Fairyland (song)
Encyclopedia
"Fairyland" is the 36th single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 released by Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...

. It was released on August 3, 2005. It instantly shot to #1 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

 charts where it stayed for the entire week. After one week of sales, "Fairyland" sold over 172,000 copies, the most any of Hamasaki's singles sold in one week in 2005. "Fairyland" is also Hamasaki's first single that featured different covers for both the CD and the CD+DVD.

Music videos

The PV
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 of Fairyland was shot in Hawaii and is one of the most expensive music videos in the world, as well as being Japan's most expensive music video in terms of production costs. The PV cost 240 million Yen (2 million in U.S. dollars). It depicts Hamasaki with her companions (dance team) on a lush tropical island, with some scenes showing a timber house with a deck. Eventually, a fallen oil lamp causes the entire structure to burn. Images from earlier sequences showing the group having fun are interspersed through the burning of the house. The video ends with the camera moving away from Hamasaki singing solemnly as she watches the house burn.

The PV of Alterna depicts Ayumi as an up-and-coming star who is chased by clowns. The video also depicts her as a singing machine; this aspect of the music video (as well as the lyrics of "alterna") may be Hamasaki's response to either tabloid articles or to her record label's oppressive treatment of her at the time.

Track listing

  1. "Fairyland" – 5:17
  2. "Alterna" – 5:28
  3. "Step You" (DJ Taki-Shit More Step Up Remix) – 4:16
  4. "Fairyland" (Bright Field Remix) – 5:30
  5. "Fairyland" (Instrumental) – 5:17
  6. "Alterna" (Instrumental) – 5:28

DVD track listing

  1. "Fairyland" (PV
    Music video
    A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

    )
  2. "Alterna" (PV
    Music video
    A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

    )
  3. "Fairyland" ("making of" photo gallery)

Live performances

  • June 27, 2005 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ
  • July 15, 2005 – Music Station
  • July 30, 2005 – CDTV
  • August 1, 2005 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ
  • August 5, 2005 – Music Station
  • August 5, 2005 – Music Fighter
  • December 31, 2005 – 56th Kouhaku Utagassen

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
Release Chart Peak Position First Week Sales Sales Total Chart Run
August 3, 2005 Oricon Daily Singles Chart 1
Oricon Weekly Singles Chart 1 172,221 316,663 13 weeks
Oricon Monthly Singles Chart 4
Oricon Yearly Singles Chart 25

  • Total Sales : 316,663 (Japan)
  • Total Sales : 388,000 (Avex)
  • RIAJ certification: Platinum

External links

  • fairyland c/w alterna information at Avex Network
    Avex Trax
    , listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...

    .
  • fairyland c/w alterna CD+DVD information at Avex Network
    Avex Trax
    , listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...

    .
  • fairyland c/w alterna information at Oricon
    Oricon
    , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

    .
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK