| "You Were..." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 CD only artwork. | ||||
| Single by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
| from the album Rock 'n' Roll Circus | ||||
| Released | December 29, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Hamasaki | |||
| Producer(s) | Max Matsuura | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki singles chronology | ||||
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| Official Music Video | ||||
| "You Were..." on YouTube | ||||
| Official Music Video | ||||
| "Ballad" on YouTube | ||||
"You Were..." (capitalized as "You were...") is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, taken from her tenth studio album, Rock 'n' Roll Circus (2010). It was written by Hamasaki with production being done by long-time collaborator Max Matsuura. The song premiered on December 29, 2009 as the album's second a-side single with the album track, "Ballad". Four formats were released for the single; a CD format, a CD and DVD bundle, a limited edition box set, and a digital download. The first three artworks feature Hamasaki laying in snow, whilst the limited edition box set has a long-shot of Hamasaki in a dress.
Musically, "You Were..." has been described as a pop ballad that borrows numerous musical elements such as pop rock. Including several instruments like electric guitars, acoustic guitars, and drums, the lyrics to "You Were..." describes Hamasaki's reflection of love. "You Were..." received mixed to favourable reviews from most music critics. Many critics commended Hamasaki's vocal performance and commended the single's composition and production. However, some critics felt the song was inferior in compared to other ballad tracks on the album.
Charting together with "Ballad", "You Were..." debuted atop Japan's Oricon Singles Chart with over 103,000 units sold in its first week of sales. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for physical shipments of 100,000 units in that region. "You Were..." managed to peak at number 14 on Billboard's Japan Hot 100 chart, and the top twenty on the G-Music Taiwanese Singles Chart; it was certified double platinum and platinum for digital and ringtone sales of over 750,000 units together. An accompanying music video was directed by Masashi Muto; it features Hamasaki in a winter wonderland.