T.O.P. (Shinhwa album) explained

T.O.P.
Type:studio
Artist:Shinhwa
Cover:Shinhwa - TOP.jpg
Recorded:1999
Studio:SM Digital Recording Studio (Seoul)
Genre:K-pop
Language:Korean
Label:SM
Prev Title:Resolver
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:Only One
Next Year:2000

T.O.P. is the second Korean studio album by South Korean boy band Shinhwa. It was released on April 15, 1999, by SM Entertainment. The album title T.O.P. stands for Twinkling Of Paradise. The album spawned two singles: the title track "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)", which incorporated elements of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", and "Yo!". The album saw greater levels of success in comparison to their debut album Resolver (1998), selling over 377,000 copies in 1999. Both of its singles ranked atop the music program charts for multiple weeks.

Reception

The album garnered much success, climbing the charts quickly (debuting at number four and peaking at number three on the MIAK monthly album chart). Although they promoted their first album well, Shinhwa did not do many promotions for their second album, and instead began working on their third album. Despite the lack of promotions, the single "T.O.P." was a success, and spent 24 weeks on the charts before it dropped. "T.O.P." represented Shinhwa's first significant commercial success and was noted for its use of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" music.

SM Entertainment labelmate S.E.S. released a cover of "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)" as their fourth Japanese single on October 27, 1999. Years after its original release, "T.O.P." has been performed on television with its original choreography by groups such as Girls' Generation, Spica, Super Junior, and BTS.

Music video

The music video for "T.O.P." shows the six Shinhwa members in white suits with a bright fantasy-like back-drop. The music video for "Yo!" tells the story of vocalist Lee Minwoo, as a trouble-maker boy who falls in love with a girl, played by Kim Bo-mi.

Accolades

The second single "Yo!" collected seven number one wins on live music programs, a record it held until "This Love" from their eleventh album The Classic, won eight first place wins in 2013.[1] This record was broken again by "Sniper" from their twelfth album We, which won ten first place wins in 2015.[2]

In 2021, Melon and Seoul Shinmun ranked "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)" number 81 in their list of the Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time. Critic Park Hee-ah called it a main prototype of how "idols can freely embrace any genre of music, can generate great interest by twisting existing perspectives, and can also provide fun in interpreting the narratives hidden in albums or songs. In other words, 'T.O.P.' was a track that contained all the factors that has helped made K-pop popular these days."[3]

Program! width="120"
Date
"T.O.P."Music BankJune 8, 1999
June 22, 1999
June 29, 1999
Music CampJune 26, 1999
InkigayoJuly 4, 1999
July 18, 1999
"Yo"Music BankJuly 13, 1999
July 20, 1999
July 27, 1999
August 10, 1999
August 24, 1999
InkigayoAugust 15, 1999
August 22, 1999

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[4]

Shinhwa
T.O.P. duet
Session
Staff

Charts and sales

Sales

Release history

Country Date Distributing label Format
South KoreaMay 5, 1999SM Entertainment, Synnara RecordsCD (KSC-9014)[7]
JapanSeptember 19, 2001Avex TraxCD (AVCD-18016)[8]

Notes and References

  1. News: Kim . JiYeon . June 7, 2013 . Shinhwa Gets Most No. 1 Trophies for a Single Track with ′This Love′ . June 9, 2013 . enewsWorld . CJ E&M.
  2. Web site: April 3, 2015 . SHINHWA Concludes "Sniper" Promotions with Ten Music Show Awards . July 1, 2020 . Soompi . en.
  3. Web site: August 29, 2021 . K-POP 명곡 100 – 81위 T.O.P. (Twinkling Of Paradise) . 2024-02-06 . Melon . ko.
  4. T.O.P. . 1999 . SM Entertainment.
  5. Web site: Album Sales For The Month of May 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070718173049/http://www.miak.or.kr/stat/kpop_199905.htm . July 18, 2007 . October 12, 2007 . Recording Industry Association Korea . Korean.
  6. Web site: Album Sales For The Month of September 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050315054057/http://www.miak.or.kr/stat/kpop_199909.htm . March 15, 2005 . March 20, 2015 . Recording Industry Association Korea . Korean.
  7. Web site: T.O.P album info . March 20, 2015 . Hanteo . Korean.
  8. Web site: T.O.P. album info (Japan) . March 20, 2015 . Oricon . Japanese.