T.O.P. (Shinhwa album)

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T.O.P.
Studio album by
Shinhwa
ReleasedApril 15, 1999 (1999-04-15)
Recorded1999
StudioSM Digital Recording Studio (Seoul)
GenreK-pop
LanguageKorean
LabelSM
Shinhwa chronology
Resolver
(1998) 		T.O.P.
(1999) 		Only One
(2000)
Singles from T.O.P.
  1. "T.O.P."
    Released: April 15, 1999
  2. "Yo!"
    Released: April 15, 1999

T.O.P. is the second Korean studio album by South Korean boy band Shinhwa. It was released on April 15, 1999, by SM Entertainment. The album title T.O.P. stands for Twinkling Of Paradise. The album spawned two singles: the title track "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)", which incorporated elements of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", and "Yo!". The album saw greater levels of success in comparison to their debut album Resolver (1998), selling over 377,000 copies in 1999. Both of its singles ranked atop the music program charts for multiple weeks.

Reception[edit]

The album garnered much success, climbing the charts quickly (debuting at number four and peaking at number three on the MIAK monthly album chart). Although they promoted their first album well, Shinhwa did not do many promotions for their second album, and instead began working on their third album. Despite the lack of promotions, the single "T.O.P." was a success, and spent 24 weeks on the charts before it dropped. "T.O.P." represented Shinhwa's first significant commercial success[1] and was noted for its use of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" music.[2]

SM Entertainment labelmate S.E.S. released a cover of "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)" as their fourth Japanese single on October 27, 1999. Years after its original release, "T.O.P." has been performed on television with its original choreography by groups such as Girls' Generation,[3] Spica,[4] Super Junior,[5] and BTS.[6]

Music video[edit]

The music video for "T.O.P." shows the six Shinhwa members in white suits with a bright fantasy-like back-drop. The music video for "Yo!" tells the story of vocalist Lee Minwoo, as a trouble-maker boy who falls in love with a girl, played by Kim Bo-mi.

Accolades[edit]

The second single "Yo!" collected seven number one wins on live music programs, a record it held until "This Love" from their eleventh album The Classic, won eight first place wins in 2013.[7] This record was broken again by "Sniper" from their twelfth album We, which won ten first place wins in 2015.[8]

In 2021, Melon and Seoul Shinmun ranked "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)" number 81 in their list of the Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time. Critic Park Hee-ah called it a main prototype of how "idols can freely embrace any genre of music, can generate great interest by twisting existing perspectives, and can also provide fun in interpreting the narratives hidden in albums or songs. In other words, 'T.O.P.' was a track that contained all the factors that has helped made K-pop popular these days."[9]

Music program awards
Song Program Date
"T.O.P." Music Bank June 8, 1999
June 22, 1999
June 29, 1999
Music Camp June 26, 1999
Inkigayo July 4, 1999
July 18, 1999
"Yo!" Music Bank July 13, 1999
July 20, 1999
July 27, 1999
August 10, 1999
August 24, 1999
Inkigayo August 15, 1999
August 22, 1999

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Intro"Eric MunPark Seong-sooPark Seong-soo0:45
2."Yo! (Brat Report)" (Korean: Yo! (악동보고서))Yoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin, Kim Seong-soo(Groovie.K)Yoo Young-jin3:45
3."T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)"Yoo Young-jin, Eric MunYoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin4:37
4."Cycle" (Korean: 원)Kim Myeong-jik, Eric MunKim Myeong-jikOh Han-song4:00
5."Nothing"Kim Dong-hyeon, Eric MunPark Seong-sooPark Seong-soo3:40
6."Breakin' the Silence" (Korean: 침묵을 깨고)Park Eun-hee, Eric MunPark Hae-woon 3:37
7."Desire" (Korean: 소망)Lee Jae-kyeong, Eric MunIm Ki-hoon 4:03
8."To. G"Kim Dong-wan, Eric MunKim Dong-wanKim Dong-wan3:49
9."Grief" (Korean: 푸리)Kim Dong-wan, Eric Mun, Lee Min-wooKim Dong-wanKim Dong-wan3:02
10."Return"Kim Dong-hyeon, Eric MunPark Seong-sooPark Seong-soo3:59
11."Forever with You" (Korean: 너의 곁에서)Shin Hye-sung, Eric MunShin In-soo 3:55
12."T.O.P." ((Extended Version))Yoo Young-jin, Eric MunYoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin4:22
13."T.O.P." ((Edit Version))Yoo Young-jin, Eric MunYoo Young-jinYoo Young-jin3:35

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[10]

Charts and sales[edit]

Monthly charts[edit]

Chart (May 1999) Peak
position
South Korean Albums (RIAK)[11] 3

Sales[edit]

Region Sales
South Korea (RIAK) 377,500[12]

Release history[edit]

Country Date Distributing label Format
South Korea May 5, 1999 SM Entertainment, Synnara Records CD (KSC-9014)[13]
Japan September 19, 2001 Avex Trax CD (AVCD-18016)[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 6집 '너의 결혼식' 낸 신화, The Chosun Ilbo, retrieved January 19, 2015
  2. ^ 신인들의 신화창조…댄스그룹 '신화'2집, The Chosun Ilbo, retrieved January 19, 2015
  3. ^ 소녀시대, '9인의 여전사' 파격 변신...신화 'T.O.P' 도전, E-Daily, September 7, 2008, retrieved January 18, 2015
  4. ^ 스피카 '신화 T.O.P 재현, 영광이에요~', JoongAng Ilbo, retrieved January 18, 2015
  5. ^ 2005 MKMF 2nd Story:Reloaded-Super Junior+ChunSangJeeHee+TVXQ/ Man in love-Kim JongKuk+Shin HyeSung+Tei/ March-Drunken Tiger+T+Dynamic Duo+Jeon InKwon, CJ E&M, archived from the original on October 26, 2014, retrieved January 18, 2015
  6. ^ BTS – This Love & T.O.P (Shinhwa), 방탄소년단 – 디스러브 & 티오피 (신화), Show Champion 20140319, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved January 18, 2015
  7. ^ Kim, JiYeon (June 7, 2013). "Shinhwa Gets Most No. 1 Trophies for a Single Track with ′This Love′". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  8. ^ "SHINHWA Concludes "Sniper" Promotions with Ten Music Show Awards". Soompi. April 3, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. ^ "K-POP 명곡 100 – 81위 T.O.P. (Twinkling Of Paradise)" (in Korean). Melon. August 29, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  10. ^ T.O.P. (Media notes). SM Entertainment. 1999.
  11. ^ "Album Sales For The Month of May 1999". Recording Industry Association Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 18, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
  12. ^ "Album Sales For The Month of September 1999" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association Korea. Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  13. ^ "T.O.P album info". Hanteo (in Korean). Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  14. ^ "T.O.P. album info (Japan)". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved March 20, 2015.
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