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Ice Cream Cake (song)

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"Ice Cream Cake"
Single by Red Velvet
from the album Ice Cream Cake
LanguageKorean
ReleasedMarch 17, 2015 (2015-03-17)
StudioSM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length3:11
Label
Composer(s)
  • Hayley Aitken
  • Sebastian Lundberg
  • Fredrik Häggstam
  • Johan Gustafsson
Lyricist(s)
Red Velvet singles chronology
"Automatic"
(2015) 		"Ice Cream Cake"
(2015) 		"Dumb Dumb"
(2015)
Music video
"Ice Cream Cake" on YouTube

"Ice Cream Cake" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their debut extended play Ice Cream Cake (2015). Primarily a dance-rock track with influences from drum and bass, the song was written by lyricist Jo Yoon-kyung, Kim Dong-hyun, Fredrik Häggstam, Hayley Aitken, Johan Gustafsson and Sebastian Lundberg,[1] while production and arrangement were handled by Hayley Aitken and Trinity Music. Following the release of "Automatic", it was released as the group's second single (marketed as the "main" title track) from the extended play on March 16, 2015, by SM Entertainment, along with an accompanying music video. With its parental release, the group showcased their dual sonic concept in one album for the first time as "Ice Cream Cake" was promoted as the "Red" single, in contrast to "Automatic" which was promoted as its "Velvet" single.

The song has since received critical acclaim from music critics, calling it an "addictive" and "unpredictable" pop infection, and showcased the group's potential. It also attained commercial success, becoming the group's breakthrough and second top-five hit, peaking at number four on Gaon Digital Chart and number three on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart.

Background and release

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After wrapping up promotions for "Be Natural" in late October 2014, it was announced that Red Velvet would return with an extended play, marking their first proper release since the group's debut in August 2014. Prior to the official comeback announcement, Red Velvet was spotted filming in a desert just outside of Palmdale, California for a music video in February 2015 with then SM Rookies member Yeri, with the then-rumored song title to be "Blonde Girl".[2] On March 11, 2015, S.M. Entertainment officially introduced Yeri as a new member of Red Velvet through a video uploaded on their YouTube channel, along with image teasers from member Irene and Joy.[3][4] On the same day, they revealed the title of the group's first album to be Ice Cream Cake, which would be released on March 18, 2015.[5] The official video for "Ice Cream Cake" was then uploaded on the official SMTOWN channel on March 16, before being released digitally on March 17, 2015.

Composition

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"Ice Cream Cake" was produced by Hayley Aitken and producing team Trinity Music, which consists of Sebastian Lundberg, Fredrik Haggstam and Johan Gustafson. In December 2012, a 21-second demo version of the song was first spotted during an episode of Swedish TV show Kobra, where Lundberg, Haggstam and Gustafson can be seen processing the demo version which was sung in English.[6] After being purchased by S.M. Entertainment, the song's lyrics was rewritten in Korean by songwriter Jo Yoon-kyung and Kim Dong-hyun, with the former who had been writing for Red Velvet's labelmates previously, and the song title changed from its original name of "Ice Cream Truck."[7]

"Ice Cream Cake"
"Ice Cream Cake" is a dance-rock song with influences of bubblegum pop.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Musically, the song is primarily a dance-rock track with influence from bubblegum pop and drum and bass, which represents the group's "Red" sonic characters. It was composed in the key of A major with a tempo of 172 beat-per-minute.[8] In addition, it also features "haunted" harmony which can be heard during the intro of the song, while being accompanied by the sound of a music box.[9] The lyrics tell the excitement of a girl being attracted to her boyfriend, using "ice cream cake" as a metaphor to the girl's feelings. Two different remix versions of the song were also used for the group's promotion, with the first one having an additional dance break section (performed on KBS Music Bank Half-Year Special) and the second one having a longer intro and another dance break section towards the end of the song, while omitting the second verse and chorus of the original version (performed on 2015 MBC Music Festival).[10][11]

Music video

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The music video for "Ice Cream Cake" was filmed around February 2015 at the Four Aces Movie Ranch located in Palmdale, California.[12] It was directed by director Woogie Kim, who had previously directed Red Velvet's debut single "Happiness".[13] Setting in an abandoned motel, the music video features all five members dancing and singing to the song while showing the girls eating ice cream and drinking iced coffee in colorful outfits in the desert. At some scenes, the group can be seen driving along the road while being chased after by a big pink ball. The song's choreography was created by choreographer Kyle Hanagami, who had previously choreographed for "Be Natural" in 2014. The video was uploaded on the official SMTOWN channel on March 16, 2015, and became the most viewed K-pop video in both America and the world for the month of March.[14] It has since received more 100 million views, making it their sixth most watched music video.

Live performances

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Promotion of the song was started with Ice Cream TV on March 17, 2015, where the group promoted their debut extended play by performing the songs live in the show, which was streamed through Naver Music and was hosted by SHINee's Minho.[15] Two days after the digital release, they had their first live performance of "Ice Cream Cake" on M! Countdown,[16] followed by performances on Music Bank on March 20[17] and Inkigayo on March 22, where they also performed a shortened version of "Automatic".[18] A week later, the group returned to Music Bank and won their first music show trophy since their official debut.[19] They then continued to promote the song within the first half of 2015 on music shows and radio talk shows, before ending with a year-end performance at the fifth Gaon Chart Music Awards on February 17, 2016, where they received the Hot Performance of the Year award.[20] The song was part of the set list for Red Velvet's first concert Red Room in August 2017, where a remix version was performed instead of the original version.

In addition to the domestic promotion, Red Velvet had their first overseas performance of "Ice Cream Cake" and their first as a 5-member group in an SMTOWN concert held in Taiwan.[21] The group then promoted and performed songs from the album in the Philippines for the Best of the Best K-pop Concert on April 12, a concert which also featured label mates Super Junior and Girls' Generation as well as Cube boy band BTOB, before having their first United States promotion at KCON on August 2 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Critical reception

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Upon its initial release, "Ice Cream Cake" was compared to the sound of label mate f(x) by many, and has since received critical acclaim from music critics. While Jeff Benjamin of Billboard magazine complimented the song as "a punchy, sugary pop confection", Kim Do-hyun of IZM chose it as a highlight of the EP, said the song "seemed to inherit" the sound of f(x), but "it built an identity" as "first Red Velvet".[22][23] Jakob Dorof of pop music magazine Spin described the track "Ice Cream Cake" as "a treat as unexpected as it is unpredictable [...] packs a punch, but goes down smooth over time" and deemed it "the SM label's specialty: bubblegum pop that deeply rewards repeat rotations."[9] On an individual music video review, Jesse Lent of KpopStarz said the song was "deeply arresting" and "delivers every intriguing move you could want from a shiny new pop song".[24] Writer Chelsea from Seoulbeats applauded the song "alarmingly catchy" and "definitely an ear worm", while writer Jung Bae of Hellokpop chose the song as the Best Dance and Electronic Song of 2015 and ranked it fifth on the Song of the Year chart.[25][26][27] The song would later appear in the top 25 Red Velvet songs by Billboard, landing at number eighteen on the list.[28]

Commercial performance

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Upon its digital release, "Ice Cream Cake" achieved great success and became the group's breakthrough hit. The song debuted and peaked at number four on Gaon Digital Chart while debuting at number three on Gaon Download Chart for the week of March 15, 2015, with a total sales of 145,437 downloads.[29][30] It became the group's second top-five hit following "Happiness", which debuted and peaked at number five in 2014. Furthermore, it also charted at number 11 and number 8 on the monthly chart of Gaon Digital Chart and Gaon Download Chart, respectively, for the month of March 2015, earning a total of 262,925 downloads.[31][32] Having spent a total of 17 weeks charting within the top 100, "Ice Cream Cake" appeared at number 46 on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart. As of July 2016, the song received more than 1,3 million downloads, making it Red Velvet's second million-seller and currently their eighth best-selling hit.[33]

Elsewhere, the song debuted at number three on the US Billboard World Digital Song, becoming their third entry and second top-five hit on the chart.[34][35] As of December 2019, "Ice Cream Cake" is the group's fourth most downloaded song, having achieved a total of 23,000 downloads.[36]

Accolades

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"Ice Cream Cake" won the Female Dance Award at the 2015 Melon Music Awards. It won the Best Female Dance Performance at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards, and got longlisted on the UnionPay Song of the Year. It also won the Digital Bonsang on the 2016 Golden Disc Awards. The song also received six music program wins.

Awards and nominations for "Ice Cream Cake"
Year Award show Category Result Ref.
2015 Melon Music Awards Dance Award (Female) Won [37]
Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Dance Performance – Female Group Won [38]
UnionPay Song of the Year Nominated [39]
2016 Golden Disc Awards Digital Bonsang Won [40]
Digital Song of the Year Nominated [41]
Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
Music Bank March 27, 2015 [42]
Inkigayo March 29, 2015 [43]
The Show March 31, 2015 [44]
Show Champion April 1, 2015 [45]
M Countdown April 2, 2015 [46]
Show! Music Core April 4, 2015 [47]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ice Cream Cake.[48]

Studio

  • Recorded at SM Blue Ocean Studio
  • Recorded at In Grid Studio
  • Additional vocal editing at SM Big Shot Studio
  • Mixed at SM Concert Hall Studio
  • Mastered at Sonic Korea

Personnel

  • Red Velvet (Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, Yeri) – vocals, background vocals
  • Jo Yoon-kyung – lyrics
  • Kim Dong-hyun – lyrics
  • Hayley Aitken – composition, arrangement, background vocals
  • Sebastian Lundberg – composition, arrangement
  • Fredrik Häggstam – composition, arrangement
  • Johan Gustafson – composition, arrangement
  • Kenzie – vocal directing
  • Kim Chul-soon – recording
  • Lee Min-kyu – recording, additional vocal editing
  • Jeong Eun-kyung – recording
  • Jiyoung Shin – additional vocal editing
  • Nam Koong-jin – mixing
  • Jeon Hoon – mastering
  • Shin Soo-min – mastering assistant

Charts

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Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Ice Cream Cake"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various March 17, 2015
[50]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ice Cream Cake by Red Velvet on Jaxsta - Overview". Jaxsta. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Red Velvet spotted filming an MV in America?". Allkpop. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  3. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (March 11, 2015). "[Video] Red Velvet Welcomes New Member Yeri in Time for Comeback". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  4. ^ "Red Velvet to Return with New Member Yeri as a Five-Member Group". Soompi. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  5. ^ "레드벨벳, 새 멤버 '예리' 합류 5인조 변신…18일 컴백". MK News (in Korean). March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  6. ^ SwedenKPOP (2012-12-06), (Eng) 121205 Swedish TVshow "Kobra" on KPOP - SHINee, Big Bang, Super Junior and more (Part 2 of 3), retrieved 2017-11-19
  7. ^ Red Room DVD Credits
  8. ^ "Ice Cream Cake - Red Velvet - Spot On Track". www.spotontrack.com. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  9. ^ a b "SPIN K-Pop Report: Ga-In Subverts Adam & Eve, Lim Kim Pops Smoky Bubblegum | SPIN". Spin. 2015-06-11. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  10. ^ SMTOWN (2015-06-29), Red Velvet 레드벨벳_'Ice Cream Cake'_KBS MUSIC BANK 'the First Half Year Special'_2015.06.26, retrieved 2017-11-19
  11. ^ MBCkpop (2015-12-31), [2015 MBC Music festival] 2015 MBC 가요대제전 - RED VELVET - Ice Cream Cake,레드벨벳-아이스크림케이크 20151231, retrieved 2017-11-19
  12. ^ "Red Velvet's Ice Cream Cake MV was filmed in a place called "Four Aces" in Palmdale, California". Red Velvet Updates. 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  13. ^ GDW (2015-03-28), Red Velvet (레드벨벳) - Ice Cream Cake, retrieved 2017-11-19
  14. ^ "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos in America & Around the World: March 2015". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  15. ^ "NEWS | Get The Latest News on K-pop & Your Star". mwave.interest.me. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  16. ^ Jeon, Ah Ram (March 22, 2015). "[Interview] Red Velvet Talks Rumors Surrounding Member Change, Goals for 'Ice Cream Cake' and More". Newsen. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  17. ^ "Super Junior D&E's "Growing Pains" Wins on Music Bank". Soompi. March 20, 2015. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  18. ^ Hwang Seong-un (March 22, 2015). "'인기가요' 레드벨벳, 전혀 다른 두 가지 매력 '아이스크림 케이크'와 '오토매틱'". 10asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  19. ^ Kim Mi-hwa (March 27, 2015). "'뮤뱅' 레드벨벳, 데뷔 7개월만 가요프로 첫 1위..눈물 펑펑". Korea Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  20. ^ "제5회 가온K팝어워드, YG 음원-SM 음반 '초강세'..빅뱅·엑소 5관왕(종합)- 스타뉴스". 스타뉴스 (in Korean). 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  21. ^ Hwang Seong-un (March 22, 2015). "SMTOWN, 대만 홀렸다…SMTOWN LIVE 대만 공연 성공리에 마무리". 10asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  22. ^ "Red Velvet Send Delicious 'Ice Cream' EP to World, Heatseeker Albums Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  23. ^ "Neo Music Communication IZM". IZM. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  24. ^ KpopStarz (2015-03-16). "Review: Red Velvet Return With A Serious Sugar Rush On The Irresistible 'Ice Cream Cake' [VIDEO]". KpopStarz. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  25. ^ "Sweet Love in Red Velvet's "Ice Cream Cake"". seoulbeats. 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  26. ^ "2015 in Review: Day 5 - Dance and Electronic". hellokpop. 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  27. ^ "2015 in Review: Day 13 - Song of the Year". hellokpop. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  28. ^ "Red Velvet's 25 Best Songs". Billboard. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  29. ^ a b 2015년 13주차 Digital Chart [2015, Week 13 Digital Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  30. ^ "Gaon Weekly Download Chart - Week 13, 2015". Gaon Chart. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  31. ^ a b 2015년 03월 Digital Chart [March 2015 Digital Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  32. ^ "Gaon Monthly Download Chart - March 2015". Gaon Chart. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  33. ^ Cumulative sales of "Ice Cream Cake" and "Dumb Dumb":
  34. ^ a b "World Digital Song Sales – The Week of April 4, 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  35. ^ "Chart History: Red Velvet – World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  36. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (January 3, 2020). "Red Velvet Score Second No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales With 'Psycho'". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  37. ^ Song, Jae-won (November 7, 2015). [포토]레드벨벳, 2015 MMA 여자 댄스 부문 수상! [Red Velvet Wins 2015 MMA Female Dance Award!]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021 – via Naver.
  38. ^ Lee, Eun-ho (December 2, 2015). '2015 MAMA' 레드벨벳, 베스트 댄스 퍼포먼스 여자그룹 수상 [Red Velvet Wins Best Dance Performance Female Group in '2015 MAMA']. TenAsia (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  39. ^ 2015 MAMA [UnionPay Song of the Year Nominees] 151202 EP.1 (YouTube). Mnet K-POP. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  40. ^ 2016년 30회 수상자 리스트 (디지털 음원 부문) – 음원 본상 [List of 30 Winners in 2016 (Digital Song Division) – Digital Bonsang]. Golden Disc Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  41. ^ "Global Fan's Choice - Single". Archived from the original on December 14, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  42. ^ Lee, Sang-eun (March 27, 2015). 레드벨벳, '아이스크림 케이크'로 뮤직뱅크 첫 1위… 눈물 '펑펑' [Red Velvet Won First Place on Music Bank with 'Ice Cream Cake', 'Welled Up' with Tears]. Kyeongin Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  43. ^ 인기가요 '레드벨벳' 1위, 美 빌보드도 인정한 '아이스크림 케이크' ['Red Velvet' Wins First Place on Inkigayo, 'Ice Cream Cake' Recognized by Billboard]. Asia Business Daily (in Korean). March 30, 2015. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  44. ^ Choi, Jin-sil (April 6, 2015). 레드벨벳, ‘아이스크림 케이크’로 음악 프로그램 1위 올킬 [Red Velvet Wins First Place on Every Music Program with All Kill 'Ice Cream Cake']. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  45. ^ Sun, Mi-kyung (April 1, 2015). 레드벨벳, '쇼챔피언'도 1위..벌써 4관왕 '초대박 행진' [Red Velvet Wins First Place on 'Show Champion', Already Won Four Trophies, 'A Super-beaten March']. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  46. ^ Jang, Ah-reum (April 2, 2015). 레드벨벳, 백지영X송유빈 제치고 '엠카'도 1위 '기염' [Red Velvet Wins First Place on 'M Countdown' Beating Baek Ji-young and Song Yu-bin]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  47. ^ Oh, So-young (April 4, 2015). 레드벨벳 '아이스크림 케이크', 전 음악방송 1위 휩쓸어 [Red Velvet's 'Ice Cream Cake' is Number One on Music Shows]. SportsQ (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  48. ^ Ice Cream Cake (booklet) (in Korean). Red Velvet. SM Entertainment. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  49. ^ 2015년 Digital Chart [2015 Digital Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  50. ^ 곡 정보 - Ice Cream Cake [Song Information - Ice Cream Cake] (in Korean). Melon. March 17, 2017. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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