"Progress" is a song by Japanese musician
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 one of the promotional tracks from her third
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. ''
Five'', released on August 31, 2011.
The song was used as the theme song for the
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
role-playing game ''
Tales of Xillia
is an action role-playing game released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It is the thirteenth main installment of the ''Tales'' series and is developed by Namco Tales Studio with Namco Bandai Games as the publisher. The game was released in ...
'', the thirteenth main entry in the ''
Tales'' series. The song was a commercial success, certified gold by the
RIAJ.
Background
In 2007, Hamasaki began to collaborate with musician Yuta Nakano, on the song "
Talkin' 2 Myself" and its B-side "Decision". Nakano composed four songs on her album ''
Guilty
Guilty or The Guilty may refer to:
* Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard
Law
*Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction
*Guilt (law) ...
'' (2008), including on the song "Mirror", which was remade as the single "
Mirrorcle World". Nakano continued to collaborate with Hamasaki, creating four songs for ''
Next Level'' (2009), four songs for ''
Rock 'n' Roll Circus
''Rock 'n' Roll Circus'' is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released on April 14, 2010, by Avex Trax. It was also released just a little over a year after her 2009 album, '' Next Level''. ''Rock 'n ...
'' (2010), and arranging the majority of her 12th studio album ''
Love Songs
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...
'', an album that centred on collaborations with veteran music producer
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 ...
.
The song's involvement with ''Tales of Xillia'' was first announced in May 2011.
Hamasaki had not often written music for games in her career, however previously written two songs for the game ''
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams'' in 2006, her single "
Startin'" and her song "Rainy Day" from the album ''
(Miss)understood
''(Miss)understood'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the seventh studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki, released January 1, 2006 by Avex Trax. Hamasaki acted as the album's sole lyricist, as she had on all of her preceding a ...
'' (2006). In July 2011, Hamasaki's third extended play ''Five'' was announced to be released on August 31, featuring five songs with music videos and commercial tie-ups.
In November 2012, a sequel to the same was produced, entitled ''
Tales of Xillia 2''. Hamasaki returned to perform the theme song for this game as well: "Song 4 U", which was featured on her extended play ''
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...
'' (2012).
Writing and production
The song featured words written by Hamasaki, with music and arrangement handled by producer Yuta Nakano.
Promotion and release
The song's involvement with ''Tales of Xillia'' was first announced in May 2011.
As the theme song, the song played an integral part of advertising for the game, and played during the opening sequence for the game.
Hamasaki performed the song on her
Power of Music 2011 A tour, held from May to October 2011. At the
62nd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen held on December 31, 2011, Hamasaki attended, performing "Progress" live. She performed the song also during her COUNTDOWN LIVE 2014 - 2015 A Cirque de Minuit, and her ARENA TOUR 2015 A Cirque de Minuit.
Music video
A music video was produced for the song, directed by Masashi Muto. It features Hamasaki performing the song in profile against a white background, interspersed with sped up footage of a journey through a city. The camera travels through streets, subway stations and hallways, occasionally slowing to focus on a bystander. While the scenes begin in Tokyo, mid way the view changes to the Japanese countryside, followed by American beach and desert footage. The final bystander the camera view stops at is Hamasaki herself.
Critical reception
Critics were very positive about the song's arrangement. CDJournal praised the song's "dramatic arrangement", noting the "solemn strings intro" which leads into the song's introduction backed by piano and next into a "hard, serious sound" centred on the guitar. Embrace Your Magazine reviewer Kai and Anime Revolution felt similarly, with both reviews noting how well the song's dramatic qualities were suited to ''Tales of Xillia''.
Charts and certifications
Charts
Certifications
Personnel
Personnel details were sourced from ''Fives liner notes booklet.
Musicians and personnel
* Ryota Akizuki – additional guitar
* Ayumi Hamasaki – lyrics, vocals
* Yuko Kajitani – additional violin
* Suzie Katayama & The Strings – strings
* Chiharu Mikuzuki – bass
* Yuta Nakano – arrangement, music, programming, strings arrangement
* David Reitzas – mixing
* Phil X – guitar
* Tom Tamada – additional drums
Release history
References
{{Ayumi Hamasaki songs
2011 songs
Ayumi Hamasaki songs
Japanese-language songs
Songs written by Ayumi Hamasaki
Tales (video game series) music
Video game theme songs