Ballad (Ayumi Hamasaki song)

"You Were.../Ballad" is Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki's forty-seventh (forty-eighth overall) single, released on December 29, 2009.[1] The single was intended to be released on December 16, but Avex Trax pushed the release date two weeks back.[1] The first song on the single "You were..." is the theme song for the Japanese version of the Disney movie Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure,[2] while the second song "Ballad" is tied up with The Firmament of the Pleiades, a NHK's historical and political drama based on Jiro Asada's book of the same name.[3] The single became Hamasaki's 22nd consecutive single to debut at number-one position since her 2002 single "Free & Easy" on the Oricon weekly charts, making her the first solo artist and the female artist to have 22 consecutive singles to debut at number-one position. It is also her 34th number-one single on the Oricon weekly charts.

"Ballad"
Single by Ayumi Hamasaki
from the album Rock 'n' Roll Circus
ReleasedDecember 29, 2009
Recorded2009
GenreYou Were...: Pop rock, soft rock
Ballad: J-pop
LabelAvex Trax
Songwriter(s)Ayumi Hamasaki (lyrics)
Kazuhiro Hara (music)
DAI (music)
Tetsuya Yukumi (music)
Producer(s)Max Matsuura
Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology
"You Were..."
(2009)		 "Ballad"
(2009)		 "Moon/Blossom"
(2010)
CD+ DVD version A
CD+DVD version B

Promotion

During December 2009, Hamasaki performed live on Japanese TV shows seven times.[4] Hamasaki was featured on the cover of four Japanese magazines during the promotion of the single.[5] These magazines were "Sweet", "Bea's Up", "Vivi" and "S Cawaii". As of early December, there have been many promotional pictures posted around Shibuya, Shinagawa and Harajuku in Tokyo.[6][7]

Music videos

You Were featured Ayumi at a winter-like scene wearing a blinking, electrically-lit dress. The video is also inter-cut with scenes of models posing in haute couture outfits.

The video for Ballad featured an elaborate storyline where Ayumi and her boyfriend get in a motorcycle accident. Her boyfriend becomes comatose and in his dreams he tries to contact Ayumi via letters, not realizing that his letters would never reach her. The video is intercut with scenes where Ayumi is singing at a fairyland/dream setting.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Ayumi Hamasaki.

CD Only
No.TitleLength
1."You Were... (Original Mix)"4:48
2."Ballad (Original Mix)"5:21
3."Red Line: for TA (Original Mix)"4:29
4."You Were... (Music Box Mix -Retake Version-)"5:10
5."Sunset: Love Is All (Orchestra Version)"6:04
6."You Were...　(Original Mix -Instrumental-)"4:48
7."Ballad　(Original Mix -Instrumental-)"5:22
8."Red Line: for TA (Original Mix -Instrumental-)"4:27

CD+DVD Version A
CD
No.TitleLength
1."You Were... (Original Mix)"4:48
2."Ballad (Original Mix)"5:21
3."Red Line: for TA (Original Mix)"4:29
4."You Were... (Music Box Mix -Retake Version-)"5:10
5."You Were...　(Original Mix -Instrumental-)"4:48
6."Ballad　(Original Mix -Instrumental-)"5:22
7."Red Line: for TA (Original Mix -Instrumental-)"4:27
DVD
No.TitleLength
1."You Were... (Video Clip)"5:11
2."Ballad (Video Clip)"5:50
3."You Were... (Making Clip)"3:02

CD+DVD Version B
CD
No.TitleLength
1."Ballad (Original Mix)"5:21
2."You Were... (Original Mix)"4:48
3."Red Line: for TA (Original Mix)"4:29
4."Sunset: Love Is All (Orchestra Version)"6:04
5."Ballad　(Original Mix -Instrumental-)"5:22
6."You Were... (Original Mix -Instrumental-)"4:48
7."Red Line: for TA (Original Mix -Instrumental-)"4:27
DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Ballad (Video Clip)"5:50
2."You Were... (Video Clip)"5:11
3."Ballad (Making Clip)"3:12

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart
Release Chart Peak position Debut sales Sales total
December 29, 2009 Oricon Daily Singles Chart 1
Oricon Weekly Singles Chart 1 103,351 118,249
Oricon Monthly Singles Chart 2
Oricon Yearly Singles Chart 56

Billboard Japan
Release Chart Peak Position
December 29, 2009 Billboard Japan Hot 100 14
Billboard Japan Hot Singles Sales 4

References
  1. (in Japanese) http://www.avexnet.or.jp/ayu/jp/news/091022a.html | 【リリース情報】2009/12/16（水）発売「You were.../BALLAD」発売決定！
  2. (in Japanese) http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/091119/gnj0911190506008-n1.htm Archived 2010-05-01 at the Wayback Machine | あゆ、映画「ティンカーベル」イメージソング
  3. (in Japanese) http://mainichi.jp/enta/geinou/news/20091118mog00m200063000c.html | 浜崎あゆみ：新曲「ＢＡＬＬＡＤ」　ＮＨＫドラマ「蒼穹の昴」主題歌に
  4. Schedule updated - TV Performances & Magazines! - Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai
  5. Schedule updated - TV Performances & Magazines! Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai
  6. On buses, Lorries and Promotional billboards Archived 2007-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "ayu.no - Norwegian Ayumi Hamasaki Forum". Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
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