A (Rainbow song)
| "A" | |||||||
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| Single by Rainbow | |||||||
| from the album So Girls | |||||||
| Released |
August 12, 2010 (see release history) | ||||||
| Format | Digital download | ||||||
| Recorded | 2010 | ||||||
| Genre | Dance-pop, K-pop | ||||||
| Length | 03:23 | ||||||
| Label | DSP Media | ||||||
| Rainbow Korean singles chronology | |||||||
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"A" is a song by South Korean girl group Rainbow. The song was released on August 12, 2010, and was later included on their second mini album So Girls.
Korean version
Background
A teaser photo with the concept of the song was released in August 4.[1] A teaser of the music video was released in August 10[2] and the full music video in August 12, along with the release of the single.
Composition
The song was produced by Han Jae Ho and Kim Seung Soo (also known as Sweetune), who also produced the songs "Rock U", "Pretty Girl", "Honey", "Wanna", "Mister" and "Lupin" for their label-mate KARA.[3]
Promotions
The promotions of the song started on August 13, in the KBS's Music Bank and also promoted on MBC's Music Core, SBS's Inkigayo and Mnet's M! Countdown.
Track listing
| Korean digital single:[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
| 1. | "A" | Song Soo Yoon | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 |
| 2. | "A (Inst.)" | Song Soo Yoon | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 |
Total length: |
6:26 | |||
Chart performance
In the debut week, the song debuted at number 50 and climbed to the position 11 on the following week. The highest peak of the song is number 9, ranked in the week of September 4. The song ranked number 80 in Gaon's Yearly chart with 337,665,388 points and with 1,617,074 digital copies sold.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Gaon Weekly singles[5] | 9 |
| Gaon Monthly singles[5] | 13 |
| Gaon Yearly singles[5] | 80 |
Japanese version
| "A (エー)" | ||||||||||||
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 Regular edition cover | ||||||||||||
| Single by Rainbow | ||||||||||||
| from the album Over the Rainbow | ||||||||||||
| B-side |
"Gossip Girl" "A" (Korean) | |||||||||||
| Released |
September 14, 2011 (see release history) | |||||||||||
| Format | CD single, Digital download | |||||||||||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||||||||||
| Genre | Dance-pop | |||||||||||
| Length | 03:22 | |||||||||||
| Label | Universal Sigma | |||||||||||
| Rainbow Japanese singles chronology | ||||||||||||
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The song was re-record in Japanese as the group's debut single in Japan. It was released digitally on September 7, 2011[6] and physically on September 14[7] in 4 different versions: 3 limited editions (CD+DVD, CD + 32-pages photobook and CD Only + Bonus track) and a regular edition.
Composition
The Japanese version remains some lyrics written by Song Soo Yoon and was translated by Yu Shimoji and nice73. The B-side is a Japanese version of the song "Gossip Girl", previously recorded in Korean. The song is the lead single from their debut EP with same name.
Promotions
In Japan, Rainbow performed the song on the shows Happy Music, Hey!Hey!Hey! Music Champ and Music Japan. The group held their first event in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, which drew an enthusiastic crowd of 2,000 fans. They performed "A" and had a 15-minute talk session.[8]
Track listing
| Japanese single:[7] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
| 1. | "A" (エー; Ē) | Yu Shimoji, nice73 | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Gossip Girl" (ゴシップガール; Goshippugāru) | Litz, nice73 | Hur Youn Won | 3:11 |
| 3. | "A" (Instrumental) | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 | |
Total length: |
9:55 | |||
| Type C - Bonus track[7] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
| 4. | "A" (Korean version) | Song Soo Yoon, Yu Shimoji, nice73 | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 |
Total length: |
13:18 | |||
| DVD (Limited Edition - Type A) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "A" (Music video) | |
| 2. | "Belly Dance Lesson" | |
| 3. | "A" (Music video - Dance version) | |
| 4. | "A" (Music video - Behind the scenes) | |
Chart performance
The physical single debuted at number 3 in Oricon's Daily chart[9] and also number 3 in Oricon's Weekly chart with 24,082 copies sold on first week.[10] After hearing about their debut position in Japan, the girls stated “When we first heard that we were ranked in third, we were all surprised because we had no idea that they’d take such an interest in us. There were even some members who cried. There’s also a lot of pressure in that we have to work harder and do better. We’re still very grateful and thankful for our position on the charts. Since we’re already receiving so much love, we’re really not anticipating a rise in the weekly charts. For the remainder of our stay here, we’re just going to do our best.”[11]
Charts
Oricon
| Oricon Chart | Peak | Debut Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Singles Chart | 3 | 24,082 | 44,858 | 14 weeks |
| Weekly Singles Chart[10] | 3 | |||
| Monthly Singles Chart | 18 | |||
| Yearly Singles Chart | 172 |
Other charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Japan Hot 100[12] | 4 |
| RIAJ Digital Track Chart weekly top 100[13] | 15 |
Controversy
The "ab dance" featured in Rainbow's choreography was banned from broadcasting on September 8, 2010 due to it being "too sexual suggestive". The dance move involves the group lifting their shirts up but only up to the point where their abdomen or stomach can be seen before lifting it down again which was deemed similar to a 'strip tease'. The music video was also age restricted on YouTube, but DSP retired the restriction.[14] They started promoting the song without the "ab dance" in September 11.
However, when group promoted the song in Japan they were allowed again to perform the dance, and referred to it as the "belly dance".
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | August 12, 2010 | Digital download, Promotional single | DSP Media |
| Japan | September 7, 2011[6] | Digital download | Universal Sigma |
| September 14, 2011 | CD single |
External links
- "A" (Japanese) Music video teaser (DSP version) on YouTube
- "A" (Japanese) Music video teaser (Universal Music Japan version) on YouTube
- "A" (Korean) Music video on YouTube
- "A" (Korean) Music video teaser on YouTube
References
- ↑ "레인보우, 무지개빛 눈화장 컴백 화보 공개". Star News. August 4, 2010.
- ↑ "레인보우(Rainbow) A Teaser". YouTube. March 3, 2011.
- ↑ "레인보우, 신곡 'A' 뮤비 공개..13일 컴백 무대". Star News. August 12, 2010.
- ↑ "(싱글) A / Daum 뮤직 :: 언제 어디서나 Music on Daum" (in Korean). Daum Communications. 2010-08-12. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- 1 2 3 "Gaon Search - Rainbow" (in Korean). Gaon. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- 1 2 "iTunes - ミュージック - Rainbow「A (エー) - Single」" (in Japanese). iTunes. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- 1 2 3 "RAINBOW - A （エー） 初回盤C - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN" (in Japanese). Universal Music Group. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ↑ 레인보우, 日싱글 오리콘 데일리 판매 3위 (in Korean). Naver. 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ↑ "레인보우, 日 오리콘 3위로 데뷔 `기염`". Naver. September 15, 2011.
- 1 2 "2011年09月12日～2011年09月18日のCDシングル週間ランキング (Oricon's Weekly Chart for September 26th)" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- ↑ "日 성공적 데뷔 레인보우, "놀라고 감사해 눈물 흘렸다" (인터뷰)". Naver. September 17, 2011.
- ↑ "Japan Hot 100 / Billboard.com (Billboard Japan Hot 100 for October 1st)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
- ↑ "2012年03月21日～2012年03月27日 略称：レコ協チャート (RIAJ Digital Track Chart: Chart issue March 27, 2012)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
- ↑ 레인보우 '배꼽춤', 방송금지 "선정적, 수정 불가피" (in Korean). Star News. 2010-09-08. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
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