Release and Chart Performance
Initial pressings of the album had an extra track, "Rainbow", listed for track 00 and contained a password to a website. As a promotion for the album, the track was not included on the CD, but part of the instrumental version was released to the password-only website that was open for a limited time where fans could submit their own lyrics.
Released in December 2002, Rainbow entered the Japan Oricon Albums Chart at number one, with about 445,000 copies sold in its first day. In the weekly chart, the album reached the top position, selling over one million copies. The album also topped the monthly chart and reached number two on yearly chart, behind Utada Hikaru's Deep River.
The album has sold about 1,857,870 copies in Japan and has been certified 2× Million by RIAJ. Since Loveppears, "Rainbow" became Hamasaki's first studio album that did not break the two million mark. Worldwide, the album has sold about three million copies. A digipak edition was also released featuring all four covers of the single to commemorate the sale of the millionth copy. Rainbow is the 89th best selling album in Japan of all times
Read more about this topic: Rainbow (Ayumi Hamasaki Album)
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