Endless Sorrow

"Endless Sorrow"
Single by Ayumi Hamasaki
from the album I am...
Released	May 16, 2001
Format	JPN CD Single United States Digital Single [1]
Genre	Pop rock alternative rock
Length	54:45
Label	Avex Trax
Songwriter(s)	Ayumi Hamasaki (lyrics) CREA (music)
Producer(s)	Max Matsuura
Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology
"Never Ever" (2001) "Endless Sorrow" (2001) "Unite!" (2001)
"Never Ever" (2001) "Endless Sorrow" (2001) "Unite!" (2001)

"Endless Sorrow" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki, released as her 22nd single on May 16, 2001.

Background

This was Hamasaki's fourth single to be composed by herself using the pseudonym Crea. Its original single version, which features strings, piano, and rock leanings, was arranged by CMJK and Junichi Matsuda. For Hamasaki's fourth studio album I am... the song re-arranged by CMJK in a version entitled "Gone With Whe Wind ver.", which has a calmer soft-rock oriented sound. "Endless Sorrow" was used as theme song of TBS's drama Mukashi no Otoko, which aired from April to late June 2001. One of the b-sides of the single, "Vogue (Kirari Natsu Ayu Mix)" was used in TV commercials for Kose Visee mascara, starring Hamasaki herself.

Music video

The music video of "Endless Sorrow" depicts a young boy living in a society in which speaking was prohibited by law. The boy, however, climbs a tower, meeting a man (presumably a priest because of his clothing) and a one-winged angel who looks exactly like the boy. Apart from shots of the cover of the Endless Sorrow single, Hamasaki does not appear in the original version of the PV, but in a later version, Hamasaki appears at the end of the video in a trench coat and fedora, and picks up the feather dropped by the boy.^[2]

Track listing

Lyrics: Ayumi Hamasaki - Music: Ayumi Hamasaki

1. "Endless Sorrow"
2. "Vogue" (Kirari Natsu Ayu Mix)
3. "Endless Sorrow" (Natural Green Dub Mix)
4. "Endless Sorrow" (Nicely Nice Skyblue remix)
5. "Never Ever" (Dub's Uncategorized Mix 001)
6. "Endless Sorrow" (Ram's Advance Mix)
7. "Endless Sorrow" (Brent Mini's gothic mix)
8. "Endless Sorrow" (Liquid Heart Mix)
9. "Endless Sorrow" (Juicy Ariyama Mix)
10. "Endless Sorrow" (Instrumental)

Live performances

• July 1, 2001 - CountDown TV - Endless sorrow and Unite!
• December 2, 2001 - Digital Dream Live - Endless sorrow and Evolution

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

• RIAJ certification: 3x Platinum

References

External links

• Endless sorrow information at Avex Network.
• Endless sorrow information at Oricon.