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Whatever (Hamasaki Ayumi)
This was Hamasaki's first single to have a techno/dance approach, quite a change from the rock-pop style of "A Song for XX" and its singles. Version M, the "dance" version, is actually a remix produced by Izumi 'D.M.X' Miyazaki. Version J, the "original" mix of the song, has an arrangement by Keisuke Kikuchi, who also arranged "And then" on the LOVEppears album. Ayu had this to say about the track placement. "At first, the original version, version J, was planned to be track 1 and version M was planned to be track 2 on the single, but when I listened to the original and the remix, the original version lost the contest every time. The repeating of 'ta' in 'kogoesou de me wo tojiteta' felt very fresh to me at the time. Putting the remix as track 1 was something I was nervous about. Would everyone agree to it? But it turned out to be a more popular decision than I thought it would." The single reached #5 on the Oricon charts and stayed on the charts for a total of nine weeks. During the first week of sales the single sold 70,940 copies, and since then has sold a total of 189,610 copies. Track Listing
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ReissueThe single was reissued as a 5" CD on February 28th, 2001 (as were Ayu's other 3" singles). The tracklist was expanded by the addition of remixes from the appears CD single. The reissue reached #28 on the Oricon charts and stayed on the charts for a total of three weeks. Tracklist
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Music VideoThe PV for "WHATEVER" was directed by Wataru Takeishi. Ayu is singing in a metallic room full of waterfalls while elsewhere, an angel is digging through the remnants of a burned building for any forms of life. The angel is ultimately caught in barbed wire while reaching for a flower, and the video ends with Ayu, as an angel, in a cage wrapped in barbed wire. Assistant Producer: Kiyoshi Utsumi (prime direction) Live Performances
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