A.INaoto Suzuki 4:15
10. "Teddy Bear"  D.A.IShingo Kobayashi 4:18
11. "Key ~Eternal Tie Version~"  Kunio TagoNaoto Suzuki 3:14
12. "Girlish"  Yasuhiko HoshinoShingo Kobayashi 4:55

Credits

  1. "Starting Over" – 1:36
    • Programming: Masayuki Kumahara
  2. "Duty" – 5:15
    • Keyboards: Naoto Suzuki
    • Guitar: Naoki Hayashibe
    • Background Vocal: Junko Hirotani
    • Programming: Takahiro Iida
  3. "Vogue" – 4:27
    • Keyboards: Naoto Suzuki
    • Guitar: Naoki Hayashibe
    • Programming: Takahiro Iida
  4. "End of the World" – 4:40
    • Keyboards: Naoto Suzuki
    • Guitar: Naoki Hayashibe
    • Programming: Takahiro Iida
  5. "Scar" – 4:17
    • Keyboards: Naoto Suzuki
    • Guitar: Naoki Hayashibe
    • Background Vocal: Junko Hirotani
    • Programming: Takahiro Iida
  6. "Far Away" – 5:34
    • Keyboards: HAL
    • Guitar: Naoya Akimoto
    • Background Vocal: Junko Hirotani
    • Programming: HAL
    • Mixed by Atsushi Hattori
  7. "Surreal" – 4:42
    • Keyboards: HAL
    • Guitar: Naoya Akimoto
    • Programming: HAL
  8. "Audience" – 4:06
    • Keyboards: HAL
    • Guitar: Naoya Akimoto
    • Programming: HAL
  9. "Seasons" – 4:15
    • Keyboards: Naoto Suzuki
    • Guitar: Naoki Hayashibe
    • Background Vocal: Junko Hirotani
    • Programming: Takahiro Iida
  10. "Teddy Bear" – 4:18
    • Acoustic Piano: Shingo Kobayashi
    • Keyboards: Shingo Kobayashi
    • Synthesizer Operator: Keishi Urata
  11. "Key ~eternal tie ver.~" – 3:14
    • Keyboards: Naoto Suzuki
    • Guitar: Naoki Hayashibe
    • Background Vocal: Junko Hirotani
    • Programming: Takahiro Iida
  12. "Girlish" – 4:55
    • Keyboards: Shingo Kobayashi
    • Wurlitzer: Yoshihiro Tomonari
    • Drums: Kaoru Abe
    • Electric and Acoustic Guitar: Nozomi Furukawa
    • Bass: Enrique
    • Guitar: Yoshio Nomura
    • Synthesizer Operator: Keishi Urata

Release history

Region Date Format Catalogue Number
Japan September 27, 2000 (2000-09-27) CD AVCD-11837
Taiwan
Hong Kong
China 2001
  • Initial pressing
CD
  • SCD-534
Cassette
December 25, 2005 (2005-12-25)
  • Second Press
CD

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
Release Chart Peak position First Week Sales Sales total Chart run
September 27, 2000 Oricon Daily Album Chart 1
Oricon Weekly Album Chart 1 1,682,760 2,904,420 27 weeks
Oricon Monthly Album Chart 1
Oricon Yearly Album Chart 2
  • Total Sales: 2,904,420 (Japan)
  • Total Sales: 3,000,000 (Avex)

Singles

Date Title Peak position Weeks Sales
April 26, 2000 "Vogue" 3 17 weeks 767,660
May 17, 2000 "Far Away" 2 13 weeks 510,460
June 7, 2000 "Seasons" 1 21 weeks 1,367,400
September 27, 2000 "Surreal (500,000 Limited Copies)" 1 7 weeks 417,210
November 1, 2000 "Audience (300,000 Limited Copies) & (re-cut single)" 2 8 weeks 292,950

Total Single Sales: 3,355,680

Total Album and Single Sales: 6,260,100

References

  1. ↑ HMV review
  2. ↑ List of best selling albums of all time in Japan
  3. ↑ "The noughties played it nice | The Japan Times Online". Search.japantimes.co.jp. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  4. ↑ Ayu TV! CMs Takano Yuri
  5. ↑ Ayu TV! CMs Kose
  6. ↑ vogue CD information
  7. ↑ Far away CD information
  8. ↑ Ayu TV! CMs Tu-Ka
  9. ↑ SEASONS CD information
Ayumi Hamasaki
Studio albums
EPs
Compilations
Remixes
Concert tours
Countdown lives
DVDs
Films
See also
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