"Haru Haru" (
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: ; Day by Day) is a song by
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n boy group
Big Bang
The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
. Released through
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...
on August 8, 2008, as the lead single for their 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. ''Stand Up'', it became one of their most popular singles and one of South Korea's best-selling songs,
besides being regarded as one of the most influential singles to come out of Korean pop music.
A
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
version of the song was included in their third Greatest Hits album ''
The Best of Big Bang
''The Best of Big Bang'' is the third greatest hits album by South Korean boy band Big Bang. The album was stated to release on November 23, 2011 but due to G-Dragon's scandal, it was postponed to December 14, 2011.
Background
The ''Japanese Bes ...
'' (2011) and in the Japanese version of ''
Alive
Alive may refer to:
*Life
Books, comics and periodicals
* ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler
* '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka
* '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...
'' (2012).
Composition
With the release of their first EP
''Always'' (2007), Big Bang began to incorporate a range of different genre into their music, moving away from their original
hip hop roots. ''Stand Up'' continued their experimentation. The song was written by
G-Dragon
Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), also known by his stage name G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, known as the " King of K-pop". G-Dragon is the recipi ...
, with arrangements provided by Japanese DJ
Daishi Dance
Daishi Dance (born in 1976) is a male Japanese DJ and record producer.
Summary
Daishi Dance performs in the heart of Sapporo, creating melodious house mixes that feature vocals conveying grief and discontent, and using three turn tables in a hyb ...
. Additional Japanese lyrics were written by Shikata, iNoZzi, and
Shoko Fujibayashi
is a Japanese lyricist who has written the lyrics for several tokusatsu television series' theme songs. Most recently, Fujibayashi has worked with Shuhei Naruse on the soundtracks of '' Kamen Rider Den-O'', ''Kamen Rider Kiva'', and their films. S ...
.
"Haru Haru" was described as a combination of a dance song with a hip hop ballad, driven by a sentimental piano melody.
The song also includes a synthesizer sound that sounds like an orchestra that feels its "empty spaces".
The composition was noted for "weaving in and out of tempos seamlessly" which forced a "a sense of anxiety on the listener."
"Haru Haru" deepened the "Big Bang style" of music that had its breakthrough with "Lies."
Tamar Herman of ''
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 ...
'' wrote about the track's composition:
Critical reception
One of the group's most popular songs, receptions for "Haru Haru" were fairly positive.
''Billboard'' hailed the track an "experiential masterpiece"
and named it the group's second best song.
In a survey involving 30 music industry experts by South Korean magazine ''
Dong-a Ilbo
The ''Dong-A Ilbo'' (, literally ''East Asia Daily'') is a newspaper of record in Korea since 1920 with a daily circulation of more than 1.2 million and opinion leaders as its main readers. ''The Dong-A Ilbo'' is the parent company of Dong-A ...
,'' "Haru Haru" was chosen as one of best male idol songs in the past 20 years. ''Spinditty'' felt that the track "has a nostalgic feeling, which conveys the tragic, sad, and deep story behind the song." ''
Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' included "Haru Haru" in their list of the best Big Bang songs, calling the track "an enduring anthem for the band."
E. Alex Jung from ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' called "Haru Haru" "the undisputed song of the decade", commenting on the single's influence, he wrote that the song presented a sound that "was once innovative" but it "has since been copied and standardized to the point where almost every boy band now has a charismatic rapper with a booming voice." Jung concluded that "Haru Haru" "tapped into the
Zeitgeist
In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' () ("spirit of the age") is an invisible agent, force or Daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history.
Now, the term is usually associated with Georg W. F. ...
, blending a deep affinity for torch songs with the swagger of hip-hop, and set a wildfire to the K-pop fandom."
Music video
The music video for "Haru Haru" presents a storyline where G-Dragon plays the protagonist that believes his girlfriend, played by actress
Park Min-young
Park Min-young (; born March 4, 1986) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal '' (2010) and has since starred in television series ''City Hunter'' (2011), ''Glory Jane'' (2011), ...
, is cheating on him with his friend, played by T.O.P, and the two enter a physical fight with each other. By the end of the video, it's revealed that Park Min-young and T.O.P were only pretending to cheat because she was with a deadly disease and wanted to spare the one she loved the pain of knowing she was going to die. G-Dragon learns of this too late and arrives at the hospital to an already-gone girl.
The music video was well received, being distinguished for its "heart wrenching storyline" and is recognized as a classic and as the most saddening video release by the quintet. In 2016, fans voted "Haru Haru" as their favorite Big Bang music video. The video was parodied by the cast of the Korean TV show ''
Infinite Challenge
''Infinite Challenge'' (; abbreviated as ''Mudo'') is a South Korean television entertainment program, distributed and syndicated by MBC, that ran from 2005 to 2018.
As of January 2013, it had the largest market share for its timeslot; with ...
'' at the show's 2008 year-end festival.
Commercial performance
The song was released prior to the creation of the
Gaon Music Chart
The Circle Chart (), previously known as the Gaon Music Chart or the Gaon Chart (), tabulates the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in South Korea. It is produced by the Korea Music Content Association and sponsored by South Korea's ...
, which began tracking sales in 2010. "Haru Haru" topped several online charts upon its release and held the number one position on the online
Melon Music Chart for seven consecutive weeks.
It also became one of the most successful singles of all-time in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, selling over 5.4 million digital downloads in South Korea alone. In 2016, "Haru Haru" was revealed to be the fifth most downloaded song in South Korea since 2006. The song ranked at number eight in Melon's 2000s (decade) chart. In
Cyworld
Cyworld () is a South Korean social network service. Cyworld was originally part of SK communication, and became an independent company in 2014. Members cultivate relationships by forming ''Ilchon'' (, Hanja: ) or "friendships" with each other ...
, "Haru Haru" was the best-selling track of 2008 and the sixth best-selling song of all time.
Accolades
Charts
Sales
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Big Bang (South Korean band) songs
YG Entertainment singles
Korean-language songs
Songs written by G-Dragon
2008 singles
2008 songs