"Zimzalabim" (Korean: 짐살라빔, Jimsallabim) is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their sixth Korean extended play The ReVe Festival: Day 1, which acts as the first installment of the group's The ReVe Festival trilogy. Primarily an EDM-influenced electropop track that resembles a "colorful parade" and showcases an extravagant soundscape, the song was composed by production duo Caesar & Loui, Ollipop and Hayley Aitken with Korean lyrics adaptation by lyricist Lee Seu-ran, which tells the listeners to "unfold a dream" that is "held deeply" in their heart. Accompanied by an amusement park-themed music video, it was released on June 19, 2019 by SM Entertainment as the lead single for Day 1, and subsequently the first single from The ReVe Festival trilogy.[1]
Upon its release, "Zimzalabim" polarized music critics over its "genre-hopping" composition. While some felt the song was a "downhill" from the group's previous experimenting tunes, others saw the song as a sonic roller coaster ride and praised its "energetic, anthemic" sound. It also attained moderate success, becoming their first lead single to miss the top ten on Gaon Digital Chart, peaking at number eleven, while earning Red Velvet their fourteenth consecutive top-ten entry on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart. The song also marked the group's first chart appearance in Oceania, peaking at number thirty-nine on New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.
"Zimzalabim" is an electropop song composed by Olof Lindskog, Daniel Caesar, Ludwig Lindell and Hayley Aitken.[2][1]According to Billboard's Tamar Herman, the song flits from genre to genre from "soaring electro-pop and funky percussive melodies" to "tinny hip-hop chants, EDM dance breaks and chill, groovy moments" and incorporates an "addicting chorus".[1] Inspired by Beyoncé and "I Got a Boy" by Girls' Generation, the song urges the listener to leave behind limitations and follow their dreams.[3][1]
Music video
Background
The music video for single was released on June 19, 2019. It features the Red Velvet members within a magical amusement park. Within 24 hours, the video had surpassed 10 million views on YouTube.[citation needed] The music video was placed atop BuzzFeed's list of "Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019", where it claimed that the video showcased everything "from dancing crystalline animals to boots that march on their own", labelling it as "a perfect example of how Red Velvet boldly pushes creative boundaries with grace, style, and a sprinkle of magic."[4]
"Zimzalabim" debuted at number 14 on the Gaon Digital Chart and peaked at number 11 the following week. The song debuted at number 8 on the BillboardK-pop Hot 100 before reaching number 4 in its second week. It became the group's fourteenth consecutive top-ten single on the World Digital Song Sales chart, reaching number 10 three weeks after its release. Moreover, "Zimzalabim" reached the weekly charts in Singapore and New Zealand, becoming their first entry on the latter chart.
^Lee, So-dam (June 26, 2019). '쇼챔피언' 레드벨벳, '짐살라빔' 컴백 첫 1위.."모든 행운 다 이뤄지길" [Red Velvet's 'Zimzalabim' Comeback First Win on Show Champion, "May all the luck come true."]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
^Ha, Su-jeong (June 27, 2019). '엠카' 레드벨벳, 출연없이 1위·2관왕..컴백 청하x(여자)아이들 [Red Velvet Wins First Place on 'M Countdown' With Two Wins Without Appearance, Chungha and (G)I-DLE's Comeback]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
^Kim, Bo-ra (June 28, 2019). '뮤직뱅크' 레드벨벳, 상반기 결산 1위 '3관왕'..청하・(여자)아이들 컴백 [Red Velvet Wins First Place on 'Music Bank' for the First Half of the Year with 'Three Wins', Chungha and (G)I-DLE's Comeback]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
^Lee, Ha-na (June 29, 2019). '음악중심' 레드벨벳, 방탄소년단 제치고 1위 등극‥은지원 청하 컴백 [Red Velvet Beats BTS for First Place in 'Show! Music Core', Eun Ji-won and Chung-ha's Comeback]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
^Ji, Yeon-joo (July 7, 2019). '인기가요' 레드벨벳 '짐살라빔' 막방에 1위, 청하→은지원 컴백 [Red Velvet's 'Zimzalabim' Won First Place on 'Inkigayo', Chungha and Eun Ji-won's Comeback]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
^2019년 07월 Digital Chart [July 2019 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 29, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^곡 정보 - 짐살라빔 (Zimzalabim) [Song Information - Zimzalabim]. Melon (in Korean). June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.