Girls' Generation (2011 album) explained

Girls' Generation
Type:studio
Artist:Girls' Generation
Cover:Japan1stalbumsjjd.jpg
Caption:Digital and regular edition cover
Recorded:August 2010 – March 2011
Genre:Pop[1]
Language:Japanese
Label:Nayutawave
Prev Title:Hoot
Prev Year:2010
Next Title:The Boys
Next Year:2011

Girls' Generation is the self-titled debut Japanese album and third overall by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation, released by Nayutawave Records and Universal Music Japan on June 1, 2011. A repackaged edition of the album, The Boys, was released on December 28, 2011.

Girls' Generation experienced commercial success in Japan, peaking at number one on the Oricon album chart and was ranked the fifth best-selling album in the country during 2011. To promote the album, Girls' Generation embarked on their first Japan concert tour, The First Japan Arena Tour. Furthermore, the album ranked 18th on Spin magazine's list of the Top 20 Pop Albums of 2011.

With the aid of their repackaged album, the album has officially shipped over 1 million copies as of January 11, 2012. As of June 2012, the album has been "Million"-certified by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), making the group the second Korean artist and first Korean group to earn this achievement in Japan since Korean labelmate BoA's Best of Soul in 2005. According to Oricon, Girls' Generation has sold a total of 871,000 copies in the country.

Background and release

After releasing three singles in the Japanese market, including "Genie", "Gee", and "Mr. Taxi/Run Devil Run", Girls' Generation released their first Japanese studio album Girls' Generation on June 1, 2011.[2] A music video for the track "Bad Girl" was released on August 11.[3] Other tracks in the album, "Mr. Taxi" and "Let It Rain", were used as the background music for various versions of Girls' Generation's CF with Lipton Tea.[4] Girls' Generation became the highest earning foreign artist in Japan for the first half of 2011.[5]

On December 28, the group released a repackaged version of the album, Re:package Album "Girls' Generation" ~The Boys~. It includes a Japanese version of their international hit "The Boys", and remixed versions of "The Great Escape", "Bad Girl", "Mr.Taxi", and a new song "Time Machine". A music video for "Time Machine" was released on March 13, 2012.[6] [7]

Editions

The album was originally released in three different editions: Deluxe Limited First Press Edition, Limited Pressing Edition, and the Regular Edition. A repackaged Edition was released later. The Deluxe Limited First Press Edition comes with a bonus DVD featuring "Mr. Taxi"'s original and dance versions of the music video, plus "Genie" and "Gee" Japanese music videos, a 40-page photobook, a mini bag that comes in a special box. The Limited Pressing Edition comes in a slipcase with a 32-page photobook and a bonus DVD featuring the same contents at the Deluxe Limited First Press Edition except "Mr. Taxi"'s dance version. The Regular Edition comes in a standard jewel case with a lyrics-only booklet.

The album was later re-released as Re:package Album "Girls' Generation" ~The Boys~ was released in three editions: a Regular Edition with a lyrics-only booklet, a Limited Edition with a 36-page photobook, a bonus DVD featuring music videos of "Bad Girl" and "The Boys" (English Version) plus two rubber coasters and a Limited Pressing with the same photobook, bonus DVD and a case from the limited edition, but with two B2-size posters.

Critical reception

Girls' Generation received mostly positive reviews from music critics. James Hadfield writing for the Japan edition of Time Out lauded it as a "cohesive" album and regarded the record as "far better than any of their Korean full-lengths".[8] Hadfield also labelled Girls' Generation one of the best J-pop albums. Spins editor Chuck Eddy picked "Bad Girl" as a highlight on the album, calling it "over-the-top" and "Latin-freestyle-emoted" track. Writing for the same magazine, Charles Aaron ranked Girls' Generation number 18 on Spins list of 20 Best Pop Albums of 2011; he praised the record as a collection of "over terrifyingly sophisticated dance tracks" and chose "Run Devil Run" as a standout.[9] An editor for Sputikmusic gave the record a favorable review, remarking that it is a "fairly unusual pop album" in the sense "that it is entirely devoid of filler", but opined that the songs were still a notch below "world class". It won Album of the Year and Best 3 Asian Albums at the 26th Japan Gold Disc Awards.[10]

Commercial performance

Pre-orders started on different e-stores. On Amazon Japan, the deluxe edition sold very well and rose quickly to No.1 on the pre-order chart while the limited edition was ranked 7th. On various Japanese album stores, Girls' Generation was the No.1 pre-ordered album with over 300,000 units expected to be shipped.[11]

The album topped the Oricon Daily Album Chart at first place on June 1 with a sales count of 74,000 copies, which made Girls' Generation the first foreign girl group ever to top the chart on the release date.[12] According to Oricon, the album sold 232,000 copies in the first week and placed first on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart, surpassing the record for first week debut album sales for a foreign artist, a record previously held by SM Entertainment labelmate BoA's Listen to My Heart.[13] One month after the album release, Oricon reported a total sales of 250,000 copies. The album placed second on the Oricon Monthly Album Chart for the month of June and became the 5th best selling album of 2011 in Japan according to the Oricon Album Rankings.

On December 19, 2011, Oricon reported that Girls' Generation sold over 642,054 copies in the 2011 calendar year to rank 5th place on the Oricon Yearly Album Chart.[14] This surpassed the previous record of 7th place and 569,530 copies sold by SM Entertainment labelmate TVXQ's Best Selection 2010,[15] and made Girls' Generation the highest selling album by a Korean group on Oricon at the time. On June 8, 2012, the RIAJ certified the album "Million" for shipping over a million copies.[16]

The album placed 5th on the Oricon Weekly CD Albums chart for the second week of January 2012,[17] and Oricon announced that it was the first time in history that an album by a Korean artist placed in the Top 10 for 17 weeks. The previous record holder was the original soundtrack for the Korean drama Winter Sonata, which remained in the Top 10 for 16 weeks.[18] [19]

Singles

"Genie" is the official title for the debut in Japanese. The single was the first ever Japanese single released by Girls' Generation on September 8, 2010, in Japan. A new version of the music video was filmed to accompany the Japanese version, and the teaser was released on August 19, 2010. On August 26, 2010, the full music video was released. The song reached #5 on Oricon Charts on the releasing day. The song reached #2 on September 11, 2010.[20] [21] The song was released in three editions, two CD+DVD (first press and regular), and a CD Only edition. First press CD+DVD edition includes a special photobook and a random (1 of 9) photocard. The single includes also includes the Korean version, "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)".

Girls' Generation also had success in Japan with their second Japanese single "Gee". They took second place and were crowned the first ever overseas girl group to reach number 1 on the chart.[22] The song was ranked fifty-seventh on the Japan Hot 100 2010 year-end chart. On April 20, 2011, the girls added another accomplishment to their belt as the RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan) website updated their charts showing that SNSD's Chaku Uta Full (ringtones) downloads for "Gee" went Double Platinum. The RIAJ certifies Platinum as moving 250,000 units, so Double Platinum would mean that the girls had over 500,000 downloads for "Gee".[23]

"Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run" set a new record for Girls' Generation, being their first Japanese single to shift 100,000 units in its first week of release.[24] Before they released the physical single, they released the Japanese version of "Run Devil Run" as a digital single on January 25, 2011. The single also managed to clinch the number 1 spot on Billboard's Japan Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks.[25] [26] "Mr. Taxi" was first performed live on May 13, 2011, on TV Asahi's Music Station.[27] On May 25, "Mr. Taxi" topped the Taiwanese music chart Gmusic.[28]

Promotion

It was announced on March 7, 2011, that Girls' Generation would embark on their first nationwide Japan tour starting May 18, 2011 at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, with a total of 7 stops in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.[29] The start of the tour was postponed to May 31, 2011, because of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Due to overwhelming demand, with up to 300,000 applicants applying for tickets,[30] additional stops were added to the tour.[31] The tour was named as The First Japan Arena Tour.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Naver

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[32] 1
Japanese Top Albums (Billboard)[33] 1
Taiwanese Albums (G-Music)[34] 1
Chart (2012)Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[35] 2
Japanese Top Albums (Billboard)[36]
5
South Korea (Gaon)[37]
62

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[38] 5
Japanese Top Albums (Billboard)[39] 3
Chart (2012)Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[40] 25
Japanese Top Albums (Billboard)[41] 89
Japanese Top Albums (Billboard)
65
South Korea (Gaon)[42]
95

Release history

RegionDateFormatEditionDistributor
JapanCDStandardNayutawave Records[43]
CD+DVD[44]
Digital download[45]
South KoreaCDSM Entertainment[46]
JapanReissue (titled The Boys)Nayutawave Records[47]
CD+DVD[48]

External links

Promotional music videos for the album:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Girls' Generation – Girls' Generation. Sputnikmusic. Jeremy Ferwerda. October 1, 2011. July 19, 2016. August 15, 2020. https://archive.today/20200815071456/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/45873/Girls-Generation-Girls-Generation-JP-Release/. live.
  2. News: http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=038&aid=0002155525. ko:소녀시대, 日 오리콘 기록 행진 끝없네 … 첫 앨범 일간 1위 기염. ko. The Korea Times. June 1, 2011. July 25, 2015. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084340/http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=038&aid=0002155525. live.
  3. News: 소녀시대 폭주족 변신 'bad girl'…"블랙소시보다 더 강렬!". ko. The Dong-a Ilbo. August 11, 2011. July 25, 2015. July 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150725182539/http://news.donga.com/3/all/20110811/39468007/3. live.
  4. Web site: あなたの好みはキュート? クール? 少女時代が〈リプトン〉新CMに登場. Tower Records. June 16, 2011. ja. May 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511141254/https://tower.jp/article/news/2011/05/25/78447. live.
  5. Web site: 【オリコン上半期】少女時代、海外歌手1位の26億円 K-POP勢が大躍進. Oricon. June 23, 2011. ja. August 27, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110827070214/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/rankmusic/89091/full/. live.
  6. News: http://tenasia.hankyung.com/archives/13441. ko:소녀시대 일본 첫 정규앨범과 리패키지 앨범 국내 발매. ko. Korea Economic Daily. February 9, 2012. July 25, 2015. July 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150725182337/http://tenasia.hankyung.com/archives/13441. live.
  7. News: http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=201203131456211002. ko:윤아 웨딩드레스 입고 눈물 뚝뚝 ‘여신미모 여전’. ko. Newsen. March 13, 2012. July 25, 2015. July 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150725182252/http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=201203131456211002. live.
  8. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20130523151258/http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/feature/6459/Kara-vs-Girls-Generation . Kara vs Girls' Generation . Time Out (Tokyo edition) . May 23, 2013 . James . Hadfield . dead .
  9. Web site: Spin's 20 Best Pop Albums of 2011. Spin. Charles. Aaron. December 22, 2011. May 21, 2015. May 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150520132443/http://www.spin.com/2011/12/spins-20-best-pop-albums-2011/. live.
  10. Web site: Ko . Tae-young . 2012-01-30 . Kara wins five crowns at Japan’s Gold Disc Award . 2024-01-09 . . en.
  11. News: ko:소녀시대 日 첫앨범 출하량 50만장↑ ‘대히트 예고’. http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=201106011428211002. June 16, 2011. Newsen. Newsen. ko. June 12, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120612031629/http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=201106011428211002. live.
  12. Web site: ja:少女時代、オリジナルアルバムで初の週間1位を狙う. ja. Oricon. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/88386/full/. June 2, 2011. March 4, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140304144820/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/88386/full/. live.
  13. Web site: ja:少女時代、海外歌手歴代1位 1stアルバム初週売上23.2万. ja. Oricon. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/88523/. June 7, 2011. February 3, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140203041206/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/88523/. live.
  14. Web site: 2011年オリコン年間CD＆DVDランキングを大発表！』-ORICON STYLE ミュージック. ja. Oricon. December 19, 2011. December 19, 2011. March 9, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140309231548/http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/2011/musicrank1219/index03.html. live.
  15. Web site: 年間ランキング特集『2010年、ヒットしたシングル、アルバム、DVDは？』-ORICON STYLE ミュージック月. ja. Oricon. December 20, 2010. September 10, 2012. https://archive.today/20120910180720/http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/2010/musicrank1220/index04.html. live.
  16. Web site: http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/201205.html . ja:一般社団法人 日本レコード協会｜各種統計 . ja . . June 8, 2012 . June 8, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120611023449/http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/201205.html . June 11, 2012 . mdy .
  17. Web site: Weekly rankings CD album January 15, 2012 Jan 09, 2012. Oricon. January 26, 2012. ja. March 24, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130324234512/http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/2012-01-23/. live.
  18. Web site: Oricon Music News. Oricon. January 26, 2012. ja. January 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120121054832/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/2005790/full/. live.
  19. Web site: Girls' Generation's First Japanese Album Breaks Record. Soshified. ja. January 26, 2012. January 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120121022559/http://soshified.com/2012/01/girls-generations-first-japanese-album-breaks-record. live.
  20. 소녀시대 오리콘 주간 4위 ‘해외 女가수 데뷔 최고성적 역사 썼다’ (Girls 4 on the Oricon Weekly ' best international female sexual history of a singer wrote Newsen. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  21. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/rankmusic/80014/full/ K-POPガールズ本命・少女時代、日本デビュー作が歴代最高記録 ニュース-ORICON STYLE
  22. Web site: RIAJ Digital Track Chart: Chart issue October 26, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20150627234359/http://satsuki.musicdb.gr.jp/all_info/ranking_weekly/WeeklyRankingAction.do?term=2010s&weeklyCd=20101026&rankKbn=50. 2015-06-27. Recording Industry Association of Japan. October 29, 2010. ja.
  23. Web site: SNSD’s ‘Gee’ goes double platinum in Japan . October 29, 2012 . October 12, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121012021520/http://www.allkpop.com/2011/04/snsds-gee-goes-double-platinum-in-japan . live .
  24. Web site: ja:チャン・グンソク、海外歌手史上初のデビュー作初登場首位. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/confidence/87299/full/. Oricon. June 16, 2011. ja. October 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121024022006/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/confidence/87299/full/. live.
  25. Web site: ja:少女時代 話題の新曲が首位獲得！. http://www.billboard-japan.com/system/jp_charts/hot100/page:7. Billboard Japan. June 16, 2011. ja. September 2, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110902100226/http://www.billboard-japan.com/system/jp_charts/hot100/page:7. live.
  26. Web site: 少女時代の「MR.TAXI」が、2週連続1位を記録！. Billboard Japan. June 16, 2011. ja. May 23, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110523173710/http://www.billboard-japan.com/system/jp_charts/hot100/page:6. live.
  27. Web site: 少女時代、5月13日放送予定の〈Mステ〉で"MR.TAXI"をTV初披露. Tower Records. June 16, 2011. ja. May 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511141230/https://tower.jp/article/news/2011/05/06/77773. live.
  28. News: ko:소녀시대, '미스터 택시'로 대만 음반차트 1위 '올킬'. http://sports.chosun.com/news/ntype2.htm?id=201105260100225810018592&ServiceDate=20110525. June 17, 2011. Sports Chosun. 백지은. Sports Chosun. ko. September 14, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110914122339/http://sports.chosun.com/news/ntype2.htm?id=201105260100225810018592&ServiceDate=20110525. live.
  29. Web site: Shoujo Jidai to release original Japanese single "MR. TAXI" + Arena Tour . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110712091940/http://www.tokyohive.com/2011/03/shoujo-jidai-to-release-original-japanese-single-mr-taxi-arena-tour/ . July 12, 2011 . June 16, 2011 . Tokyohive.
  30. News: 곽민구 . ko:너도 나도 "소녀시대 보자"…日투어 30만명 폭주 . http://www.eto.co.kr/news/outview.asp?Code=20110428102854093&ts=144728 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110502102329/http://www.eto.co.kr/news/outview.asp?Code=20110428102854093&ts=144728 . May 2, 2011 . June 16, 2011 . Economy Today News . ko.
  31. Web site: ja:少女時代、ジャパン・ツアーの日程を変更&埼玉と広島公演を追加 . http://tower.jp/article/news/77628 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210511141255/https://tower.jp/article/news/2011/04/27/77628 . May 11, 2021 . June 16, 2011 . Tower Records . ja.
  32. Web site: Oricon Weekly Album Rankings: Week of June 13, 2011. Oricon. ja. May 13, 2015. January 8, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150108062147/http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/2011-06-13/. live.
  33. Web site: Top Albums: Week of June 13, 2011. Billboard Japan. ja. May 13, 2015. May 13, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150513120115/http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=top_albums&year=2011&month=06&day=13. live.
  34. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20110701041451/http://www.g-music.com.tw/GMusicBillboard0.aspx. G-Music: Week 25, 2011. G-Music. zh. July 1, 2011.
  35. Web site: Oricon Weekly Album Ratings: Week of January 9, 2012. Oricon. ja. May 13, 2015. May 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150520094748/http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/2012-01-09/. live.
  36. Web site: Top Albums: Week of January 23, 2012. Billboard Japan. ja. May 13, 2015. May 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075730/http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=top_albums&year=2012&month=01&day=23. live.
  37. Web site: Album Chart – Week 16 of 2012. Gaon Music Chart. ko. July 13, 2016. April 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160404012124/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/album.gaon?termGbn=week&hitYear=2012&targetTime=16&nationGbn=T. live.
  38. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20140309231548/http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/2011/musicrank1219/index03.html. Special: Year-End 2011. ja. Oricon. March 9, 2014.
  39. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120506230141/http://www.billboard-japan.com/system/jp_charts/albums_year/. Top Albums Year End. Billboard Japan. ja. May 6, 2012.
  40. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20140313101010/http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/2012/musicrank1220/index05.html. Special: Year-End 2012. ja. Oricon. March 13, 2014.
  41. Web site: Year End. Billboard Japan. ja. https://web.archive.org/web/20150403230842/http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=albums_year&year=2012. April 3, 2015.
  42. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20131024194831/http://gaonchart.co.kr/digital_chart/album.php?nationGbn=T&current_year=2012&chart_Time=year&current_quarter=3. 2012 Chart. Gaon Music Chart. October 24, 2013.
  43. Web site: Girls' Generation Discography. Universal Music Japan. ja. May 22, 2015. May 22, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150522111820/http://www.universal-music.co.jp/girlsgeneration/products/upch-20250/. live.
  44. Web site: Girls' Generation [+DVD] [CD]]. Universal Music Japan. ja. May 22, 2015. May 22, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150522120023/http://www.universal-music.co.jp/girlsgeneration/products/upch-29071/. live.
  45. Web site: Girls' Generation – Girls' Generation. ja. iTunes Store JP. Apple Inc. May 22, 2015. July 23, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150723155358/https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/girls-generation/id438579882. live.
  46. Web site: Girls' Generation: Music. Naver. ko. May 22, 2015. December 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181211143346/https://music.naver.com/album/index.nhn?albumId=201217. live.
  47. Web site: Re:package Album 'GIRLS' GENERATION'~The Boys~ [CD]]. Universal Music Japan. ja. May 22, 2015. May 22, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150522121429/http://www.universal-music.co.jp/girlsgeneration/products/upch-29077/. live.
  48. Web site: Re:package Album 'GIRLS' GENERATION'~The Boys~ [+DVD] [CD]]. Universal Music Japan. ja. May 22, 2015. May 22, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150522121429/http://www.universal-music.co.jp/girlsgeneration/products/upch-29077/. live.

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