"Eyes, Nose, Lips" is a song recorded by South Korean singer
Taeyang
Dong Young-bae (; born May 18, 1988), better known by his stage names Taeyang (meaning "sun" in Korean) and SOL (when performing in Japan), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. After appearing in Jinusean's music video "A-yo", Tae ...
, serving as the second single for his second studio album ''
Rise
Rise or RISE may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world
* Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3''
* Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
'' (2014). It was written by
Teddy
Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to:
People Nickname
* Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator
* Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer
* Tedd ...
and Taeyang. The song peaked atop the
Gaon Digital Chart and the
K-pop Hot 100
The K-pop Hot 100 is a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multime ...
, and went on to become the second best-performing single of 2014.
Background and composition
On May 29, 2014, YG Entertainment announced the song as the title track of the album, and will be released simultaneously with the album on June 3, with the music video. Taeyang talked about the song with ''Billboard'', saying it was the last song that was completed from the album, and was the reason of releasing the album. He also described the process of creating the song, saying, "While Teddy was writing out the chords, Becca came along and wrote out the melody on the spot. I liked it so much, and I believed I could put a fresh feel to it with my voice. After finishing the demo recordings, I discussed my personal experiences with Teddy, which he thought would be cool to incorporate as lyrics. We were able to write a song together about missing an old lover, reminiscing about their eyes, nose and lips. It's a very emotional track.".
"Eyes, Nose, Lips" was described as "an R&B-style song with a solid piano sound" accompanying the singer's "appealing vocals."
Composed using
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...
in the
key of
C major, with a moderate
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
of 72 to 76
beats per minute
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* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ...
, the song features the lyrics "I can’t erase you even when you’re gone / I still remember your eyes, nose, lips, touch and your small nails," and "Can I ever see you again just for a moment, or even by chance / I get anxious day by day" that expresses a faint longing for the past loved one.
''
The Star Online
''The Star'' () is an English-language newspaper in Malaysia. Based in Petaling Jaya, it was established in 1971 as a regional newspaper in Penang. It is the largest paid English newspaper in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the Au ...
'' noted that the track is a "heartfelt love song that's heavy on the piano and low on audio enhancements."
Promotion
Taeyang's performed the song for the first time was on ''
Inkigayo'' on June 6, 2014. His second comeback stage which was on ''
M! Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
B ...
''. He also performed it at the talk show ''
You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook
''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24 2009 until July 22nd 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since April ...
''.
On June 15, YG Entertainment announced a "cover project" in which its artists will be covering songs from others.
Akdong Musician
AKMU ( ko, 악뮤), also known as Akdong Musician ( ko, 악동뮤지션), is a South Korean sibling duo consisting of Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun who debuted under YG Entertainment in April 2014 with studio album ''Play'' after winning SBS' ...
were the first to release a cover of "Eyes, Nose, Lips."
Tablo
Daniel Armand Lee (Korean: Lee Seon-woong; Hangul: 이선웅; born July 22, 1980), better known by his stage name Tablo (Hangul: 타블로), is a Korean-Canadian hip hop recording artist, lyricist, composer and record producer. Tablo is best k ...
covered the song with a rap version and Taeyang appeared during its bridge part. Lydia Paek was the third YG Family artist to cover the song for the project.
Critical reception
"Eyes, Nose, Lips" received universal acclaim, being named one of the best songs of the year and winning many awards. Melody L. Goh from ''
The Star Online
''The Star'' () is an English-language newspaper in Malaysia. Based in Petaling Jaya, it was established in 1971 as a regional newspaper in Penang. It is the largest paid English newspaper in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the Au ...
'' wrote that Taeyang "may have just hit musical gold" with the song,
while Douglas Markowitz of ''
Miami New Times'' stated that, "even if you can't understand the lyrics, you can feel the passion in his voice." Jakob Dorof of ''
Noisey'' described the single as "painfully pretty as must be the girl it describes" and complimented the single's "carefully counted build towards one of the year's most well deserved key change catharses."
Scott Interrante of ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' wrote that "Eyes, Nose, Lips" is "emotionally powerful" and admired Tayeang's vocals and the music video.
Additionally, ''Kult Scene'' said that Taeyang "lets the listeners feel the sadness and anger of the situation stated in the track" and added that "Eyes, Nose, Lips" is the most vulnerable song from the singer and "one that will go down as one of his best songs."
Commercial performance
Upon its release, the song debuted at number one on
Gaon's Digital and Download charts, selling 322,577 copies on its first week.
On the Streaming Chart, the single reached a peak position of number one on its second week, following a top three debut. "Eyes, Nose, Lips" remained at the first position in the Streaming Chart for five consecutive weeks. The song topped the June monthly Digital, Download and Streaming charts, with 765,833 downloads with 21.7 streams. "Eyes, Nose, Lips" was the second best performing single of 2014 in South Korea, with 1,613,109 downloads and 74.7 million streams by the end of the year.
["Eyes, Nose, Lips" on Yearly Charts
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*
*]
"Eyes, Nose, Lips" debuted on ''Billboard''s
K-Pop Hot 100
The K-pop Hot 100 is a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multime ...
at number 34. The following week the song jumped to number one on the chart, giving Taeyang his first solo chart-topper and his third overall, counting with his band
Big Bang's two number ones. The song charted third on ''Billboard''s World Digital Singles.
Accolades
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Sales
References
{{authority control
Korean-language songs
Taeyang songs
2014 singles
2014 songs
YG Entertainment singles
Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles
Songs written by Teddy Park