Initially, I don't really dig Ayumi Hamasaki's songs, much less anything about her. In a sense, she just looks too sweet and cute to be my favourite idol. But after hearing news report of her going deaf in her of her ear, I felt really sad for her. Simply said, listening and hearing is very important to an artiste who happens to be a high profile celebrity, espeically in a dog-eat-dog world in Japan. It's either you work extra hard or you simply don't try at all. A couple of months back, I saw her MV (Don't) Leave Me Alone and I really had to say it was bloody awesome, despite reoprts and naysayers saying that she ripped off her hairstyle from Posh Spice. And today, I was looking for some of her old MVs to watch, and after typing many variations of her name and some song titles, I chanced upon this PV titled My Name's Women.





Check out the lyrics:

hikaru mono to kawaii mono
suki na toko wa aikawarazu dakedo
yori ku-ru de tafu na no mo
kono koro ja taisetsu de

jidai wa hora konna ni mo
utsuri kawari sore na noni
namida ga buki da nante ne itsu no hanashi

kantan ni wa nakanai shi
amaete bakari demo nai
watashitachi kikazatta dake no
ningyo nanka ja nai kara

moroi toko datte aru shi
waratte bakari demo nai
tsugou yoku sonzai shiteru wake ja nai koto wo
wasurenaide

chotto mune ga itamu you na
yoru mo tashika ni aru kedo

honto kamo ne hito wa hora
kizu wo otta sono bun dake
yasashiku mo tsuyoku mo nareru te iu hanashi

wakatta you na kao shite
subete shihai shita tsumori?
watashitachi yume bakari miteru ningyo nanka
ja nai iteba

mansoku sou na kao shite
umaku gomakashita tsumori?
sonna ni mo tanjun na ikimono ja nai koto wo

Here's the translated lyrics:

I like glittering things and pretty things
As much as before
But being cool and being tough
Have become more important lately

You see? Times have changed so much
But why do I still hear such words as
"Tears are women's weapons"?

We don't cry easily
We are not always coquettish
We are not dolls
Who are only dressed-up

We have our weak sides
We are not always smiling
Don't forget
That we don't exist to be convenient for you

Though it's certain
I have a pain in my chest on some nights

It might be true
The more one experiences sufferings
The more he can be tender and strong

Do you think you have controlled everything
With a knowing look?
We are not dolls
Who are only dreaming

Do you think you have cheated us well
With a satisfied look?
Do remember
That we are not such simple beings

After browsing around the Net and finding out the meaning of the lyrics, I think I begin to understand more about her My Name's Women PV. In the PV itself, it shows this surrounding which I believe to be a Gigolo Pub. And as you know, women who have too much money to spare will normally patronise gigolo pubs whereby spending money to have men fawn over them. This is actually quite sad that we women have to think of "using" this method to get men to look at us. Back to the PV itself, All this men inside are fawning over all the female customers, save for Ayumi's character who happens to look really dorky and geeky. And when one of the men decided to pay a little attention to Ayumi, that men just simply walked away again, real fast. Dejected, Ayumi's character walked out of the pub but not before long. Ayumi came back with a bang and somehow managed to "control" the entire gigolo pub's female clientele into rooting for her and all the gigolos were left literally crawling at her feet. In short, if you dissect the lyrics, it will mean something like this:

I like glittering things and pretty things
As much as before
But being cool and being tough
Have become more important lately

Girls like glittery and pretty things, whether be they young or old. But yet, this world somehow seems to evolve into a way whereby liking glittery and pretty things are forwned upon. Instead, women are not supposed to be like that anymore. Instead, women have to be diplomatically strong and emotionless and also pretend to be cool when in fact they should just simply be themselves, which is the real them in the first place.

You see? Times have changed so much
But why do I still hear such words as
"Tears are women's weapons"?

In the past, women whether young or old cry when they are sad, feeling sad, helpless. But now, tears simply meant that it is a woman's way of getting what they want. Despite the fact that centuries and a millennium have passed, it doesn't changed the fact that tears are still considered a woman's tears. Is it really a crime to just let the tears flow when we feel sad, angry and dejected and couldn't take it anymore. Instead, when something bad happened - and it have to be something that's really bad - women are supposed to swallow their tears and their pride and pretend that nothing can hurt them at all. Really, tears are just a simple form of emotion for us women. Now, women have learnt to take it in their stride not to show their emotions anymore. Crying and tears would only make you look weaker than anything else.

We don't cry easily
We are not always coquettish
We are not dolls
Who are only dressed-up

Women are not prostitutes nor whores always dressing sexily, just to get attention from men. Sometimes, women are just simply women. It's just that simple to understand. Whenever women feel happy or just hanging out with their girlfriends for a night out, they dress to suit their moods, for the atmosphere and for the fact that they are acknowledging womenhood. There's nothing to be ashamed of, just by dressing sexily. And moreover, women are not like Barbie dolls who only like dressing up as if they are going to paint the town red.

We have our weak sides
We are not always smiling
Don't forget
That we don't exist to be convenient for you

Everyone has a weak side that they don't want anyone to see. Women alike too. We can have happy days, we can have bad hair days, we can have sad days too. But in this modern day society, women are simply not allowed to show their weak sides. It's almost like what the lyrics might indirectly suggest that "we exist to be convenient for men". No one is born to exist for someone else's convenience, not even animals too.

It might be true
The more one experiences sufferings
The more he can be tender and strong

As the old saying goes, sufferings will only make a person stronger. Whack me if I'm wrong, but I totally agree. That with more sufferings and life experiences, one will definitely be stronger and live life better than before, determined not to make the same mistakes again. Without sufferings, one can never be considered a person who has lived.

Do you think you have controlled everything
With a knowing look?
We are not dolls
Who are only dreaming

Everyone can think they are controlling the whole situation just by doing the "I have everything under control" look, but who can really do it with gusto at all? No one, I suppose. Life takes unexpected twists and turns and noody can predict the outcome of what is going to happen next. You can be enjoying life to the fullest when everything can come crashing down for you. No one have the right to control anything for anyone at all. Fate and destiny lies within your own hands and only you can determined which path it is going to take, depending on what you are going to do with it. And as the lyrics suggests "We are not dolls who are only dreaming". yes, everyone has a few fantasies every now and then, sometimes you can wish you were one of the rich and famous or some super popstar living it up. But ultimately, there exists reality where one has to get real and think real and snap out of desires. Humans, regardless of race, language, religion or gender, can never live in dreams forever.

Do you think you have cheated us well
With a satisfied look?
Do remember
That we are not such simple beings

Back to the feminist part, women knew anything and everything whenever men are up to something. Call it the sixth sense, women can sense betrayal and back-stabbing like no one else can. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" describe this last song stanza very well. You can do what you want or what you think you want, but try taking a leaf from this Chinese saying "Remember to wipe your mouth after eating the fish that you stole."

I know I might sound quite scrambled in this post, but still, ultimately, My Name's Women is a wicked good song and I really urged people, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman to give this song a chance.

thanks for sharing!
» renaye on 2008-02-15 02:52:15

thank you.
» PuNiaoPuNiao on 2008-02-16 07:54:07

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