Four Seasons (song)

Summary

"Four Seasons" (Korean사계; RRsagye) is a song recorded by South Korean singer Taeyeon. Written by Kenzie, who also co-produced the song with Afshin Salmani, Andrew Allen and Josh Cumbee, the reggae-tinged ballad was released as a digital single on March 24, 2019, by SM Entertainment and Dreamus, with an accompanying music video released two days prior to its digital release.[1] Initially a standalone single, both the song and the B-side track "Blue" were later included as bonus tracks in the Korean release of Taeyeon's second album Purpose, released on October 28.

"Four Seasons"
Single by Taeyeon
B-side"Blue"
ReleasedMarch 24, 2019 (2019-03-24)
Recorded2019
StudioSM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length3:32
Label
  • SM
  • Dreamus
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Kenzie
Taeyeon singles chronology
"Page 0"
(2018)
"Four Seasons"
(2019)
"Angel"
(2019)
Music video
"Four Seasons" on YouTube

Upon its release, "Four Seasons" received positive reviews from music critics for solidifying the singer's growth as a "full-time" vocalist.[2] The song achieved great commercial success, earning Taeyeon her fifth chart-topper as a lead artist (sixth overall) on the Gaon Digital Chart for two weeks and to date, her longest charting performance on the chart. It eventually became her first single to receive a Platinum certificate by KMCA for achieving over 100,000,000 streaming units in November 2019, only six months after its release.[3] The singer eventually promoted both songs during her concert "’s…one" on March 28. It won the Digital Daesang award at the 29th Seoul Music Awards in January 2020.[4]

Background and release edit

On March 17, 2019, Taeyeon was announced to be releasing a digital single titled "Four Seasons" with its b-side track "Blue".[5] The song is described as a ballad with an instrumental structure that is centered on acoustic guitars. It compares the ups and downs of love to the four seasons.[6] While the B-side track "Blue" is a ballad song with Taeyeon's affectionate vocals and lyrics that capture the double meaning of 'blue' (푸른) and 'gloomy/feeling blue' (우울한) and the longing for an old lover and feelings after a break-up.[7] The music video for "Four Seasons" was released on March 22, two day before the single album.[8] Taeyeon later filmed a live performance of the song from her concert "’s…one", which was released on March 28.[9]

Chart performance edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Music Y     [10]
IZM     [11]

"Four Seasons" debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart for the chart issue dated March 24–30, 2019.[12] It was the best-performing single of March 2019 on the Gaon Digital Chart.[13] It claimed the number one spot on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks[14] and reached number 6 on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart.[15]

Accolades edit

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2019 Melon Music Awards Best Ballad Won [16]
Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Vocal Performance – Solo Won [17]
Song of the Year Nominated [18]
2020 Gaon Chart Music Awards Song of the Year – March Won [19]
Golden Disc Awards Digital Daesang Nominated [20]
Digital Bonsang Won
Seoul Music Awards Digital Daesang Won [21]
Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
Show! Music Core April 6, 2019 [22]
Inkigayo April 7, 2019 [23]
Melon Popularity Award
Award Date (2019) Ref.
Weekly Popularity Award April 1 [24]
April 8

Track listing edit

Digital download[1]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Blue"
  • Hyun Ji Won
  • JQ (makeumine works)
  • Alex Mood
  • Mariella "Bambi" Garcia Balandina
  • Oskar Salhin
  • Mimmi Gyltman
  • Rassmus Björnson
  • Mariella "Bambi" Garcia Balandina
  • Rassmus Björnson
3:32
2."Four Seasons"Kenzie
3:08
Total length:6:40

Charts edit

Certifications and sales edit

Sales and certifications for "Four Seasons"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Download
South Korea (KMCA)[29] Platinum 2,500,000*
Streaming
South Korea (KMCA)[30] 2× Platinum 200,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Personnel edit

Credits are adapted from the CD booklet of Purpose.[31]

  • Original title: "Did You Ever Even Love Me At All"
  • Korean lyrics by Kenzie
  • Composed by Josh Cumbee (Nonfiction), Afshin Salmani (Nonfiction), Andrew Allen, Kenzie
  • Arranged by Kenzie, Nonfiction (Josh Cumbee & Afshin Salmani (AFSHeeN))
  • Vocal directed by Kenzie
  • Background vocals by Taeyeon
  • Bass Performed by Choi Hoon (78)
  • Guitar Performed by Hong Jun-ho
  • Strings Arranged & Conducted by Ina Il
  • Strings Performed by ON the string
  • Recorded by Lee Min-gyu at SM Big Shot Studio/ Jeong Ki-hong (Assistant. Choi Da-in) at Seoul Studio/ Lee Chang-sun at prelude Studio
  • Digital Editing by Jang Woo-young at doobdoob Studio
  • Engineered for Mix by Lee Min-gyu at SM Big Shot Studio
  • Mixed by Gu Jong-pil (BeatBurger) at SM Yellow Tail Studio
  • Mastered by Kwon Nam-woo at 821 Sound Mastering

Release history edit

Region Date Format Label
Various[32][33] March 24, 2019 SM Entertainment

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Four Seasons by Taeyeon" (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "Neo Music Communication IZM". IZM. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  3. ^ "가온 인증 – Streaming 누적사용량 인증" [Gaon Certification – Streaming Cumulative Sales Certification]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  4. ^ "방탄소년단X태연, 제29회 서울가요대상 앨범-음원 대상…엑소 4관왕[종합]". Sports Seoul. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  5. ^ Lee Jung-beom (March 18, 2019). "'믿듣탱' 태연, 새 싱글 '사계' 24일 오후 6시 전격 공개" [‘Trust and Listen’ Taeyeon, new single ‘Four Seasons’ released at 6pm on the 24th]. Top Star News (in Korean).
  6. ^ "Watch: Girls' Generation's Taeyeon Stuns In MV For "Four Seasons"". Soompi. March 22, 2019.
  7. ^ ""국보급 음색 여신"..태연, 새 싱글에 담길 깊은 울림". OSEN News on Naver. March 21, 2019.
  8. ^ "태연, 오늘(24일) 6시 신곡 '사계' 발표…차트 점령 예고". Naver. March 24, 2019.
  9. ^ "TAEYEON 태연 '사계 (Four Seasons)' Concert Ver. @'s...one TAEYEON CONCERT". Vlive. March 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "Y-Review - [Single-Out #243-4] 태연 「사계」". Music Y. April 8, 2019. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Jeong Yeon-kyung. "사계 (Four Seasons) (2019) by 태연". IZM. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Digital Chart – Week 13 of 2019" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  13. ^ "Streaming Chart - Week 14 of 2019" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Four Seasons". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "World Digital Song Sales: April 6, 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  16. ^ "'MMA 2019' 방탄소년단, 4개 대상 포함 8관왕…공연 열기 꽉 채운 ★들 [종합]". The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  17. ^ "2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards Winners | 2019 MAMA". Mwave. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  18. ^ Cabico, Katreena Gaea (October 25, 2019). "LIST: Official nominees for 2019 MAMA". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  19. ^ "9th Gaon Chart Music Awards 올해의 가수(디지털음원) 후보자" (in Korean). Gaon Chart Music Awards. November 1, 2019. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "Golden Disc Awards – Winners History". Golden Disc Awards. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  21. ^ "[2020 서울가요대상] 태연 '음원대상'→방탄소년단 '음반대상'…엑소, 4관왕 등극 (종합)" [[2020 Seoul Music Awards] Taeyeon wins song grand prize, BTS wins album grand prize, Exo wins 4 awards (Full list)]. OSEN (in Korean). 2020-01-30. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  22. ^ '음악중심' 태연, 출연 없이 1위..첸 솔로 데뷔X블랙핑크·아이즈원 컴백 [종합] - 조선닷컴 - 연예 > 연예 포토 ['Show! Music Core': Taeyeon's 'Four Seasons' gets first place, EXO's Chen debuts solo X BLACKPINK comeback]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  23. ^ Kim Young-rok (April 7, 2019). '인기가요' 태연, '사계'로 1위 2관왕..블랙핑크·아이즈원 컴백X첸 솔로데뷔 [종합] - 조선닷컴 - 연예 > 연예 포토 ['Inkigayo', Taeyeon wins no. 1, BLackPink- EXO's Chen comeback]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  24. ^ "Melon Weekly Award". Melon (in Korean). Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  25. ^
    • "Gaon 2019년 04월 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  26. ^ 2019년 Digital Chart [2019 Digital Chart] (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  27. ^ 2020년 Digital Chart [2020 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  28. ^ "Digital Chart of 2021" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022.
  29. ^ "South Korean single certifications – Taeyeon – Four Seasons (song)" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  30. ^ "South Korean single streaming certifications – Taeyeon – Four Seasons" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  31. ^ Purpose (CD booklet) (in Korean). Taeyeon. SM Entertainment. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ "Four Seasons – Single by Taeyeon" (in Korean). Melon. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  33. ^ "Four Seasons – Single by Taeyeon". Apple Music. 24 March 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.

External links edit