#taeyeon party ad-libs

[married-2-the-music]

K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Girls Generation / SNSD (Part TWO)

Here are my credentials: So, I’m absolutely a fan of Girls’ Generation, although I’m in that weird space where I’m more than a casual one yet not quite a SONE (a full fan), but just like with Sunmi, I have a feeling that this deep dive will make me one. I’ve heard almost all of their title tracks, and a decent amount of b-sides, but since they have over 100 songs, I’m sure I’ll find some new ones to love too. I’m also a fan of both Taeyeon and Tiffany’s solo careers.

I’m going to take a quick intermission to discuss some of SNSD’s Japanese releases here, which I don’t normally do. Mr Taxi, with its heavy autotune and electronic background, reminds me of a female version of SHINee’s Ring Ding Dong. One of the things I enjoy the most here (besides the roller disco, of course) is that the chorus is given space to breathe when they could’ve cut it for time. Time Machine is a sadder, slower song, and in lesser hands, it could be a snooze fest, but Girls’ Generation’s great voices turn it into a bonafide power ballad.

Paparazzi, as mentioned before, feels like it arrives on a red carpet rather than simply starts with its “ooh la la la”, which is perhaps fitting for a song about fame that features a snippet from Singing In The Rain. This one is probably my favorite of their songs in Japanese; it definitely takes inspiration from disco in the best way, and had me shaking my shoulders and wanting to get a pair of cat-eye sunglasses. Flower Power too is disco, but with a darker synth spin that feels more distinctly Japanese action movie.

Love & Girls takes after SNSD’s cutesier early discography with its colorful styling, poppy background, free-wheeling anti-drop summer chorus, sharp whistles, and peppy ad libs. Beep Beep too follows this thread, but I was won over, as I often am, with its catchy inclusion of several different languages (Italian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and English) and fun comic book style illustrations. I also quite like its bridge and last chorus.

So, back to the Korean releases! Catch Me If You Can follows in the footsteps of The Boys and especially Run Devil Run. It has a surprisingly youthful and bubbly pre-chorus, that’s unfortunately followed by the mother of all anti–drops. Unlike in the other songs of theirs that have used one, though, Catch Me If You Can doesn’t do anything interesting with it, and ends up feeling like a dozen other songs. The post-chorus does help it, but overall the track feels incomplete.

PARTY sees Girls’ Generation dipping their toes into a summer fun track, which is new territory for their singles. It’s a little toothless when compared to such iconic and important tracks like Gee, I’ve Got A Boy, or Oh, but it’s still a fun time and it’s a nice break to see them looking so happy. It’s not ending up on my Top 10 list, but I’m not going to skip it if it comes up on shuffle.

Opposite from Genie, which I assumed was much later in their careers, I’d assumed that Lion Heart had been much earlier than 2015, though I’m not sure why. This time, they draw inspiration from doo wop, and turn it into a satire of midcentury love-at-first-sight rom coms. Besides the (as always) great clothes, the MV got some good chuckles out of me with its ridiculousness, over-the-top sound effects, and 60’s dance moves that look right out of a Get Smart episode.

You Think is about as different from Lion Heart as it’s possible to get, with a far more “girl crush” image and a hip-hop beat mixed with synthpop. Funnily enough, I’d actually heard this song’s chorus before (“you think you’re real cool?” “You’re NOT!”), but I didn’t know it was an SNSD song, so that was a nice surprise. It veers a little close to an anti-drop, but thankfully avoids it by the skin of its teeth.

From the Lion Heart album, I really liked the venture into chill bossa nova in One Afternoon, the appropriately vaudeville-style flair and sudden speed-up in Show Girls (which was my hidden gem), the synthy fun of Fire Alarm, and the background guitar in Green Light.

Holiday starts with a guitar riff and an energy that doesn’t slow down to catch its breath until its 3-and-a-half minutes are over. It’s a lot of fun, and immediately makes you want to get up and dance with your closest friends, and besides that, feels like a nice summer vacation for Girls’ Generation too; a new and improved version of Party with a sunny beat straight off a Broadway stage. I enjoyed it much more than I expected to, truth be told, and it went right into my music library.

All Night is the second single from the album, and, although it’s also a dancefloor track, it takes a more minimalistic, sleek approach. The chorus, though I did like it, felt a bit out of left field to me with its tempo change, and the rap likewise didn’t quite fit, but overall I liked this one too, especially the bridge. It’s always a pleasure to see drag queens covered in sparkles on my screen, alright?

From Holiday Night, though I did like the dancefloor citypop of Fan, the expert mix of happy and sad in One Last Time, and the jazzy flair of Love Is Bitter, you can’t do much better for a hidden gem than the confident, movie-soundtrack worthy, anthemic Girls Are Back, which I think perfectly captures the magic of SNSD. Can you really beat “we’re gonna break some hearts tonight, we’re gonna make some noise tonight?” Nope.

Lil’ Touch isn’t exactly a Girls’ Generation song, as it was released with only five of the members, but it’s basically considered one, so I included it. As their discography goes, it’s not the most unique, but it’s still quite solid. Part of that is due to the girls’ vocals, of course, which elevate whatever material they have, but the chorus is genuinely catchy and got stuck in my head. I think that if it wasn’t up against such heavy hitters in their other singles, it would be more highly regarded.

Besides Lil’ Touch, Forever 1 arrives both five years after SNSD’s last comeback and exactly fifteen after their debut with Into The New World, and arrive it does. This was the song that made me a fan of Girls Generation, and for good reason. From the “we’re not stopping!” to the utterly, delightfully sappy profession of love both to their fans and to each other to the “I will love you in my next life”, Forever 1 is a gleeful celebration of friendship and a decade and a half spent in an industry almost impossible to succeed in. Really, it’s everything I love about k-pop in one song, so how could I not love it?

From Forever 1, the album, I wasn’t sure what to choose as a hidden gem. There’s the nostalgic Seventeen, the fast-paced beat of Villain, the chill synths of Paper Plane, and the constant genre shifting of You Better Run (which harkens back to I Got A Boy). It’s a very strong return. Lucky Like That wasn’t technically a single but BTS footage was released as a special video to mark Girls’ Generation’s 16th anniversary. It’s a pretty standard pop song, truth be told, but with the video, it's undeniably charming and made me feel undeniably nostalgic. It was great to see them all smile and have fun performing together, and I wish more groups would have videos like this. I saved it for last, and it was a great place to end.

My Top 5 songs are Into The New World, Hoot, Lion Heart, Top Secret, and Girls Are Back with Show Girls, Love Is Bitter, and Goodbye as honorable mentions. Girls Generation gets a 9.25 out of 10 from me, which I’m not surprised about. There’s a reason I wanted this to be my first review of the new year, and it wasn’t just because they’re a huge group, but also because I had a feeling it would be a lot of fun.

(Please enjoy this photo of the girls celebrating Tiffany’s birthday a couple years ago!) Next time, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming with a one-week boy group. I’m excited about this one, so I’ll see you then! Tchüss!

[fy-girls-generation]

K-Pop Icons Girls' Generation Celebrates 10th Anniversary With 'Holiday' & 'All Night': Watch

Certain girl groups shape a generation, and few have had as much impact on the current state of K-pop as Girls’ Generation. Ten years since releasing the anthemic “Into the New World” on Aug. 2, 2007, the Girls commemorated their anniversary Friday (Aug. 4) with the celebratory release of brand-new music for the first time in two years. The Girls' sixth studio album Holiday Night contains 10 tracks, including the singles “Holiday” and “All Night.” Vibrant in their bubblegum pop styling, the two songs revel in the Girls and their long-lasting career through retro-tinged party music. The timelessly peppy “Holiday” is a brassy summer song overflowing with bright funk elements and quirky synths, while “All Night," with its Auto-Tuned cutesy opening line of “I like to party,” is a lively nu-disco tune that feels like it was pulled straight from the ‘80s with thumping bass and twinkly electronic melody. Like their best hits, the energetic, titular hooks of each single -- “Ho-Ho-Holiday” and “All night” repeated three times in soaring unison -- offer a taste of the earworm-style choruses that the Girls are best known for. The pair also offer an impressive display of the group's diverse vocal colors, with the high notes and ad-libs of “Holiday” and the tempo changes of “All Night” allowing each woman a chance to shine. Both “All Night” and “Holiday” are devoted testaments to Girls’ Generation's longevity and bond with their fans: "I'm feeling good, I've been waiting for this day/ We meet again like that first time we met," Taeyeon sings at the beginning of “Holiday,” a nod to the early days of their decade-spanning career, which is atypical for Korean girl groups. “Today is our holiday/ A wonderful day came that we’ve been waiting for a long time,” the Girls belt during the chorus. Meanwhile, the group released a special documentary-style video for “All Night,” featuring the current eight members of Girls Generation -- former member Jessica Jung departed the act in 2014 -- reflecting on their career in mini-interviews. It ends with clips from the Girls' early days, offering up a quick trip down memory lane of what is now one of K-pop's most legendary acts. Like their first single “Into the New World,” “All Night” was crafted by SM Entertainment in-house producer Kenzie, while “Holiday” features lyrics co-written by Girls’ Generation’s youngest member, Seohyun. She also wrote the lyrics for the sultry funk track "Sweet Talk," while Yuri served as the lyricist for “It's You,” or “Long-time Wish/Sone” in Korean, a mellow pop song with a sweet melody that recalls the Girls’ early sonic style and is dedicated to their loyal Sone fan army. Holiday Night as a whole stands as a festive anniversary album that kicks off with the opening funk track “Girls Are Back,” announcing the return of the act two years after the release of their last album, 2015’s Lion Heart. The dramatic journey of “Fan,” also courtesy of Kenzie, rests beside the saccharine pop rock of “Only One,” which in turn leads into “One Last Time,” an evocative, R&B-inspired tune that features the Girls at their most expressive. “Love Is Bitter,” a jazzy song that would suit many a Broadway musical, and “Light Up the Sky,” a sweeping ballad, complete the track list. Girls’ Generation was formed in 2007 by SM Entertainment and the then-nine-member act became the leaders of the industry in 2009 when “Gee” became the best-selling single in Korea that year. Over the years, they've flourished into one of the most prominent girl groups in Asia, and set genre trends with their flirty pop styling. A fan favorite throughout the globe, their 2013 electropop/hip-hop hybrid hit "I Got a Boy," easily one of the most ingenious songs to come out of a girl group in the past decade, won the top honors at that year's YouTube Music Awards. Girls' Generation is one of the few girl groups in K-pop history to reach the 10-year mark. The digital version of Holiday NIght dropped on Friday, while the physical release will take place on Monday. Girls' Generation will also hold a special "Holiday to Remember" concert in Seoul on Saturday to celebrate their anniversary with their fans.

source

[soshi0805]

K-pop icons “Girls’ Generation” celebrate 10th anniversary with #Holiday & #AllNight

Certain girl groups shape a generation, and few have had as much impact on the current state of K-pop as Girls’ Generation. Ten years since releasing the anthemic “Into the New World” on Aug. 2, 2007, the Girls commemorated their anniversary Friday (Aug. 4) with the celebratory release of brand-new music for the first time in two years.

The Girls' sixth studio album Holiday Night contains 10 tracks, including the singles “Holiday” and “All Night.” Vibrant in their bubblegum pop styling, the two songs revel in the Girls and their long-lasting career through retro-tinged party music.

The timelessly peppy “Holiday” is a brassy summer song overflowing with bright funk elements and quirky synths, while “All Night," with its Auto-Tuned cutesy opening line of “I like to party,” is a lively nu-disco tune that feels like it was pulled straight from the ‘80s with thumping bass and twinkly electronic melody.

Like their best hits, the energetic, titular hooks of each single -- “Ho-Ho-Holiday” and “All night” repeated three times in soaring unison -- offer a taste of the earworm-style choruses that the Girls are best known for. The pair also offer an impressive display of the group's diverse vocal colors, with the high notes and ad-libs of “Holiday” and the tempo changes of “All Night” allowing each woman a chance to shine.

Both “All Night” and “Holiday” are devoted testaments to Girls’ Generation's longevity and bond with their fans: "I'm feeling good, I've been waiting for this day/ We meet again like that first time we met," Taeyeon sings at the beginning of “Holiday,” a nod to the early days of their decade-spanning career, which is atypical for Korean girl groups. “Today is our holiday/ A wonderful day came that we’ve been waiting for a long time,” the Girls belt during the chorus.

Meanwhile, the group released a special documentary-style video for “All Night,” featuring the current eight members of Girls Generation -- former member Jessica Jung departed the act in 2014 -- reflecting on their career in mini-interviews. It ends with clips from the Girls' early days, offering up a quick trip down memory lane of what is now one of K-pop's most legendary acts.

Like their first single “Into the New World,” “All Night” was crafted by SM Entertainment in-house producer Kenzie, while “Holiday” features lyrics co-written by Girls’ Generation’s youngest member, Seohyun. She also wrote the lyrics for the sultry funk track "Sweet Talk," while Yuri served as the lyricist for “It's You,” or “Long-time Wish/Sone” in Korean, a mellow pop song with a sweet melody that recalls the Girls’ early sonic style and is dedicated to their loyal Sone fan army.

Holiday Night as a whole stands as a festive anniversary album that kicks off with the opening funk track “Girls Are Back,” announcing the return of the act two years after the release of their last album, 2015’s Lion Heart. The dramatic journey of “Fan,” also courtesy of Kenzie, rests beside the saccharine pop rock of “Only One,” which in turn leads into “One Last Time,” an evocative, R&B-inspired tune that features the Girls at their most expressive. “Love Is Bitter,” a jazzy song that would suit many a Broadway musical, and “Light Up the Sky,” a sweeping ballad, complete the track list.

Girls’ Generation was formed in 2007 by SM Entertainment and the then-nine-member act became the leaders of the industry in 2009 when “Gee” became the best-selling single in Korea that year. Over the years, they've flourished into one of the most prominent girl groups in Asia, and set genre trends with their flirty pop styling. A fan favorite throughout the globe, their 2013 electropop/hip-hop hybrid hit "I Got a Boy," easily one of the most ingenious songs to come out of a girl group in the past decade, won the top honors at that year's YouTube Music Awards.

Girls' Generation is one of the few girl groups in K-pop history to reach the 10-year mark.

The digital version of Holiday NIght dropped on Friday, while the physical release will take place on Monday. Girls' Generation will also hold a special "Holiday to Remember" concert in Seoul on Saturday to celebrate their anniversary with their fans.

source: Billboard

[taeyeonyurifany]

Nine Party Ad-libs filled with Taengoodness. <3 <3 <3