A Song for ××
A Song for ×× (the "××" is silent)[1] 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.
A Song for ×× | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Album cover is printed on a metallic material. | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 1, 1999 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 70:38 | |||
Label | Avex Trax | |||
Producer | Max Matsuura | |||
Ayumi Hamasaki chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from A Song for ×× | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
MTV Asia | link |
"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.[2]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Ayumi Hamasaki.
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 | January 1, 1999 | CD | AVJCD-10008 |
Hong Kong | June 1999 | CD | AVTCD-95224 |
China | 1999 | 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 | 1,610,000 | 63 | |
Oricon Monthly Albums Chart | 1 | ||||
Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 15 |
- Total Sales: 1,610,000 (Japan)
- Total Sales: 1,910,000 (Avex)
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: 644,130
Total Album and Single Sales: 2,254,130
References
- choconagisa, ayumi hamasaki - a song for xx cm - powder snow, retrieved 2019-02-10
- "歴代アルバムランキング". Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2008-02-05.