"No. 1"
Japanese single cover
Single by BoA
from the album No. 1 and Valenti
A-side"Kiseki" (JP)
Released
  • April 12, 2002
  • September 19, 2002 (JP)
Recorded2002
Genre
Length4:17
Label
Songwriter(s)Kim Young-ah
Producer(s)
BoA singles chronology
"Every Heart (Minna no Kimochi)"
(2002)		 "No. 1"
(2002)		 "Valenti"
(2002)
Music video
"No. 1" on YouTube

"No. 1" is a song recorded by South Korean recording artist BoA. It was released on April 12, 2002, for her second studio album of the same name (2002) through SM Entertainment. In Japan, the song was released as a double A-side CD single with the track "Kiseki" on September 19, 2002, via Avex Trax. The single, titled "Kiseki / No. 1", was included in her second Japanese studio album Valenti (2003). "No. 1" was written by Kim Young-ah, while production was handled by Sigurd Røsnes and Ahn Ik-soo.[1]

Musically, "No. 1" is a dance song that infuses elements of europop. It was met with commercial success following its release; the CD single peaked at number three on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). In South Korea, "No. 1" won several awards, including the Most Popular Music Video daesang at the 2002 Mnet Music Video Festival and the Grand Prize at the annual SBS Gayo Daejeon. In 2021, a panel of 35 music experts and critics organized by Seoul Shinmun and Melon deemed it the greatest K-pop song of all time.

Background and release

Initially, "No. 1" was not planned to serve as the lead single for BoA's album according to former SM Entertainment employee Jason Park. It was originally composed by Norwegian producer Sigurd Røsnes ("Ziggy") and was one of the tracks found on the agency's many demo CDs obtained during a business trip to Sweden in 2001.[2][3] The track eventually gained favorability from SM staff and executive producer Lee Soo-man, and was then slated to be released by the label's in-house composer Yoo Young-jin. However, Park convinced Lee that "No. 1" would be a better choice for BoA after playing it a car ride for him.[3]

In Japan, it was selected as the second lead maxi CD single for BoA's second Japanese studio album Valenti, and was released as "Kiseki / No. 1" on September 19, 2002, by Avex Trax. The maxi CD contains the A-side track "Kiseki" and the B-side track "Flower", in addition to instrumental versions of the tracks.[4] "Kiseki" was also used as Kose's "Luminous" CM song while "No. 1" was used as a theme song for the Busan 2002 Asian Games.[5]

Songwriting controversy

After the initial demo was selected for BoA's album in 2002, songwriter Kim Young-ah was offered ₩2 million (US$1,800) by SM Entertainment to write its Korean lyrics. Upon the song's release, SM signed a music copyright license agreement with Universal Music, who in 2003, registered Røsnes as its sole lyricist and composer to the Korean Music Copyright Association (KMCA). In 2011, Kim requested to the KMCA to withhold payments of its copyright royalties for Universal Music, and subsequently filed a lawsuit regarding the song's copyright status the following year. In July 2015, Kim was judged the rightful credit as the songwriter by the South Korean supreme court, and was awarded ₩45 million (US$40,000) in royalties as well as ₩5 million (US$4,400) in compensation for the 13 year-old ordeal.[6]

Composition

Musically, "No. 1" is a dance song that incorporates stylistic elements from europop.[7] The version released by BoA was written by Kim Young-ah, while arrangement of the track was handled by Ahn Ik-soo.[1] It features "glittering dance production reminiscent of Max Martin and innocent R&B vocals".[8] While producing the song, Røsnes expressed that he "wanted to write kind of an uplifting happy thing – something that would make you feel good".[3]

Reception

"No. 1" was met with positive reception in both South Korea and Japan. In Mnet's Gayo Best 27 half-year ranking of the top 100 popular songs, "No. 1" ranked at number three, placing behind Shinhwa's "Perfect Man" and Lee Seung-hwan's "Wrong".[9] In Japan, the single "Kiseki / No. 1" was commercially successful. It peaked at number three on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart, where it became her first top-three single in the country; it charted for a total of 17 weeks.[10] In October 2002, "Kiseki / No. 1" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for physical shipments of 200,000 units.[11] In December, it was revealed that "No. 1" was the most widely searched song of the year among South Korean netizens, as well as the most searched song among people wanting to confess their love.[12] It was also the year's fifth most downloaded mobile phone ringtone.[13]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for "No. 1"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2002 Mnet Music Video Festival Most Popular Music Video (Daesang) Won [14]
Best Dance Performance Won
Best Female Artist Nominated [15]
SBS Gayo Daejeon Grand Prize (Daesang) Won [16]
Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
MBC's Music Camp May 11, 2002 [17]
SBS's Inkigayo May 12, 2002
May 19, 2002
May 26, 2002

Impact and legacy

BoA's debut Japanese album Listen to My Heart from earlier that year was met with breakthrough success for the Korean music industry, where it became the first million certified album by a non-Japanese artist as well as the first to top the Oricon album chart. Regarding the release of "No. 1", Michael Fuhr wrote that it acted as "not only a milestone in [BoA's] career as a transnational idol star, but also proved the viability of SM Entertainment's export strategy. It was the first time the company gained chart success in Korea and Japan with a song licensed from Europe."[2] Music critic Lim Jin-mo believed that her success in Japan in the early 2000s was an unlikely achievement for a South Korean act, and opened many doors for Korean pop acts in the second largest music market in the world. Tamar Herman came to a similar conclusion, saying that "As a result, the Japanese music market became more familiar with Korean artistry and a major market for just about every other K-pop act that followed."[3]

In an article coinciding with the release of her tenth Korean studio album in 2020, Korea JoongAng Daily deemed "No. 1" as the song that first brought her to the spotlight in South Korea, adding that "it is still considered her best hit." Speaking to the publication, BoA chose "No. 1" along with "Only One" among her best hits as the two top tracks of her career.[18] South China Morning Post's Lucy Jeong noted the line "You're still my number one" as a popular catchphrase and fan cheer chant, writing that the "iconic song, which showcases Boa's powerful dancing and vocals as well as a cheerful upbeat style, is a go-to for other K-pop girl groups, like GFriend and Red Velvet, to perform as a dance cover."[19]

In 2014, Mnet included "No. 1" in their Legend 100 listing of most influential songs in Korean popular music history since the 1960s.[20] In The Dong-a Ilbo's 2016 survey involving 2,000 people and 30 Korean music critics, it was voted as the fourth best female idol song in the past 20 years by both the public and music experts, the latter along with 2NE1's "I Am the Best" and Girls' Generation's "Into the New World".[21] In a panel of 35 music experts and industry professionals organized by online portal Melon and newspaper Seoul Shinmun, "No. 1" was ranked the greatest K-pop song of all-time for its cultural significance, artistic quality and performance.[22][23] Rolling Stone ranked it the 18th greatest song in the history of Korean pop music, referring to it as "her most emblematic crossover hit".[8]

"No. 1" on critic lists and polls
Publisher Year List Rank Ref.
MTV Korea 2004 100 Best Korean Music Videos 9 [24]
Gallup Korea 2006 100 All Time Favorite Korean Songs 27 [25]
Mnet 2014 Legend 100 Songs — [26]
Music Y 2014 Best 120 Dance Tracks of All Time 37 [27]
The Dong-a Ilbo 2016 Best Female Idol Songs in the Past 20 Years 4 [28]
Melon 2021 Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time 1 [23]
Marie Claire 2021 35 Essential K-pop Songs — [29]
Rolling Stone 2023 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music 18 [8]

Track listing

Japanese CD single
  1. "Kiseki" – 4:17
  2. "No. 1" – 3:13
  3. "Flower" – 3:30
  4. "Kiseki" (Instrumental) – 4:17
  5. "No. 1" (Instrumental) – 3:13
  6. "Flower" (Instrumental) – 3:30

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from MusicBrainz and Melon.[1][30]

Korean version credits
Japanese version credits

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Japan Singles (Oricon)[10] 3

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[11]
Physical single 		Gold 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Label(s) Ref.
South Korea April 12, 2002 SM Entertainment [1]
Japan September 19, 2002 Avex Trax [31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "No.1 - 보아 (BoA)" (in Korean). Melon. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Fuhr, Michael (June 12, 2015). Globalization and Popular Music in South Korea: Sounding Out K-Pop. Taylor & Francis. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-317-55691-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Yim, Hyun-su (April 13, 2020). "Revisiting BoA's 'No.1' two decades on". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Kiseki / No. 1 – BoA". Apple Music. September 19, 2002. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ 보아 'No.1' 일본서 부산AG 테마송 채택 [BoA's 'No.1' adopted the theme song of Busan AG in Japan]. Yonhap News (in Korean). September 24, 2002. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  6. ↑ 보아 '넘버원' 작사가 13년 만에 저작권료 4500만원 받아 [BoA's 'No. 1' lyricist receives 45 million won in royalties for the first time in 13 years]. Kookmin Ilbo (in Korean). July 6, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2021 – via Naver.
  7. ↑ [코스닥] SM '한국서 보아 새앨범 발매' [[Kosdaq] SM "Releases BoA's new album in Korea"]. Money Today. April 12, 2002 – via Naver.
  8. 1 2 3 "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  9. ↑ m.net 상반기 팝ㆍ가요 결산 외 [<Broadcasting Street> m.net releases 1st half of the year's pop and song rankings, etc.]. Yonhap News (in Korean). June 25, 2002 – via Naver.
  10. 1 2 "BoAのリリース一覧" [List of BoA's Releases]. Oricon. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Japanese single certifications – BoA – Kiseki / No.1" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved November 11, 2021. Select 2002年10月 on the drop-down menu
  12. ↑ '보아 No.1', 올해 네티즌 인기도 '넘버원' ['Boa No. 1', Netizens Popularity 'No. 1' this year]. iNews24 (in Korean). December 11, 2002. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Naver.
  13. ↑ '오~ 필승코리아', 올해 최고 휴대폰 벨소리 ['Oh~ Pilseung Korea', the best cell phone ringtone of the year]. iNews24 (in Korean). December 27, 2002 – via Naver.
  14. ↑ m.net 뮤비 페스티벌, 보아 'No.1' 최고인기상 [m.net Music Video Festival, BoA 'No.1' Best Popularity Award]. Yonhap News (in Korean). November 29, 2002. Retrieved May 29, 2021 – via Naver.
  15. ↑ "2002 Mnet Music Video Festival part 1". Mwave. November 29, 2002. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016.
  16. ↑ '2002 SBS 가요대전' 대상은 보아 ['2002 SBS Gayo Daejeon' BoA wins Grand Prize]. Yonhap News (in Korean). December 30, 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2021 – via Daum.
  17. ↑ "[코스닥] 에스엠, 보아2집 국내방송순위 1위" [[KOSDAQ] SM, BoA’s 2nd album ranked 1st in domestic broadcast rankings]. Money Today (in Korean). Naver. May 13, 2002. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ Yoon, So-yeon (December 1, 2020). "After two decades in the music industry, BoA is still learning". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  19. ↑ Jeong, Lucy (November 5, 2020). "'Queen of K-pop': celebrating Boa's 34th birthday and 20th anniversary". South China Morning Post.
  20. ↑ Kim, Soo-jung (February 3, 2014). '동백아가씨'부터 '강남스타일'까지, 대중 사로잡은 명곡은?. MediaUS. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ '반짝반짝 눈이 부셔'… 빅뱅-소녀시대 역대 최고 아이돌. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). September 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Top 100 K-pop songs of all time revealed". Manila Bulletin. August 29, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  23. 1 2 Sng, Suzanne (August 29, 2021). "BoA's song No. 1 is the top K-pop song of all time, say music industry experts". The Straits Times.
  24. ↑ '최고 뮤비는 브라운 아이즈 '벌써 1년''-MTV 조사 ["Best music video is Brown Eyes 'Already a Year'" – MTV Survey]. Yonhap News (in Korean). July 14, 2004. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via Naver.
  25. ↑ 2006 한국인이 좋아하는 가요 100곡 (in Korean). Gallup Korea. December 1, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  26. ↑ Kim, Soo-jung (February 3, 2014). '동백아가씨'부터 '강남스타일'까지, 대중 사로잡은 명곡은? [From 'Camellia Lady' to 'Gangnam Style', which famous songs have captured the public?]. MediaUS. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  27. ↑ Park, Byung-woon (July 22, 2014). "Dance Track 120 – 보아 (BoA)『No.1』". Music Y (in Korean). Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  28. ↑ '반짝반짝 눈이 부셔'… 빅뱅-소녀시대 역대 최고 아이돌. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). September 1, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  29. ↑ LeGardye, Quinci (November 8, 2021). "35 Essential K-Pop Songs Every Fan Should Know". Marie Claire.
  30. ↑ "Release "奇蹟 / NO.1" by BoA" (in Japanese). MusicBrainz. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Kiseki, No.1 (CCCD) BoA CD Maxi". CDJapan. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.