Haru Haru Explained

Haru Haru
Type:single
Artist:Big Bang
Album:Stand Up
Released:August 8, 2008
Genre:
Length:4:15
Label:YG
Producer:
Prev Title:With U
Prev Year:2007
Next Title:Number 1
Next Year:2008

"Haru Haru" (Korean: Korean: 하루하루; Day by Day) is a song by South Korean boy group Big Bang. Released through YG Entertainment on August 8, 2008, as the lead single for their third extended play Stand Up, it became one of their most popular singles and one of South Korea's best-selling songs, besides being regarded as one of the most influential singles to come out of Korean pop music. A Japanese version of the song was included in their third Greatest Hits album The Best of Big Bang (2011) and in the Japanese version of Alive (2012).[1]

Composition

With the release of their first EP Always (2007), BigBang began to incorporate a range of different genre into their music, moving away from their original hip hop roots. Stand Up continued their experimentation. The song was written by G-Dragon, with arrangements provided by Japanese DJ Daishi Dance. Additional Japanese lyrics were written by Shikata, iNoZzi, and Shoko Fujibayashi.[2] "Haru Haru" was described as a combination of a dance song with a hip hop ballad, driven by a sentimental piano melody. The song also includes a synthesizer sound that sounds like an orchestra that feels its "empty spaces".[3] The composition was noted for "weaving in and out of tempos seamlessly" which forced a "a sense of anxiety on the listener." "Haru Haru" deepened the "Big Bang style" of music that had its breakthrough with "Lies."[3] Tamar Herman of Billboard wrote about the track's composition:

Critical reception

One of the group's most popular songs, receptions for "Haru Haru" were fairly positive. Billboard hailed the track an "experiential masterpiece"[4] and named it the group's second best song.[5] In a survey involving 30 music industry experts by South Korean magazine Dong-a Ilbo, "Haru Haru" was chosen as one of best male idol songs in the past 20 years.[6] Spinditty felt that the track "has a nostalgic feeling, which conveys the tragic, sad, and deep story behind the song."[7] Sun-Times included "Haru Haru" in their list of the best BigBang songs, calling the track "an enduring anthem for the band."[8]

E. Alex Jung from Vulture called "Haru Haru" "the undisputed song of the decade", commenting on the single's influence, he wrote that the song presented a sound that "was once innovative" but it "has since been copied and standardized to the point where almost every boy band now has a charismatic rapper with a booming voice." Jung concluded that "Haru Haru" "tapped into the Zeitgeist, blending a deep affinity for torch songs with the swagger of hip-hop, and set a wildfire to the K-pop fandom."[9] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked "Haru Haru" number 7 in their list of the 100 greatest Korean pop songs of all time.[10]

Accolades

2008Mnet KM Music FestivalBest Male Group[11]
Best House and Electronic Song[12]
Song of the Year
Cyworld Digital Music AwardsSong of the Month (August)[13]
Program! width="130"
Date
InkigayoAugust 24, 2008[14]
August 31, 2008
September 7, 2008
M CountdownAugust 28, 2008[15]
September 4, 2008[16]
September 11, 2008
Music BankSeptember 5, 2008[17]
September 12, 2008
September 26, 2008[18]

Commercial performance

The song was released prior to the creation of the Gaon Music Chart, which began tracking sales in 2010. "Haru Haru" topped several online charts upon its release and held the number one position on the online Melon Music Chart for seven consecutive weeks.[19] [20] It also became one of the most successful singles of all-time in South Korea, selling over 5.4 million digital downloads in South Korea alone.[21] In 2016, "Haru Haru" was revealed to be the fifth most downloaded song in South Korea since 2006.[22] The song ranked at number eight in Melon's 2000s (decade) chart.[23] In Cyworld, "Haru Haru" was the best-selling track of 2008 and the sixth best-selling song of all time.[24] [25]

Music video

The music video for "Haru Haru" presents a storyline where G-Dragon plays the protagonist that believes his girlfriend, played by actress Park Min-young, is cheating on him with his friend, played by T.O.P, and the two enter a physical fight with each other. By the end of the video, it's revealed that Park Min-young and T.O.P were only pretending to cheat because she was with a deadly disease and wanted to spare the one she loved the pain of knowing she was going to die. G-Dragon learns of this too late and arrives at the hospital to an already-gone girl.[26] The music video was well received, being distinguished for its "heart wrenching storyline" and is recognized as a classic and as the most saddening video release by the quintet.[27] In 2016, fans voted "Haru Haru" as their favorite BigBang music video.[28] The video was parodied by the cast of the Korean TV show Infinite Challenge at the show's 2008 year-end festival.[29]

Charts

Weekly charts! Chart (2012)! Peak
position
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[30] 13

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bigbang is Back！全世界待望、2012年完全復活のニュー・アルバム3月28日リリース！！. YGEX. Japanese. May 18, 2012.
  2. Web site: Big Bang Makes Comeback. July 25, 2008. english.kbs.co.kr. KBS Global. en. January 26, 2017.
  3. Web site: An in-depth piece about Big Bang's impact in Korea written by Kang Myung Suk (music critic and former editor-in-chief of 10Asia magazine).
  4. Web site: Happy 10-Year Anniversary, Bigbang! 10 Must-Listen Songs from the Boy Band. Herman. Tamar. August 19, 2016. Billboard. November 8, 2016.
  5. The 10 Best Bigbang Songs: Critics' Picks. December 22, 2016. Billboard. Herman Tamar.
  6. Web site: '반짝반짝 눈이 부셔'… 빅뱅-소녀시대 역대 최고 아이돌. Dong-a Ilbo. ko. February 16, 2017.
  7. News: The 10 Popular K-Pop Boy Groups and Their Best Songs. Spinditty. en. January 26, 2017.
  8. Web site: Big Bang's 10 best songs of the past 10 years . Miller . Kaitlin . Sun-Times . May 2, 2015 . February 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160207011723/http://national.suntimes.com/national%2Dmusic/7/72/2529604/bigbang%2Dbest%2Dsongs%2D10%2Dyear%2Danniversary/ . February 7, 2016 . dead .
  9. Web site: G-Dragon's World Tour Marks the End of an Era in K-Pop . Vulture.com . New York Media LLC. Jung . E. Alex. August 2, 2017 . August 3, 2017.
  10. Web site: 2023-07-20 . The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music . 2023-07-20 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  11. Web site: 2008 Mnet Km Music Festival Winners 2008 MKMF. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211125013024/https://www.mwave.me/en/mama/history/2008/winner/123. November 25, 2021. February 17, 2022. Mwave. en.
  12. http://mwave.interest.me/mnettv/videodetail.m?searchVideoDetailVO.clip_id=87840 "2008 Mnet KM Music Festival Part1"
  13. Web site: Song of the Month. 2008. Cyworld. January 16, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110725172737/http://music.cyworld.com/chart/chart_dma_list.asp?curMonth=200808. July 25, 2011.
  14. Web site: 2008-09-07 . 빅뱅, '인기가요' 500회서도 1위..3주 연속 정상 . Big Bang takes first place on the 500th episode of ‘Inkigayo’…3 weeks in a row . 2024-02-09 . Star News . . ko.
  15. Web site: Choi . Moon-jung . August 28, 2008 . ko:앨범 발매 20일 빅뱅, '엠카' 월 장원 선정 '기염' . On the 20th day of release, Big Bang was selected as the monthly winner of "M Countdown". . https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=108&aid=0001956290 . live . https://archive.today/20210912223021/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=108&aid=0001956290 . September 12, 2021 . September 12, 2021 . Star News . ko . Naver.
  16. Web site: Kang . Ji-hoon . September 5, 2008 . ko:빅뱅, '뮤뱅' 1위…가요순위 프로그램 '천하통일' . Big Bang, won first place on 'Music Bank'...K-pop program, "Unification of the world". . https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=117&aid=0001975413 . live . https://archive.today/20210912231301/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=117&aid=0001975413 . September 12, 2021 . September 12, 2021 . My Daily . ko . Naver.
  17. Web site: September 12, 2008 . 빅뱅, '하루하루' 2주연속 '뮤뱅' 1위 . Big Bang, 'Haru Haru' ranked 1st on 'Music Bank' for 2 weeks in a row . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231112141123/https://www.starnewskorea.com/stview.php?no=2008091218363358511 . November 12, 2023 . November 12, 2023 . Star News . ko.
  18. Web site: 2008-09-26 . 빅뱅 3주 연속 뮤뱅 1위 ‘활동 마무리 유종의 미’ . Big Bang No. 1 on Music Bank for 3 consecutive weeks 'Yoo Jong-ui’s activities are over' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240209230747/https://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=200809261928391002 . 2024-02-09 . 2024-02-09 . Newsen . ko.
  19. Web site: September 8, 2008 . Big Bang Signs Modeling Contract with Fila Korea . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080924063830/http://english.kbs.co.kr/mcontents/entertainment/1546222_11692.html . September 24, 2008 . February 18, 2011 . KBS Global.
  20. Web site: Park . Jung Sun . May 7, 2014 . [M+기획…'보이그룹 통계'②] 최장·최다 음원 1위 빅뱅, 견줄 그룹 없다 ]. July 29, 2017 . MBN Daily . ko.
  21. Web site: ~♕ Bigbang Sales Thread (160828 with Gaon400: 108mln digital, 6.64mln physical, 7.3mln Tour tickets, 3.3bln Youtube views) ♕~ – Charts and Sales . September 11, 2016.
  22. Web site: March 8, 2016 . 한국 사람들이 9년동안 가장 많이 다운 받은 음원은? . February 20, 2017 . Insight . ko.
  23. Web site: The 2000s . February 20, 2017 . Melon Music Chart.
  24. Web site: Yearly Popular Songs – 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100315033546/http://music.cyworld.com/chart/chart_yearly_list.asp?curYear=2008&curPage=1 . March 15, 2010 . Cyworld Digital Music.
  25. Web site: Hall of Fame – Songs . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090215122617/http://music.cyworld.com/chart/chart_honor_song_list.asp . February 15, 2009 . Cyworld Digital Music.
  26. Web site: August 13, 2008 . 박민영, 빅뱅 '하루하루' 뮤비 주인공 . The Internet Journal . ko.
  27. Web site: The Bizarre, Creative and Devastating. Bigbang's Top 5 Music Videos. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170216221151/https://www.kvilleentertainment.net/article.php?id=64 . February 16, 2017 . February 16, 2017 . K-Ville Entertainment.
  28. Web site: [Replay] Bigbang [Made the Full Album] Countdown Live ]. V Live . 21:41.
  29. Web site: December 21, 2008 . 무한도전, 빅뱅 스타일 완벽 소화…'하루하루' 뮤비 도전 . . ko.
  30. Web site: https://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f[0=itm_field_chart_id%3AWorld%20Digital%20Song%20Sales&f[1]=ss_bb_type%3Achart&f[2]=ds_chart_date%3A%5B2012-03-06T05%3A00%3A00Z%20TO%202012-03-14T05%3A00%3A00Z%5D&type=4&date=2012-03-10 Billboard World Digital Songs: Chart Search]. March 10, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20181118152336/https://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f[0]=itm_field_chart_id%3AWorld%20Digital%20Song%20Sales&f[1]=ss_bb_type%3Achart&f[2]=ds_chart_date%3A%5B2012-03-06T05%3A00%3A00Z%20TO%202012-03-14T05%3A00%3A00Z%5D&type=4&date=2012-03-10. November 18, 2018. Billboard.
  31. Web site: 8 top K-pop songs from 2008 (yeah, from 10 years ago) . SBS PopAsia. June 18, 2018. June 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180618101654/https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2018/01/24/8-top-k-pop-songs-2008-yeah-10-years-ago. June 18, 2018.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Haru Haru".

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