Flower Road

"Flower Road" (Korean: 꽃길, romanized: Kkotgil) is a song by South Korean boy band Big Bang. It was released digitally on March 13, 2018, by YG Entertainment, as a gift and a final farewell from the group to its fans ahead of a lengthy hiatus, as the band members serve in South Korea's mandatory military service. It was written by G-Dragon and T.O.P and produced by the former along with The Fliptones, who also participated in creating GD X Taeyang's "Good Boy" and Taeyang's "Stay with Me".[4]

"Flower Road"
Single by Big Bang
ReleasedMarch 13, 2018 (2018-03-13)
Recorded2015–2016
Genre
Length3:49
LabelYG
Songwriter(s)G-Dragon, T.O.P
Producer(s)G-Dragon, The Fliptones
Big Bang singles chronology
"Fxxk It" / "Last Dance"
(2016)		 "Flower Road"
(2018)

"Flower Road" became the quintet's tenth song to peak atop the Gaon Digital Chart, a record among idol groups. It also became their fourth single to reach the number one on Billboard World Digital Songs. The single also debuted at the top three on Oricon's digital chart. It would prove later on to be their last single as a five-member group, as member Seungri would retire from the entertainment industry nearly a year later due to his involvement in the Burning Sun scandal.[5]

Background

After the release of the Made album in December 2016, Big Bang temporarily ended its five-member activities in early 2017. On February 9 of that same year, T.O.P started his mandatory military service[6] and the rest of the members performed activities throughout the year of 2017 as a quartet. On February 28, 2018, G-Dragon started his mandatory military service, followed by Taeyang on March 12.[7][8] Previously on March 8, YG Entertainment announced that on the day of Daesung's military enlistment, the group would release a new digital single as a gift to fans.[9] Two days later, more details about the song were released, including its name, "Flower Road", and production credits.[10]

Composition

The song was created while Big Bang were working on their album Made, and the lyrics were written with the future enlistment of the members in mind,[9] which is highlighted in the lines "this is not the end of us / I hope we'll meet again when the flowers are blooming", a request for the fans to wait for them. During the chorus, the members also express an understanding if fans decide to move on, singing "if you want to leave, I understand / I'll scatter flowers on the road you'll walk on."[3] The title of the track, "Flower Road", is a Korean term referring to a "new, glorious journey", which could be interpreted as both the group's or their fan's path.[3] In the beginning and towards the end of the track, G-Dragon gives a fading shoutout to the group's name, which is a reference to their 2008 single "Sunset Glow".[3]

Musically, "Flower Road" was described as a mid-tempo song filled with R&B melodies.[1] The single also contains a "smooth dance-pop vibe", with Big Bang's "evocative vocals" being put in the "front and center", while the melody "alternates between rhythmic guitar riffs, a clapping beat, and wailing synth."[3]

Chart performance

Upon its release, "Flower Road" topped all South Korean's domestic music charts within two hours since the song was released.[11] The song debuted at number one on three charts of the Gaon Chart, including the Gaon Digital Chart, recording the highest weekly points of the year. "Flower Road" is the tenth number one song for the group there, making them the group with most number-ones on Gaon, and the second act overall after IU. They also topped the Download and BGM charts, while debuting second on the Mobile Chart and third on the Streaming Chart.[12][13] The single remained atop the Digital Chart for three consecutive weeks. In its second week, it topped the Streaming chart, remaining at number one at the following week.[14][15]

In China, the song was the fastest by a Korean artist to reach one million copies sold in QQ Music, China's largest music streaming platform.[16] It is Big Bang's fourth consecutive million sales record on QQ Music, which they also achieved with their single albums D (2015) and E (2015), and with Made (2016). Including Kwon Ji Yong, G-Dragon's solo album, it is their fifth consecutive record. The song also topped QQ Music's Comprehensive New Releases Chart, the Popularity Index Chart and Weekly Top Songs.[17] In The United States, the song topped Billboard's World Digital Songs with less than three days of sales.[18] On Billboard Japan the song charted within the top 10 of Billboard Japan Hot 100, while on Oricon, with 20,170 digital copies sold, despite being released mid-week there, the single reached number three on the Weekly Digital Singles chart.[19][20]

Critical reception

Tamar Herman of Billboard described "Flower Road" as "balancing out melancholy and optimism", because the track "is an homage" to the quintet's "relationship with the millions of fans around the world who have supported them for over a decade."[3] David Watt of All-noise called the single "emotional", writing that it "has all the right ingredients" to become a K-pop hit. Watt also compliments how it "feels really good as the five boys sing together."[1] The lyrics of the track were also praised, with Julia Hur from The Kraze described them as "meaningful" and "emotional". Hur also wrote that "the song holds a sound unique to the group", with the "contrasting emotions" that "balanced out the intensities of each and succeeded in creating a soft atmosphere", mainting a "a light, bright mood from beginning to end", which she described as "perfect to accompany us in the upcoming spring".[21]

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
France Downloads (SNEP)[22] 125
Japan Weekly Digital Single (Oricon)[20] 3
Japan Hot 100 Singles (Billboard Japan)[19] 10
Japan Download Songs (Billboard Japan)[23] 3
Japan Streaming Songs (Billboard Japan)[24] 96
South Korea (Gaon)[13] 1
South Korea (K-pop Hot 100)[25] 2
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[26] 1

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
China — 2,700,000[27]
Japan — 20,170[28]
South Korea (KMCA)[29] Platinum 2,500,000*
United States — 5,000[30]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide March 13, 2018 Digital download YG Entertainment [31]
Japan March 15, 2018 YGEX, Avex Trax [32]

References
  1. "New Single: "Flower Road" by BIGBANG". All-Noise. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  2. "BIG BANG INVITE US TO WALK THE "FLOWER ROAD"". Hello Asia. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  3. "K-Pop Icons BIGBANG Walk the 'Flower Road' In Final Single Before Hiatus". Billboard. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  4. "[공식입장] 빅뱅, 13일 발표곡 '꽃길'..GD 작곡·탑 작사 "입대 염두"". Chosun. March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  5. "BIGBANG's Seungri Retires From Entertainment Industry". Billboard. March 11, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  6. "BIGBANG's T.O.P confirms military enlistment date". Yibada. November 22, 2016.
  7. "지드래곤, 27일 현역 입대 확정 "조용히 입소"(공식)". Naver. February 14, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  8. "'빅뱅' 태양, 12일 강원도 철원 6사단 청성신병교육대 입소". Naver. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  9. "빅뱅, 미발표곡 3월 13일 전격 발표… "완전체 곡" [공식입장]". Sports Donga. 2018-03-08. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  10. "BIGBANG – 'FLOWER ROAD'". YG Life. 2018-03-10. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  11. "[MUSIC TALK TALK] BIGBANG's 'FLOWER ROAD' Dominates All Charts… BIGBANG's Class Remains". YG Life. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  12. "빅뱅 '꽃 길' 가온차트 11주차 3관왕". Gukje News. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  13. "Digital Chart – Week 11 of 2018" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  14. "BIGBANG achieve triple crown on Gaon music charts". Gaon Chart. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  15. "2018년 12주차 Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  16. "빅뱅 '꽃 길', 6일째 차트 1위 올킬 '부동의 인기'". Chosun. March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  17. "빅뱅 '꽃길' 中 QQ뮤직 100만장 돌파…韓아티스트 최단 기록". Naver. March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  18. "BIGBANG's "Flower Road" Tops Billboard's World Digital Song Sales Chart". soompi. March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  19. "Japan Hot 100 - [ 2018/03/26 付け ]". Billboard Japan. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  20. "週間 デジタルシングル（単曲）ランキング 2018年03月26日付". Oricon. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018.
  21. Hur, Julia (March 16, 2018). "BIGBANG Promises To Meet Fans At The End Of The "FLOWER ROAD"". The Kraze Magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  22. "French Downloads Charts – Week 11". SNEP. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  23. "Japan Download Songs – 2018/03/26 付け". Billboard Japan. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  24. "Japan Streaming Songs – 2018/03/26 付け". Billboard Japan. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  25. "Kpop Hot 100 - The Week of March 19, 2018 ~ March 25". Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  26. "World Digital Song Sales – March 24, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  27. Cumulative sales of "Flower Road" in China:
  28. デジタルシングル（単曲）ランキング 2018年03月26日付 [Digital Single Ranking March 26, 2018]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 21, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  29. "South Korean single certifications – BIGBANG – Flower Road" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  30. Benjamin, Jeff (March 21, 2018). "Bigbang Score Fourth No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales Chart With 'Flower Road'". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  31. "꽃 길 - BIGBANG". Naver Music. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  32. "「FLOWER ROAD -KR Ver.-」3/15(木)日本配信開始決定！！". YGEX. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
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