"Merry-Go-Round" 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 ...

, featuring a rap section delivered by Japanese artist Verbal, for the singer's fifteenth studio album ''

Colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

'' (2014). It was released worldwide in six different formats on December 25, 2013 by Avex Trax, Avex Taiwan, and Avex Entertainment Inc. It was also Hamasaki's first physical release in three years since her EP–single '' L'' (2010), and her first double A-side single, alongside the track " Feel the Love", since "

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

" and "

Blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...

" that same year. The track was written by Hamasaki, whilst production was handled by Japanese musician and 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 ...

with the assistance of

M-Flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...

; this marks Hamasaki's first single to be produced with another producer outside of Matsuura. Musically, "Merry-Go-Round" is an electronic dance song that includes guitars and synthesizers in its instrumentation. Upon its release, "Merry-Go-Round" received favorable 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 ...

. The majority of them praised the composition, production, and Hamasaki's vocal performance, whilst others also highlighted the track as one of the best entries on ''Colours''. Charting together with "Feel the Love", it underperformed in Japan, reaching number five 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 was her first single to miss the top spot since her single " Daybreak" twelve years earlier. Two accompanying music videos were shot by Luis Hernandez and Satoru Yokoyama, which featured Hamasaki in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

at the top of a skyscraper, and her with another man; the Yokoyama version also included an appearance with Verbal. To promote the single, Hamasaki performed the track on her 2013–2014 Countdown live tour.

Background and composition

On October 24, 2013, it was confirmed through Japanese publication ''Natalie'' that Hamasaki would release a double

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single titled " Feel the Love"/"Merry-Go-Round", and would serve as the singer's first physical release in three years since her EP–single '' L'' (2010). It was also her first double

single, alongside the track "Feel the Love", since "

" and "

" that same year. The recording was written by Hamasaki, whilst production was handled by Japanese musician and long-time collaborator

with the assistance of Japanese group

; this marks Hamasaki's first single to be produced with another producer instead of a sole production by Matsuura. Musically, "Merry-Go-Round" is an electronic dance song. It was composed by Japanese musicians Jeb, Unico, alongside M-Flo, and featured backing vocals by Japanese vocalist Yuta Nakano; it also features synthesizers, acoustic and electric guitars, and keyboards in its instrumentation. "Merry-Go-Round" was one of the only tracks on Hamasaki's fifteenth studio album ''

'' to have been recorded in

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...

, containing minor phrases in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Release

"Feel the Love"/"Merry-Go-Round" was released in six different formats on December 25, 2013 by Avex Trax, Avex Taiwan, and Avex Entertainment Inc. worldwide, and served as the lead single and double A-side release from her album ''Colours''. The CD release featured the two original recordings and the original instrumental versions, plus a remix for "Feel the Love" by DJ Hello Kitty and Blasterjaxx. The CD and DVD format incorporated the same track list, but also included the video clips to "Feel the Love" and "Merry-Go-Round". A limited edition CD and DVD format was distributed through Hamasaki's fan club website TeamAyu, and included the same track list on both discs alongside a bonus interview with Hamasaki on the latter DVD disc. The digital EP incorporates the same tracks. To promote the single's release date on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

and during Hamasaki's Countdown live tour for

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

in 2014, Avex Trax distributed three music cards featuring the same content; the first was a promotional shot from the single's photoshoot, whilst the latter two celebrated Christmas and New Years with her signature AyuPan character design.

Reception

Upon its release, "Merry-Go-Round" received favorable reviews from

. A staff member of Japanese music magazine ''CD Journal'' complimented M-Flo's contribution towards the single, and praised the overall production of the track. Alongside this, a separate review for her album ''Colours'' selected it as one of the best tracks. Dato from KKbox.com was generally positive towards the composition by

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...

, but criticized the generic and "brainwashing" production for portraying an electronic sound. However, he selected it as one of his recommended tracks from the album. Similarly, a member from Mojim.com praised the "charming" and "dance floor"-inspired production and commended its overall composition; the review also complimented Verbal's vocal performance. Charting together with "Feel the Love", the track underperformed in Japan. It debuted at number five on the

, selling 30,385 units in its first week. It became her first single to miss the top spot since her recording " Daybreak" twelve years earlier, and one of her lowest first-week sales in her career. It fell to number 16 the following week, selling 4,704 units, and eventually lasted for six weeks on the chart. By the end of 2014, it sold 37,366 units. Both singles reached number seven on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Hot Singles Sales chart in Japan, and stayed there for three weeks.

Promotion

Two music videos were shot for the single by Luis Hernandez and Satoru Yokoyama, respectively. Hernandez's version opens with busy streets and the dawn of

. Hamasaki begins singing the song on top of a skyscraper, whilst several intercut scenes of people walking around Los Angeles during a

time lapse Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus ...

are shown. She is then seen painting a picture of an unidentified man, who raps Verbal's part. It then shows intercut scenes of traffic, a carousel and couple standing near a bridge. Several parts of these scenes are revised throughout the entire video, which ends with Hamasaki again on top of the skyscraper. For Yokoyama's video, only shots featuring Verbal were only filmed, alongside scenes of him walking through a city in Japan, and residing in a neon-lit club. Parts of Hernandez's version, with the scenes of Hamasaki painting a man and scenes of Los Angeles city and public, were removed in order to merge the first video and Verbal's appearance together. This version premiered one week before the album's release on July 2, and was included on the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of ''Colours''. To promote the single, Hamasaki performed the track on her 2013–2014 A Countdown Live show at the

Yoyogi National Gymnasium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design. It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and d ...

Yoyogi Park is a park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Yoyogikamizonochō. The park is a popular Tokyo destination, especially on Sundays when it is used as a gathering place for Japanese rock music ...

, Tokyo. It was included on the track list for the live DVD, released on April 30, 2014. On June 18, 2014, weeks prior to the release of ''Colours'', Hamasaki released a non-stop megamix album entitled ''EDMA'', which included the track and other songs from ''Colours''.

Track list and formats

*CD single #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) – 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) – 5:09 #"Feel the Love" (DJ Hello Kitty Remix) – 5:25 #"Feel the Love" (Blasterjaxx Remix) – 5:30 #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:09 *CD and DVD single #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) – 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) – 5:09 #"Feel the Love" (DJ Hello Kitty Remix) – 5:25 #"Feel the Love" (Blasterjaxx Remix) – 5:30 #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:09 #"Feel the Love" (Music video) #"Merry-Go-Round" (Music video) *Music Cards #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) – 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) – 5:09 #"Feel the Love" (DJ Hello Kitty Remix) – 5:25 #"Feel the Love" (Blasterjaxx Remix) – 5:30 #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:09 *Digital EP #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) – 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) – 5:09 #"Feel the Love" (DJ Hello Kitty Remix) – 5:25 #"Feel the Love" (Blasterjaxx Remix) – 5:30 #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) nstrumental– 5:09 *US digital single #"Feel the Love" (Original mix) – 5:22 #"Merry-Go-Round" (Original mix) – 5:09

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the CD liner notes of "Feel the Love"/"Merry-Go-Round". ;Recording and management *Recorded and mixed at

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

Studios,

in 2013. Management by Avex Trax. ;Credits *

– vocals, songwriting, backing vocals *Yuta Nakano – backing vocals *Mitsunori Ikeda – arrangement, programming *Tachytelic – arrangement, programming *Jaycen Joshua – mixing *Jeb – composition *Unico – composition *

– composition, production * Verbal – rapping, songwriting *Gori Kumamoto – photography *

– production *Luis Hernandez – music video director *Satoru Yokoyama – music video director

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Sales

Release history

References

External links

"Feel the Love"/"Merry-Go-Round"
at Ayumi Hamasaki's official website. {{authority control 2013 singles 2013 songs Ayumi Hamasaki songs Avex Trax singles Songs written by Ayumi Hamasaki