Last Farewell (Big Bang song)

"Last Farewell" (Korean: 마지막 인사; Revised Romanization: Majimak Insa) is a song by South Korean boy band Big Bang. It was released through YG Entertainment on November 22, 2007 as the lead single from the quintet's second extended play Hot Issue. The song was written by G-Dragon and composed by the member and Brave Brothers. Mirroring the success of the group's preceding single "Lies," the song went on to become a chart topper.

"Last Farewell"
Single by Big Bang
from the album Hot Issue
ReleasedNovember 22, 2007
GenreElectronic dance music, pop
Length3:52
LabelYG Entertainment
Songwriter(s)G-Dragon, Brave Brothers
Producer(s)G-Dragon, Brave Brothers
Big Bang singles chronology
"Always"
(2007)		 "Last Farewell"
(2007)		 "How Gee"
(2008)

Background and composition

With the release of their first extended play, Always in 2007, Big Bang began to experiment more with their sound, moving away from their original hip hop roots, and experimenting with electronic music and dance music. Their second EP, Hot Issue, released that same year, built on that its predecessor's momentum.[1] "Last Farewell," the lead single, was described by Billboard as one of the most blatant pop songs in the group's repertoire, with a "trance-tinged hip pop" sound.[1] KpopStarz noted that the single included "some of the clubbiest sounds seen from Big Bang up until this point".[2] An English version of the song named "Baby Baby" was included in the quintet's first and second Japanese albums Number 1 and Big Bang, as well in their greatest hits album The Best of Big Bang 2006-2014.

Controversies

The involvement of G-Dragon in writing and composing the melody – as it was unusual at the time for members of a band to be so involved in the production of their album[3] – raised questions by netizens over how much the rapper actually produced.[4] Yang Hyun-suk, founder and CEO of YG Entertainment, went on to clarify that G-Dragon wrote and compose the music, with arrangements done by long-time collaborator Brave Brothers.[5][6][7]

The success of Big Bang spawned the creation of OkBang, a Chinese group whose music and looks were similar to the former.[8]

Reception and recognition

Reception for "Last Farewell" was positive, with Tamar Herman of Billboard ranking it at number nine in the magazine's list of ten best Big Bang songs, writing that the single "hits all the right notes to be quintessential K-pop song: catchy chorus, swoon-worthy crooning, and a pump-up dance beat."[1] Park Hyo-jae from The Chosun Ilbo praised its "addictive chorus" and "sophisticated electronic sound", commenting that the song being written by a member of the group set Big Bang apart from the other idols. Park also complimented the group's stage fashion, noting that their use of high top sneakers and skinny jeans, as well as their hair styles, had become a trend among teenagers.[9] The single's choreography, especially the jump rope movement, became a national phenomenon in South Korea.[10] "Last Farewell" is recognized as one of the group's definitive songs, for setting the direction they would eventually go in on songs like "Fantastic Baby" and "Bang Bang Bang".[1][2]

Commercial performance

"Last Farewell" was released prior to the creation of the Gaon Music Chart, which began tracking music performance in 2010. The song topped various charts from online music services upon its release, including the Melon chart for eight consecutive weeks, holding the record for longest-running number-one song by a boy group.[11] At another music service Mnet.com, the single remained at the first spot for six weeks, a record for the time.[12] "Last Farewell" went to be awarded Song of the Month (December) in the 2008 Cyworld Digital Music Awards, recording 170,000 copies sold that month.[12][13] The single was the fourth best-performing song of the 2000s (decade) in Melon, the highest entry by a male group.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Last Farewell" (마지막 인사; Majimak Insa[15])G-DragonG-Dragon, Brave BrothersBrave Brothers3:52

Charts and sales
ChartPeak
position
Mnet Music Chart 1[16]
Melon Music Chart 1[16]
Cyworld Music Chart 1[16]

Sales
Chart Sales
South Korea 5,128,203[17]

Music program awards
Program Date
Music Bank (KBS) December 14, 2007
December 21, 2007
January 11, 2008
February 1, 2008
Inkigayo (SBS) December 16, 2007
December 23, 2007
January 13, 2008
M! Countdown (Mnet) January 17, 2008

References
  1. "The 10 Best BIGBANG Songs: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  2. "K-Pop Mixtape: 9 Most Definitive Big Bang Songs". KpopStarz. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  3. "양현석, 빅뱅 권지용 작곡 논란 해명" (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  4. Kim, Young-ro (2009-04-30). "'빅뱅' 지드래곤(G-Dragon), 작곡 실력 과장된 홍보?". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  5. Jeong, Minyoung (2009-05-13). "[마음은 언제나 록스타]아이돌 스타와 '공동 작곡자'" (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  6. "This Artist Copied Big Bang? | allkpop.com". allkpop. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  7. "Brave Brothers' Album to Feature Big Bang and Son Dambi | allkpop.com". allkpop. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  8. "Copycat of Big Bang Surfaces in China". The Korea Times. 2009-12-20. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  9. Park, Hyo-jae (2009-02-22). "[빅3 아이돌 기획사 집중 분석] 아이돌도 스스로 음악을 만들어야 한다. - 조엔 CHOEN". choen.chosun.com. The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  10. "빅뱅, '줄넘기춤'으로 국민댄스 도전". Star News. December 8, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  11. Park, Jung Sun (May 7, 2014). "[M+기획…'보이그룹 통계'②] 최장·최다 음원 1위 빅뱅, 견줄 그룹 없다". MBN Daily (in Korean). Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  12. "빅뱅, 싸이월드 '이달의노래' 3관왕". Star News. January 8, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  13. "Song of the Month". Cyworld. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  14. "The 2000s". Melon Music Chart. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  15. "Hot Issue - BIGBANG". Qobuz (in French). Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  16. Bak, Jaedeok (2008-01-08). "아이뉴스24 모바일". 아이뉴스24. Joy News. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  17. Cumulative sales for "Last Farewell" since 2011:
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