''A Flower Bookmark 2'' () is the second

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

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.

by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It is also her sixth

Korean-language Korean (South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographically Ko ...

extended play. The EP was released on September 22, 2017 by

LOEN Entertainment Kakao M (; formerly Seoul Records, YBM Seoul Records and LOEN Entertainment) was a South Korean entertainment company established by Min Yeong-bin in 1978. It is currently one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The company op ...

under its imprint

FAVE Entertainment This is a list of labels controlled, distributed or associated with Kakao M. Subsidiaries House labels IST Entertainment IST Entertainment is a record label established by Kakao M in November 2021. The label (previously known as Play M Entertai ...

. Like her previous cover album, ''A Flower Bookmark'' features cover versions of nostalgic

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

songs popularized from the 1960s to the 2000s.

Background and release

''A Flower Bookmark 2'' consists of

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of nostalgic

songs popularized from the 1960s to the 2000s, including "Autumn Morning" (

Yang Hee-eun Yang Hee-eun (; born August 13, 1952) is a South Korean singer and songwriter. Her syndicated radio show ''Women Era'' has aired via the MBC Standard FM since 1999. Awards and honors References External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, ...

, 1991), "Last Night Story" ( Sobangcha, 1988), "Sleepless Rainy Night" (

Kim Gun-mo Kim Gun-mo (; born January 13, 1968) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, who is considered the country's most successful musical artist of the 1990s. His 1995 album, '' Wrongful Meeting,'' previously held the Guinness World Record for the bes ...

, 1990), "Secret Garden" (

Lee Tzsche Lee Sang-eun (; born March 12, 1970), also known by the stage name Lee Tzsche (), is a South Korean singer-songwriter. She debuted in 1988 and has since released 15 full-length albums. She won the Rookie Artist Award at the 1988 Golden Disc Award ...

, 2003), "By the Stream" ( Jeong Mi-jo, 1972) and "Everyday with You" ( Deulgukhwa, 1980s). It was reported that IU personally approached the artists directly to ask for permission to remake their songs. On September 18, 2017, " Autumn Morning" was released to coincide with the singer's ninth anniversary. The rest of the tracks were digitally released four days later, along with a music video of "Last Night Story" and a special performance clip of "Sleepless Rainy Night". The physical release of the album was scheduled to be September 25, but was postponed to October 12 because the remake album was originally going to include "With the Heart to Forget You" by the late singer

Kim Kwang-seok Kim Kwang-seok (Hangul: 김광석 ; January 22, 1964 – January 6, 1996) was a popular and influential South Korean folk rock singer. He debuted in 1987 as a member of Noraereul Channeun Saramdeul, an activist folk band. He achieved widespread ...

. However, due to the recent revelations surrounding his daughter's death, FAVE decided to remove the track from IU's album. On January 6, 2018, IU unveiled a music video for the song, describing it as a tribute to the late singer Kim Kwang-seok. She shared, "As a loving fan of his music, I'd like to express my respect and memory to Kim Kwang-seok with this beautiful song sung with all my sincerity."

Reception

Commercial reception

"Autumn Morning" achieved a perfect all-kill status two days after its release. The song also peaked at number one on the

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...

Critical reception

The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...

'' said that the album lacked raw emotions, and IU's voice failed to bear the weight and complicated emotions of the originals. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s review of the album was positive, explaining that "IU's latest features six cover songs that takes the vocalist’s sound into bygone decades, delving into genres like folk and nu-disco to prove her worth as one of South Korea’s most formidable songstresses." '' The 405'' says that "isn't content to just mimic her childhood favorites, these are classic Korean songs completely re-imagined and recreated to into something undeniably 'IU'."

Track listing

Charts

Year-end charts

Singles

"Autumn Morning "

Year-end charts

"Sleepless Rainy Night "

Sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flower Bookmark 2 2017 EPs IU (singer) EPs Covers EPs Kakao M EPs Korean-language EPs