Candy (H.O.T. song)

"Candy"
Single by H.O.T.
from the album We Hate All Kinds of Violence
LanguageKorean
ReleasedSeptember 7, 1996
Recorded1996
Genre
Length3:37
LabelSM
Songwriter(s)Jang Yong-jin [ko]
Producer(s)Jang Yong-jin
H.O.T. singles chronology
"Warrior's Descendant"
(1996) 		"Candy"
(1996) 		"Wolf and Sheep"
(1997)
Music video
"Candy" on YouTube

"Candy" (Korean: 캔디) is a song recorded by South Korean boy group H.O.T., released as part of the group's debut studio album We Hate All Kinds of Violence through SM Entertainment on September 7, 1996. Along with "Warrior's Descendant", it serves as one of the two singles from the record. "Candy" is a "cheerful" bubblegum pop dance number, and was written and produced by Jang Yong-jin [ko].

Upon the album's release, "Candy" was met with widespread recognition in South Korea and has been credited with sparking a new wave of mainstream music in the country's youth. H.O.T. promoted "Candy" with televised live performances on weekly South Korean music programs in late 1996 and January 1997, and topped the chart rankings for several weeks. In a 2005 survey conducted by MTV Korea, it was voted the most popular song of 1996 in South Korea by netizens.[1]

Background

[edit]
"Candy" – H.O.T.
A 23-second sample of "Candy", a cheerful and energetic bubblegum pop track.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

H.O.T. made its debut on September 7, 1996, with the release of the album We Hate All Kinds of Violence. It experienced instant commercial success in South Korea and has since reportedly sold over 1.5 million copies.[2] The trainee system laid by SM with H.O.T. has led them to be considered the first idol group in K-pop.[3][4][5]

Release

[edit]

"Candy" serves as the second single from the album following "Warrior's Descent". It is a cheerful bubblegum pop song that established the group's popularity in South Korea.[2][6] The fashion, rap skills and dance moves shown through "Candy" has been noted by popular cultural commentators for sparking a new wave of mainstream music in South Korea.[7]

Live performances

[edit]

Following promotions for the first single "Descent of Warriors", H.O.T. began promoting the album's second single, "Candy", on televised weekly music programs in November 1996. The stages for "Candy" exemplifies the level of coordination regarding idol costumes, with each member wearing a designated color and accessorized with face paint, fuzzy oversized mittens, visors, bucket hats, and earmuffs, and used stuffed animals, backpacks, and messenger bags as props. On October 13 and 14, 2018, H.O.T. performed "Candy" at their reunion concert "Forever [Highfive Of Teenagers]" at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, which attracted a total of 100,000 attendees.[8]

Accolades

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"Candy" won the Best New Artist award at the 11th Golden Disc Awards.[9] It achieved the top position on SBS's TV Gayo 20 (former version of Inkigayo), MBC's Popular Songs Best 50 (former version of Show! Music Core), and KBS's Top 10 Songs (former version of Music Bank).

Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
TV Gayo 20 December 15, 1996 [10]
December 22, 1996 [11]
January 5, 1997 [12]
January 12, 1997 [13]
January 19, 1997 [14]
Popular Songs Best 50 December 28, 1996 [15]
January 4, 1997 [16]
January 11, 1997 [17]
Top 10 Songs January 8, 1997 [18]
January 15, 1997 [19]

Impact and legacy

[edit]

The release of "Candy" presented a softer and gentler form of pop music with upbeat and cheerful melodies accompanied by energetic dance moves—a formula adopted by many subsequent Korean idol groups. Ranking it as the best K-pop song of all time in 2012, David Bevan of Spin magazine wrote "Seo Taiji may have laid K-pop’s foundation a few years earlier, but it was H.O.T., a boy band engineered in part by SM kingpin Lee Soo-Man, that ushered in the 'idol' cult that's propelled Korean pop cultural product as far and wide as it's come in the past ten years."[20] In 2014, Mnet included "Candy" in their countdown list of Legend 100 Songs, a list of 100 influential songs in Korean popular music history since the 1960s.[21]

That same year, music webzine Music Taste Y ranked it at number 25 in their list of 120 greatest dance songs of all time, where critic Kim Yun-ha noted the multi use marketing that commercializes not only music, but also fashion and characters, and said that the song acts as sort of the ancestor of all those combined elements that the K-pop industry has become accustomed to in the present.[22] 35 music and pop culture critics organized by Seoul Shinmun and Melon ranked "Candy" at number 17 in a 2021 list of the 100 best K-pop songs of all time; critic Jeong Byeong-wook echoed that its beats, "dances, related fashions, various derivatives, and the fandom culture that surrounds it have all become pioneering models of the K-pop business today."[23]

H.O.T.'s "Candy" on select rankings
Publisher Rank Rank Year published
MTV Korea Most popular songs from 1996 1 2005[1]
Gallup Korea 100 All Time Favorite Korean Songs 13 2006[24]
JukeOn List of hit dances of all time in the music industry No order 2007[25]
Spin 21 Greatest K-pop Songs of All Time 1 2012[20]
Mnet Legend 100 Songs No order 2014[26]
Music Y 120 greatest dance tracks of all time 25 2014[27]
The Dong-a Ilbo Best male idol songs according to experts 2 2016[28]
Melon Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time 17 2021[23]
Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music 2 2023[29]

NCT Dream version

[edit]
"Candy"
Single by NCT Dream
from the EP Candy
ReleasedDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Recorded2022
GenreK-pop
Length3:37
LabelSM
Composer(s)Jang Yong-jin
Lyricist(s)Jang Yong-jin [ko]
NCT Dream singles chronology
"Beatbox"
(2022) 		"Candy"
(2022) 		"Best Friend Ever"
(2023)
NCT singles chronology
"2 Baddies"
(2022) 		"Candy"
(2022) 		"Phantom"
(2022)
Music video
"Candy" on YouTube

South Korean boy group NCT Dream released another version of "Candy" on December 16, 2022. It served as the lead single for their extended play of the same name. The song was featured on a commercial. It debuted at number seven on the Circle Digital Chart.

Release and promotion

[edit]

On November 18, 2022, NCT Dream announced that they would re-record "Candy" and release it as the lead single for their Christmas-themed extended play of the same name.[30] Before its release, the song was featured in a Kookmin Bank's commercial starring the group.[31] A portion of the song was featured in promotional videos released via YouTube Shorts.[32] A teaser for the music video was released on December 14.[33] The song was released on December 16, 2022, alongside an accompanying music video, showing the members seize a candy factory and celebrating Christmas.[30][34] NCT Dream performed the song at the 2022 KBS Song Festival on the same day of release.[33] They performed the song alongside the b-side "Graduation" on South Korean music show Show! Music Core on December 17.[35]

Chart performance

[edit]

"Candy" debuted at number seven on the Circle Digital Chart in the issue dated December 11–17, 2022,[36] and peaked at number three the next week.[37] The song debuted at number one on the component Download Chart.[38] It debuted at number 14 and 122 on the component BGM Chart and on the component Streaming Chart respectively.[39][40] The song peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 in the chart issue dated December 28, 2022.[41] It peaked at number 198 on the Billboard Global 200 in the chart issue dated December 31, 2022.[42]

Accolades

[edit]
Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
M Countdown December 29, 2022 [43]
Music Bank December 30, 2022 [44]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[45]

Studio

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  • SM Ssam Studio – recording
  • SM Starlight Studio – recording, digital editing
  • SM Blue Cup Studio – recording, mixing, digital editing
  • SM Yellow Tail Studio – digital editing
  • Doobdoob Studio – digital editing
  • 821 Sound Mastering – mastering

Personnel

[edit]
  • SM Entertainment – executive producer
  • Lee Sung-soo – production director, executive supervisor
  • Tak Young-jun – executive supervisor
  • Yoo Young-jin – music and sound supervisor
  • NCT Dream – vocals
    • Renjun – background vocals
    • Haechan – background vocals
    • Chenle – background vocals
  • Kwon Ae-jin – background vocals
  • Jang Yong-jin – lyrics, composition
  • Kenzie – arrangement, piano, vocal directing
  • Kim Yoo-hyun – guitar
  • Kang Eun-ji – recording
  • Jeong Yu-ra – recording, digital editing
  • Jung Eui-seok – recording, mixing, digital editing
  • Noh Min-ji – digital editing
  • Jung Woo-young – digital editing
  • Kwon Nam-woo – mastering

Charts

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "'1996년 최고 인기가요는 H.O.T '캔디''" ["The most popular song of 1996 was H.O.T's 'Candy'"]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). January 7, 2005. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2022 – via Naver.
  2. ^ a b Fuhr, Michael (2015). Globalization and Popular Music in South Korea: Sounding Out K-Pop. Routledge. pp. 74–76. ISBN 978-1317556916. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  3. ^ Sherman, Maria (July 13, 2020). "Start Here: Your Guide To Getting Into K-Pop". NPR. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  4. ^ Herman, Tamar (August 14, 2018). "Pioneering K-Pop Group H.O.T. Announces First Concert in 17 Years". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Macintyre, Donald (July 29, 2002). "Korean Pop - Flying Too High?". Time. Archived from the original on August 14, 2003.
  6. ^ Jackson, Julie (August 13, 2013). "Then & Now: A look back at the changing tides of K-pop". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "Then & Now: A look back at the changing tides of K-pop". The Korea Herald. August 13, 2013. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Kim, Ji-ha (October 14, 2018). "H.O.T.를 H.O.T.라 못 불러도…그때 그 열정 그대로 [콘서트 리뷰]". TV Daily (in Korean). Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "올해의 골든디스크 대상에 김건모의 [스피드]". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). December 8, 1996. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021 – via Naver.
  10. ^ [다시보기] TV 가요 20 126회 [Episode 126 TV Gayo 20]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). December 15, 1996. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023. 1st place song: Candy (HOT)
  11. ^ [다시보기] TV 가요 20 127회 [Episode 127-Part 2 TV Gayo 20]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). December 22, 1996. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023. 1st place song: Candy (HOT)
  12. ^ [다시보기] TV 가요 20 128회 [Episode 128 TV Gayo 20]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). January 5, 1997. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  13. ^ [다시보기] TV 가요 20 129회 [Episode 129 TV Gayo 20]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). January 12, 1997. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  14. ^ [다시보기] TV 가요 20 130회 [Episode 130 TV Gayo 20]. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). January 19, 1997. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  15. ^ 인기가요 Best 50 12월 넷째주 [Popular Songs Best 50 – 4th week of December]. Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (in Korean). December 28, 1996. Archived from the original on June 13, 1997.
  16. ^ 인기가요 Best 50 1월 첫째주 [Popular Songs Best 50 – First week of January]. Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (in Korean). January 4, 1997. Archived from the original on June 13, 1997.
  17. ^ 인기가요 Best 50 1월 둘째주 [Popular Songs Best 50 – 2nd week of January]. Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. January 11, 1997. Archived from the original on June 13, 1997.
  18. ^ "H.O.T. - 'Candy' (19970108) | H.O.T.【KBS 가요톱10】". KBS. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ 가요톱10 역대 1위곡 모음 1997~1998 [Collection of Top 10 Songs of All Time 1997~1998] (in Korean). Bugs!. September 27, 2012. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Bevan, David; Eddy, Chuck (June 1, 2012). "The 21 Greatest K-Pop Songs of All Time". Spin. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  21. ^ 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. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  22. ^ "Dance Track 120 25위 – 에이치오티 (H.O.T.)『Candy』". Music Taste Y (in Korean). July 25, 2014. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "K-pop 명곡 100: 17위 Candy – H.O.T." [K-pop Top 100: #17 Candy – H.O.T.] (in Korean). Melon. August 2021. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  24. ^ 2006 한국인이 좋아하는 가요 100곡 (in Korean). Gallup Korea. December 1, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  25. ^ "가요계 역대 히트춤 목록" [List of hit dances in the music industry]. Osen (in Korean). Naver. November 21, 2007. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  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. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  27. ^ Kim, Yun-ha (July 25, 2014). "Dance Track 120: 25위 – 에이치오티 (H.O.T.) 『Candy』". Music Y (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  28. ^ "New survey ranks top K-pop artists & songs of the past 20 years". SBS PopAsia. September 2, 2016. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  29. ^ "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone. July 20, 2023. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  30. ^ a b Jeong, Jina (November 18, 2022). NCT 드림, 겨울 스페셜 앨범 캔디 리메이크…내달 공개 [NCT Dream, winter special album Candy remake... release next month]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Naver.
  31. ^ Oh, Yoon-ju (November 18, 2022). NCT 드림의 캔디 어떨까…겨울 스페셜 앨범 기대 UP [How about NCT Dream's Candy... Anticipation for the winter special album UP]. MyDaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022 – via Naver.
  32. ^ Jeong, Jin-ah (December 6, 2022). NCT 드림, 캔디 유튜브 쇼츠 챌린지 시작…신곡 힌트 콘텐츠 [NCT Dream, Candy YouTube Shorts Challenge begins... New song hint content]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Naver.
  33. ^ a b Hong, Se-young (December 14, 2022). NCT Dream Candy, 16일 '가요대축제' 최초 공개 [공식] [NCT Dream Candy, first released at Gayo Daechukje on the 16th [Official]]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022 – via Naver.
  34. ^ Martin, Anne (December 16, 2022). "NCT Dream release Candy winter EP, music video". UPI. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  35. ^ Yeon, Hwi-seon (December 17, 2022). '음중' 르세라핌 1위, NCT드림 'Candy' 재해석·WSG워너비 컴백 [종합] [1st place in Music Core Le Sserafim, NCT Dream "Candy" reinterpretation WSG Wannabe comeback [Comprehensive]]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Naver.
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  38. ^ "Download Chart – Week 51 of 2022" (in Korean). Circle Chart. December 11–17, 2022. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  39. ^ "BGM Chart – Week 51 of 2022" (in Korean). Circle Chart. December 11–17, 2022. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
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  41. ^ a b "Billboard Japan Hot 100 – Week of December 28, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  42. ^ a b "NCT Dream Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  43. ^ Seo, Ji-hyun (December 29, 2022). NCT 드림, '엠카' 1위 "'캔디' 리메이크 영광"→'보이즈 플래닛' 펜타곤 후이 포착 [NCT Dream, 'M Countdown' 1st place "'Candy' remake glory"→'Boyz Planet' Pentagon Hui captured]. Sports Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  44. ^ Ahn, Yoon-ji (December 31, 2022). NCT 드림, '캔디'로 음악방송 2관왕..음원 차트도 '올킬' [NCT DREAM wins 2 gold medals on music shows with 'Candy'... The music charts are also 'all-kill']. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  45. ^ NCT Dream (2022). Beatbox (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment; Dreamus. Credits.
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  47. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 26, 2022. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  48. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 51 (16 - 22 Dec 2022)". RIAS. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
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  51. ^ "Digital Chart 2023". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
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