"Whatever" (capitalized as "WHATEVER") 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 ...
for 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). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by
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 ...
. The track is Hamasaki's sixth single with Matsuura since her debut single in April 1998, "
Poker Face". "Whatever" premiered on February 10, 1999 as the lead single from the album. It was re-released on February 28, 2001 as a
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 ...
.
Musically, "Whatever" was described as 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, and is written in
third person narrative
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
. Upon its release, the track garnered mixed reviews from music critics. Critics praised Hamasaki's move from
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
to dance music, but criticized her vocal delivery and song writing. It also achieved success in Japan, peaking at number five on the Japanese
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 ...
. The re-released single peaked at number 28 on the same chart. As of March 2016, "Whatever" has sold over 218,000 units in Japan alone 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).
The accompanying music video for "Whatever" was shot in Tokyo; it features Hamasaki in a small white room with waterfalls, with inter cut scenes of an angel in the middle of a destroyed city. An alternative music video was shot for an alternative arrangement of the song; it features Hamasaki singing in front of a red backdrop. However, Avex scrapped it after they preferred the former version. For additional promotion, the song was featured on several concert tours and New Years live countdown shows by Hamasaki.
Background and composition
"Whatever" was written by Hamasaki, composed 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 produced by
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 ...
.
Japanese composer Izumi Miyazaki was in charge of arranging the song, which included instrumentation of synthesizers, keyboards, and a drum machine.
It was one of three songs from the ''
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 ...
'' album composed by Kikuchi.
The song was also the only song from ''Loveppears'' to be arranged by Miyazaki, and was his final collaboration with Hamasaki.
"Whatever" was selected as the lead single from ''Loveppears'' and was released in Japan on February 10, 1999 by Avex Trax.
The
Mini CD
Mini CDs, or pocket CDs, are CDs with a smaller diameter and one-third the storage capacity of a standard 120 mm disc.
Formats
Amongst the various formats are the
*Mini CD single, a small disc. The format is mainly used for audio CD si ...
features: the original track, the instrumental version, and alternative versions (under the alias "J Version") of the former tracks.
A
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 ...
was released on February 28, 2001 by Avex Trax in Japan, with a full-frontal body image of Hamasaki in front of a blue backdrop. She is wearing angel wings on her back, with Hamasaki's and the song's title superimposed on her.
The CD single features: the original version, the instrumental, the two alternative versions, one remix of "Whatever", one remix of "Appears", and one remix of "Immature".
"Whatever" 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 that lasts five minutes and 36 seconds long.
An extended version appeared on the album, which lasts seven minutes and 20 seconds.
The song was noted for its musical similarities to other tracks from ''Loveppears'', and is written in
third person narrative
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
.
It became Hamasaki's first single to have featured any English language, with the word "Wow" in its lyrics. However, it does not count in using English–language conversation like Hamasaki did in tracks from her 2002 album ''
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
''.
Critical response
"Whatever" received mixed reviews from most music critics. Alexey Eremenko, who had written her extended biography at
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 ...
, highlighted the song as an album and career stand out track. A reviewer from
Yahoo! GeoCities
Yahoo! GeoCities was a web hosting service that allowed users to create and publish websites for free and to browse user-created websites by their theme or interest. GeoCities was started in November 1994 by David Bohnett and John Rezner, and w ...
criticized Hamasaki's "thin" and "harsh" vocal delivery, but went on to state that her music have "improved" from her debut album, ''
A Song for ××
''A Song for ××'' (the "××" is silent) is the debut album by Japanese pop artist Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickn ...
'' (1999).
Morimasa from Nifty.com highlighted it as one of the album's best tracks. He commented that despite the "easily" written lyrics for the sing, he commended Hamasaki's emotional delivery in both the production and her singing. A reviewer from
Amazon.co.jp was positive towards the track. The reviewer praised Miyazaki's arrangement of both the original version and the J version, and commended the song's composition and Hamasaki's "homoeopathic" delivery. In early 2014, in honor of Hamasaki's sixteenth-year career milestone, Japanese website Goo.ne.jp hosted a poll for fans to rank their favourite songs by Hamasaki out of thirty positions; the poll was held in only twenty-four hours, and thousands submitted their votes.
As a result, "Whatever" was ranked the lowest at thirty, with 13.6 percent of the votes.
Commercial performance
In Japan, the Mini CD format entered at 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 ...
.
The Mini CD stayed in the top fifty for nine weeks, selling over 189,610 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.
The re-released CD single format entered at number twenty-eight on the chart, the highest entry of her re-released singles.
The CD single stayed in the top fifty for three weeks, tallying both the Mini CD and the CD single to twelve charting weeks.
The CD single sold an additional 27,560 units, combing both the Mini CD and the CD single sales to 217,170.
"Whatever" is her thirty-fifth and fifty-seventh best selling single in Japan, her lowest in both the ''Loveppears'' and format re-release era respectively.
The Mini CD format entered at number five on the Japanese
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, Hamasaki's highest charting single and first top ten at the time of February 1999.
The Mini CD slipped to number fifteen the next week, and lasted nine weeks inside the top 100.
"Whatever" was released twice as 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 ...
vinyl's with Hamasaki's single "Appears".
The second vinyl managed to reach ninety-six on the Japanese Count Down chart.
The re-released CD single format entered at number twenty-nine on the Count Down TV chart.
The CD single stayed in the chart for three weeks, tallying the total weeks to twelve.
Music video
The 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 ...
.
This is Takeishi's first video collaboration with Hamasaki since "
Trust
Trust often refers to:
* Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality
It may also refer to:
Business and law
* Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another
* Trust (bus ...
". The overall appearance of the video was inspired by the cover sleeve of "Whatever", which also featured Hamasaki in an angel costume.
Several photoshoot out takes were considered to be released in 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 ...
, but Avex restricted this.
Because of this, only two photos of Hamasaki in the angel costume were distributed; one for the front cover, and one for the back.
The music video also appeared on Hamasaki's DVD compilation box sets: ''A Clips'', her self-titled video compilation (2000),
''Complete Clip Box'' (2004),
''A Clip Box 1998–2011'' (2011),
and the bonus DVD version with ''A Complete: All Singles''.
Synopsis
The video opens with a bench chair inside a pale-blue room, surrounded by interior waterfalls. Glitches of Hamasaki appears, and she starts singing the song while seated.
The next scene features damaged–archive footage of a destroyed town, fenced in with barbed wires. A young boy, with pale white skin, blonde dreads, and angel wings, appears in the distance. Several scenes features the boy looking towards the camera, which then inter cuts to scenes with Hamasaki singing the song in the room.
The young boy wonders through the destroyed town, observing damaged homes and objects. The boy places his hands upon a dying tree, where he envisions the events of how the town became destroyed and dismantled.
These scenes include burning flowers, falling construction, and broken
religious
Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...
statues.
The second chorus has Hamasaki singing, and the song break shows the boy observing a blossoming flower which hasn't died. Smiling, he walks towards it, unbeknown that there is sharp barbed wire surrounding it. Scenes features Hamasaki singing, and shows brief inter cut scenes of barbed wire wrapped around the young boy. Struggling to become free from the wire, the young boy dies and leaves behind a large pile of angel feathers.
The final scene features Hamasaki wearing exactly the same outfit as the angel, trapped in a large bird cage, in the room the video started with. The video zooms out on the overall appearance of her.
Alternative music video
An accompanying music video for an alternative version for "Whatever" (labelled the "J Version")
was also directed by Takeishi.
The J version, composed and arranged by Keisuke Kikuchi, was intended to be the lead single from ''Loveppears'' and use the M version as the
b-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 compan ...
.
When Kikuchi and Miyazaki submitted their J and M versions of "Whatever" to the head offices of Avex, Matsuura favored Miyazaki's version over Kikuchi.
Kikuchi was disappointed of the verdict, but Avex went ahead in releasing the M version.
Because Takeishi had already shot and produced the music video for the J version of "Whatever", Takeishi had to re-shoot a new video for the M version.
The J Version was used in Valentine's Day commercials for 7-Eleven.
The J version features Hamasaki singing the J version on a white platform in front of a silky red backdrop.
The entire full-length video has never been released, but a thirty-second snippet was used as the commercial video for "Whatever".
The J version has been included on her self-titled video compilation (2000),
''Complete Clip Box'' (2004),
and its most recent appearance is on the ''A Clip Box 1998–2011'' (2011).
Live performances and other appearances
Hamasaki has performed "Whatever" on several concert tours and New Years countdown shows throughout Asia. The song has been included in one of Hamasaki's New Years countdown concerts,
the 2004-2005 live tour. The song has been included on several of Hamasaki's national and Asian concert tours. The song had made its debut tour performance on Hamasaki's 2001
Dome Tour and
part two of the Dome Tour. Since then, "Whatever" has been included on Hamasaki's
Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Stadium Tour 2002 A'' DVD was released on January 29, 2003, the same day as ''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A
''Ayumi Hamasaki Arena Tour 2002 A'' is a Japanese-language live album released on January 29, 2003, the same day ' ...
, and its most recent inclusion was on her Premium Showcase: Feel the Love concert tour in 2014.
During Hamasaki's performance, she wears a metallic mini dress, and dances to back-up dancers wearing robotic outfits.
"Whatever" has been included on one
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, which is ''
A Complete: All Singles'' (2008),
"Whatever" has been remixed by several professional
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s and producers, and has appeared on several remix albums by Hamasaki. This list is: the Laurent Newfield remix on ''
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 ...
'', the FPM's Winter Bossa remix on ''
Ayu-mi-x II Version JPN'', the
Ferry Corsten
Ferry Corsten (; born 4 December 1973) is a Dutch disc jockey, record producer and remixer from Rotterdam. He is well known for producing many pioneering trance tracks during the 1990s–2000s under his numerous aliases, including System F, Moon ...
remix on ''
ayu-mi-x II Version US+EU'', and both appeared again on Hamasaki's remix compilation ''
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 orchestral acoustic remix was included on her fifth orchestral remix album, ''
Ayu-mi-x 7 Version Acoustic Orchestra'' (2011).
Track listings
*Japanese and Taiwanese Mini CD
# "Whatever" (version M) –
# "Whatever" (version J) –
# "Whatever" (version M Instrumental) –
# "Whatever" (version J Instrumental) –
*12 inch vinyl
# "Whatever" (Dub's 1999 Club Remix) –
# "Whatever" (version M) –
# "Whatever" (version M Instrumental) –
*Ferry Corsten 12 inch vinyl
# "Whatever" (
Ferry 'System F' Corsten vocal extended mix) –
# "Whatever" (
Ferry 'System F' Corsten vocal dub mix) –
*Japanese CD single
# "Whatever" (version M) –
# "Whatever" (version J) –
# "Whatever" (
Ferry 'System F' Corsten vocal extended mix) –
# "Appears" (JP's SoundFactory mix) –
# "Immature" (D-Z Dual Lucifer mix) –
# "Whatever" (version M Instrumental) –
# "Whatever" (version J Instrumental) –
*Digital EP
# "Whatever" (version M) –
# "Whatever" (version J) –
# "Whatever" (version M Instrumental) –
# "Whatever" (version J Instrumental) –
*Digital Music Video
# "Whatever" (version M) –
# "Whatever" (version M) –
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the singles liner notes;
;Song credits
* Ayumi Hamasaki - songwriting, vocals
* Max Matsuura - production
* Kazuhito Kikuchi - composer
* Izumi Miyazaki - arrangement
* Shigeru Kasai - design
Visual and video credits
* Kiyoshi Utsumi - art direction
* Wataru Takeishi - director
* Yoshiko Ishibashi - production manager
* Tetsuji Nakamichi - assistant director
* Tetsuya Kamoto - photographer
* Koji Noguchi - lighting
* Koji Matsumoto - stylist
* Chu and Tamotsu - hair and make-up assistant
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
External links
"Whatever"archived information at
Avex Network.
"Whatever"archived re-release information at Avex Network.
"Whatever"archived information at
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 and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
.
"Whatever"archived re-release information at Oricon.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whatever (Ayumi Hamasaki Song)
Ayumi Hamasaki songs
1999 singles
2001 singles
Songs written by Ayumi Hamasaki
Songs with music by Kazuhito Kikuchi
1999 songs
Avex Trax singles