Sherlock (EP)

Sherlock is the fourth EP of the South Korean boy group Shinee. The EP consists of seven tracks, including the title song "Sherlock (Clue + Note)", a hybrid remix of the two songs. It was released on March 21, 2012, in South Korea under the label S.M. Entertainment, and was distributed by KT Music. The album was made available online worldwide on March 19, 2012. The EP was Shinee's first Korean release after a year and 6 months hiatus.

Sherlock
EP by
Shinee
ReleasedMarch 21, 2012 (2012-03-21) (South Korea)
RecordedJanuary – March 2012
GenrePop, R&B, dance, electronic
Length25:37
LanguageKorean
LabelSM Entertainment
Producer
Shinee chronology
The First
(2011)		 Sherlock
(2012)		 Boys Meet U
(2013)
Singles from Sherlock
  1. "Sherlock (Clue + Note)"
    Released: March 19, 2012
Music video
"Sherlock (Clue + Note)" on YouTube

The album was commercially successful in South Korea — the title track topped the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart with about 135,000 copies sold in the month of March, setting the record for most album sales in March 2012. It also placed 10th on the Billboard Weekly Heatseekers Albums and 5th on the Billboard Weekly World Albums charts.

Background and release

Sherlock is Shinee's first Korean release after a year-and-a-half hiatus since the reissue Hello in October 2010. The EP was physically released on March 21, 2012 but was made available online worldwide on March 19 through online music sites such as Melon and iTunes.[1][2]

The choreography for "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" is characterized by a distinctive style, and is the work of the choreographer Tony Testa.[3][4]

The music video for the title song was released on March 22. It was directed by Cho Suhyun and shot in early March at the studios in Namyang-ju. Shinee can be see in an 1800s-like museum acting like detectives working on a case. Girls’ Generation's Jessica makes a special appearance in the music video as a mysterious female lead who offers a decisive clue in figuring out the incident.[5] The music video exceeded one million views in a single day.[6]

A Japanese version of "Sherlock (Clue + Note)", written by Natsumi Kobayashi, was included as one of the two tracks on their fourth Japanese CD single "Sherlock", which was released on May 16, 2012 with the Japanese original song "Keeping Love Again" as a B-side.[7]

Composition

The album consists of seven songs in a variety of styles, including "Stranger", the main theme song of Strangers 6 with a melody composed by Kenzie. The song was first released in Japanese, as a bonus track on their debut Japanese album The First.[8][9] The lead single "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" is a hybrid remix, which means it consists of two independent songs ("Clue" and "Note") remixed together to create a new song.[10] The lyrics describe Sherlock's solving of a crime through logical "clues" and intuitive "notes". The title song combines the lyrics from the two songs to create a single storyline.[9]

"Honesty" was written by member Jonghyun with the help of bandmate Minho, who wrote the rap lyrics, and expresses the group's appreciation towards their fans. "The Reason" features a guitar solo and strings, while "Alarm Clock" was also written by Jonghyun and tells about a man who wants to wake up from the nightmares of a breakup. Minho participated in composing the rap.[9]

Commercial performance and reception
Shinee performing "Sherlock" at the MBC Korean Music Wave in Bangkok on March 16, 2013

On March 22, 2012 the group started their official promotions and performed the title song for the first on M! Countdown.[11] This was followed by appearances on other South Korean music programs such as Inkigayo and Music Bank.[2]

The album sold over 135,000 copies and was ranked number one on the Gaon Album Chart, making it the most sold album in March 2012.[12] The title song "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" topped the Gaon Digital Chart[13] and was ranked at number 10 on the Gaon Download Chart for the month of March, with over 740,000 downloads.[14] The song was named as one of the "50 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone, which stated the song proves how innovative and experimental K-pop can get.[15] The seven songs from the EP also debuted on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart: "Sherlock" (number one), "Note" (number 18), "Alarm Clock" (number 23), "Clue" (number 24), "Honesty" (number 26), "Stranger" (number 27) and "The Reason" (number 31).[16]

It became the fifth most sold album of the year in South Korean, with over 180,000 copies sold.[17] The album placed on number five on the Billboard World Album chart as well as at number 10 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.[18][19][20] In April the group won first place for two consecutive weeks on Music Bank and three times on Inkigayo. Shinee performed their final music stage via KBS's Music Bank on April 20 and MBS's Music Core on April 21, 2012.[21]

Hwang Sunup of IZM magazine gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the experimental attempt to create the title track "Sherlock" by mixing up "Clue" and "Note" as well as the lyrics for each song. However, he was disappointed with the remaining songs on the album, stating these feel more ordinary compared to the impact of the first three tracks.[22]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the official homepage.[23][24]

Sherlock
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Sherlock (Clue + Note)" (Korean: 셜록; RR: Syeollok)
3:57
2."Clue"
3:37
3."Note"
2:46
4."Alarm Clock" (Korean: 알람시계; RR: Allamsigye)
3:59
5."The Reason"
  • Kwak So-young
  • Yoo Han-jin
4:17
6."Stranger" (Korean: 낯선자; RR: Natseonja)
3:13
7."Honesty" (Korean: 늘 그 자리에; RR: Neul Geu Jari-e)
3:52
Total length:25:37
Notes
  • ^[a] Minho is credited for writing the rap lyrics.

Charts

Accolades

Music program awards
Song Program Date
"Sherlock (Clue + Note)"
Show Champion (MBC Music) March 27, 2012
April 3, 2012
M Countdown (Mnet) March 29, 2012
Inkigayo (SBS) April 1, 2012[29]
April 8, 2012[30]
April 15, 2012[31]
Music Bank (KBS) April 6, 2012
April 13, 2012
Show! Music Core (MBC) April 7, 2012
April 14, 2012

References
  1. Sunwoo, Carla (March 13, 2012). "SHINee to release track list of new album 'Sherlock' next week". Korea Joongang Daily. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  2. Lee, Nancy (March 19, 2012). "SHINee Records All-Kill on Music Charts with Comeback Album". CJ E&M enewsWorld via Mwave. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  3. Kim, Jae-bum (March 16, 2012). "베일 벗은 샤이니 새 앨범 '셜록'…"들어보니"". E Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  4. Kwon, Su-bin (March 14, 2012). "샤이니 민낯도 굴욕無, 유명안무가 토니 테스타와 인증샷 공개". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  5. Kwon, Su-bin (March 22, 2012). "샤이니 '셜록' 뮤비 오늘(22일) 드디어 공개, 소시 제시카 특별출연 [SHINee to soon unveil Sherlock MV ft. Jessica]". Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  6. Kwon, Su-bin (March 23, 2012). "샤이니 '셜록' 뮤비, 공개 하루 만에 조회수 100만 건 돌파 [SHINee's "Sherlock" MV exceeds 1 million views in a single day]". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Nate. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  7. "しゃいにー - シングル "sherlock"" [Oricon Singles - Shinee's "Sherlock"]. Oricon (in Japanese). May 23, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  8. "SHINee to Perform 'Sherlock' and ′Stranger' on 'M Countdown'". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  9. Kwon, Su-bin (March 16, 2012). "샤이니 '셜록' 공개임박, 종현 작사-민호 랩메이킹 멤버참여도↑". Newsen. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  10. "SHINee's 'Sherlock' to be a Hybrid Remix". March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  11. Sunwoo, Carla (March 20, 2012). "SHINee receives warm welcome back". Korea Joongang Daily. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  12. "Album Sales for March 2012 (see #1)" (in Korean). Gaon Charts. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  13. "Digital Chart for March 2012 (see #1)" (in Korean). Gaon Charts. Archived from the original on 2016-07-10. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  14. "Download Sales for March 2012 (see #10)" (in Korean). Gaon Charts. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  15. Jeff Benjamin; Maura Johnston; Nick Murray; Brittany Spanos; Kat Stevens; Barry Walters. "50 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time (see #12)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  16. "Gaon Digital Chart: March 18, 2012 – March 24, 2012" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017.
  17. "Sales for 2012 (see #5)" (in Korean). Gaon Charts. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  18. Billboard Heatseekers Albums
  19. Billboard Charts
  20. Lee, Jung-hyuk (April 16, 2012). "샤이니, 이번주 끝으로 국내활동 마무리. 일본 투어 나선다". Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  21. "샤이니, '셜록' 이번주 활동 마감…日 아레나 투어 돌입". Asia Today (in Korean). April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  22. Hwang Sunup. "Sherlock Review by IZM" (in Korean). IZM. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  23. "Shinee's Official Homepage". S.M. Entertainment. March 22, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  24. "Melon album information (Sherlock)". March 22, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  25. "Sherlock (EP) (2012)". March 18–24, 2012. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016.
  26. "Sherlock (EP) (2012)". March 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  27. "Gaon Album Sales for 2012". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  28. "Gaon Album Chart: 2012 (Year-End)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017.
  29. "SHINee wins #1 on 'Inkigayo' for Sherlock on April 1, 2012". Hankyung. 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
  30. "SHINee wins #1 on 'Inkigayo' for Sherlock on April 8, 2012". Hankyung. 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
  31. "SHINee wins #1 on 'Inkigayo' for Sherlock on April 15, 2012". Hankyung. 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
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