''2009, Year of Us'' is the third

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by South Korean boy group

Shinee Shinee ( ; ko, 샤이니, Syaini; ja, シャイニー, Shainī; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group's musical impact in their native country has earned them numerous accolades and th ...

. It consists of six tracks and it incorporates

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

and hip-hop music genres. The digital version of the album was released on October 19, 2009, with a physical release on October 22. The title track, " Ring Ding Dong", was released on October 14, 2009, through various music sites.

Songs

The EP contains six songs, including the title track "Ring Ding Dong", which is an afro-electro song that combines the beat of African congo drums with the sound of an electro synthesizer. It is the work of

Yoo Young-jin Yoo Young-jin is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and vocal trainer under SM Entertainment. He has produced and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, ...

. The lyrics of the song describe the situation of unconsciously falling in love with someone. The phrase "ring ding dong", which is repeated numerous times throughout the song, is a cartoon-like expression for a bell ringing in someone's head at the very moment of falling in love. In an interview with Big Communications representative Jung Young-jin, it was revealed that because of its catchy hooks and repetitive nature, "Ring Ding Dong" was named the number one banned song before college entrance exams in South Korea. In addition, the album contains songs of various genres such as "JoJo", a eurodance song composed by Kenzie, and the swingbeat song "Shinee Girl". The EP also features

Onew Lee Jin-ki (; born December 14, 1989), better known by his stage name Onew, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor and host. Born in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, Onew was discovered at the 2006 SM Academy Casting and signed a contract with S ...

's first solo song, "The Name I Loved", a ballad song based on alternative rock featuring veteran singer

Kim Yeon-woo Kim Hak-chul, better known by his stage name Kim Yeon-woo (; born July 22, 1971) is a South Korean male singer, vocal coach, and professor at Seoul Art College ( :ko:서울종합예술학교). Nicknamed God of Vocals, he is well known for his ...

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...

of f(x) also makes an appearance on the hip-hop song "Get Down" with Key and Minho.

Release and reception

''2009, Year of Us'' was Shinee's first release after a five month long absence from the K-pop scene. It was their third EP, with their last being ''

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...

'' in May 2009, and was supposed to show a new style for the group as well as the vocal talent of the members. The digital version of the EP was released on October 19, 2009,샤이니, 19일 세번째 앨범 발표 ("SHINee, Third Mini-album Released on 19th")
. ''Yonhap News''. October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009. with a physical release on October 22. Before its release the album recorded 60,000 pre-orders. The lead single, "Ring Ding Dong", was released digitally on October 14 and charted atop of several Korean music charts and gained popularity all over Asia. It was written by

. The group had their debut performance of the song on October 16, on KBS' ''

Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...

''. Misha Gabriel, who previously worked on the group's song "

Amigo Amigo(s) (Portuguese and Spanish for ''male friend'') may refer to: People * Carlos Amigo Vallejo (born 1934), Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop emeritus of Seville Places Facilities * Amigos School, a bilingual primary school in Cambridge, Ma ...

" in 2008, also choreographed "Ring Ding Dong". The music video was shot in early October on a set in

Namyangju Namyangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri City, and to the north is Pocheon City. Namyangju-si was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gu ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

, and was directed by Cho Soo-hyun. "JoJo" was promoted alongside "Ring Ding Dong" as the second promotional track from the album. The EP was released in Japan on January 20, 2010, with an alternative cover and a bonus DVD. The release peaked at number 40 on the weekly

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...

chart, charting for three weeks.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control Shinee EPs SM Entertainment EPs Avex Taiwan EPs 2009 EPs Korean-language EPs