Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You
Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You | ||||
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File:SHINee Dream Girl 'Ch. 1 You' Cover.jpg | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 19, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
Studio | S.M. Studios, Seoul | |||
Genre | K-pop,[1] electropop,[2] dance[3] | |||
Length | 30:46 | |||
Language | Korean | |||
Label | S.M. Entertainment (record) KMP Holdings (distribution) | |||
Producer |
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Shinee chronology | ||||
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Singles from Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Dream Girl" on YouTube |
Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You is the first part of the third full-length album of South Korean boy band Shinee, released on February 19, 2013 in South Korea under the seal of the label SM Entertainment and distributed by KT Music. The album contains nine songs, including the title track "Dream Girl". The second album Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me was released on April 29, 2013. Both albums contain 9 songs each, for a total of 18 songs combined – a compilation albums titled The Misconceptions of Us was released on August 8, 2013.
The album received favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Shinee's energy and forward-thinking pop. The album was commercially successful in South Korea—the title track topped the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart. The album sold over 137,000 copies during the first month of release and more than 180,000 at the end of the year and placing in the Top 10 of the most sold albums for 2013.[4][5]
Background and release
From a production stand point, we wanted to express 'Misconceptions of You' in the first chapter and 'Misconception of Me' in the second chapter. The two albums have a lot of stories about 'misconceptions'.
Shinee, at Melon Premiere SHINee Music Spoiler, on the splitting of "Dream Girl"
On February 11, Shinee revealed that the title song "Dream Girl" was produced by Shin Hyuk and his team Joombas Music Factory and described the song as "an acid electro funk song".[6] Several days later the group held the event "Melon Premiere SHINee Music Spoiler" where they revealed six out of the nine songs on the album to 100 music reviewers, as well as a song and a medley of three songs from Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me. Two of the directors for the album also made an appearance to give a basic explanation about the concepts and meanings behind the project.
Director Lee Sung-soo from SM Entertainment's producing department shared information about the songs and their meanings, while Director Min Hee-jin from SM Entertainment's visual and art directing department introduced Shinee's visual concept. Furthermore, the choreography for the title song "Dream Girl" was revealed, which was choreographed by Tony Testa, who previously worked with Shinee on Sherlock. The making of the music video was also shown which showed the members jumping on trampolines and using running machines.[7] Member Onew stated on the making of the two albums, "It's our first full album that we're releasing in a while, so we worked really hard. Minho and Key worked on the rapping, Jonghyun worked on the lyrics, and Taemin worked on the choreography." Taemin described the album as one where each member's individuality shines through their voices, "We know each other best so a lot of our opinions went into this album." Jonghyun in conjunction said, "Taemin's delivery of the lyrics is good. Minho's falsetto is really nice these days. Key is good at English. We know each other's strengths so we split the parts up according to who can shine on what. We had fun working on the album."[8][9]
This album is about "my misconception of you", "the misconception of the world wrapped around me", and "the misconception of reality". The lyrics can be interpreted as the dreams, ideals, and visions of the world through Shinee's eyes. It showcases the original Shinee-esque side which everyone is familiar with.[10] In a video interview with Billboard, Shinee said the song titles to Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me were revealed in this album's opening track, "Spoiler."[11] The album was released digitally and physically on February 19, 2013 and distributed by KT Music.[12]
Artwork and concept
At the "Melon Premiere SHINee Music Spoiler" on February 14, director of SM Entertainment's Visual and Art Directing department Min Hee-jin stated on the album artwork, "The album jacket shows the fantasies of the members. It has the members' own images and the ideal types they look for. Please break your misconceptions and prior judgement you have on Shinee." [13] While talking about the title track Hee-jin stated the 'Dream Girl' is not simply just a girl. The director described the dream girl as a projection of Shinee: "When we look for ideal types, we usually find someone who is similar to us or completely different from us. So when we search for our dream person, we are actually searching for another side of us." To put it another way, it'd be, "Who is the me that I am looking for?"[14]
In regards to the teaser photos and album she stated, "I tried to include what I've gathered from talking to each of the members by putting their thoughts into images. Each of the images has some kind of idea that the members wanted to present to the public. It should be entertaining to try and figure some of those puzzles out. Try not to miss any of the small details. We looked for fresh ideas and images. Instead of working with famous artists and photographers, we worked with up-and-coming talents with new ideas."[13]
Singles
"Dream Girl" was produced by Hyuk Shin and his team of composers, Joombas Music Factory. They described the song as "an acid electro funk song".[6] It is written by Jun Gandi and composed by Hyuk Shin, Jordan Kyle, Ross Lara, Dave Cook, DK, and Anthony "TC" Crawford.[15] The song has a fuller sound, featuring electric guitars among various other synths and the beat is very diverse and complex with a lot of tempo changes. The song is described as the most "Shinee-like song" in the album and tells about how the five boys meet their dream girl that only appear in their dreams, and disappear in reality.[6][15] The accompanying music video was filmed in January 2013, with choreography by Tony Testa.[6] The song peaked at number 1 on the Gaon Singles Chart[16] and number 3 on the Korea K-Pop Hot 100.[17] The music video to the single was released on February 19, 2013 and features the members of the group doing unique tricks with mic stands that are noted to be the highlight of the dance routine. It's full of color and modern flair. The music video is the work of Digipedi, a South Korean video production company formed and led by the duo Seong Won-mo and Park Sang-woo.[18]
A Japanese version, written by Hidenori Tanaka and agehasprings, was included as one of the three tracks on their eighth Japanese CD single "Boys Meet U", which was released on August 21, 2013 under the distributing label of EMI Music Japan. Before the release, the version was performed live during their second Japan arena tour Shinee World 2013.[19]
Critical reception
Billboard K-Town columnist Jeff Benjamin wrote that the lead single, "Dream Girl", is a "safe, enjoyable mainstream single" while the album is "a triumph that never lacks in energy and balances nods to 80s pop stars and forward-thinking pop". He said "songs like 'Punch Drunk Love' and 'Aside' sonically recall the sounds of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, respectively", while "tracks like 'Beautiful' and 'Runaway' combine unique electronic production elements over sugary boy band harmonies to create year-round pop music".[2]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the official homepage.[20][21]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Spoiler" (스포일러) | Kim Jong-hyun |
| 3:31 | |
2. | "Dream Girl" |
|
| 3:00 | |
3. | "히치하이킹" (Hitchhiking) | Kim Bu-min |
| Hitchhiker | 4:07 |
4. | "Punch Drunk Love" | Gan-di |
|
| 3:39 |
5. | "Girls, Girls, Girls" |
|
| 2:46 | |
6. | "방백" (Aside) |
| Hwang Hyun | Hwang Hyun | 3:44 |
7. | "아름다워" (Beautiful) |
|
|
| 3:10 |
8. | "다이너마이트" (Dynamite) |
| Hitchhiker | Hitchhiker | 3:39 |
9. | "Runaway" | Young-hu Kim |
|
| 3:10 |
Total length: | 31:01 |
Notes
Charts
Album chart
Country | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|
South Korea | Gaon Weekly album chart[22] | 1 |
Gaon Monthly album chart[23] | 1 | |
Japan | Oricon Albums Chart[24] | 10 |
Taiwan | G-Music Asia Chart[25] | 1 |
United States | Billboard World Albums[26] | 2 |
Billboard Heatseekers[27] | 5 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
South Korea | February 19, 2013 | CD, digital download | SM Entertainment | [28] |
Philippines | May 25, 2013 | CD | Universal Records | |
Taiwan | March 22, 2013 | Avex Taiwan | [29] |
References
- ^ "자신감 있는 미리보기"…샤이니, '핫'한 뮤직 스포일러 (in Korean). Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
- ^ a b Jeff Benjamin and Jessica Oak (March 12, 2013). "SHINee on 'Dream Girl,' MJ Comparisons and K-Pop Globalization: Exclusive".
- ^ "The 3rd Korean Album Dream Girl". SM Entertainment. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Gaon Album Ranking Monthly (2/2013)" (in Korean). Gaon Chart.
- ^ "Gaon Album Ranking Yearly (2013)" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
- ^ a b c d Dispatch (2013-02-14). "자신감 있는 미리보기"…샤이니, '핫'한 뮤직 스포일러 (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 16, 2013.
- ^ Dispatch (2013-02-14). "자신감 있는 미리보기"…샤이니, '핫'한 뮤직 스포일러 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2013-12-16.
- ^ Sports Seoul News (February 14, 2013). 샤이니 "멤버들 보컬 개성 가장 많이 담긴 3집입니다" (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 16, 2013.
- ^ 샤이니의 방식으로 본 현실·꿈 담았죠 (in Korean). Yonhap News via Naver. 2013-02-14.
- ^ ""샤이니의 방식으로 본 현실·꿈 담았죠"". Yeonhap News (in Korean). Naver. February 14, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ^ Jeff Benjamin, Jessica Oak and Billboard Korea Staff (2013-03-12). "SHINee on 'Dream Girl,' MJ Comparisons and K-Pop Globalization: Exclusive" (in Korean).
- ^ "샤이니, 19일 3집 '드림걸' 발표..11개월만의 컴백!". Osen via Naver. February 7, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ a b asiatoday.co.kr (2013-02-14). 샤이니, 정규 3집 수록곡 최초 공개 ″청량하게, 혹은 거칠게…역시 샤이니!″(종합) (in Korean).
- ^ Review Star Hankooki (February 14, 2013). 샤이니 3집, '앨범 그 자체'에 담긴 샤이니스러움의 결정판 (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 15, 2013.
- ^ a b "Shinee discography". SM Entertainment. February 19, 2013.
- ^ "Dream Girl (2013)". February 17–23, 2013. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016.
- ^ "Korea K-Pop Hot 100 Music Chart". Billboard. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- ^ "샤이니 '드림 걸' 뮤비 오늘 전 세계 공개!". Chosun via The Star. February 19, 2013.
- ^ "Shinee – Boys Meet U". EMI Music Japan. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
- ^ "Shinee's Official Homepage – Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You". SM Entertainment. August 25, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ^ "Shinee's Official Homepage – The 3rd Album 'The Misconceptions of Us'". SM Entertainment. August 25, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ^ Gaon (2013-02-28). "Gaon Weekly Charts (see #1)" (in Korean).
- ^ "Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You (2013)". February 17–23, 2013. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016.
- ^ "Oricon Weekly Chart (see #10)". March 11, 2013. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016.
- ^ "G-Music Albums Chart: March 15, 2013" (in Chinese). G-Music. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013.
- ^ Billboard Charts
- ^ Billboard Heatseekers Albums
- ^ "Shinee – Dream Girl" (in Korean). SM Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- ^ "Shinee – Dream Girl" (in Chinese). Avex Taiwan. Retrieved 2014-01-06.