"Symptoms" () is a

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

song performed by the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n idol group

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 ...

. It is included as the second track in their fifth EP, '' Everybody'', which was released digitally on October 14, 2013 under the record label of

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 ...

and distributing label of

KMP Holdings KMP Holdings (acronym for "Korean Music Power") (Hangul: KMP홀딩스) was a South Korean music distribution company. It was headquartered in Gangnam-gu, Seoul and was opened on March 18, 2010. History In March 2010, KMP Holdings was establish ...

Background

The domestic music portal site Naver Music described "Symptoms" as belonging to the

slow jam A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', whi ...

genre with influence from Shinee's signature

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...

style. The song was composed and arranged by the international

music production A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

team The Underdogs in their first collaboration with Shinee. It also marked their debut in the Korean pop music industry. The lyrics were penned by Shinee's main vocalist Jonghyun.

Promotion

"Symptoms" was first unveiled through a lyric video uploaded to

SM Town 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 ...

's official

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channel on October 4, 2013. The first live performance of the song was included in the set-list of the Shinee Comeback Special at Gangnam Hallyu Festival on October 6, in

Samseong-dong Samseong-Dong is an affluent neighborhood or ward of Gangnam-gu in Seoul, South Korea. The area has a large concentration of upscale shopping malls, popular restaurants and hotels such as the Ramada Seoul Hotel and the Hyatt Park Hotel. Samse ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. The performances were streamed on

's YouTube channel. The first broadcast live performance, however, was through

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

's music show ''

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 ...

'' on October 10, 2013. This was followed by performances at KBS ''

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 October 11, MBC ''

Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. ...

'' on October 12, SBS ''

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 October 13, and

MBC Music MBC M (formerly MBC Music) () is a South Korean specialty television channel owned by MBC Plus Media. The cable channel primarily broadcasts programming related to music. The channel opened on February 1, 2012, with a new music program ''Show ...

Show Champion ''Show Champion'' (Korean: 쇼 챔피언) is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan. Hosts * Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012) * Hahm Eun-jung ...

'' on October 16, 2013.

Critical reception

"Symptoms" received generally positive reviews from critics. Jakob Dorof of ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'' considered it one of the best K-pop songs of the year, writing that "the RnB wooze of "Symptoms" feels especially right for 2013". ''

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 it as "an evocative tune that plays up the quintet’s strengths and versatility", lauding it as "one of the best boy band songs ever crafted".

Chart performance

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Symptoms (Shinee Song) 2013 singles Korean-language songs Shinee songs SM Entertainment singles Songs written by Kim Jong-hyun (singer) 2013 songs