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Fantastic Baby

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This article is about the single. For Big Bang's fan meeting tour, see Fantastic Babys.
"Fantastic Baby"
Single by Big Bang
from the album Alive
Language
  • Korean
  • Japanese
ReleasedMarch 7, 2012 (2012-03-07)
Genre
Length3:51
LabelYG Entertainment
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • G-Dragon
  • Teddy
Big Bang singles chronology
"Bad Boy"
(2012) 		"Fantastic Baby"
(2012) 		"Monster"
(2012)
Music video
"Fantastic Baby" on YouTube

"Fantastic Baby" is a song recorded in two languages (Korean and Japanese) by South Korean group Big Bang. The Korean version was released as the third single for their fourth extended play Alive (2012), through YG on March 7, 2012. The Japanese version was released on March 28, 2012, simultaneously with the group's fourth Japanese studio album also titled Alive. The track was described as an Electropop and EDM song with an anarchistic theme. Upon release, it peaked at number three on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and on Billboard World Digital Songs, as well as reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

"Fantastic Baby" is recognized as "one of the biggest K-pop hits ever",[1] being hailed a highlight of the K-pop part in spreading the Hallyu Wave internationally. Its music video broke several records for K-pop groups on YouTube, including being the first to surpass 200 and 300 million views and being the most-watched video. The song was well received by music critics, with Rolling Stone naming it one of the greatest boy band songs of all-time. The single went on to sell more than four million downloads in South Korea and over 6.5 million across Asia, becoming one of the best-selling digital singles of all-time and one of the best-selling singles in South Korea.

Release and promotion

"Fantastic Baby" was released as a single in March 2012. A teaser of the music video was released on the music show Inkigayo on March 4, 2012 and the full video was published on YouTube two days later.[2] The first performance of the song was made in their concert Big Show 2012 in Seoul. A Japanese-language version was released in March, on the Japanese version of Alive. The song was translated by the Korean-Japanese member of M-Flo, Verbal.[3] This version was also included in the 2014 greatest hits album The Best of Big Bang 2006-2014.

Composition

Written and produced by G-Dragon and Teddy Park, with additional rap parts penned by T.O.P, "Fantastic Baby" is an anarchistic dance,[4] EDM, hip hop and electropop track that was described as a "full-on banger" with a "boisterous, genre-blending sound."[5][6] NME compared the single's "boom shakalaka" refrain to music of the 1960s band Sly and the Family Stone.[7]

Commercial performance

After four days from releasing the album, the song debuted at number four in the Gaon Digital Chart, charting behind Big Bang's songs "Blue," "Bad Boy" and "Love Dust", selling 450,021 copies.[8][9] In the next week, the song rose to number three, selling 362,298 copies.[10][11] The single was the second best-selling song of March 2012, reaching 1,351,429 downloads[12] and charted first on the monthly Digital chart.[13] The song was the fifth best selling and sixth most streamed single of the year, with 3,339,871 copies sold and over 30 million streams in South Korea.[14][15] As of September 2016, Fantastic Baby reached 4 million downloads in South Korea, the best-selling boy group song on Gaon Music Chart.

Fantastic Baby is the longest charting K-Pop group song on Billboard's World Digital Songs, spending over 100 weeks on chart.[1] In September 2012, the song was certified gold by the RIAJ for PC downloads, one of only two K-Pop songs to achieve this in Japan in 2012.[16] In December 2013, the song was certified platinum.[17] Fantastic Baby charted for over 70 weeks on the Japan Hot 100.[18] "Fantastic Baby" has sold over 2.5 million downloads on Chinese download service KuGou.[19]

Music video

Production and synopsis

Big Bang
The music video shows the individuality of each member in a fashion style considered extravagant and urban.

Filmed in an abandoned warehouse,[20] the music video for "Fantastic Baby" was directed by Seo Hyun-seung.[21] Described as a "visual stunner,"[22] the video's theme is "the fight for the freedom."[23] The members are seen wearing powerful fashion statements, such as futuristic helmets, metal shoulder embellishments and jewelled crowns, wearing dark make-up and unique hairstyles.[21][23] The background dancers act as "rebels colliding with oppressors," wearing masks in stylish sets containing wreckage, spraying wires and waves of smoke, while dancing saja-nori (Korean lion dance).[22][23] Big Bang released a Japanese version of the music video focused on the group’s scenes while they are in a warehouse setting. Some individual scenes were removed and there are no extras in this version.[24]

In "Fantastic Baby," the story starts with a clear revolution aimed at stopping music symbolized by the simplified version of Big Bang's skull logo with a slash. The black-masked people represent those who capitalized on past controversies and tried to discourage, discredit and ultimately disband the group, whereas the white-masked people symbolize the V.I.P.s, Big Bang's fans, who continued to defend and protect Big Bang despite everything. In the video there are three frames of T.O.P. wearing a variety of outfits reminiscent of historical revolutionary figures such as George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte, representing Big Bang's status as K-Pop's musical revolutionaries. The video also features Daesung in chains, representing the emotional turmoil he went through after his accident. The images of a frozen Taeyang, a scarred Seungri, and a seemingly silenced G-Dragon, portray the publicity nightmare the boys faced in the past.[25] However, the video shows how they strained to change the world around. The video concludes with a giant dance party and the five boys being crowned kings upon thrones.[26]

Reception

Kevin Perry from the British music publication NME compared the music video's outfits to Lady Gaga's style.[7] When commenting about "Gangnam Style"'s success, The Daily Telegraph recommended "Fantastic Baby" to its readers, highlighting the video's "fashionista eccentricity and excess."[27] Francois Marchand from The Vancouver Sun felt that "Fantastic Baby is easily one of the most colourfully twisted pop videos we've seen in a while, combining RPG style art, riot gear, steampunk elements and street pop swagger."[28] Tamar Herman of Billboard praised the video's "stimulating visual feast" when "promoting music as a form of rebellion."[5] The Guardian named "Fantastic Baby" the best K-pop music video of 2012, claiming that the "supremely demented" video "establishes global equilibrium."[29] The music video for "Fantastic Baby" won the World Music Awards for "Video of the Year"[30] and the MTV Video Music Awards Japan for "Best Dance Video."[31]

As of March 2014, the official music video for "Fantastic Baby" on YouTube surpassed 100 million views,[32] making it the fourth Korean video to do so, after PSY's Gangnam Style and Gentleman, and Girls' Generation's Gee,[33] and the first by a boy band.[34] In 2016, the music video became the first from a K-Pop group to reach 200 million views and later the song became the first Korean group music video to surpass one million likes on YouTube.[35][36]

On June 2017, "Fantastic Baby" was marked as the first music video by K-pop group to reach 300 million views.[37] It was hit 400 million views as June 2019.[38]

Reception and impact

Big Bang performing "Fantastic Baby" during K-Collection fashion show

Fantastic Baby received critical acclaim upon release. Writing about the single's influence, Tamar Herman from Billboard recognized that "'Fantastic Baby' was the first song to cross international boundaries with its then-groundbreaking EDM style" and that it "took K-Pop to a whole new level." The author also praised the song for being "nothing short of fantastic".[6][5] Kaitlin Miller from the Sun-Times called the track one of Big Bang's best songs, hailing it a "quintessential K-Pop song" for being able to reach an international audience.[39] Rolling Stone stated that "this instantly accessible single from K-Pop phenomenon Big Bang blew off many doors of American crossover with little effort on the band's part" and labeled "Fantastic Baby" as a "modern-day essential" for showcasing "K-pop's genre-bending, visually-oriented charms."[40] Smith Sonian included the track as one of the highlights of Korean music in the Hallyu Wave.[41]

"Fantastic Baby" was featured in the American TV show Glee[42] and included in the trailer for the movie Pitch Perfect 2, which was described as a "win for Korean music that has seemingly penetrated yet another traditional media source."[1] The members' visuals in the music video, especially G-Dragon's long red-streaked side hair, have been parodied several times, including by Running Man cast members and by Dynamic Duo.[43][44] The South Korean network Arirang TV considered the song as part of Big Bang's "mega hits".[45] The track is also used as a main track of Kalyeserye, a soap-opera comedy segment of the noontime show Eat Bulaga! in the Philippines.

In 2018, the song was played during the Opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. "Fantastic Baby" also picked by music critics as one of 100 greatest boy band songs of all time released by Billboard.[46]

Accolades
Publication List Rank Ref
Rolling Stone 50 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time 22 [40]
Stereogum 20 Best K-Pop Videos 2 [47]
The Dong-a Ilbo Top Male Idol Songs in the Past 20 Years 6 [48]
Billboard 10 Best Big Bang Songs 1 [49]
Billboard 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s 65 [50]

Credits and personnel

Adapted from Qobuz (Korean edition).[51]

Charts

Sales and certifications

Chart Sales
South Korean' Gaon 4,036,298[65]
China's Kugou 2,570,000[19]

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) 2× Platinum[66] 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Awards and nominations

Year Award-Giving Body Category Result Ref
2012 Cyworld Digital Music Awards Song of the Month (March) Won [67]
Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards Song of the Month (March) Won [68]
MelOn Music Awards Song of the Year Nominated [69]
Global Star Award Nominated
Netizen Popularity Battle Award Nominated
2013 Seoul Music Awards Bonsang Won [70]
MTV Video Music Awards Japan Best Dance Video Won [31]
2014 World Music Awards World's Best Video of the Year Won [30]

Music programs awards

Program Date
Mnet's M! Countdown March 15, 2012
March 22, 2012

Release history

Region Date Format Label
South Korea February 29, 2012 digital download YG Entertainment
Worldwide
Japan March 28, 2012 YG Entertainment, YGEX

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Jeff Benjamin (April 16, 2015). "New "Picht Perfect 2" Trailer Features BIGBANG's Kpop Meha Hit "Fantastic Baby"". Billboard.
  2. ^ "Big Bang releases "Fantastic Baby" MV preview on Inkigayo!". Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  3. ^ "FANTASTIC BABY". J-Lyric. 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  4. ^ "K-Pop Mixtape: 9 most definitive Big Bang Songs". KpopStarz. August 23, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Herman, Tamar (March 7, 2017). "5 years of BIGBANG's 'Fantastic Baby'". Billboard.
  6. ^ a b "BIGBANG 10 must listen songs". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Beyond 'Gangnam Style' - A Beginners Guide To K-Pop". NME. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  8. ^ "2012 Digital Chart Week 10". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  9. ^ "2012 Download Chart Week 10". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "2012 Digital Chart Week 11". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "2012 Download Chart Week 11". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "2012년 03월 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  13. ^ "2012년 03월 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "2012년 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  15. ^ "2012년 Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  16. ^ レコード協会調べ 9月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: September Digital Music Download Certifications]. RIAJ (in Japanese). October 19, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  17. ^ レコード協会調べ 11月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: November Digital Music Download Certifications]. RIAJ (in Japanese). December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  18. ^ "BIGBANG CHART HISTORY". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "酷狗单曲畅销榜" (in Chinese). KuGou. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  20. ^ "BIGBANG's "Fantastic Baby" Earns Two Gold Medals on Youtube". Soompi. March 17, 2012.
  21. ^ a b "Big Bang Fantastic Baby M/V Revealed! [Video]". KpopStarz. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Big Bang Releases 'Fantastic Baby' MV". M Wave. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  23. ^ a b c "THE BIZARRE, CREATIVE AND DEVASTATING. BIGBANG'S TOP 5 MUSIC VIDEOS". K-Ville Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  24. ^ "Big Bang Releases "Fantastic Baby" Japanese -Ver. 0- Music Video". soompi. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  25. ^ Catherine Deen (March 12, 2012). "K-Pop royalty Big Bang speaks to fans with 'Fantastic Baby'". Yahoo! Philippines. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  26. ^ Tamar Herman (March 7, 2017). "5 Years of BIGBANG's 'Fantastic Baby'". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  27. ^ "South Korea: a rough guide to Gangnam style". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  28. ^ March, Francois; March, More from Francois; 16, Published on: March; Pdt, 2012 4:18 Pm (16 March 2012). "K-pop sensation Big Bang's latest video is fantastic, baby". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 4 June 2016. {{cite web}}: |last3= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Robinson, Peter (27 December 2012). "The 2012 pop video awards". The Guardian. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  30. ^ a b "World Music Awards :: G-Dragon Wins "World's Best Entertainer" and "World's Best Album" Awards". World Music Awards. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  31. ^ a b "Big Bang and 2PM Win at the ′MTV VMAJ 2013′". Mnet. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  32. ^ BIGBANG (6 March 2012). "BIGBANG - FANTASTIC BABY M/V". You Tube. Retrieved 4 June 2016 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "#BigBang100M Big Bang's 'Fantastic Baby' MV reaches 100 million views". DKPop News. March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  34. ^ "Big Bang's 'Fantastic Baby' Becomes First Video By A Male K-Pop Group To Surpass 100 Million Views YG Claims". KPopStarz. March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  35. ^ "Big Bang's 'Fantastic Baby' is the first K-Pop group's MV to reach 200 million views on YouTube!". AllKpop. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  36. ^ "'Fantastic Baby' Becomes 1st Non-Psy Song To Surpass 1 Million Likes On YouTube". Kpop Starz. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  37. ^ "빅뱅 '판타스틱 베이비' 유튜브 3억뷰 돌파...특별 포스터 공개" [Big Bang 'Fantastic Baby' exceeds 300 million views on Youtube... Special poster released]. Dong-a Sports (in Korean). June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  38. ^ Times, Business (2019-06-11). "BIGBANG Hits First 400 Million Views On YouTube With 'Fantastic Baby'". Business Times. Retrieved 2019-07-15. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  39. ^ Miller, Kaitlin (2015-05-02). "Big Bang's 10 best songs of the past 10 years". Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  40. ^ a b "50 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  41. ^ Sonian, Smith. Music: The Korean Wave. Penguin Books. p. 372.
  42. ^ "Big Bang's "Fantastic Baby" & Psy's "Gangnam Style" featured on GLEE". allkpop. 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
  43. ^ "[MV] Dynamic Duo (다이나믹듀오) _ Jam (꿀잼)". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  44. ^ "'Running Man' Members Transform As Big Bang Members". Korea Portal. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  45. ^ Foundation, arirang,Arirang International Broadcasting. "Art and Culture2". Arirang. Retrieved 4 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ "The 100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  47. ^ "The 20 Best K-Pop Videos". Stereogum. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  48. ^ ""반짝반짝 눈이 부셔"… 빅뱅-소녀시대 역대 최고 아이돌 원문보". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  49. ^ "The 10 Best BIGBANG Songs: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  50. ^ "The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  51. ^ "Alive - BIGBANG". Qobuz (in French). Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  52. ^ "2012 Streaming Chart Week 14". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  53. ^ "KOREA K-POP HOT 100 - Week March 24, 2012". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  54. ^ "BIGBANG Chart History - Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  55. ^ "New 'Pitch Perfect 2' Trailer Features BIGBANG's K-Pop Hit 'Fantastic Baby". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  56. ^ "2012 Monthly Digital Chart - March". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  57. ^ "2012 Monthly Download Chart - March". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  58. ^ "2012 Monthly Streaming Chart - March". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  59. ^ "2012 Yearly Digital Chart". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  60. ^ "2012 Yearly Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
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  63. ^ a b c List of K-pop on the Billboard charts
  64. ^ "Japan Hot 100". Billboard Japan. Billboard Japan. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  65. ^ Cumulative sales for "Fantastic Baby"
  66. ^ "レコード協会調べ 8月度有料音楽配信認定" [Record Association Investigation: August Digital Music Download Certifications] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. September 18, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  67. ^ "Song of the Month". Cyworld. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  68. ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". Gaon. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  69. ^ "Winners from the '2012 MelOn Music Awards'! - allkpop.com". Allkpop. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  70. ^ "Winners from the '22nd Seoul Music Awards' - allkpop.com". Allkpop. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
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