"Fly High" 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 in Japan on February 9, 2000, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. The recording served as Hamasaki's third and final limited edition 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), limiting physical units to 300,000 copies. The track was written by the singer 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 ...

. Two versions of "Fly High" were made available for consumption—a radio edit composed by HΛL, and the album version produced by

Dai Nagao Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as DAI, alluding to the fact that ...

. Lyrically, the song was written in third person perspective. Upon its release, "Fly High" received mixed 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 ...

. Some praised the original and radio edit, while generally criticizing the amount of remixes. Commercially, the single experienced success in Japan, peaking at number three 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 copies. An accompanying music video for "Fly High" 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 ...

, and portrayed Hamasaki in a nightclub, with a clone of her standing in the distance. To promote the single, it appeared on several

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

and

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 ...

compilation albums released by Hamasaki.

Background and release

"Fly High" was written by Hamasaki herself, while production was handled by long-time collaborator

. Two versions of "Fly High" were made available for consumption—a radio edit composed by HΛL, and the album version produced by

. Both compositions are inspired by

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

, a genre that heavily influences Hamasaki's second studio album, ''

'' (1999), and also includes musical elements of

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

and

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

. The song's instrumentation consists of synthesizers and keyboards managed by HΛL, while also incorporating an electric guitar provided by Naoya Akimoto. "Fly High" was eventually mastered and co-produced by Japanese musician Naoto Suzuki and Nagao. The album version is used as a lead-on for the titular opening song of ''Lovepperars''. Lyrically, "Fly High" was written in third person perspective, a trait that is shared with the rest of the album's tracks. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan on February 9, 2000, marking her first single in the 2000s decade, and through Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide in September 2008. It also served as Hamasaki's third and final limited edition single from ''Loveppears'', limiting physical units to 300,000 copies. Subsequently, in mid 2000, a limited

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 ...

was issued through Avex Trax in Japan to promote her second part of her 2000 concert tour. A

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics that extend at lea ...

that featured a shot of Hamasaki in a leather pink jacket included HΛL's 2000 remix on side one, and an orchestral version of the recording on side two. The artwork was photographed by Japanese photographer Toru Kumazawa, and featured Hamasaki sitting in a beige–colored circular pod with fabric around her. The physical version of "Fly High" failed to include a booklet, which resulted in the cover sleeve being immolated as a

, featuring an emphasised plastic sheet with information on the single.

Reception

Upon its release, "Fly High" received mixed reviews from

. A reviewer from ''CD Journal'' was particularly negative towards the amount of remixes on the maxi single and the lack of recognisable disc jockeys on the tracks.

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 ...

's Alexey Eremenko, who contributed in writing Hamasaki's biography on the website, selected the track as one of her best works. Commercially, the single experienced success in Japan. It debuted at number three on the

, selling 260,460 units in its first week of availability. "Fly High" lasted four weeks within the top 200, marking one of the singer's lowest-spanning singles in that chart. Likewise, it debuted at number three 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), being present for six editions within the top 100 positions. By the end of 2000, the recording had sold over 299,540 units in Japan, and was ranked at number 89 on Oricon's Annual 2000 chart, behind four other songs by Hamasaki. Similarly, it charted at number 94 on TBS' Year-End Chart. In April 2000, "Fly High" was certified Gold by the

(RIAJ) for shipments of 200,000 copies.As of July 2016, the track is her 26th 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 Nove ...

's database.

Music video and promotion

An accompanying music video for the single was directed by

, and uses HΛL's remix version. The video opens with Hamasaki signing the track in front of an audience, whilst dancing around a large black platform accompanied by her background band. Several scenes portray the video being projected on a large television screen, with the ending chorus having a clone of Hamasaki walking into the club and observing herself performing on stage. 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 ...

''. "Fly High" has been heavily promoted through compilation albums conducted by Hamasaki; it has been included on 11 of the singer'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 ...

'' 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 ...

'' (2000). The single has also been featured on two of Hamasaki's

albums,''A Best'' (2001) and '' A Complete: All Singles'' (2008). Additionally, it was specially remixed by

Vincent De Moor Vincent de Moor (; born 1973, Delft, Netherlands) is a Dutch trance artist. He is most notable for his work with the record producer Ferry Corsten under the working title, " Veracocha," and for his 2001 single, "Fly Away". Musical career Early ...

for being added to the track list of her remix extended play, '' The Other Side Four: System F, Vincent De Moor'' (2001).

Track listing

*CD single # "Fly High" (Hal's mix 2000) – 4:14 # "Fly High" (Sample Madness remix) – 5:06 # "Fly High" (Supreme mix) – 6:25 # "Fly High" (acoustic orchestra version) – 4:04 # "Fly High" (Sharp Boys U.K. vocal mix) – 4:14 # "Fly High" (Saturation remix) – 3:55 # "

Appears "Appears" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released by Avex Trax on November 10, 1999 as the sixth single from her second studio album ''Loveppears'' (1999), which was released on the same day. Alongside thi ...

" (HW club mix) – 5:26 # "Fly High" (Dub's F remix) – 10:43 # "Fly High" (non-stop mix N.S dance mega mix) – 12:52 # "

Kanariya "Kanariya" (Japanese: "Canary") is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her second studio album, ''Loveppears'' (1999). It was released by Avex Trax in Japan and Hong Kong on December 8, 1999, and through Avex USA in No ...

" (fake compilation) – 5:11 # "Fly High" (album version instrumental) – 4:10 # "Fly High" (vocal track) – 3:20 *Digital download # "Fly High" (Hal's Mix 2000) – 4:14 # "Fly High" (Sample Madness remix) – 5:06 # "Fly High" (Supreme mix) – 6:25 # "Fly High" (acoustic orchestra version) – 4:04 # "Fly High" (Sharp Boys U.K. vocal mix) – 4:14 # "Fly High" (Saturation remix) – 3:55 # "Appears" (HW club mix) – 5:26 # "Fly High" (Dub's F remix) – 10:43 # "Fly High" (non-stop mix N.S dance mega mix) – 12:52 # "Kanariya" (fake compilation) – 5:11 # "Fly High" (vocal track) – 3:20 *12" vinyl # "Fly High" (Hal's mix 2000) – 4:14 # "Fly High" (acoustic orchestra version) – 4:04

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the single's physical release. Recording *Recorded at Prime Sound Studio, Studio Sound Dali, Onkio Haus,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

in 1999. Credits *

– vocals, songwriting, background vocals *

– production *

– composing, programming, mastering * HΛL – composing, synthesizers, keyboards *Naoto Suzuki – sound producing *Naoya Akimoto – electric guitar *

– music video director *Dave Way – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Notes

References

External links

"Fly High"
at Ayumi Hamasaki's official website.
"Fly High"
at

. {{authority control Ayumi Hamasaki songs 2000 singles Songs written by Ayumi Hamasaki 1999 songs Song recordings produced by Max Matsuura Avex Trax singles