"Lonely" is a song by South Korean girl group
2NE1
2NE1 (, ) was a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, which was active between 2009 and 2016. The group was composed of four members: Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy. Known for breaking typical stereotypes of K-pop, musical experiment ...
, serving as one of the lead singles from their 2011
self-titled second EP. The single was written and produced by
Teddy Park
Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978), is a Korean–American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. When he was 17 years old, P ...
and was released via
digital download and
streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
on May 12, 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 ...
. The song was a commercial success, peaking at number 1 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 ...
in addition to topping all of the South Korean real-time digital charts following its release, achieving a perfect all-kill.
A Japanese version of the song was released digitally on September 14, 2011 through
YGEX
YGEX is a Japanese record label. A subsidiary of the Avex Group, it is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded on April 12, 2011 by Japanese record company Avex Group and South Korean entertainment company YG Entertainment, and this is the ...
, and was included in the Japanese edition of the extended play, titled ''
Nolza
''2NE1'' (also known as ''2NE1 2nd Mini Album'') is the second eponymous extended play by South Korean girl group 2NE1. It was released digitally and physically on July 28, 2011, by YG Entertainment and was distributed by KMP Holdings. It contain ...
''.
Background
The song was written and produced by the group's long-time collaborator and in-house YG Entertainment producer
Teddy Park
Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978), is a Korean–American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. When he was 17 years old, P ...
. Musically, the song is 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
E major
E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...
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 (often ...
of 95 beats per minute, and has a runtime of 3:29. The instrumentals incorporates only stringed instruments, which include the guitar, cello, and violin and emphasizes the group's vocals. According to the CEO of
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 ...
, Yang Hyun Suk, "2NE1’s new song counter feeds the people with an analogue sound unlike the majority who used strong electronics and house music and maybe that is why
Will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
have
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_Commercial_performance
The_single_was_a_commercial_success,_immediately_topping_all_of_South_Korean_real-time_digital_charts_following_its_release_and_achieved_a_perfect_all-kill,_making_it_the_first_song_to_achieve_a_perfect_all-kill_by_a_K-pop_girl_group_since_the_concept's_inception_in_2010._During_its_debut_week_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_single_placed_at_number_two_and_sold_432,701_digital_units._The_following_week,_the_song_took_the_number_one_position,_becoming_the_group's_third_number_one_single_and_sold_an_additional_465,735_units._"Lonely"_was_subsequently_ranked_number_one_of_both_the_Gaon_digital_and_download_charts_for_the_month_of_May,_having_accumulated_an_estimated_1,477,729_units_in_digital_sales.
By_the_end_of_the_year,_"Lonely"_became_one_of_the_best_performing_song's_in_the_country,_selling_more_than_2.9_million_digital_units_and_garnering_over_23.3_million_streams,_and_ranked_at_number_four_on_the_year-end_Gaon_Digital_Chart_for_2011.
The_Korean_music_video_for_"Lonely"_was_filmed_on_April_27,_2011_and_was_directed_by_Han_Sa-min,_who_had_previously_directed_the_music_video_for_Big_Bang's_fourth_mini-special_album's_title_song,_"
''.html"_;"title="sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''found_it_interesting".
The_single_was_a_commercial_success,_immediately_topping_all_of_South_Korean_real-time_digital_charts_following_its_release_and_achieved_a_perfect_all-kill,_making_it_the_first_song_to_achieve_a_perfect_all-kill_by_a_K-pop_girl_group_since_the_concept's_inception_in_2010._During_its_debut_week_on_the_