"Appears" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist

Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...

. It was released by Avex Trax on November 10, 1999 as the sixth single from her second studio album ''

Loveppears ''Loveppears'' (stylized as ''LOVEppears'') is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in Japan, Hong Kong and China on November 10, 1999 through Avex Trax and the China Record Corporation, and distrib ...

'' (1999), which was released on the same day. Alongside this, it has been released in several other territories with different release dates under her Western alias Ayu. It also served as Hamasaki's first limited edition single, limiting physical sales to 300,000 copies. The track was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator

Max Matsuura , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and businessman. He is the founder of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notably Ayumi Hamas ...

. Musically, "Appears" is a dance song written in third person perspective, and is about the third person watching what appears to be a happy and loving relationship. Upon its release, "Appears" received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Alexey Eremenko, writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, selected the track as the best song from the album and her career. However, an editor from ''CD Journal'' criticized the amount of remixes on the CD single. Commercially, the single was a success in Japan, peaking at number two on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...

and TBS'

Count Down TV (also known as CDTV) is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. ...

chart. It sold just below its restricted 300,000 units, and was certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...

(RIAJ) for shipments of 200,000 units. An accompanying music video was directed by

Wataru Takeishi is a prolific Japanese music video director. Takeishi has created videos for Japanese superstars such as Ayumi Hamasaki and Every Little Thing. Most Expensive Music Videos Three videos that Takeishi directed appear on the list of most expensiv ...

, which displays Hamasaki walking around

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and observing people. To promote the single, it appeared on several remix and greatest hits compilation albums conducted by Hamasaki, and has been included on some of her concert tours, including part two of her 2000 concert tour and the 2007 Secret Tour.

Background and composition

"Appears" was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by longtime collaborator

. The song's instrumentation consists of guitar by musician Naoya Akimoto and keyboards by Japanese pop band HΛL. It was then composed together by

Kazuhito Kikuchi is a Japanese composer. From 2001 to 2005 he was a member of the J-pop duo Breath. He has been one of the main song composers for Ayumi Hamasaki and has also written songs for Kumi Koda, Every Little Thing, Ami Suzuki and others. He won the Bes ...

and mixed by HΛL. An alternative version of "Appears" was released as the single-edit, which was primarily composed and mixed by Kikuchi, but this edit did not appear on the final cut of Hamasaki's second studio album ''

'' (1999). Musically, "Appears" is a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

song, a genre that is heavily influenced throughout the parent album. In a special commentary for Hamasaki's

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

'' A Ballads'' (2003), where a third version of the track is included, she stated that the lyrical content was written in third person perspective, a trait that is shared with the rest of the album's tracks. She stated that the song is about the third person watching a happy and loving relationship: "It's about lovers who appear to be happy and are living each day in their usual way. But there is a sense that a third person is watching from a distance." The song's title is loosely based on the album's title ''Loveppears'', which was originally planned to be called "Lovers Appear".

Release

"Appears" was released by Avex Trax on November 10, 1999 as the sixth single from the album, which was also released on the same day. The

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

, which was distributed in Japan and Hong Kong, included 12 tracks: six remixes of "Appears", two remixes of her previous single " Whatever", and two remixes of her previous promotional single "Immature". The last two tracks are instrumentals of the HΛL remix and Keisuke Kikuchi remix of "Appears" and "Immature" (titled '99 Greetings Mix and JT Original CM Mix). Two separate

12" vinyl The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

s were distributed by Japanese label Rhythm Republic, featuring remixes of both "Appears" and "Whatever". It was Hamasaki's first single to be distributed in North America, which was remixed by American DJ

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

and released on May 27, 2001. It was furthered distributed by Drizzly Records throughout Europe in 2005–06 under Hamasaki's Western alias Ayu; it was released on 12" vinyl and CD single formats. The artwork for digital and Japanese formats featured a darkened skin version of Hamasaki's portrait on ''Loveppears''; like both covers, it garnered controversy due to its provocative nature.

Reception

Upon its release, "Appears" received positive reviews from

's Alexey Eremenko, whom contributed to writing Hamasaki's biography on the website, selected the track as some of her best work. A mixed review came from a staff member at ''CD Journal'', who questioned the inclusion of remixes on the CD single. Though the editor commended the club inspired composition, he/she criticized how it took over Hamasaki's vocal performance and felt the sound was slightly "geeky". Commercially, the single was a success in Japan. It debuted at number two on the

, selling 273,760 units in its first week of sales. It lasted three weeks on the top 200, becoming one of Hamasaki's lowest spanning singles in that chart. It debuted at number two on the

chart hosted by

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

(TBS), stalled from the top spot by

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

's " Addicted to You". It lasted four weeks in the top 100. Part one of the "Appears"/"Whatever" 12" vinyl reached number 96 on the same chart, entering on chart date February 5, 2000. By the end of 1999, it had sold over 282,000 units in Japan, making it the 81st highest selling single of that year in that country; it was also Hamasaki's fifth addition on the Oricon Yearly Chart, just behind her singles "

To Be In linguistics, a copula (plural: copulas or copulae; abbreviated ) is a word or phrase that links the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, such as the word ''is'' in the sentence "The sky is blue" or the phrase ''was not being'' i ...

", "

Love (Destiny) "Love (Destiny)" (stylized as "LOVE ~Destiny~") is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, serving as the second single for her second studio album, ''Loveppears'' (1999). It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Taiwan on A ...

", " Boys & Girls", and her extended play '' A'' (1999). That same year, it ranked at number 84 on TBS' Annual Chart. In January 2000, the single was certified Gold by the

(RIAJ) for shipments of 200,000 units. As of July 2016, "Appears" has sold 290,550 units in Japan, and is her 28th highest selling single based on

Oricon Style , 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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

's data base.

Music video and promotion

An accompanying music video was directed by

. The video opens with shots of

, and then has Hamasaki on a rooftop. Hamasaki is then singing the track with several different camera angles circulating her and the city. During the first verse, it has her in an apartment, sitting on a couch with a butterfly hair clip; this scene is used throughout the entire video. It then has three shots of her in different clothes; one with a brown leather jacket, brown wig and cowboy hat, the second with a red dress on, and the third with a black jacket and crop hair style. The shot with her in the brown leather jacket, brown wig and cowboy hat then shows her on a rooftop singing the song. The final pre-chorus and chorus has her driving through New York City, and has her in a pink dress watching the snow fall; it ends with her in the red dress, holding her hands out for the snow to fall. The music video was included on several DVD compilations released by Hamasaki: ''A Clips'' (2000), ''A Complete Box Set'' (2004), the digital release of ''A Clips Complete'' (2014), and the DVD and Blu-Ray re-release edition of her 2001 compilation album ''

A Best ''A Best'' (stylized as ''BEST'') is the first greatest hits album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 28, 2001, by Avex Trax and Avex Music Creative Inc. Hamasaki had originally planned to release the greates ...

'' (2016). "Appears" has been heavily promoted on compilation albums and live performances. As of July 2016, it has been included on eight of Hamasaki's remix albums, including ''

Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix The ''Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix'' remix album was released by Ayumi Hamasaki on February 16, 2000. The album became the second highest selling remix album in Japan of 2000 with 700,000 copies sold. The album became Hamasaki's longest char ...

'' (2000) and ''

Ayu-mi-x II Version Non-Stop Mega Mix ''Ayu-mi-x'' (stylized as ''ayu-mi-x'') is the first remix album by Japanese musician Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on March 17, 1999, to promote A Song for ××. Ayu-mi-x remix album contains 2 discs. Disc 1 is the Remix Club Side which contain ...

'' (2001). The single has also been used on

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

albums conducted by Hamasaki, including ''

'' (2001), the HΛL's remix on '' A Ballads'' (2003), '' A Complete: All Singles'' (2007), and most recently on her 2014 Christmas compilation ''Winter Ballad Selection''. It was specially remixed by

and added onto Hamasaki's remix extended play, '' The Other Side Two: Junior Vasquez''. The single has been included on three major concert tours hosted by Hamasaki, including part two of her 2000 concert tour, her 2007 Secret Tour, and her 2012 Hotel Love Songs tour in Japan.

Track listing and formats

*CD single # "Appears" ('99 Greeting Mix) – 5:38 # "Appears" (Scud Filter Mix) – 6:03 # "Appears" (Dub's Eurotech Remix) – 8:03 # " Whatever" ( Ferry 'System F' Corsten Dub Mix) – 7:38 # "Appears" ( JP's SoundFactory Mix) – 7:58 # "Appears" ( HAL's Mix) – 4:41 # "Immature" (D-Z Dual Lucifer Mix) – 4:35 # "Whatever" (Ferry 'System F' Corsten Vocal Extended Mix) – 6:29 # "Appears" (Keith Litman's Mix Of Truth) – 8:25 # "Immature" (JT Original CM Version) – 4:45 # "Appears" (Scud Filter Mix) nstrumental– 6:03 # "Immature" (JT Original CM Version) nstrumental– 4:45 *"Appears" / "Whatever" 12" vinyl (Part 1) # "Appears" (Dub's Eurotech Remix) – 8:03 # "Appears" (HAL's Mix) – 4:41 # "Appears" (Scud Filter Mix) – 6:03 # "Appears" ('99 Greeting Mix) – 5:38 *"Appears" / "Whatever" 12" vinyl (Part 2) # "Appears" (JP's SoundFactory Mix) – 7:58 # "Appears" (Keith Litman's Mix Of Truth) – 8:25 # "Whatever" (Ferry 'System F' Corsten Vocal Extended Mix) – 6:29 *US vinyl # "Appears" (

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

's Club Mix) – 9:41 # "Appears" (Junior's Instrumental) – 9:45 # "Appears" (Junior's Padapella) – 8:02 *"Appears" / "Immature" 12" vinyl # Appears" ('99 Greeting Mix) – 5:38 # "Immature" (JT Original CM Version) – 4:45 *Germany 12" vinyl # "Appears" (

Armin van Buuren Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...

's Rising Star 12" Instr. Mix) – 9:11 # "Appears" (Armin van Buuren's Sunset Dub Mix) – 9:23 # "Appears" ( Kyau vs. Albert Remix) – 8:15 # "Appears" (Kyau vs. Albert Dub) – 7:58 # "Appears" (Vince The Saint vs. Villa Remix) – 6:08 *German CD single # "Appears" (Armin van Buuren's Rising Star Radio Edit) – 4:08 # "Appears" (Kyau vs. Albert Radio Edit) – 3:38 # "Appears" (Armin van Buuren's Rising Star 12" Mix) – 9:11 # "Appears" (Kyau vs. Albert Dub) – 7:58 # "Appears" (Vince The Saint vs. Villa Remix) – 6:08 *UK CD Single # "Appears" (Armin van Buuren's Rising Star 12" Mix) – 9:11 # "Appears" (Kyau vs. Albert Remix) – 8:15 # "Appears" (Vince The Saint vs. Villa Remix) – 6:08 # "Appears" (Armin van Buuren's Rising Dub Mix) – 9:20 # "Appears" (Kyau vs. Albert Dub) – 7:58 # "Appears" – 9:14 *Digital download # "Appears" ('99 Greeting Mix) – 5:38 # "Appears" (Scud Filter Mix) – 6:03 # "Appears" (Dub's Eurotech Remix) – 8:03 # "Whatever" (Ferry 'System F' Corsten Dub Mix) – 7:38 # "Appears" (JP's SoundFactory Mix) – 7:58 # "Appears" (HAL's Mix) – 4:41 # "Immature" (D-Z Dual Lucifer Mix) – 4:35 # "Whatever" (Ferry 'System F' Corsten Vocal Extended Mix) – 6:29 # "Appears" (Keith Litman's Mix Of Truth) – 8:25 # "Immature" (JT Original CM Version) – 4:45 # "Appears" ('99 Greeting Mix) – 5:38 # "Appears" (Scud Filter Mix) nstrumental– 6:03 # "Immature" (JT Original CM Version) nstrumental– 4:45

Personnel

Credits adapted from the CD liner notes of ''Loveppears''; ;Recording *Recorded at Soundtrack Studios,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, US. ;Credits *

– vocals, songwriting, background vocals *

– production *Kazuhito Kikuchi – composing, programming, mixing *Naoya Akimoto – guitar * HΛL – keyboards, programming *

– music video director *Dave Way – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Yearly chart

Certification

Release history

Notes

References

External links

"Appears"
at Ayumi Hamasaki's official website.
"Appears"
at

. {{authority control Ayumi Hamasaki songs 1999 singles Songs written by Ayumi Hamasaki Songs with music by Kazuhito Kikuchi Song recordings produced by Max Matsuura 1999 songs Avex Trax singles