"Seasons" | ||||
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Single by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
from the album Duty | ||||
Released | June 7, 2000 | |||
Format | ||||
Recorded | 2000 | |||
Genre | J-pop | |||
Length | 4:21 | |||
Label | Avex Trax | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ayumi Hamasaki | |||
Producer(s) | Max Matsuura | |||
Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology | ||||
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"Seasons" (capitalized as "SEASONS") is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki for her third studio album, Duty (2000). It was written by Hamasaki, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. It premiered on June 7, 2000 as the third single from the album. The song is the final part of a trilogy from Duty; the other two singles being "Vogue" and "Far Away".
Musically, "Seasons" is a Japanese pop song. The lyrics highlights theme of the hopelessness, describing Hamasaki's future. Upon its release, the track garnered rave reviews from music critics, who praised Hamasaki's songwriting, the songs composition and selected it as an album and career stand out track. It also achieved success in Japan, peaking at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart and on the TBS Count Down TV chart. "Seasons" has sold over 1.367 million units in Japan, making it Hamasaki's best selling single.
The accompanying music video for "Seasons" was directed by Wataru Takeishi, and leads on from the videos of "Vogue" and "Far Away"; it features Hamasaki in a black gown in the middle of a post-apocalypse city. Both the music video and the song has appeared on several compilations by Hamasaki, including A Best (2001) and A Complete: All Singles (2008). For additional promotion, the song was featured on several concert tours by Hamasaki.
"Seasons"" was recorded in 2000 at Nowadays Studios and Prime Sound Studios in Tokyo, Japan. As part of the trilogy set with "Vogue" and "Far Away", "Seasons" highlights theme of hopelessness and predicts Hamasaki's future. With this, "Vogue" details Hamasaki's presence, whilst "Far Away" discusses her past. Based on her song writing, she described her feelings after the writing all the tracks from Duty as "unnatural" and was constantly "nervous" for the final result. A staff reviewer from Amazon Japan noticed that the trilogy set had a "healing effect" that was absent on Hamasaki's two previous studio albums.