"Flower Road" ( ko, 꽃길, Kkotgil) is a song by South Korean boy band
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 ...
. It was released
digitally on March 13, 2018, by
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 ...
, as a gift and a final farewell from the group to its fans ahead of a lengthy hiatus, as the band members serve in South Korea's
mandatory military service
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
. It would also end up being their last single to feature longtime lead dancer and sub vocalist
Seungri
Lee Seung-hyun (; born December 12, 1990), better known by his stage names Seungri (Hangul: ) and V.I (when performing in Japan), is a former South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, businessman and sex offender convicted of facilitating prosti ...
before his retirement on March 11, 2019. It was written by G-Dragon and T.O.P and produced by the former along with
The Fliptones
The Fliptones are American record producers and songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, al ...
, who also participated in creating
GD X Taeyang
GD X Taeyang (also known as GDYB) is a South Korean duo from YG Entertainment, consisting of G-Dragon and Taeyang from Big Bang. After several years of appearing on each other's solo materials, the duo officially released the single " Good Boy" ...
's "
Good Boy" and Taeyang's "
Stay with Me".
"Flower Road" became the quintet's tenth song to peak atop 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 ...
, a record among idol groups. It also became their fourth single to reach the number one on
''Billboard'' World Digital Songs. The single also debuted at the top three on
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 Nov ...
's digital chart.
Background
After the release of the ''
Made
Made or MADE may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom
* ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music
* ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016
* ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013
* ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007
*'' M.A.D.E. ...
'' album in December 2016, BigBang temporarily ended its five-member activities in early 2017. On February 9 of that same year, T.O.P started his
mandatory military service
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
and the rest of the members performed activities throughout the year of 2017 as a quartet. On February 28, 2018, G-Dragon started his mandatory military service, followed by
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", Taey ...
on March 12. Previously on March 8, YG Entertainment announced that on the day of
Daesung
Kang Dae-sung (Hangul: 강대성; born April 26, 1989), better known mononymously as Daesung and his Japanese stage name D-Lite, is a South Korean singer, actor and television personality who made his musical debut in 2006 as a member of the Sou ...
's military enlistment, the group would release a new digital single as a gift to fans.
Two days later, more details about the song were released, including its name, "Flower Road", and production credits.
Composition
The song was created while BigBang were working on their album ''Made'', and the lyrics were written with the future enlistment of the members in mind,
which is highlighted in the lines "this is not the end of us / I hope we'll meet again when the flowers are blooming", a request for the fans to wait for them. During the chorus, the members also express an understanding if fans decide to move on, singing "if you want to leave, I understand / I'll scatter flowers on the road you'll walk on."
[ The title of the track, "Flower Road", is a Korean term referring to a "new, glorious journey", which could be interpreted as both the group's or their fan's path.][ In the beginning and towards the end of the track, G-Dragon gives a fading shoutout to the group's name, which is a reference to their 2008 single "]Sunset Glow
"Sunset Glow" (Korean: 붉은 노을; Revised Romanization: ''Byulkeun Noeul'') is a song recorded by South Korean singer Lee Moon-sae. It was released on September 15, 1988, as a single for his fifth studio album ''가로수 그늘아래서면 (Un ...
".[
Musically, "Flower Road" was described as a ]mid-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 (often ...
song filled with R&B melodies.[ The single also contains a "smooth ]dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
vibe", with BigBang's "evocative vocals" being put in the "front and center", while the melody "alternates between rhythmic guitar riffs, a clapping beat, and wailing synth."[
]
Chart performance
Upon its release, "Flower Road" topped all South Korean's domestic music charts within two hours since the song was released. The song debuted at number one on three charts of the Gaon Chart
Gaon may refer to
* Gaon (Hebrew), a non-formal title given to certain Jewish Rabbis
** Geonim, presidents of the two great Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita
** Vilna Gaon, known as ''the'' Gaon of Vilnius.
* Gaon Music Chart, record chart ...
, including 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 ...
, recording the highest weekly points of the year. "Flower Road" is the tenth number one song for the group there, making them the group with most number-ones on Gaon, and the second act overall after IU. They also topped the Download and BGM charts, while debuting second on the Mobile Chart and third on the Streaming Chart.[ The single remained atop the Digital Chart for three consecutive weeks. In its second week, it topped the Streaming chart, remaining at number one at the following week.
In China, the song was the fastest by a Korean artist to reach one million copies sold in ]QQ Music
QQ Music () is one of the three Chinese freemium music streaming services owned by Tencent Music, a joint venture between Tencent and Spotify. As of 2018, the service is set to reach over 700 million users with an estimated 120 million subscribe ...
, China's largest music streaming platform. It is BigBang's fourth consecutive million sales record on QQ Music, which they also achieved with their single albums '' D'' (2015) and '' E'' (2015), and with ''Made
Made or MADE may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom
* ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music
* ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016
* ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013
* ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007
*'' M.A.D.E. ...
'' (2016). Including ''Kwon Ji Yong
''Kwon Ji Yong'' () is the second extended play (EP) by South Korean singer-songwriter and rapper G-Dragon, released digitally on June 8, 2017 by YG Entertainment. The EP was his first release in four years, following his second studio album '' Cou ...
'', G-Dragon's solo album, it is their fifth consecutive record. The song also topped QQ Music's Comprehensive New Releases Chart, the Popularity Index Chart and Weekly Top Songs. In the United States, the song topped ''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 World Digital Songs
The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—with the issue dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-specific ...
with less than three days of sales. On ''Billboard Japan
''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine ''Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence from ''Bi ...
'' the song charted within the top 10 of Billboard Japan Hot 100
The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...
, while on ''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 Nov ...
'', with 20,170 digital copies sold, despite being released mid-week there, the single reached number three on the Weekly Digital Singles chart.
Critical reception
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 ...
'' described "Flower Road" as "balancing out melancholy and optimism", because the track "is an homage" to the quintet's "relationship with the millions of fans around the world who have supported them for over a decade." David Watt of ''All-noise'' called the single "emotional", writing that it "has all the right ingredients" to become a K-pop hit. Watt also compliments how it "feels really good as the five boys sing together." The lyrics of the track were also praised, with Julia Hur from ''The Kraze'' described them as "meaningful" and "emotional". Hur also wrote that "the song holds a sound unique to the group", with the "contrasting emotions" that "balanced out the intensities of each and succeeded in creating a soft atmosphere", mainting a "a light, bright mood from beginning to end", which she described as "perfect to accompany us in the upcoming spring".
Accolades
Charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
References
{{authority control
BigBang (South Korean band) songs
2018 singles
2018 songs
Korean-language songs
YG Entertainment singles
Songs written by G-Dragon
Songs written by T.O.P
Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles
Song recordings produced by the Fliptones