Break Down (album)

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Break Down
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 7, 2013 (2013-01-07)
Recorded2012
StudioSM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
GenreElectropop
Length37:57
LanguageMandarin
LabelS.M. Entertainment, KMP Holdings
ProducerLee Soo Man
Super Junior-M chronology
Perfection
(2011)
Break Down
(2013)
Swing
(2014)
Singles from Break Down
  1. "Break Down"
    Released: January 7, 2013

Break Down is the second studio album by Mandopop boy group Super Junior-M. It was released online on January 7, 2013 by S.M. Entertainment and distributed by KMP Holdings. It is their first release in nearly 2 years, since the release of their 2011 EP, Perfection, and their first studio album in nearly 5 years, since the release of their first 2008 studio album, Me.

Background[edit]

After their second EP Perfection released in 2011, the Korean members returned to their activities as part of the main group, Super Junior. The main group released their 5th album Mr. Simple in 2011,[1] in which Henry composed a song together with the leader Leeteuk, titled "Andante", for the repackaged version of the album, A-Cha.[2] They also released their 6th album, Sexy, Free & Single, in 2012.[3] Super Junior-M also performed at the main group's world tour Super Show 4.[4] In 2012, Henry and Zhou Mi went on to act in a movie and a drama respectively. Henry was cast in the movie Final Recipe, alongside famous Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh.[5] Zhou Mi starred in the Chinese-Taiwanese drama When Love Walked In, alongside f(x)'s leader Victoria Song and Fahrenheit's Calvin Chen, as a main cast.[6][7] In September 2012, it was revealed that Super Junior-M was preparing a comeback with a new album.[8] At that time, the album was in preparation. Since this announcement, Super Junior-M participated in many concerts overseas in the latter half of 2012, including Taiwan, Malaysia and China as destinations.[9][10][11] S.M. Entertainment revealed a promotional picture for the new lead single of Super Junior-M, "Break Down", announcing the comeback of the Chinese sub-unit to the Chinese music industry after nearly 2 years.[12] Super Junior-M performed on December 31, 2012 at the 2013 Jiangsu Satellite New Year′s Eve Concert held in Jiangsu, China, and revealed for the first time the teaser for their new lead single "Break Down".[11]

Composition[edit]

"We are releasing this new album 2 years after our last album, so we have spent a lot of time on each aspect. We hope to be able to show a different style".

— Zhou Mi, talking about the group's album.[13][14]

The lead single of the album, "Break Down", is described as an upbeat pop dance song, mixed with elements of dubstep and synth sounds.[15][16][17] The song is produced and composed by Australian team Twice As Nice (consisting of Nick Audino & Lewis Hughes), Martin Mulholland and Nermin Harambasic from Dsign Music, while the lyrics are written by Zhou Weijie. It is a song about a man who can no longer hide his love for a woman, expressing his feelings to her.[15] Nick Bass, who has worked with international stars such as Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera, choreographed the dance for "Break Down".[18][19] He was also the choreographer behind Super Junior's 2009 hit, "Sorry, Sorry".[20] and also Bonamana in 2010.

For this album, Henry worked as a producer and composer with his production team Noize Bank, and collaborated with member Zhou Mi, who had already written songs for every album of Super Junior-M. Two songs were produced and composed by Noize Bank on this album, "Go" and "It's You", with the lyrics written by Zhou Mi.[21] The track "Go" is described as an impressive song with a cheerful melody.[22] The song expresses the feeling of falling in love, being confident and free about it. "It's You" is an energetic song with bubbly lyrics, a lively melody, and a medium tempo.[22] The song "A-Oh!" is an electronic modern pop song.[21]

Famous Malaysian singer and composer Michael Wong contributed to the album by composing a song for member Zhou Mi, called "Distant Embrace", while the lyrics are written by famous Hong Kong singer and actress Crystal Cheung.[21] Super Junior-M requested a love song from Wong since the release of their first album Me, and sent him their profiles and songs, but he couldn't submit anything to them at that time.[23][24][25] At first, he wanted to compose a song similar to the music of Taiwanese band Xiao Hu Dui, but they specifically requested a love song.[23] The lyrics of "Distant Embrace" are about the faint pain of a love.[21] The album contains R&B and ballad songs, including "Good Bye My Love" and "Tunnel".[26] The song "Tunnel" was written by member Zhou Mi, and composed by Kenzie and Andrew Choi. It is a ballad with a dreamy sound.[21]

"Stand Up", an upbeat track, will serve as the OST for upcoming Chinese movie Saving General Yang. Actors from the movie, including Adam Cheng, Vic Zhou, Ekin Cheng, Wu Chun, Li Chen, Raymond Lam, and Fu Xinbo, who play the roles of 7 brothers in the movie, will sing the Korean version of the song, against Super Junior-M who sing the Chinese version.[27]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementsLength
1."Break Down"Zhou WeijieTwice As Nice, Martin Mulholland, Nermin HarambasicTwice As Nice3:22
2."Go"Zhou MiNoize Bank (Henry Lau / Gen Neo / Isaac Han / Neil Nallas)Noize Bank (Henry Lau / Gen Neo)3:02
3."Good Bye My Love" (Chinese: 完美的再见 wán měi de zài jiàn)Liu YuanPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woonPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woon4:41
4."A-oh!"Tina WangSean Alexander, The EurozTeam One Sound3:42
5."It’s You"Zhou Mi, Tina WangNoize Bank (Henry Lau / Gen Neo / Isaac Han / Neil Nallas)Noize Bank3:01
6."Distant Embrace" (Zhou Mi Solo)(Chinese: 距離的擁抱 jù lí de yōng bào)Crystal Cheung [zh]Michael WongScore5:03
7."Tunnel"Zhou MiKenzie, Andrew ChoiKenzie3:43
8."Stand Up" (Chinese: 我挺你 wǒ tǐng nǐ)Tina WangErik Lidbom, Herbie CrichlowErik Lidbom, Herbie Crichlow3:21
9."Break Down" (Instrumental) Twice As Nice, Martin Mulholland, Nermin HarambasicTwice As Nice3:21
10."Good Bye My Love" (Instrumental) Park Hae-moon, Park Hae-woonPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woon4:41
Total length:37:57
Korean Version
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementsLength
1."Break Down" (Korean version)Seo Ji-eum, Lee Seu-ran, Lee Hyo-minTwice As Nice, Martin Mulholland, Nermin HarambasicTwice As Nice3:22
2."Good Bye My Love" (Korean: 완미적재견 wan mi jeok jaeg yeon)Park Shi-yeon, DK4RG, Lee Sang-baekPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woonPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woon4:40
3."Break Down"Zhou WeijieTwice As Nice, Martin Mulholland, Nermin HarambasicTwice As Nice3:22
4."Go"Zhou MiNoize BankNoize Bank3:02
5."Good Bye My Love" (Chinese: 完美的再见 wán měi de zài jiàn)Liu YuanPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woonPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woon4:41
6."A-oh!"Tina WangSean Alexander, The EurozTeam One Sound3:42
7."It’s You"Zhou Mi, Tina WangNoize BankNoize Bank3:01
8."Distant Embrace" (Zhou Mi Solo)(Chinese: 距離的擁抱 jù lí de yōng bào)Crystal CheungMichael WongScore5:03
9."Tunnel"Zhou MiKenzie, Andrew ChoiKenzie3:43
10."Stand Up" (Chinese: 我挺你 wǒ tǐng nǐ)Tina WangErik Lidbom, Herbie CrichlowErik Lidbom, Herbie Crichlow3:21
11."Break Down" (Instrumental) Twice As Nice, Martin Mulholland, Nermin HarambasicTwice As Nice3:21
12."Good Bye My Love" (Instrumental) Park Hae-moon, Park Hae-woonPark Hae-moon, Park Hae-woon4:41
Total length:45:59

Charts[edit]

Album charts[edit]

Single chart[edit]

Chinese Version

Country Chart Peak Position Ref
Germany
German Asian Music Chart
3
Taiwan
G-Music Combo Chart
3
Taiwan
G-Music Mandarin Chart
2
Thailand
True Music's 'Top 20 Chart'
1

Sales[edit]

Gaon Album Chart

Country Year Month Sales Accumulative sales Ref
South
Korea
2013 February 40,696 40,696 [30]
March 8,650 49,346
April 1,159 50,505
May 794 51,299
June 319 51,618
July 791 52,409
2014 June 783 2148
Total 52,409+

Listicles[edit]

Publisher Year Listicle Nominee/work Placement Ref.
Billboard 2018 The 100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks "It's You" 44th [35]

Release[edit]

Region Format Date Label Distributor
Worldwide Digital download January 7, 2013 S.M. Entertainment KMP Holdings
South Korea January 31, 2013
CD February 5, 2013[36]
Taiwan CD, digital download February 19, 2013[37] Avex Taiwan
Hong Kong February 28, 2013[38] Avex Asia
Philippines June 7, 2013 Avex Asia, Universal Records

References[edit]

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  3. ^ Kim, JiYeon (July 9, 2012). "Super Junior Breaks Through Album Charts with 'Sexy, Free & Single'". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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  5. ^ Farther, Patrick (May 24, 2012). "Yeoh stirred by CJ Cooktales". Film Business Asia. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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  21. ^ a b c d e Kwon, SuBin (January 7, 2013). "슈퍼주니어M 새앨범 음원-뮤비 한중 동시공개 (Super Junior M's new album – music video released together)". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  22. ^ a b Yi, JeongHyeok (January 7, 2013). "슈주-M, 7일 정규 2집 공개 (SJ-M's second album to be released on January 7)". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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  25. ^ Wong, Jerome (June 1, 2011). "Michael Wong's latest album". Yahoo! News Philippines. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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  29. ^ "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard.
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  33. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2013-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  35. ^ "The 100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
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