"Love Song" is a single by South Korean 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 ...
. It was released on April 8, 2011 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 the lead single for their album ''
Big Bang Special Edition'' (2011), a repackaged version of the
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. (EP) ''
Tonight
Tonight may refer to:
Television
* ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC
* ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...
'' released earlier on February 23, 2011. The lyrics were 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 ...
,
T.O.P
Choi Seung-hyun (; born November 4, 1987), better known by his stage name T.O.P, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He performed as an underground rapper before joining the record label YG Entertainment and ...
and
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 the music was composed by G-Dragon, Teddy.
Composition
Standing out from BigBang's usual "heavily produced electronic dance tracks",
"Love Song" is pop-rock ballad
that was compared to
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
's early material.
The single "utilizes building strings and overlapping vocals to create an uplifting tone despite the otherwise depressing lyrics"
and combines "electronic rhythm and modern rock elements to express the nostalgia and agony of a loving woman who left the world." Additionally, the song was noted for its structure that alternates tension and relaxation in a "dreamlike" melody.
Reception
"Love Song" was well received. ''
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 ...
'' named the track BigBang's sixth best song, praising the "excellent vocal performances".
The music video ranked as the thirteenth best K-pop video by ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
''.
"Love Song" debuted at number nine 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 ...
. The following week, the single rose to number one on the Digital
and Download charts, selling 413,645 copies.
On its third week, the song reached the peak position of one in the Streaming chart.
On
''Billboard'' World Digital Songs, "Love Song" spend two weeks at the second position,
the highest peaking entry of the group until "
Loser" topped the chart in 2015.
Music Video
The music video was posted on Bigbang's channel on April 13, 2011. In the MV, the Bigbang members walk around a barren land, exempt from piles of rubble and what seems like fire coming from the ground, whilst singing the song, as the camera zooms around abandoned and destroyed cars, broken stop signs, cracked grounds, and telephone poles. Whilst the Bigbang Members are dancing, what seems to be either soot or snow falls, implying that a nuclear apocalypse took place.
Accolades
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Sales
References
External links
*
{{authority control
BigBang (South Korean band) songs
YG Entertainment singles
Korean-language songs
Songs written by G-Dragon
Songs written by T.O.P
Songs written by Teddy Park
Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles
2011 singles
2011 songs
Black-and-white music videos