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.
T.O.P. | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 15, 1999 | |||
Recorded | 1999 | |||
Studio | SM Digital Recording Studio (Seoul) | |||
Genre | K-pop | |||
Language | Korean | |||
Label | SM | |||
Shinhwa chronology | ||||
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Singles from T.O.P. | ||||
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Reception
editThe 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[1] and was noted for its use of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" music.[2]
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,[3] Spica,[4] Super Junior,[5] and BTS.[6]
Music video
editThe 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
editThe 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.[7] This record was broken again by "Sniper" from their twelfth album We, which won ten first place wins in 2015.[8]
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."[9]
Song | Program | Date |
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"T.O.P." | Music Bank | June 8, 1999 |
June 22, 1999 | ||
June 29, 1999 | ||
Music Camp | June 26, 1999 | |
Inkigayo | July 4, 1999 | |
July 18, 1999 | ||
"Yo!" | Music Bank | July 13, 1999 |
July 20, 1999 | ||
July 27, 1999 | ||
August 10, 1999 | ||
August 24, 1999 | ||
Inkigayo | August 15, 1999 | |
August 22, 1999 |
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
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1. | "Intro" | Eric Mun | Park Seong-soo | Park Seong-soo | 0:45 |
2. | "Yo! (Brat Report)" (Korean: Yo! (악동보고서)) | Yoo Young-jin | Yoo Young-jin, Kim Seong-soo(Groovie.K) | Yoo Young-jin | 3:45 |
3. | "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)" | Yoo Young-jin, Eric Mun | Yoo Young-jin | Yoo Young-jin | 4:37 |
4. | "Cycle" (Korean: 원) | Kim Myeong-jik, Eric Mun | Kim Myeong-jik | Oh Han-song | 4:00 |
5. | "Nothing" | Kim Dong-hyeon, Eric Mun | Park Seong-soo | Park Seong-soo | 3:40 |
6. | "Breakin' the Silence" (Korean: 침묵을 깨고) | Park Eun-hee, Eric Mun | Park Hae-woon | 3:37 | |
7. | "Desire" (Korean: 소망) | Lee Jae-kyeong, Eric Mun | Im Ki-hoon | 4:03 | |
8. | "To. G" | Kim Dong-wan, Eric Mun | Kim Dong-wan | Kim Dong-wan | 3:49 |
9. | "Grief" (Korean: 푸리) | Kim Dong-wan, Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo | Kim Dong-wan | Kim Dong-wan | 3:02 |
10. | "Return" | Kim Dong-hyeon, Eric Mun | Park Seong-soo | Park Seong-soo | 3:59 |
11. | "Forever with You" (Korean: 너의 곁에서) | Shin Hye-sung, Eric Mun | Shin In-soo | 3:55 | |
12. | "T.O.P." ((Extended Version)) | Yoo Young-jin, Eric Mun | Yoo Young-jin | Yoo Young-jin | 4:22 |
13. | "T.O.P." ((Edit Version)) | Yoo Young-jin, Eric Mun | Yoo Young-jin | Yoo Young-jin | 3:35 |
Credits and personnel
editCredits are adapted from the album liner notes.[10]
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Charts and sales
editMonthly charts
editChart (May 1999) | Peak position |
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South Korean Albums (RIAK)[11] | 3 |
Sales
editRegion | Sales |
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South Korea (RIAK) | 377,500[12] |
Release history
editCountry | Date | Distributing label | Format |
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South Korea | May 5, 1999 | SM Entertainment, Synnara Records | CD (KSC-9014)[13] |
Japan | September 19, 2001 | Avex Trax | CD (AVCD-18016)[14] |
References
edit- ^ 6집 '너의 결혼식' 낸 신화, The Chosun Ilbo, retrieved January 19, 2015
- ^ 신인들의 신화창조…댄스그룹 '신화'2집, The Chosun Ilbo, retrieved January 19, 2015
- ^ 소녀시대, '9인의 여전사' 파격 변신...신화 'T.O.P' 도전, E-Daily, September 7, 2008, retrieved January 18, 2015
- ^ 스피카 '신화 T.O.P 재현, 영광이에요~', JoongAng Ilbo, retrieved January 18, 2015
- ^ 2005 MKMF 2nd Story:Reloaded-Super Junior+ChunSangJeeHee+TVXQ/ Man in love-Kim JongKuk+Shin HyeSung+Tei/ March-Drunken Tiger+T+Dynamic Duo+Jeon InKwon, CJ E&M, archived from the original on October 26, 2014, retrieved January 18, 2015
- ^ BTS – This Love & T.O.P (Shinhwa), 방탄소년단 – 디스러브 & 티오피 (신화), Show Champion 20140319, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved January 18, 2015
- ^ Kim, JiYeon (June 7, 2013). "Shinhwa Gets Most No. 1 Trophies for a Single Track with ′This Love′". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- ^ "SHINHWA Concludes "Sniper" Promotions with Ten Music Show Awards". Soompi. April 3, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "K-POP 명곡 100 – 81위 T.O.P. (Twinkling Of Paradise)" (in Korean). Melon. August 29, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ T.O.P. (Media notes). SM Entertainment. 1999.
- ^ "Album Sales For The Month of May 1999". Recording Industry Association Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 18, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
- ^ "Album Sales For The Month of September 1999" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association Korea. Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ^ "T.O.P album info". Hanteo (in Korean). Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ^ "T.O.P. album info (Japan)". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved March 20, 2015.