Welcome to the end of the 2014 charts. This chart has every single song that was released from the 1st of January 2014 to the 1st of December. I left the nitty gritty stuff out (aka. the numbers I used for the ranking) and made sure that everything was fair. So that means for songs that were released towards the end of the year would have received some extra increment to make sure that they were levelled out with the songs released in January. Other numbers used included whether songs were on the YouTube Playlist of The Month and each song was re-reviewed in categories of “song, music video and dance”. Below are just some interesting facts that you may enjoy in regards to this chart.
The very first song released to be included on the charts are Rain’s 30 Sexy and La Song. The last song released before the cut off date was Infinite F’s Heartbeat.
T-Ara’s Sugar Free (2) was the only song throughout the whole chart to score the maximum of 40 for the song re-review.
VIXX is the first boy group to appear in the charts at 14th place with Eternity.
As touched on above, this year the charts are dominated by the girl groups, with 13 boy groups versus 37 girl groups (repeated groups not excluded).
Heavily promoted songs tend to rank higher than songs that were released as a single and not promoted.
The following artists achieved the next few positions after 50th place: SPEED, Crayon Pop, Z:EA, Zhou Mi (Super Junior), BTOB, Infinite, UKISS, AOA and Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
1
Something
Girl’s Day
2
Sugar Free
T-Ara
3
Up & Down
EXID
4
Monday Blues
Sunny Hill
5
Piano Man
Mamamoo
6
Darling
Girl’s Day
7
I’m In Love
Secret
8
Mr. Chu
A Pink
9
Yasisi
NS Yoon G
10
Red Light
F(x)
11
One More
Fiestar
12
Good Night Kiss
Hyosung (Secret)
13
Ain’t Nobody
HA:TFELT (Yenny – Wonder Girls)
14
Eternity
VIXX
15
You Don’t Love Me
Spica
16
So Wonderful
Ladies Code
17
This Is Love
Super Junior
18
Luv
APINK
19
Like A Cat
AOA
20
B.B.B (Big Baby Baby)
Dal Shabet
21
Good Luck
Beast
22
Cha Cha
Rainbow BLAXX
23
Full Moon
Sunmi ft. Lena
24
Error
VIXX
25
Catallena
Orange Caramel
26
My Copy Cat
Orange Caramel
27
Don’t Look At Me Like That
Song Ji Eun (Secret)
28
Back
Infinite
29
8Dayz
Megan Lee
30
What About You?
Laboum
31
Dont Touch Me
Ailee
32
I Swear
Sistar
33
Singing Got Better
Ailee
34
1004 (Angel)
B.A.P
35
Danger
BTS
36
12:30
Beast
37
Mr. Ambigious
Mamamoo
38
Lonely
B1A4
39
Beep Beep
BTOB
40
Mamma Mia
Kara
41
I Need You
Bestie
42
Solo Day
B1A4
43
Whatcha Doing Today?
4Minute
44
Pretty Age 25
Song Ji Eun (Secret)
45
1 Minute 1 Second
Jiyeon (T-Ara)
46
Peppermint Chocolate
Mamamoo ft. K.Will & Wheesung
47
FxxK U
Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
48
Touch My Body
Sistar
49
Evanesce
Super Junior
50
Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms
HIGH4 ft. IU
THAT’S IT!!! 2014 IS OVER AND 2015 IS APPROACHING. WISHING YOU ALL (IN YOUR RESPECTIVE TIME ZONES) A HAPPY NEW YEAR. I only have 6 hours to go and I am excited. Party hard (but not too hard) and I will see you next year!! aka. in the next few days ^^
Code: RED FONT – WINNERS BLUE FONT – HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST ROOKIE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
2014, like the past few years, have seen so many new KPOP bands debut. So many new bands, so much that I have a really difficult job to select certain artists and also keep up with the old styles. 2014 saw the big 3 companies debut their own groups, but I have to be honest, the stand outs came mostly from the smaller companies. One group in particular stood out from the rest: Mamamoo. Harmony and totally different style from what we are used to. Honourable mentions go to GOT7.
BEST INSTRUMENTAL
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
The one song that is overlooked by everyone on the album is the instrumental. I freaking love instrumentals, and this year, KPOP decided to tease me with so many new instrumentals. That being said, this year the winner of Best Instrumental is Ain’t Nobody by Ye-Eun (Ha:tFelt). Honourable mentions go to Sugar Free by T-Ara.
BEST VOCALS
WINNER
KPOP = Singing. There for it is only right for this year to have an award for Best Vocals, right? Well, the winner goes to Ha:tfelt – Ye Eun (Wonder Girls). I was so amazed by here singing this year that it blew my mind, particularly her title track Ain’t Nobody. Honourable mentions go to IU (yes, I think most of us agree).
BEST RAPPER
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Many KPOP songs have many rapping parts. At the same time, rappers need some recognition. Though, I feel my choice this year could be a little odd, only one person (in my opinion) did a really amazing job. Junhyung from Beast did a wonderful job in Good Luck, 12:30 and the many songs he featured in. Zico from Block B takes Honourable Mentions.
BEST SUBUNIT
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Since 2013, many subunits have been on trend. Even though subunits have been losing trend, many bands this year debuted their own subunits. However, I think we should move away from the new subunits. Cause this year an old subunit wins. Orange Caramel steals Best Subunit with release of three different songs. Honourable mentions goes to Rainbow Blaxx.
BEST COLLABORATION
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
The new trend for 2014. Collaborations between artists have been on the rise. This year though, if you were a KPOP fan for a while, you would know already who the winner is. Soyu & JungGiGo’s Some steals the show, topping the end of year charts conducted in South Korea and winning Best Song as well on the SBS Music Festival. Well of course they would win, considering that they SLAYED the charts. Honourable Mentions go to Sane and Raina’s collaboration, Midsummer Night’s Sweetness.
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
WINNER
WINNER
This year there has been so many stars that have started to become more popular. The nominees tend to be bands that have debuted in the previous year, and with help of comebacks, started to become well known in the industry. I think for the first time ever, I am going to be honest and put forward two winners to this category. First of all, BTS say a boost in popularity and have become a band that I look forward to listening to. Second of all AOA saw new popularity with release of Miniskirt, Short Air and Like A Cat. Both bands, obviously, rose a lot this year and I found it hard to differentiate them.
BEST JAPANESE SONG
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
If you don’t know (I won’t be surprised) I also review some Japanese song. 2015 will be the year where I start to review more Japanese songs for you all. However, 2014 also had a lot of catchy and cool Japanese songs. The winner for this year is Korean boy band MYNAME’s F.F.Y. Such a catchy song. As for honourable mentions, it goes to AAA’s Showtime.
BEST DANCE
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
KPOP is also known for its dancing. 2014 saw some interesting dances, catchy dances, and some dances that have no words to describe it. And that can be a good thing or a bad thing. This year, T-ara took the position as best dance. It was probably the most addictive dance and it was pretty easy as well. It matched the song and most importantly, I loved it. Honourable mentions to Infinite’s Back.
BEST ALBUM
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
A brand new category for 2014. Every award show or some kind of award giving platform has the “best album” award. And yes, this year, there are so many freaking great albums (like any other year). In my opinion, the best album of the year goes to F(x)’s Red Light. All, if not most, of the songs were amazing to listen to and were so great. Every freaking song was different, and though that maybe risky, F(x) pulled it off as a flowing album. Honourable Mentions goes to AKMU’s Play.
BEST MALE SOLOIST
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Solos don’t tend to be the trend this year. Some bands saw new members branch into a solo career, however it seems like more and more KPOP idols (whether male or female) are branching out to acting or variety shows. However, the winner to this category is a person who started offically his own solo career with a lot of experience in the music industry. Crush is the winner. Damn, this dude’s songs are so good. You should check them out. Honourable mentions: JungGiGo.
BEST FEMALE SOLOIST
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
It seems like more and more females are branching out onto the stage. We saw many KPOP divas making their solo debuts on the stage with new and fresh songs from bands like T-Ara or Secret. We already have divas who have accomplished a start to their solo career and saw comebacks of very big names. This year, one solo stood out and that is Secret’s Song Ji Eun. Releasing her first solo mini album, she did quite well considering the competition she was going through. Honourable Mentions goes to Sunmi.
BEST FEMALE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Sexy concept by girl groups have been on the rise. If you know me well, then you probably already know my pick. However, so many girls groups made their comeback this year. Some picked up a lot of popularity and saw massive wins for the first time. Girl’s Day hitted big with their amazing single Something. They later went on to release Darling and I Miss You. Being one of the biggest girl groups of the year, they were sure to pick some prize up. APINK steals honourable mentions this year with their massive single Mr Chu and their latest hit Luv, which blew up and swept all the December trophies for 2014.
BEST MALE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
There have always been a large influx of boy groups and this year it is no different. I was so impressed I was just going to choose all 10 nominees as winners. However, there can only be one winner (well, technically), so I guess I have to choose one. I am going to put down VIXX. They released Eternity and Error this year and both songs were hits for the band. Not only that, they displayed great dance moves and skills. Beast takes out honourable mentions with Good Luck and 12:30, both being very great songs that also delivered like what VIXX had to show. (Just VIXX nudged a head a little bit).
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
This year, most of my Best Music Video Nominees saw the depressing side of KPOP. 8 music videos had this sad or dark storyline to tell. 2 music videos were made in a soft hearted and were really cheerful. G.o.D’s music video for The Story Of Our Lives, told the amazing bond between family and that the outside will never be able to define the inside. Megan Lee features in the song and both band and soloist did an amazing job singing and pouring out their emotions. By the way, SM made a video outside of the box. F(x)’s Red Light, takes honourable mention.
BEST SONG
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
25 songs were nominated for Best Song for 2014. All were to an excellent standard. There were clear stands out. Something by Girl’s Day, EXID’s Up and Down and Beast’s Good Luck are this year’s honourable mentions. However, which song took Best Song category for 2014? Check the song and music video down below.
Another popular song from the year 2014. And another collaboration between a new group and a soloist who has been known for her many great hits such as Good Day, U & I and Red Shoes. IU, the soloist, collaborated with the new boy band HIGH4. HIGH4 consists of 4 members: Alex, Sunggyu, Myunghan & Youngjun. They made their official debut with Headache back in August. They had also collaborated with Lim Kim.
I think it is right to describe this song as a really soft song. IU has strong vocals and since I never heard of this HIGH4 band before, I thought it was going a pop song or something that has really strong vocals. I was not disappointed when I heard the song though. The song still worked really well. I told myself many times to download the song, but I never went through with that. Mainly because I was watching leaves fall down in Autumn, not watching Cherry Blossoms grow in Spring. This song also sounds really sweet and is a song that I would listen in Spring. Their voices sound really nice together and IU’s voice sounds really cute. The guys sound exceptional, especially since they are singing at a higher pitch than what they are usually singing at. I won’t say the rapping made the song awkward like I always used to. I thought the rapping was really good. It complimented the song. Also, I loved the huskiness in their voices, both HIGH4’s and IU’s. They added something extra to the song.
The music video was okay. It looked very simple and nice. I liked how despite it being a very simple video, the end product made it look really sophisticated. To some people, it may look dull and really cheap, but the white sets look really amazing and I find that they were an artistic way of representing the evening sky and night sky. I just love the transitions into certain scenes, like when IU throws the ice cream and the dude (sorry, haven’t learnt names yet) catches it. Also, I loved the car. It seemed a little “flat” to drive around, but it looked really cute. For a song about Cherry Blossoms, there was very little cherry blossoms, I thought. Until the end, where there was all these cherry blossoms.
There was a dance. And even though it suited the song, was a dance necessary? Cause the song and music video worked very well together already.
Another collaboration done and dusted. 2014 is definitely full of collaborations. Good to know that I won’t be reviewing anymore collaborations, so be thankful for that. Hahahaha… 9.6/10
However, as the new year is coming up (don’t forget about Christmas) the 2014 reviews are coming to an end. Just wait, because I have reviews for Park Hyo Shin, Sunny Hill, UNIQ and Lovelyz coming up. Also the Christmas songs review is coming up (on XMAS day). Lastly, the BOBs and End Of Year Charts will be released. End of 2014 is going to busy.
Welcome to 2014! Did you all have a Happy New Year? I did! Hahaha… This is my first review of the year. Sadly school is restarting in a month, so I have to start doing my holiday homework, so it is going to be an awkward struggle. But don’t worry. I doubt nothing will effect the rapid speed of my reviews. They won’t be rapid once I start school though, but anything that changes will be notified to you guys, so don’t worry. Anyway, IU recently released her repackaged album, on December the 19th. The new album featured 2 new tracks and also includes the tracks from her album, Modern Times. Though no formal promotions were taken (I believe so far), she still managed to achieve a perfect all kill on the charts and remain on the charts as one of the top singers of the year!
I have to say, this song is pretty good. However it does not have me coming back to it more. I like the song more than Red Shoes, but I have to be honest, but it seems to be lost and forgotten quite easily. I have the simple feel of the song which sounds pretty good and awesome. I have to say, both voices in this song, compliment each other. Both have this husky voice which I really dig. The lyrics are quite simple, and I am thanking IU for not singing the song of the same title released 2-3 years ago. You know what i am talking about! Anyway, the lyrics too are quite simple. It is great for a song like this to come out, which allows us, as the audience, to step back from the heavy dance tracks and relax through a song that calms ourselves down!
The music video is quite interesting. I don’t get the whole new trend of one shot videos. EXO did it well, but everyone else is jumping onto the bandwagon now. Sad. However, I really enjoyed the music video. It was pretty nice and like the song too, was relaxing. Though I am unclear about Yi Jeong though. What roles does he play? The best friend who acts like a big brother? or a guardian angel? Or her make believe friend, who she ignores when she talks about love? So many roles in which he can play that has a logical explanation. The music video is quite cute, but the last scene, where she gets dragged into a dark alley. Umm… I just hope I am looking into the video a little too much there! But beside that, really cool music video.
10/10. What a way to start off the year!!! Let’s hope 2014 will bring more amazing songs like this to our ears and minds!!!
Hi all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wow, 2013 is finally over. Can you believe it. With days to go, I will be unable to update this over my “break”. Beside that I have scheduled a whole heap of reviews. I promised you guys an End Of Year Charts, and with that very day 3-4 days away, I think it is time unleash the beast. Party hard! Welcome the new year in style! I will wish to see you all back on the 2nd of Jan 2013 (subject to change). At the very bottom of this post, there will be two links. One is a playlist for the winners of the BOB’s and the other is the top 20 songs of the year, as selected by this chart. Yay!!!!
IU has finally made her comeback to the stage after what seems to be a really rough year for her. Scandal after scandal has literally shoved her out of her spotlight, making her one of the most hated (by ELFS) person in the world. This is her first comeback to Korea after countless number of promotional runs in Japan and also her first Korean comeback since the Spring of a Twenty Year Old, last year. It is also her first comeback onto the stage since You & I. I must comment now, but who freaking amazing is IU and like every song she has put out? This song, and the rest of the album is freaking amazing. I tweeted a lot about it, since its release.
She also now has a perfect all kill, taking out Busker Busker, who had an all kill and all of the other artists on the charts at the moment! You know what, in celebration of that, we should all take our shirts off. You know, as a gesture towards IU.
The song is freaking amazing. I am surprised and amazed about the quality of this song. It definitely tops You & I and Good Day, which were all really good songs as well. If you have not noticed from her many teasers, she has gone for a more mature image this time around, rather that “Little Nation’s Sister” image that she got taken away from her. The jazz feel that this song has is really cool. I find that IU’s voice fits this style really well, (Likewise, the whole album is to the same standard). The lyrics itself tells us a story of a girl who wants to find a guy she met during the summer, but does not know who he is. I really love the English bits in the chorus and also the “Ooma loompa doom dubi duba doom“and “Again Again” part. I found that rather cute.
The music video, at first I thought it would be a “Wizard of Oz” theme to it because those red shoes look exactly like the ones that Dorothy wears. Instead we get a totally different plot. We see a girl, IU, enjoying her Summer with a group of guys (surprised not one of them does not have their shirt off). She however falls in love with the servant, and after that tries to find him. But it seems Mr. Shoe is willing to help her by rushing her to the servant or trying to chase her down, because she is his one true love. But then there is that scene where she gets the shoe, which now confuses me. I found that little “credit scene” in the video, quite cute. I found the teasers quite cute. However, I did overcome with the thought that the guys were gay. They seemed that way. Despite that, I love the black and white feel of the video, giving that authentic 1930’s look. I also love the scene where she dances, both solo and as the performance. Grand scale for such a lovely girl.
The dance is pretty cool. Have not looked at in detail, but boy do the ending of the performances seem awesome or not? That little disappearance act sets the bar high for future performances from other bands, groups and soloists.
9.5/10. Really amazing. To all of her fans out there that I may have offended, I am sorry. I only put them in there as a joke. But seriously, really good song. IU daebak!
History made their debut recently with Dreamer which to me is a really great song. As dubbed by their company, as the opposite of Fiestar, they are living up to their standards. They are a group of 5 guys, who sound amazing and are great at harmonizing. Seriously if you are looking for a talent male group, this is one that should be on your list. Okay, stop me. Before…..
Spectacular. Amazing. Lovely. Ummm… I am running out of words. Basically, I totally like this song. Though it seems that this is just a rookie group, this group has amazing vocals and really good rapper. Don’t underestimate them, okay? The way they sing the song is really great. If I was to compare them to a well known artist, I guess 5 Whitney Houstons’? Probably a horrible example, but you will get my flow. They rely a lot of vocals which is very important. Their chorus is pretty good, along with their verses. I will be following this group from now on. You betcha! Also, IU’s part seems quite good, after you learn what she really says. If you don’t well, it is just a waste of music, I guess.
The music video, on the other hand, is not that great. It is not memorable like SHINee’s Why So Serious or 4 Minute’s What’s Your Name? each of which I have reviewed (Here) and (Here) respectively. I don’t really understand the music video at all. At first, there seems to be some Russian spy who is really suspicious who is spying on the people who live in the house. Yeah, I am going to stop ruining the music video before I get to the other parts. I love the set which they are dancing on. Looks amazing and really good. Gives off that old Hollywood look to it, which seems to be spread out in the video a lot. That girl too is really pretty. But beside the fact that the music video makes no sense whatsoever, it was okay.
Okay this group is putting their name out there via vocals not dancing. There is not much of a dancing that would be memorable. There is dancing and they seem pretty good at it. But they give off this feel that “I don’t want to dance, because I suck at it”. Good points for giving it a try though.
This is a really refreshing song. I found it really soothing even though it contained electro-beats to it. I found it really cool and nice. The lyrics do reflect a twenty year old’s spring. Hopefully it will be like this when I am twenty years old. Only 4 and a bit more years. I really like the end chorus, cause the song builds up the suspense and just unleashes it with full glory which was really nice. The only complaint with the song was the start. It was slow and compared to the ending, it kind of sucked. I mean the start was really slow and the end was like bang. Not really that fun I believe. But overall the song was nice in my point of view.
Music Video
OMG the music video was… boring. I seriously find it hard to sit in front of a computer for 27 minutes watching a music video. To make it worse, the song was the end of the whole music video, which kind of bored me. If I had not read the comment, I would’ve have given this a really ad review. (I just skipped to the end). Seriously, at least give it some kind of a storyline to it. All I see is IU running free with her boyfriend for some reason I think is the camera man or PD of the whole expedition. I hated T-Ara’s Cry Cry and Lovey Dovey music video because they took so freaking long to end. This is 10 times worse. Great to know that IU is drinking her milk, but where the music????
Now I know that in Korea, twenty is like the coming of age and yes I wish to celebrate mine, but this is a music video. Also I know it is some kind of fan-service music video but I really don’t like the fact that is about her life and the schedules she go through. For some it is fascinating, for others (like me) another video is a much better idea. (A behind the scene would be good, with the music video being a whole separate video).
And The Rating?
A 7.5/10. Love the song but not the music video. Sorry IU. (There is no performance. Which does sucks.)
Much I say much. Thumbs Up!!!!! This has to be the best song. Wait, did I say best song? I mean best album ever. I just listened to the first track and later I was at the end. That was definitely a first. Regardless of how good the singer/s were (excluding IU) I never sit through the whole album. I would dislike at least one song from the album. But Last Fantasy 2 was different. She kept the whole the same tune from Good Day to You & I. There is no English in the song and the whole song is the best ever. Enough said about the song, I think I am going off topic now.
Music Video
The Music Video is really good and matches the song (which itself was very good). Its not boring and pretty good. I loved both music videos (The normal and performance version) The dance was very nice. and very creative. The plot was really weird but very good. (Wait, is that even possible?). Its about a girl who is some-kind of inventor and a guy in a coma (goose is his soul). *Guy is in the coma, goose is alive. Guy moving, Goose frozen* The inventor badly wants to be with the guy and has used every trick in the book to wake him up, however she does know that in the future he will wake up. So she gives up on waking him and builds a time machine to time travel into the future. The guy wakes up from the coma and is very lost (I think). Anyway to the future, the guy is seen in the shop with the girl as the store manager. They don’t know about their past however they are both familiar with each other (long lost lovers).
Live Performance
The live performance is pretty cool. The gears are even taken from the music video and included on stage, which is pretty cool. The dance is also very creative with the hand movements copying a clock. Also at the end, when they in groups, tilt their hands/head to one side is like one gear turning effecting the next gear and the next one after that (if you understand what I just said…). So a pretty cool dance.
And The Rating?
I think this is the longest review I have written yet. LOL. Count the words (not literally but if you want to…). To rate this song, I would give it a 10/10. Excellent song, excellent music video & excellent performance. Nothing else I can list.
Does IU ever disappoints us? Never. This song is one of the many songs she has out there currently that show us her true vocal skills. So good. This song gives off a princess theme. This is hardly done anywhere these days and if it is done it would be for 5 years old. Also this song has a pause it in as well, for dramatic effects of course. IU does not really show off her skills but displays them in a presentable manner. Also I love how she enters the song with a rusty type of voice that is very well polished. There is no English in the song (which IU is professional with) but even though I can’ t understand this song, I can tell you very well about. Boy this is long review for just for the song. I love the ending of the song and to me is the prefect song to put as the no. 1 song on the album.
To rate this song, I would give it a 10/10. Great display of vocal talent and at the same time it sound very good.
Is there anything to say about this song and singer? She is too good. Good Day was one of the best songs ever. It is not boring. It not using sex appeal. It is not stupid and it sounds good. That would form the perfect song ever. It uses a good beat and guess what? The vocals are superb. I can’t criticize this song. IU is too good for us. Her three high notes were the best. (Though I actually prefer BEG’s 3 high notes, IU still sounds good.) I guess that is the highlight of the song. If you listen carefully, the song builds up to that point which is really smart. “I’m in my dreammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm~” LOL.
Music Video
Something all the good and simple music videos must have is an easy and simple plot for the audience to find. This has one which was also why it is very good. Okay so IU has this crush on this older man and is very shy to confess (that is why she was scared when the parrot spoke). She had thought that the guy had run away from her because of the parrot. But he returns to return the parrot which she forgot at the store and then confessed her love. That is pretty beautiful. Except for that tights technical error which one side was purple and the other pink. Beside that, everything was beautiful.
Live Performance
Everything was fine however it was quite sad that I (& many people, i assume) did not see her do her high notes. Yes, I know they would’ve been loud and blown up the microphone but I think the high notes add the uniqueness in which all IU’s songs have.
And The Rating?
“I’m in my dreammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm~” LOL. 10/10. Really good. Yes, I am a fan of IU’s. Did not try to be bias at all.
Have Fun Watching 😀 Troy.
There is no music video, however I wish to do more reviews on IU’s album. It sounds so good.
KPOPREVIEWED 