Ambitions (One Ok Rock album)

Ambitions is the eighth studio album by Japanese rock band One Ok Rock. It was released on January 11, 2017[8][9] for the Japanese version album under the Japanese label A-Sketch and on January 13, 2017 for the international version under the American label Fueled by Ramen.

Ambitions
Studio album by One Ok Rock
Released	January 11, 2017 (2017-01-11) (Japanese) January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13) (International)
Genre	Alternative rock[1][2] pop rock[2][3][4] emo-pop[1] post-hardcore[1]
Length	49:30 (Japan) 49:17 (International)
Label	A-Sketch Amuse, Inc. Fueled by Ramen
Producer	Colin Brittain John Feldmann Dan Lancaster Mike Shinoda[5]
One Ok Rock chronology
35xxxv (2015) Ambitions (2017) Eye of the Storm (2019)
Singles from Ambitions
"Always Coming Back" Released: March 11, 2016 (JPN) "Taking Off" Released: September 16, 2016 "Bedroom Warfare" Released: November 18, 2016 "I Was King" Released: December 15, 2016 "We Are" Released: January 9, 2017 "American Girls" Released: February 3, 2017 (US)
International version

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Alternative Press	[6]
Rock Sound	[7]

The song "Always Coming Back" was featured in NTT Docomo's phone commercial series, "Kanjou no Subete / Nakama".[10] After signing with Fueled by Ramen on September 11, 2016, they released the lead single "Taking Off" on September 16, 2016 that was used as a theme song for the Japanese movie "Museum", which starred Shun Oguri,[11] and the second single "Bedroom Warfare" on November 18, 2016. The song "I was King" was released on December 15, 2016. On January 9, 2017, they released their single "We Are".

Sold in both Limited and Regular editions, the album was available for pre-order on iTunes starting November 18, 2016. The Japanese Limited edition album features bonus tracks and a DVD of studio acoustic sessions,[12] while the Ambitions international version CD came with a T-shirt bundle.[13]

Background

In an interview with UK rock magazine Kerrang! issue number 1649 dated December 10, 2016, One Ok Rock vocalist Taka explained the three themes on this album: Hope, ambition, and singing together. He said that the band were at a point in their career where they were trying to break a new market and go worldwide. It was the ambition that was inside of them that pushed them to try new things and to be successful, which became a prevailing theme on the record. The album artwork is yellow, which is the colour of hope. The overall themes of the album are: "Ambition", the title, yellow is the hope, and the songs are anthemic in quality especially in the choruses. In another interview, Taka said, "We wanted to make an album where we can all sing along together. By singing strongly in unison about hope, we wish to reinforce the importance of not giving up."[14]

Themes

Most of the album themes are more personal topics compared to their previous album 35xxxv. It focuses mostly about achieving dreams, life, family, and struggles of depression. Their second track, "Bombs Away" tells about fighting the inner demons or "you versus yourself". "We Are" and "Jaded", are encouraging tracks for the people who lost their hopes and symbolizes empowerment for achieving their goals. "Hard To Love" and "Always Coming Back" are more personal tracks in Ambitions, Taka wrote those songs dedicated to his father. "I Was King" tells the band's ambition to reach some bigger dreams. In Japanese edition, "20/20" are breakup songs, it tells about lover being cheated by their own beloved ones. "Listen" is about people's struggles with suicide and depression, the band wanted to wake them up and not giving up their life. "Lost in Tonight" is merely a party song. Meanwhile, their first single "Taking Off" tells about "passions for doing what you love". "Start Again" and their last track along 5 Seconds of Summer, "Take What You Want" are the band's notes and commitment to leaving their past and being ready to overcome what's ahead on their future.

Promotion

Fueled by Ramen released One Ok Rock's music videos of "Taking Off" on October 25, 2016 and "Bedroom Warfare" on November 17, 2016 which were both directed by Sitcom Soldiers. Then on December 16, 2016, they released the band's visualizer video of "I was King" which was directed and animated by Ruth Barrett along with two assistant animators Eva Wagner and Sam Thompson.

On November 13, 2016, One Ok Rock released a compilation of footage from One Ok Rock 2016 Special Live in Nagisaen and mixed with the song "Taking Off" then on November 30, 2016, they released a Studio Jam Session video of "Taking Off" which were both directed by Naoto Amazutsumi.

On January 1, 2017, One Ok Rock opened a special site called "WORLD AMBITIONS". This is a celebration of the album "Ambitions" which will be released on January 11, 2017. "WORLD AMBITIONS" is a website that visually represents images of "hope" being shared and spread from users around the world through the website and Twitter/Instagram.[15] People from all over the world can upload pictures with yellow in it that symbolize hope and connecting them all. The user shares the desired image by SNS (Twitter, Instagram). It is also possible to upload simultaneously with multiple names.[16]

On January 9, 2017, the band released the music video of "We Are" (Japanese version) while Fueled by Ramen released their music video of the international version of "We Are". Both videos were directed by Mark Staubach.

In January 2017, the band went on their North American tour for 6 concerts,[17] and from February till May 2017, they held 32 concerts in some Japanese arenas.[18]

Commercial performance

In Japan, Ambitions debuted at number one on the Daily Oricon Albums Chart, selling 102,408 units.[19] For its first week on the Weekly Oricon Albums Chart, it entered atop the chart with over 232,710 copies sold; It sold more copies than its competitor of the week, SMAP's greatest hits album Smap 25 Years (2016).[20] Ambitions became the band's second number one album, and also resulted in becoming their highest first week sales for one of their albums.

Track listing

Ambitions – Japanese version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ambitions" (Introduction)	Taka Toru Tomoya Ryota Colin Brittain	1:23
2.	"Bombs Away"	Taka Brittain Bruno Agra	4:23
3.	"Taking Off"	Taka Dan Lancaster Nick Long	3:39
4.	"We Are"	Taka Toru Brittain Long	4:15
5.	"20/20"	Taka Brittain Long	3:19
6.	"Always Coming Back"	Taka Toru John Feldmann	3:33
7.	"Bedroom Warfare"	Taka Nolan Sipe Andrew Goldstein	3:23
8.	"Lost in Tonight"	Taka Kane Churko	2:52
9.	"I Was King"	Taka Feldmann Brittain Simon Wilcox	3:58
10.	"Listen" (featuring Avril Lavigne)	Taka Brittain Long	3:39
11.	"One Way Ticket"	Taka Long CJ Baran	3:37
12.	"Bon Voyage"	Taka Toru Brittain	4:06
13.	"Start Again"	Taka Brittain Long	3:14
14.	"Take What You Want" (featuring 5 Seconds of Summer)	Taka Brittain Long	4:04
Total length:			49:30

Japanese limited edition hidden track

No.	Title	Length
15.	Untitled	2:20

Japanese limited edition bonus DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Studio Jam Session" (acoustic performance of "We Are" and "Bombs Away")	9:17

AMBITIONS – International version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Ambitions" (Introduction)	Taka Toru Tomoya Ryota Colin Brittain	Brittain	1:23
2.	"Bombs Away"	Taka Brittain Bruno Agra	Brittain Jonathan Gerring	4:24
3.	"Taking Off"	Taka Dan Lancaster Nick Long	Lancaster	3:38
4.	"We Are"	Taka Toru Brittain Long	Brittain Gerring	4:15
5.	"Jaded" (featuring Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low)	Taka Brittain Long	Brittain	3:36
6.	"Hard to Love"	Taka Brittain Long	Brittain	3:16
7.	"Bedroom Warfare"	Taka Nolan Sipe Andrew Goldstein	Sipe Goldstein	3:22
8.	"American Girls"	Taka Simon Wilcox Scott Stevens	Stevens	2:48
9.	"I Was King"	Taka Feldmann Brittain Wilcox	Brittain	3:58
10.	"Listen"	Taka Brittain Long	Brittain	3:39
11.	"One Way Ticket"	Taka Long CJ Baran	Baran Mike Shinoda	3:36
12.	"Bon Voyage"	Taka Toru Brittain	Brittain	4:05
13.	"Start Again"	Taka Brittain Long	Brittain	3:14
14.	"Take What You Want" (featuring 5 Seconds of Summer)	Taka Brittain Long	Brittain	4:03
Total length:				49:17

Charts

Album

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21]	57
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22]	72
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23]	195
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[24]	61
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25]	99
Japanese Weekly Albums Chart (Oricon)[20]	1
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[26]	2
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[27]	76
US Billboard 200[28]	106
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[29]	9
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30]	12
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[31]	2

Singles

Title	Year	Peak positions
		JPN Billboard [32]
"Always Coming Back"	2016	9
"Taking Off"		4
"Bedroom Warfare"		20
"I Was King"		26
"We Are"	2017	4

Other charted songs

Title	Year	Peak positions
		JPN Billboard [33]	US Hot Rock [34]	US Spotify Viral 50 [35]
"Listen" (featuring Avril Lavigne)	2017	93	—	—
"Take What You Want" (featuring 5 Seconds of Summer)		57	44	13

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[36]	Platinum	250,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Ambitions - ONE OK ROCK Reviews". AllMusic.
2. Ryan (January 10, 2017). "Album Review: ONE OK ROCK – 'AMBITIONS'". Sound Fiction. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
3. Bird, Michael (January 27, 2017). "ALBUM: ONE OK ROCK – 'Ambitions' Review". CaliberTV. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
4. N, Chris (March 5, 2017). "ONE OK ROCK - Ambitions". JaME USA. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
5. ONE OK ROCK on Meeting Linkin Park & Collaborating with Mike Shinoda on "One Way Ticket". YouTube.
6. Cambell, Rachal. "Album review Ambitions". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
7. Sayce, Rob. "Album review Ambitions". Rock Sound. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
8. Dickman, Maggie (November 18, 2016). "One Ok Rock announce new album 'Ambitions,' release new song—listen". Alternative Press. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
9. "One Ok Rock is back with new "Ambitions"". Arama Japan. November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
10. "ONE OK ROCK reveals new digital single "Always coming back" in NTT Docomo CM". Arama! Japan. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
11. "ONE OK ROCK新曲は小栗旬主演、大友啓史監督「ミュージアム」主題歌". Natalie (in Japanese). 2016-09-10. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
12. "One Ok Rock official website". Oneokrock.com. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
13. "One Ok Rock official website". Oneokrock.com. 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
14. "News - ONE OK ROCK Unveils New Album 'Ambitions'". Knac.Com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
15. "ONE OK ROCK official website". Oneokrock.com. Archived from the original on 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
16. "ONE OK ROCK、世界を希望に染める特設サイト「WORLD AMBITIONS」オープン (2017/01/01) 邦楽ニュース | ロッキング・オンの音楽情報サイト RO69". Ro69.jp. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
17. "ONE OK ROCK official website". Oneokrock.com. 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
18. "ONE OK ROCK official website". Oneokrock.com. 2016-11-21. Archived from the original on 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
19. "Oricon Daily Albums Chart". Oricon Style. 11 January 2017. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
20. "Oricon Weekly Albums Chart". Oricon Style. 17 January 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
21. "ARIA CHART WATCH #404". auspOp. January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
22. "Austriancharts.at – One Ok Rock – Ambitions" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
23. "Ultratop.be – One Ok Rock – Ambitions" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
24. "One Ok Rock Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
25. "Offiziellecharts.de – One Ok Rock – Ambition" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
26. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 23, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
27. "2017년 03주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
28. "One Ok Rock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
29. "ONE OK ROCK Alternative Albums - 'Ambitions'". Billboard. 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
30. "ONE OK ROCK Rock Albums - 'Ambitions'". Billboard. 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
31. "ONE OK ROCK Hard Rock Albums - 'Ambitions'". Billboard. 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
32. Peaks of singles on the Japan Hot 100:
    • "Always Coming Back": "Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
    • "Taking Off": "Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
    • "Bedroom Warfare": "Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
    • "I Was King": "ONE OK ROCK - "I Was King" Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
    • "We Are": "ONE OK ROCK - "We Are" Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
33. Peaks of other charted songs on the Japan Hot 100:
    • "Listen": "Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
    • "Take What You Want": "ONE OK ROCK - "Take What You Want" Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
34. "ONE OK ROCK - "Take What You Want" Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
35. "Spotify Viral 50". Spotify. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
36. "Japanese album certifications – One Ok Rock – Ambitions" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2017年01月 on the drop-down menu