| "Merry-Go-Round" | ||||
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&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Feelthelovecdanddvdcover.png) Cover artwork used to commercialize physical editions of the single. | ||||
| Single by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
| from the album Colours | ||||
| A-side | "Feel the Love" | |||
| Released | December 25, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Electronic dance | |||
| Length | 5:09 | |||
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| Songwriter(s) | Ayumi Hamasaki | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Merry-Go-Round" on YouTube | ||||
"Merry-Go-Round" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, featuring a rap section delivered by Japanese artist Verbal, for the singer's fifteenth studio album Colours (2014). It was released worldwide in six different formats on December 25, 2013 by Avex Trax, Avex Taiwan, and Avex Entertainment Inc. It was also Hamasaki's first physical release in three years since her EP–single L (2010), and her first double A-side single, alongside the track "Feel the Love", since "Moon" and "Blossom" that same year. The track was written by Hamasaki, whilst production was handled by Japanese musician and long-time collaborator Max Matsuura with the assistance of M-Flo; this marks Hamasaki's first single to be produced with another producer outside of Matsuura. Musically, "Merry-Go-Round" is an electronic dance song that includes guitars and synthesizers in its instrumentation.
Upon its release, "Merry-Go-Round" received favorable reviews from music critics. The majority of them praised the composition, production, and Hamasaki's vocal performance, whilst others also highlighted the track as one of the best entries on Colours. Charting together with "Feel the Love", it underperformed in Japan, reaching number five on the Oricon Singles Chart, and was her first single to miss the top spot since her single "Daybreak" twelve years earlier. Two accompanying music videos were shot by Luis Hernandez and Satoru Yokoyama, which featured Hamasaki in Los Angeles, California at the top of a skyscraper, and her with another man; the Yokoyama version also included an appearance with Verbal. To promote the single, Hamasaki performed the track on her 2013–2014 Countdown live tour.