"Ice Cream Cake" is a song recorded by South Korean
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
Red Velvet for their debut
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. ''Ice Cream Cake'' (2015). Primarily a
dance-rock
Dance-rock is a dance-infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and disco ...
track with influences from
drum and bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
, the song was written by lyricist Jo Yoon-kyung, Kim Dong-hyun, Fredrik Häggstam, Hayley Aitken, Johan Gustafsson and Sebastian Lundberg, while production and arrangement was handled by
Hayley Aitken
Hayley Michelle Aitken (born 11 April 1986) is an Australian pop singer-songwriter and record producer who also performs mononymously as Hayley. She had a top 40 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with her second single, "Kiss Me Quick" (July ...
and Trinity Music. Following the release of "
Automatic", it was released as the group's second single (marketed as the "main" title track) from the extended play on March 16, 2015, by
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
, along with an accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
. With its parental release, the group showcased their
dual sonic concept in one album for the first time as "Ice Cream Cake" was promoted as the "Red" single, in contrast to "Automatic" which was promoted as its "Velvet" single.
The song has since received critical acclaim from music critics, calling it an "addictive" and "unpredictable" pop infection, and showcased the group's potential. It also attained commercial success, becoming the group's breakthrough and second top-five hit, peaking at number four on
Gaon Digital Chart and number three on ''
Billboard's
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
''
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 ...
chart.
Background and release
After wrapping up promotions for "Be Natural" in late October 2014, it was announced that Red Velvet would return with an
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. , marking their first proper release since the group's debut in August 2014. Prior to the official
comeback announcement, Red Velvet was spotted filming in a
desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
just outside of
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
On Aug ...
for a music video in February 2015 with then
SM Rookies
SM Rookies (, stylized as SMROOKIES) is a pre-debut training team created by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment in 2013, composed of trainees who have yet to join an idol group. From 2013 to 2018, the team officially introduced 30 ...
member Yeri, with the then-rumored song title to be "Blonde Girl". On March 11, 2015, S.M. Entertainment officially introduced Yeri as a new member of Red Velvet through a video uploaded on their
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel, along with image teasers from member
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
and
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
. On the same day, they revealed the title of the group's first album to be ''Ice Cream Cake'', which would be released on March 18, 2015. The official video for "Ice Cream Cake" was then uploaded on the official
SMTOWN
SM Town (stylized as SMTOWN) is a musical collective for the recording artists under South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment.
SM Town artists have performed at the annual SM Town Live world tours since the SM Town Live '08 Asia tour ...
channel on March 16, before being released digitally on March 17, 2015.
Composition
"Ice Cream Cake" was produced by
Hayley Aitken
Hayley Michelle Aitken (born 11 April 1986) is an Australian pop singer-songwriter and record producer who also performs mononymously as Hayley. She had a top 40 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with her second single, "Kiss Me Quick" (July ...
and producing team Trinity Music, which consists of Sebastian Lundberg, Fredrik Haggstam and Johan Gustafson. In December 2012, a 21-second demo version of the song was first spotted during an episode of Swedish
TV show
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
''Kobra'', where Lundberg, Haggstam and Gustafson can be seen processing the demo version which was sung in English. After being purchased by S.M. Entertainment, the song's lyrics was rewritten in Korean by songwriter Jo Yoon-kyung and Kim Dong-hyun, with the former whom had been writing for Red Velvet's labelmates previously, and the song title changed from its original name of "Ice Cream Truck."
Musically, the song is primarily a dance-rock track with influence from
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...
and
drum and bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
, which represents the group's "Red" sonic characters. It was composed in the
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
of
A major
A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...
with a tempo of 172 beat-per-minute. In addition, it also features "haunted"
harmony
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
which can be heard during the intro of the song, while being accompanied by the sound of a
music box
A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'') ...
.
The lyrics tell the excitement of a girl being attracted to her boyfriend, using "ice cream cake" as a
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
to the girl's feelings. Two different remix versions of the song were also used for the group's promotion, with the first one having an additional dance break section (performed on KBS Music Bank Half-Year Special) and the second one having a longer intro and another dance break section towards the end of the song, while omitting the second verse and chorus of the original version (performed on 2015
MBC Music Festival).
Music video
Background
Synopsis and reception
The music video for "Ice Cream Cake" was filmed around February 2015 at the Four Aces Movie Ranch located in
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
On Aug ...
. It was directed by director Woogie Kim, whom had previously directed Red Velvet's debut single "Happiness". Setting in an abandoned motel, the music video features all five members dancing and singing to the song while showing the girls eating ice cream and drinking iced coffee in colorful outfits in the desert. At some scenes, the group can be seen driving along the road while being chased after by a big pink ball. The song's choreography was created by choreographer Kyle Hanagami, whom had previously choreographed for "Be Natural" in 2014. The video was uploaded on the official SMTOWN channel on March 16, 2015, and became the most viewed K-pop video in both America and the world for the month of March. It has since received more 100 million views, making it their sixth most watched music video.
Live performances
Promotion of the song was started with ''Ice Cream TV'' on March 17, 2015, where the group promoted their debut extended play by performing the songs live in the show, which was streamed through
Naver Music and was hosted by
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 ...
's
Minho. Two days after the digital release, they had their first live performance of "Ice Cream Cake" 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.
Bro ...
'', followed by performances on ''
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 ...
'' on March 20 and ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...
'' on March 22, where they also performed a shortened version of "
Automatic". A week later, the group returned to ''Music Bank'' and won their first music show trophy since their official debut. They then continued to promote the song within the first half of 2015 on music shows and radio talk shows, before ending with a year-end performance at the fifth
Gaon Chart Music Awards
The Circle Chart Music Awards (), formerly known as the Gaon Chart Music Awards, are a major music awards ceremony that is presented annually in South Korea by the Korea Music Content Association primarily based on the commercial performance of t ...
on February 17, 2016, where they received the ''Hot Performance of the Year'' award. The song was part of the set list for Red Velvet's first concert ''Red Room'' in August 2017, where a remix version was performed instead of the original version.
In addition to the domestic promotion, Red Velvet had their first overseas performance of "Ice Cream Cake" and their first as a 5-member group in an
SMTOWN
SM Town (stylized as SMTOWN) is a musical collective for the recording artists under South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment.
SM Town artists have performed at the annual SM Town Live world tours since the SM Town Live '08 Asia tour ...
concert held in Taiwan. The group then promoted and performed songs from the album in the Philippines for the ''Best of the Best K-pop Concert'' on April 12, a concert which also featured label mates
Super Junior
Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their prominent ...
and
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...
as well as
Cube
In geometry, a cube is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. Viewed from a corner it is a hexagon and its net is usually depicted as a cross.
The cube is the only r ...
boy band
BTOB
}
BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Or ...
, before having their first
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
promotion at KCON on August 2 at the Staples Center in
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Critical reception
Upon its initial release, "Ice Cream Cake" was compared to the sound of label mate
f(x) by many, and has since received critical acclaim from music critics. While Jeff Benjamin 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 ...
'' magazine complimented the song as "a punchy, sugary pop confection", Kim Do-hyun of ''
IZM
''IZM'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ...
'' chose it as a highlight of the EP, said the song "seemed to inherit" the sound of f(x), but "it built an identity" as "first Red Velvet". Jakob Dorof of pop music magazine ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' described the track "Ice Cream Cake" as "a treat as unexpected as it is unpredictable
..packs a punch, but goes down smooth over time" and deemed it "the SM label's specialty: bubblegum pop that deeply rewards repeat rotations."
On an individual music video review, Jesse Lent of ''KpopStarz'' said the song was "deeply arresting" and "delivers every intriguing move you could want from a shiny new pop song". Writer Chelsea from ''Seoulbeats'' applauded the song "alarmingly catchy" and "definitely an ear worm", while writer Jung Bae of ''Hellokpop'' chose the song as the Best Dance and Electronic Song of 2015 and ranked it fifth on the Song of the Year chart. The song would later appear in the top 25 Red Velvet songs by ''Billboard'', landing at number eighteen on the list.
Commercial performance
Upon its digital release, "Ice Cream Cake" achieved great success and became the group's breakthrough hit. The song debuted and peaked at number four on
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 ...
while debuting at number three on Gaon Download Chart for the week of March 15, 2015, with a total sales of 145,437 downloads.
It became the group's second top-five hit following "Happiness", which debuted and peaked at number five in 2014. Furthermore, it also charted at number 11 and number 8 on the monthly chart of Gaon Digital Chart and Gaon Download Chart, respectively, for the month of March 2015, earning a total of 262,925 downloads.
Having spent a total of 17 weeks charting within the top 100, "Ice Cream Cake" appeared at number 46 on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart. As of July 2016, the song received more than 1,3 million downloads, making it Red Velvet's second million-seller and currently their eighth best-selling hit.
[Cumulative sales of "Ice Cream Cake" and "Dumb Dumb":
*
*
* ]
Elsewhere, the song debuted at number three on the US ''
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 ...
'' World Digital Song, becoming their third entry and second top-five hit on the chart.
As of December 2019, "Ice Cream Cake" is the group's fourth most downloaded song, having achieved a total of 23,000 downloads.
Accolades
"Ice Cream Cake" won the Female Dance Award at the 2015
Melon Music Awards. It won the
Best Female Dance Performance at the
2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards
The 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards ceremony, organized by CJ E&M through its music channel Mnet, took place on December 2, 2015, at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The ceremony was the sixth consecutive Mnet Asian Music Awards to be hosted outside of ...
, and got longlisted on the
UnionPay
UnionPay (), also known as China UnionPay () or by its abbreviation, CUP or UPI internationally, is a Chinese state-owned financial services corporation headquartered in Shanghai, China. It provides bank card services and a major card scheme ...
Song of the Year. It also won the Digital Bonsang on the 2016
Golden Disc Awards
The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...
. The song also received six
music program wins.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Ice Cream Cake''.
Studio
* Recorded at SM Blue Ocean Studio
* Recorded at In Grid Studio
* Additional vocal editing at SM Big Shot Studio
* Mixed at SM Concert Hall Studio
Personnel
*
Red Velvet (
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
,
Seulgi
Seul-ki, also spelled Seul-gi or Sul-ki, is a Korean unisex given name, predominantly feminine. It was the 8th-most popular name for baby girls born in South Korea in 1990. Unlike most Korean names, it does not have any Sino-Korean roots, but is ...
,
Wendy
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...
,
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
,
Yeri Yeri may refer to:
* Yeri, Cyprus
* Yeri, Tajikistan
*Yeri (singer) (born Kim Ye-rim, 1999), South Korean female singer, member of Red Velvet.
*Yery
Yeru or Eru (Ы ы; italics: ), usually called Y in modern Russian or Yery or Ery historic ...
)vocals, background vocals
* Jo Yoon-kyungKorean songwriting
*
Hayley Aitken
Hayley Michelle Aitken (born 11 April 1986) is an Australian pop singer-songwriter and record producer who also performs mononymously as Hayley. She had a top 40 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with her second single, "Kiss Me Quick" (July ...
composition, arrangement, background vocals
* Sebastian Lundbergcomposition, arrangement
* Fredrik Häggstamcomposition, arrangement
* Johan Gustafsoncomposition, arrangement
*
Kenzievocal directing
* Kim Chul-soonrecording
* Lee Min-kyurecording, additional vocal editing
* Jeong Eun-kyungrecording
* Jiyoung Shinadditional vocal editing
* Namkoong Jinmixing
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
See also
*
List of ''Inkigayo'' Chart winners (2015)
*
List of ''M Countdown'' Chart winners (2015)
References
{{authority control
Songs written by Hayley Aitken
2015 songs
Red Velvet (group) songs
Songs written by Johan Gustafson (record producer)
Songs written by Sebastian Lundberg
Songs written by Fredrik Häggstam