Mr.Mr. (EP)

Mr.Mr.
EP by Girls' Generation
Released February 24, 2014 (2014-02-24)
Recorded December 2013 - February 2014
Genre
Language Korean
Label
Producer Lee Soo Man (exec.)
Girls' Generation chronology
Love & Peace
(2013)		 Mr.Mr.
(2014)		 The Best
(2014)
Singles from Mr.Mr.
  1. "Mr.Mr."
    Released: February 25, 2014

Mr.Mr. is the fourth extended play (EP) by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. The EP consists of six songs and musically incorporates electropop and R&B-pop genres. It was released for digital download on February 24, 2014 by S.M. Entertainment and KT Music. The CD version was released in Hong Kong on the same day as the digital release, and was released on February 27 in South Korea. To promote the album, Girls' Generation appeared on several South Korean music programs including Music Bank and Inkigayo, and the title track was released as a single.

Mr.Mr. received generally positive reviews from music critics–AllMusic's Heather Phares praised the album as showcasing the group's musical strengths, while Billboard's Jeff Benjamin positively viewed the EP as a more "impressive" release compared to the group's previous album I Got a Boy (2013). The EP peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart and became the best-selling album by a girl group of 2014 in South Korea, as well as the fifth best-selling album overall. It also entered the Japanese Oricon chart at number 11 and the US Billboard 200 at number 110.

Songs

"Mr.Mr."
A 23 second of the title track "Mr.Mr", an electropop and R&B-pop song
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Mr.Mr. is composed of six songs, featuring "dazzling" electropop and R&B-pop genres.[1] According to member Seohyun, the EP incorporates "exciting" R&B sounds with "cool, simple" melodies.[2] The opening track, "Mr.Mr.", was produced by The Underdogs, who have worked with several American recording artists such as Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears. It is an electropop and R&B-pop song that incorporates a hip hop beat and EDM-inspired buildups.[1][3] The second song, "Goodbye," is a pop-rock track that is instrumented by snare drums and hi-hats.[1] "Europa" (Korean: 유로파), meanwhile, draws from retro late-1980s Europop and disco-pop genres.[1][3]

"Wait a Minute" was described as a "bouncy" jazz-pop track with "beautiful [harmonizations]."[4] "Back Hug" (Korean: 백허그) features a "simple, snappy" R&B production that finds the girls singing, "Please cover my heart."[1] The EP concludes with "Soul"—an uptempo Korean version of the group's first original Chinese song, "Find Your Soul", released in 2013.[1] The original version song was used as the theme song for commercials for the Korean MMORPG video game, Blade & Soul, in Chinese-language markets across Asia.[5]

Release and promotion

Mr.Mr. was released for digital download worldwide on February 24, 2014.[6] The physical album was released in South Korea on February 27, 2014.[7] The title track served as the EP's lead single; it was released to South Korean mainstream radio on February 25, 2014.[8]

To promote the EP, Girls' Generation appeared on several South Korean music programs, the first being Mnet's M Countdown, where they performed "Mr.Mr." and "Wait a Minute" live on March 6, 2014.[9] The group also appeared on KBS's Music Bank, MBC's Music Core and SBS's Inkigayo on March 7, 8, and 9, respectively. On Show! Music Core, the group performed "Mr.Mr." and "Wait a Minute", while on Music Bank, they performed the title track and "Back Hug".[10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Billboard[1]82/100

Upon its release, Mr.Mr received generally positive reviews from music critics. Heather Phares from AllMusic labelled the EP "a set of songs that offers something for every kind of Girls' Generation and expands their musical reach." Phares further praised the EP for helping the group an outstanding case of Korean popular music.[3] Writing for Billboard, Jeff Benjamin called the six songs off the EP "strong" and called it a more "impressive effort" in favor of the group's 2013 album I Got a Boy. He also deemed the EP "a tight bundle of songs that still see the group dipping and experimenting into new sonic territory, but possibly more focused than ever."[1] Benjamin also wrote an article for Fuse, on which he complimented the album's musical styles as "short, sweet, but strong."[11]

Mr.Mr. was a commercial success domestically. It claimed the top spot on the South Korean Gaon Album Chart on the chart issue dated February 23–March 1, 2014.[12] It remained on the peak position for one further week, when it beat 2NE1's Crush.[13] The following week, it dropped to number ten.[14] Mr.Mr. came second on the Gaon Monthly Album Chart of February, selling 87,824 physical copies, only behind B.A.P's First Sensibility, which sold over 91,000 units.[15] The following month, it topped the Gaon Monthly Album Chart with sales of 70,295 copies.[16] It was placed at number 47 on Gaon Monthly Album Chart of April with a further 1,125 copies sold.[17] Overall, Mr.Mr. was the fifth highest-selling physical album and the best-selling album by a girl group of 2014 in South Korea with the total sales figures of 163,209 copies.[18]

Mr.Mr. debuted at number 110 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 3,000 copies in its first week. In doing so, the EP became Girls' Generation's highest-charting release on the Billboard 200 following subgroup TTS's Twinkle charted at number 126 in 2012.[19] It also peaked at number one on the Heatseekers Albums and number three on the World Albums charts.[20][21] In Japan, it peaked at number eleven on the Oricon chart.[22]

All six songs from the EP entered the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart: "Mr.Mr." (number one), "Goodbye" at (number ten), "Wait a Minute" (number 18), "Back Hug" (number 24), "Europa" (number 25), and "Soul" (number 33).[23]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Mr.Mr. liner notes[24]

No. TitleLyricsMusicArrangement Length
1. "Mr.Mr."  Kim Hee Jeong, Cho Yoon KyungThe UnderdogsThe Underdogs 03:55
2. "Goodbye"  Hwang HyunLindy Robbins, Brent Paschke, Jenna AndrewsLindy Robbins, Brent Paschke, Jenna Andrews 03:14
3. "Europa" (유로파; Yuropa)KenzieKenzieKenzie 03:22
4. "Wait A Minute"  Lee Joo Hyung, G-High, Shin Agnes, Hwang Hyun, MowlLee Joo Hyung, G-HighLee Joo Hyung, G-High 03:25
5. "Back Hug" (백허그; Baekheogeu)Cho Yun Kyoung, Ingrid Skretting, Jesper BorgenIngrid Skretting, Jesper BorgenIngrid Skretting, Jesper Borgen 04:09
6. "Soul" (Korean version)Dominique Rodriguez, Lee Hyun-Seung, Cho Yun-kyoung, Nermin Harambasic, Ronny Svendsen, Anne Judith Wik, Nathansson BostroemAnne Judith Wik, Nermin Harambasic, Ronny Svendsen, Dominique Rodriguez, Hyun-Seung Lee, Lukas Nathansson Bostroem, BehindTScenes' ACAnne Judith Wik, Nermin Harambasic, Ronny Svendsen, Dominique Rodriguez, Hyun-Seung Lee, Lukas Nathansson Bostroem, BehindTScenes' AC 03:47

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Mr.Mr. liner notes[24]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[22] 11
South Korean Gaon Albums Chart[12] 1
US Billboard 200[25] 110
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[20] 1
US Billboard World Albums[21] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
South Korean Gaon Albums Chart[18] 5

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Worldwide[26] February 24, 2014 Digital download
Hong Kong[27] CD Universal Music Group
South Korea[7] February 27, 2014
  • S.M. Entertainment
  • KT Music

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Benjamin, Jeff (February 27, 2014). "Girls' Generation, 'Mr.Mr.': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ Dorof, Jakob. "K-Pop Phenomenom Girls' Generation Want to Make Insecure Men Feel Better". Vice. Vice Media. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Phares, Heather. "Girls' Generation – Mr.Mr". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015.
  4. ↑ Swaryandini, Ghassani (March 9, 2014). "Album Review: Girls' Generation – Mr.Mr. (Korea 2014)". The AU Review. Health Media. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  5. ↑ 《剑灵》携手少女时代不删档开测在即. People (in Chinese). Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
  6. ↑ "'Mr.Mr.' – EP by Girls' Generation". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Girls' Generation Discography" (in Korean). S.M. Entertainment. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Play List – February 25, 2014". Korean Broadcasting System. February 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ "소녀시대, 오늘 기습 컴백.."오후 5시 'Mr.Mr.' 발표"" (in Korean). Osen. February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  10. ↑ "SM 측 "소녀시대, '힐링캠프' 전원 출연…기대 부탁"". Osen. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (February 26, 2014). "9 Reasons to Love Girls' Generation 'Mr.Mr.' EP". Fuse. The Madison Square Garden Company. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Gaon Album Chart: Week 10, 2014" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart: Week 11, 2014" (in Korean). Gaon Album Chart. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart: Week 12, 2014" (in Korean). Gaon Album Chart. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart: February 2014" (in Korean). Gaon Album Chart. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart: March 2014" (in Korean). Gaon Album Chart. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Gaon Album Char: April 2014" (in Korean). Gaon Album Chart. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "2014 Yearly Albums Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  19. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (March 5, 2014). "Girls' Generation Hits the Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  20. 1 2 "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Girls' Generation: World Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Weekly Rankings" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart: February 23, 2014 – March 1, 2014" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014.
  24. 1 2 Mr.Mr. (digital booklet) (in Korean). Girls' Generation. S.M. Entertainment. 2014.
  25. ↑ "Girls' Generation Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  26. ↑ References for Mr.Mr. release:
  27. ↑ "Girls' Generation – Mr.Mr. (CD)" (in Chinese). Universal Music Group. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.