Memorial Address is the first EP (labeled a mini-album in Japan) and sixth studio album by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, released December 17, 2003 by Avex Trax. The album's lyrics were written exclusively by Hamasaki, who also composed two songs with Dai Nagao. The other songs on the album were composed by Bounceback and Tetsuya Yukumi.
Memorial Address was Hamasaki's first album to be released as a CD+DVD package, a marketing strategy her label would often employ throughout her career. Three singles were released from Memorial Address. Lead single "&" was released July 9, 2003. A triple A-side single including "Ourselves", "Greatful Days", and "Hanabi Episode II", it became her fifteenth number-one single in Japan, though it would become her last single to date to sell over 500,000 copies. Second single "Forgiveness" was released that August and also reached number one, but only sold 220,000 copies, disappointing by her standards at the time. The third and final single, "No Way to Say", also reached number one and sold over 371,000 copies. Though more successful than "Forgiveness", it marked the beginning of a commercial decline for Hamasaki.
Memorial Address experienced immense commercial success, becoming her seventh consecutive number-one record in Japan, with first-week sales of 524,000 copies. It is the best-selling mini-album by a Japanese female, with sales of over 1 million copies in its initial 53-week chart run. All of the songs featured on the CD tracklist (with the exception of "Memorial Address", the title track) had a corresponding music video. By 2008, Memorial Address was the 250th best selling album in Japan.[1] Counting singles, the EP has sold over two million copies worldwide.
Tracklist
All lyrics written by Ayumi Hamasaki.
| 1. |
"Angel's Song" (Video Clip) |
|
| 2. |
"Greatful Days" (Video Clip) |
|
| 3. |
"Because of You" (Video Clip) |
|
| 4. |
"Ourselves" (Video Clip) |
|
| 5. |
"Hanabi: Episode II" (Video Clip) |
|
| 6. |
"No Way to Say" (Video Clip) |
|
| 7. |
"Forgiveness" (Video Clip) |
|
| 8. |
"Special Digest from A Museum: 30th Collection Live" |
|
Release history
| Region |
Date |
format |
Catalogue Number |
| Japan |
December 17, 2003 (2003-12-17) |
CD+DVD
|
AVCD-17410 |
| CD
|
AVCD-17411 |
| Taiwan |
December 19, 2003 (2003-12-19) |
|
|
| Hong Kong |
December 23, 2003 (2003-12-23) |
|
|
| China |
February 4, 2004 (2004-02-04) |
CD+DVD
|
AVTCD-95730C
|
| Cassette |
|
| December 25, 2005 (2005-12-25) |
CD |
AVTCD-95730C/B
|
Charts
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release |
Chart |
Peak position |
First Week Sales |
Sales total |
Chart run |
|---|
| 17 December, 2003 |
Oricon Daily Albums Chart |
1 |
|
|
|
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart |
1 |
524,028 |
1,062,297 |
53 weeks |
| Oricon Monthly Albums Chart |
1 |
|
|
|
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart |
4 |
|
|
|
|
- Total Sales: 1,062,297 (Japan)
- Total Sales: 1,220,000 (Avex)
- Highest selling mini-album by a female artist.
- Only mini-album by a female artist to sell over one million units.
Singles
| Date |
Title |
Peak position |
Weeks |
Sales |
|---|
| July 9, 2003 |
"&" |
1 |
16 weeks |
591,481 |
| August 20, 2003 |
"forgiveness" |
1 |
12 weeks |
222,000 |
| September 29, 2003 |
"No Way to Say" |
1 |
12 weeks |
371,171 |
Total Single Sales: 1,184,652
Total Album and Single Sales: 2,246,949
Notes
References
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| | | | Studio albums | |
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| | Compilations | |
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| | Remixes | |
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| | Concert tours | |
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| | DVDs | |
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| | Films | |
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| | See also | |
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| | Related Articles | |
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