Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You

Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You
Studio album by Shinee
Released	February 19, 2013 (See Release history)
Recorded	2012–2013 at S.M. Studios, Seoul
Genre	K-pop,[1] electropop,[2] dance[3]
Length	30:46
Language	Korean
Label	S.M. Entertainment (record) KMP Holdings (distribution)
Producer	Lee Soo Man (executive)
Shinee chronology
Sherlock (2012) Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You (2013) Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me (2013)
Singles from Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You
"Dream Girl" Released: February 19, 2013

Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You is the first part from the third full-length album of South Korean group Shinee, released on February 19 in South Korea. The album was produced by the record label of S.M. Entertainment and distributed by KMP Holdings.^[4] This album revealed that "The Misconceptions of You" would be the first part of two albums under the umbrella title "Dream Girl". The second album Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me was released on April 29.

Background

From a production stand point, we wanted to express ‘Misconceptions of You’ in the first chapter and ‘Misconception of Me’ in the second chapter. The two albums have a lot of stories about ‘misconceptions’.

“

”

Shinee, at Melon Premiere SHINee Music Spoiler, on the splitting of "Dream Girl"

Shinee announced on February 5, 2013, that they would be returning with a third full-length album, amidst rumors of return. They revealed that the album would be released on February 19, 2013, on iTunes and domestic music sites and the title track would be called "Dream Girl".^[5] With the release of their third group teaser photo on February 11, Shinee revealed that the title song "Dream Girl" was produced by Shin Hyuk and his team Joombas Music Factory and described the song as "an acid electro funk song".

On February 14, Shinee held the event "Melon Premiere SHINee Music Spoiler" where they revealed six out of the nine songs on the album to 100 music reviewers. They announced that not only were they releasing a third album, but that it would be split into two versions.

The second part called Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me was released in April. They revealed three songs off the second album. Shinee also revealed the choreography for the title song “Dream Girl“, which was choreographed by Tony Testa, who previously worked with Shinee on Sherlock. The making of the music video was also shown which showed the members jumping on trampolines and using running machines.^[6] Member Onew stated on the making of the two albums, “It’s our first full album that we’re releasing in a while, so we worked really hard. Minho and Key worked on the rapping, Jonghyun worked on the lyrics, and Taemin worked on the choreography." Taemin described the album as one where each member’s individuality shines through their voices, “We know each other best so a lot of our opinions went into this album." Jonghyun in conjunction said, “Taemin’s delivery of the lyrics is good. Minho’s falsetto is really nice these days. Key is good at English. We know each other’s strengths so we split the parts up according to who can shine on what. We had fun working on the album.”^[7][8]

This album is about "my misconception of you", "the misconception of the world wrapped around me", and "the misconception of reality". The lyrics can be interpreted as the dreams, ideals, and visions of the world through Shinee's eyes. It showcases the original Shinee-esque side which everyone is familiar with.

In a video interview with Billboard, Shinee said the song titles to Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me were revealed in this album's opening track, "Spoiler."^[9]

Release

Shinee announced on February 5, 2013, that they would be releasing a third album on February 19, 2013. At the event "Melon Premiere Shinee Music Spoiler", Shinee revealed that their album would be one of two.

The album was released on iTunes on February 20, 2013, as an iTunes LP, one of the few titles in this format.

Artwork and concept

At the "Melon Premiere SHINee Music Spoiler" on February 14, director of SM Entertainment's Visual and Art Directing department Min Hee-jin stated on the album artwork, “The album jacket shows the fantasies of the members. It has the members’ own images and the ideal types they look for. Please break your misconceptions and prior judgement you have on Shinee.” ^[10]

In regards to the teaser photos and album she stated, “I tried to include what I’ve gathered from talking to each of the members by putting their thoughts into images. Each of the images has some kind of idea that the members wanted to present to the public. It should be entertaining to try and figure some of those puzzles out. Try not to miss any of the small details. We looked for fresh ideas and images. Instead of working with famous artists and photographers, we worked with up-and-coming talents with new ideas.” ^[11]

Singles

"Dream Girl" was produced by Hyuk Shin and his team of composers, Joombas Music Factory. They described the song as "an acid electro funk song".^[12] It is written by Jun Gandi and composed by Hyuk Shin, Jordan Kyle, Ross Lara, Dave Cook, DK, and Anthony "TC" Crawford.^[13] The song has a fuller sound, featuring electric guitars among various other synths and the beat is very diverse and complex with a lot of tempo changes. The song is described as the most "Shinee-like song" in the album and tells us about how the five boys meet their dream girl that only appear in their dreams, and disappear in reality.^[13] The accompanying music video was filmed in January 2013, with choreography by Tony Testa.^[12] The song peaked at number 1 on the Gaon Singles Chart and number 3 on the Korea K-Pop Hot 100.^[14]

A Japanese version, written by Hidenori Tanaka and agehasprings, was included as one of the three tracks on their eighth Japanese CD single "Boys Meet U", which was released on August 21, 2013 under the distributing label of EMI Music Japan. Before the release, the version was performed live during their second Japan arena tour Shinee World 2013.^[15]

Critical reception

Billboard K-Town columnist Jeff Benjamin wrote that the lead single, "Dream Girl", is a "safe, enjoyable mainstream single" while the album is "a triumph that never lacks in energy and balances nods to 80s pop stars and forward-thinking pop". He said "songs like 'Punch Drunk Love' and 'Aside' sonically recall the sounds of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, respectively", while "tracks like 'Beautiful' and 'Runaway' combine unique electronic production elements over sugary boy band harmonies to create year-round pop music".^[16]

Tracklist

Credits adapted from the official homepage.^[17][18]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Spoiler"	Jonghyun	Pegasus, Thomas Troelsen	3:31
2.	"Dream Girl"	Jun Gan-di, Minho	Hyuk Shin, Jordan Kyle, Ross Lara, Dave Cook, DK, Anthony "TC" Crawford	3:00
3.	"히치하이킹" (Hitchhiking)	Kim Bu-min	Anne Judith Wik, Will Simms, Hitchhiker	4:07
4.	"Punch Drunk Love"	Jun Gan-di	Crichlow, Thomas Troelsen, Herbert St. Clair	3:39
5.	"Girls, Girls, Girls"	Jun Gan-di, Minho, Key	Lucas Secon, Thomas Troelsen, Mikkel Remee Sigvardt	2:46
6.	"방백" (Aside)	Hwang Hyun, Minho	Hwang Hyun	3:44
7.	"아름다워" (Beautiful)	Cha Yong-un, Minho	DOM, Cha Yong-un, Andrew Choi, Teddy Riley, Richard Garcia	3:10
8.	"다이너마이트" (Dynamite)	Kim Bu-min, Minho	Hitchhiker	3:39
9.	"Runaway"	Kim Young-hoo	Kim Young-hoo, Dennis White, Jovan Rangel	3:10
Total length:				30:46

Charts

Album chart

Country	Chart	Peak position
South Korea	Gaon Weekly album chart[19]	1
	Gaon Monthly album chart [20]	1
Japan	Oricon Albums Chart	10
Thailand	Channel V Thailand Asian Chart	1
Taiwan	G-Music Asia Chart	1
	G-Music Combo Chart	2
United States	Billboard World Albums[21]	2
	Billboard Heatseekers[22]	5

Sales and certifications

Chart	Amount
Gaon physical sales[23]	185,357+[24]
Oricon	24,376+

Release history

Region	Date	Distributing label	Format
South Korea [25]	February 19, 2013	S.M. Entertainment	CD, digital download
Philippines	May 25, 2013	Universal Records	CD
Taiwan [26]	March 22, 2013	Avex Taiwan	CD

References

1. "자신감 있는 미리보기"…샤이니, '핫'한 뮤직 스포일러 (in Korean). dispatch.co.kr. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
2. Jeff Benjamin and Jessica Oak (March 12, 2013). "SHINee on 'Dream Girl,' MJ Comparisons and K-Pop Globalization: Exclusive".
3. "The 3rd Korean Album Dream Girl". SM Entertainment. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
4. "Shinee - Dream Girl". S.M. Entertainment. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
5. "SHINee's first teaser picture". SM Entertainment. February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
6. dispatch (2013-02-14). "자신감 있는 미리보기"…샤이니, '핫'한 뮤직 스포일러 (in Korean).
7. news.sportsseoul (2013-02-14). 샤이니 "멤버들 보컬 개성 가장 많이 담긴 3집입니다" (in Korean).
8. news.naver.com (2013-02-14). 샤이니의 방식으로 본 현실·꿈 담았죠 (in Korean).
9. Jeff Benjamin, Jessica Oak and Billboard Korea Staff (2013-03-12). "SHINee on 'Dream Girl,' MJ Comparisons and K-Pop Globalization: Exclusive" (in Korean).
10. asiatoday.co.kr (2013-02-14). 샤이니, 정규 3집 수록곡 최초 공개 ″청량하게, 혹은 거칠게…역시 샤이니!″(종합) (in Korean).
11. asiatoday.co.kr (2013-02-14). 샤이니, 정규 3집 수록곡 최초 공개 ″청량하게, 혹은 거칠게…역시 샤이니!″(종합) (in Korean).
12. dispatch (2013-02-14). "자신감 있는 미리보기"…샤이니, '핫'한 뮤직 스포일러 (in Korean).
13. "Shinee discography". SM Entertainment. February 19, 2013.
14. "Korea K-Pop Hot 100 Music Chart". Billboard. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
15. "Shinee - Boys Meet U". EMI Music Japan. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
16. Jeff Benjamin and Jessica Oak (March 12, 2013). "SHINee on 'Dream Girl,' MJ Comparisons and K-Pop Globalization: Exclusive".
17. "Shinee's Official Homepage - Dream Girl – The Misconceptions of You". SM Entertainment. August 25, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
18. "Shinee's Official Homepage - The 3rd Album ‘The misconceptions of us’". SM Entertainment. August 25, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
19. gaonchart.co.kr (2013-02-28). "Gaon Charts" (in Korean).
20. gaonchart.co.kr (2013-02-28). "Gaon Charts" (in Korean).
21. Billboard Charts
22. Billboard Heatseekers Albums
23. "Gaon album chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved 2011-11-10.
24. "Gaon Charts for the year 2013" (in Korean). Retrieved January 23, 2014.
25. "Shinee - Dream Girl" (in Korean). S.M. Entertainment. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
26. "Shinee - Dream Girl" (in Chinese). Avex Taiwan. Retrieved 2014-01-06.