School Anthem

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School Anthem (학원별곡)
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 14, 1997
Recorded1997
Genre
Length46:46
LabelDaeSung Enterprise
SechsKies chronology
School Anthem (학원별곡)
(1997)
Welcome to the Sechskies Land
(1997)
Singles from School Anthem
  1. "School Anthem"
    Released: May 14, 1997
  2. "A Man's Path (Live or Die by Style)"
    Released: May 14, 1997
  3. "Remember Me"
    Released: May 14, 1997
  4. "Heartbreak"
    Released: May 14, 1997

School Anthem (Korean학원별곡; RRHakWonByeolGok; or "School Byeolgok") is the debut studio album by South Korean boy band SechsKies. It was released on May 14, 1997, by DSP Entertainment.[1] The album features the hit song, "A Man's Path (Live or Die by Style)" (Hangul: 사나이 가는길 (폼생폼사).

Background[edit]

On April 15, 1997, Sechs Kies debuted with their first single "School Anthem". Sechs Kies immediately gained attention for being a great promotional competitor to H.O.T as the hottest rookie group of the year. A month later, on May 14, 1997, they released a full-length album named after the title track, "School Anthem". They also promoted the album with the songs "A Man's Path (Live or Die by Style)", "Remember Me", and "Heartbreak".

The album reportedly sold 600,000 copies, but a former manager of the group says the album may have exceeded around 1.7-1.8 million copies. Since there were no official records for album sales before September 1998, this could mean that this total comes from the sales made in that year, which would also include the sales of their next album, Welcome to the Sechskies Land, released in November that same year.[2][3][4][5]

Reception[edit]

The title track, "School Anthem" called out the problematic education system that obsessed over grades with its lyrics. Paired together with a strong rap beat, the song appealed to teenagers the month. Their acrobatic dance moves and their signature "back down" dance move, showcased how capable this group was and ranked them within Gayo Top 10's (Hangul: 가요톱10) top 20 list.

The track "School Anthem" was covered by a 3rd generation boy band, BTS in a mashup that included H.O.T's "Warrior's Descendant" and their own debut track, "No More Dream" for an end-of-the-year performance at the 2013 MBC Gayo Daejejeon.[6]

The song, "A Man's Path (Live or Die by Style)" has been covered by several boy groups, such as SS501, (who were part of DSP Media at the time), U-Kiss, VIXX, as well as by the rookie group SF9.[7][8][9][10]

Music videos[edit]

Daesung Entertainment released music videos for two of the songs on the album. One of the music videos is for the title track School Anthem, which contains various clips of students in school, self camera shots of the members singing and rapping, and the entire group dancing.

The second song is for A Man's Path (Live or Die by Style). The song used in the music video is the remix version, and contains various clips of the group dancing and having fun. There are two versions of the music video for this track.

Track listing[edit]

Bolded tracks are noted as the promotional tracks of the album.

No.TitleLyricsMusicTranslated TitleLength
1."Rise Up / School Anthem" (학원별곡; "Hakwon Byeolgok")Park Gi-youngLee Yoon-sangSchool Byeolgok4:04
2."Heartbreak" (연정 (戀情); "Yeon Jung")Lee Seung-hoYoo Il-sangAffection3:34
3."The Boy Is On The Way (Live or Die by Style)" (사나이 가는 길 (폼生폼死); "Sanai Ganeun Gil (Pom Saeng Pom Sa)")Kim Young-ahPark Geun-tae 4:01
4."Confirming" (확인; "Hwakin")Kim Eun-jungPark Geun-tae 3:59
5."Bad Girl" (배신감; "Baeshingam")Lee Seung-hoYoon Il-sangBetrayal3:43
6."Remember Me" (기억해줄래; "Gieokhaejullae")Jang Dae-sungPark Geun-taeWill You Remember Me?4:07
7."Walking in the Rain"Park Gi-youngLee Yoon-sang 4:57
8."Dream Comes True"Lee Seung-hoLee Yoon-sang 3:45
9."Love Announcement" (사랑 신고식; "Sarang Shin-goshik")Kang Eun-kyungLee Yoon-sang 3:33
10."Come On!" (다 같이 해요)Kang Eun-kyungLee Yoon-sangLet's Do It All Together3:32
11."Heartbreak (Remix)"   3:43
12."The Boy Is On The Way (Remix)"   3:47
Total length:46:46

References[edit]

  1. ^ "네이버 뮤직 :: 1집 학원별곡 - 젝스키스". NAVER MUSIC. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  2. ^ The Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  3. ^ 영상음반協 공식집계 발표 의미 [The Meaning of Announcing Official Album Sales Records by the Korea Video Record Association]. etnews (in Korean). 14 September 1998. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  4. ^ 스타스토리 - Sechs Kies [Star Story - Sechs Kies]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). July 1997. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  5. ^ 젝스키스 잠시 활동 중단 [SechsKies to stop activities briefly]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). 2 September 1997. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
  6. ^ "720p 131231 BTS Performances @MBC Gayo Daejejeon 2013". YouTube. MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  7. ^ "[27.02.2009] SS501- Pom Saeng Pom Sa - Special Stage @ Music Bank". YouTube. KBS (Korean Broadcasting System). Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Eun Jiwon & U Kiss - Sechskies' Pom Saeng Pom Sa [MuBank 01.01.2010]". YouTube. KBS (Korean Broadcasting System). Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  9. ^ "[STAR ZOOM IN] Seches Kies is back! VIXX dancing to 'Pom Saeng Pom Sa' 160518 EP.88". YouTube. Mnet Official. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  10. ^ "[SF9 - PomSaengPomSa (Sechs Kies)] Special Stage M COUNTDOWN 161027 EP.498". YouTube. Mnet Official. Retrieved 14 February 2017.