A Song for ××
| A Song for ×× | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
| Released | January 1, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 70:38 | |||
| Label | Avex Trax | |||
| Producer | Max Matsuura | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Song for ×× | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| MTV Asia |   link |
A Song for ×× (the "××" is silent) is the major-label debut album and second album overall by Japanese pop artist Ayumi Hamasaki, released January 1, 1999 by Avex Trax. Primarily a rock-pop album, it features musical composition and arrangements by Yasuhiko Hoshino, Mitsuru Igarashi, and others. Hamasaki acted as the album's sole lyricist, a notable feat for a pop artist her age at the time.
"Poker Face" was released as the album's lead single on April 8, 1998. Entering the Oricon chart at number twenty, it became her first charting single. Four further singles were released to promote A Song for ××: "You", "Trust", "For My Dear...", and Depend on You". All of them were top twenty hits in Japan, with the latter three reaching the top ten.
The album debuted atop the Oricon Charts with first week sales of 548,210 copies; it topped the chart for five weeks, a remarkable feat for a debut album. Its high first week sales were partly due to its debut sales being the first and second week sales combined (Oricon only has 51 weeks instead of 52). The album charted for 63 weeks and was certified Million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for shipments exceeding one million copies in the country. As of 2008, A Song for ×× is Japan's 139th best selling album of all time.[1]
Track list
All lyrics written by Ayumi Hamasaki.
| CD | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Prologue" (Instrumental) | Yasuhiko Hoshino | Hoshino | 1:25 |
| 2. | "A Song for ××" | Hoshino | Hoshino | 4:44 |
| 3. | "Hana" | Hoshino | Hoshino | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Friend" | Hoshino | Akimitsu Honma | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Friend II" | Mitsuru Igarashi | Igarashi | 3:59 |
| 6. | "Poker Face" | Hoshino | Honma | 4:41 |
| 7. | "Wishing" | Hideaki Kuwabara | Honma | 4:29 |
| 8. | "You" | Hoshino | Honma | 4:46 |
| 9. | "As If..." | Kazuhito Kikuchi | Honma | 5:36 |
| 10. | "Powder Snow" | Kuwabara | Honma | 5:27 |
| 11. | "Trust" | Takashi Kimura | Honma, Kimura | 4:48 |
| 12. | "Depend on You" | Kikuchi | Honma, Takashi Morio | 4:20 |
| 13. | "Signal" | Kuwabara | Honma | 4:25 |
| 14. | "From Your Letter" | Akio Togashi | Togashi | 4:38 |
| 15. | "For My Dear..." | Hoshino | Hoshino | 4:33 |
| 16. | "Present" | Hoshino | Hoshino | 4:31 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Catalogue Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | January 1, 1999 | CD | AVCD-11691 |
| Taiwan | |||
| Hong Kong | |||
| China | December 25, 2005 | CD | AVTCD-95224CB
|
Charts
- Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak position | First Week Sales | Sales total | Chart run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1999 | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 1 | |||
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 1 | 548,210 | 1,451,910 | 63 | |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 1 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 15 |
- Total Sales: 1,451,910 (Japan)
Singles
| Date | Title | Peak Position | Weeks | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 April 1998 | Poker Face | 20 | 6 weeks | 43,150 |
| 10 June 1998 | You | 19 | 10 weeks | 78,260 |
| 5 August 1998 | Trust | 9 | 10 weeks | 181,820 |
| 7 October 1998 | For My Dear... | 9 | 7 weeks | 74,440 |
| 9 December 1998 | Depend on You | 6 | 9 weeks | 131,460 |
| 28 February 2001 | Poker Face (12 cm re-release) | 31 | 2 weeks | 24,000 |
| You (12 cm re-release) | 25 | 6 weeks | 36,000 | |
| Trust (12 cm re-release) | 29 | 2 weeks | 24,000 | |
| For My Dear... (12 cm re-release) | 33 | 2 weeks | 23,000 | |
| Depend on You (12 cm re-release) | 27 | 3 weeks | 28,000 |
- Total Single Sales: 644130
Total Album and Single Sales: 2,0960,040
References
| Preceded by Moment by Speed |
Oricon Weekly number-one album (first run) December 21, 1998 – January 10, 1999 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by People of the World by J-Friends |
| Preceded by People of the World by J-Friends |
Oricon Weekly number-one album (second run) January 18, 1999 – January 31, 1999 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by Discovery by Mr. Children |
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