Wikipedia

Not Alone (Seventeen song)

"Not Alone" (Japanese: ひとりじゃない, Hepburn: Hitorijanai) is a song by South Korean boy group Seventeen. It was released as the group's third non-album and fifth overall Japanese single through Pledis Japan on April 21, 2021. The single debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, becoming the group's second consecutive chart-topper after "Fallin' Flower" in 2020.

"Not Alone"
Standard cover
Single by Seventeen
LanguageJapanese
ReleasedApril 15, 2021 (digital)
April 21, 2021 (physical)
GenreJ-pop
Length3:18
LabelPledis Japan
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Woozi
  • Bumzu
  • Haru.Robinson
Seventeen Japanese singles chronology
"24H"
(2020) 		"Not Alone"
(2021) 		"Power of Love"
(2021)
Music video
"Not Alone" on YouTube

Background and release

edit

In February 2021, Pledis Entertainment announced that Seventeen would be releasing their new Japanese single "Not Alone", following the success of the group's 2020 Japanese mini-album 24H and single "Fallin' Flower".[1] The CD single, which includes "Not Alone" alongside the Japanese versions of the group's Korean tracks "Run To You" and "Home:Run",[1] was marketed with six physical variations: Limited Edition A, Limited Edition B, and Limited Edition C, which each comes with a unique 36-page photo book; Limited Edition D, which comes with an M-Card; Regular Edition, which comes with a 16-page photo book; and Carat Edition, which features a special blu-ray.[2]

"Not Alone" was digitally made available on music streaming platforms on April 15, 2021; its CD was physically released on April 21.[2] A Korean version of the song was later released on Seventeen's greatest hits album 17 Is Right Here on April 29, 2024.[3]

Composition

edit

Continuing the theme of youth set forth by the group's previous EPs Heng:garæ and Semicolon, "Not Alone" has been described to be a song that conveys the courage and determination of those standing at the starting line of their dreams.[4] It has further been dubbed as a song of encouragement for those "spending their youth in the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic".[5] Relatedly, the track, which conveys the message of being connected despite being apart,[6] has also been noted to be an ode to Seventeen's fanbase, as well as a depiction of the group's yearning to meet them in person again, following the restrictions put into place on live performances by the pandemic.[1]

The song was produced by Woozi, with Park Ki-Tae credited as an arranger and composer. Songwriting credits were provided to Bumzu and Woozi, while Japanese lyrics were credited to Haru.Robinson.[7]

Music video

edit

The music video for "Not Alone" was released on April 18, 2021.[1] It depicts the group's members scattered across various locations while staying remotely connected before reuniting during the video's climax.[2] Commenting on the music video's theme, member DK shared, "There is a scene where the members, who were spending time in different places, connect via video call to celebrate my birthday. That scene left a particularly strong impression on me because it conveys the message that even though we were apart, we were not alone and were still connected."[2]

Promotion

edit

On April 27, 2021, Seventeen hosted a special online fan meeting titled Hare to commemorate the single's release.[8] A special performance of the song was aired on Asahi TV's weekly music program Music Station on May 7.[9]

Commercial performance

edit

In Japan, "Not Alone" debuted at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, selling 372,913 copies in its opening week of April 19–25, 2021.[10][11] In the same period, it debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart,[12] recording 315,000 units sold.[13] It is Seventeen's second consecutive Japanese work to top the chart, after their 2020 single "Fallin' Flower" sold 334,000 copies in its first week of release.[13] This made Seventeen the second group in history to have two consecutive singles each exceed a first-week sales total of 300,000 units, after BTS, as well as the first foreign male artist to have three consecutive singles each exceed a first-week sales total of 200,000 units.[13]

Track listing

edit
Not Alone track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Not Alone" (ひとりじゃない)
  • Woozi
  • Bumzu
  • Park Kitae
Park Kitae3:18
2."Run To You" (Japanese version)
  • Woozi
  • Bumzu
  • Barbora
  • Woozi
  • Bumzu
  • Park Kitae
  • Bumzu
  • Park Kitae
3:14
3."Home;Run" (Japanese version)
  • Woozi
  • Bumzu
  • Nmore
  • Bumzu
  • Nmore
3:04
Total length:9:36

Charts

edit

Certifications

edit
Certifications and sales for "Not Alone"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[18] 2× Platinum 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Basbas, Judine (February 9, 2021). "Seventeen to release new Japanese single 'Not Alone' this April". Bandwagon Asia. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d SEVENTEEN、新曲「ひとりじゃない」MV公開 [SEVENTEEN Releases New Music Video for "Hitorijanai"]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). April 19, 2021. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Kaufman, Gil (April 18, 2024). "SEVENTEEN Reveal Full Tracklist For '17 Is Right Here' Greatest Hits Album, Which Includes 4 New Tracks". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  4. ^ SEVENTEEN｜日本サードシングル『ひとりじゃない』4月21日発売 [SEVENTEEN: Japan's Third Single "Hitori Janai" to be Released on April 21]. Tower Records Online (in Japanese). February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  5. ^ SEVENTEEN、新曲MVでDKの誕生日祝福「離れていても、ひとりじゃない」 [SEVENTEEN celebrates DK's birthday in new music video: "Even if we're apart, we're not alone"]. Oricon News (in Japanese). April 18, 2021. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Kuramoto, Yoshimi (April 21, 2021). SEVENTEEN『ひとりじゃない』人と人が会うことすらためらわれる時代だからこそ、彼らが今一番伝えたい思いが形に ["SEVENTEEN's 'Not Alone': In an era where even meeting people is something to hesitate about, they have turned the feelings they most want to convey right now into a song]. Mikiki (in Japanese). Tower Records. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  7. ^ "Not Alone". Apple Music. April 15, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ 세븐틴, 日 스페셜 토크쇼+온라인 팬미팅 성료 [SEVENTEEN, Japanese Special Talk Show + Online Fan Meeting Success]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). April 28, 2021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024 – via Naver.
  9. ^ Kyung, Jimin (May 8, 2021). 세븐틴, 日 ‘뮤직 스테이션’ 또 휩쓸었다..고품격 퍼포먼스 선사 [Seventeen, sweeping Japan's 'Music Station' again..high-quality performance]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024 – via Naver.
  10. ^ a b "Billboard Japan Hot 100 - 2021-04-28" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "SEVENTEEN Soars to No. 1 on Japan Hot 100 With 'Hitorijanai'". Billboard. April 30, 2021. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Oricon Weekly Single Ranking: 2021-05-03" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c SEVENTEEN、最新シングル1位 エスクプス「困難な時代に青春を過ごす皆さんへエールを」【オリコンランキング】 [SEVENTEEN's latest single No. 1 S.Coups: "Cheers to all those who are spending their youth in difficult times" [Oricon Ranking]]. Oricon News (in Japanese). April 27, 2021. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "Oricon Weekly Combined Single Ranking: 2021-05-03" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  15. ^ "Seventeen Chart History (World Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "Oricon Monthly Single Ranking: 2021-04" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  17. ^ "Oricon Annual Single Ranking: 2021" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  18. ^ "Japanese single certifications – Seventeen – Not Alone" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved August 23, 2024. Select 2021年4月 on the drop-down menu
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Not_Alone_(Seventeen_song)&oldid=1242388288"