Untitled, 2014
"Untitled, 2014" (Korean: 무제 (無題)) is a song recorded by South Korean singer-rapper G-Dragon, serving as the lead single for his second extended play and self-titled Kwon Ji Yong (2017). It was written by G-Dragon, who also co-produced the song with Choice37 and Seonwoo Jeonga. "Untitled, 2014" was a chart-topper in South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, where it finished 2017 as one of the best-performing songs of the year.
"Untitled, 2014" | ||||
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Single by G-Dragon | ||||
from the EP Kwon Ji Yong | ||||
Released | June 8, 2017 | |||
Genre | Ballad | |||
Length | 3:42 | |||
Label | YG | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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G-Dragon singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Untitled, 2014" on YouTube |
Background and composition
G-Dragon toured extensively from 2015 to 2016 with his band Big Bang to promote their third Korean album Made (2016),[105][106] After promotional activities wrapped up, G-Dragon began preparing for his comeback, having been almost four years since his last solo release. The single "Bullshit" was set to serve as the lead single to precede the release of his second self-titled EP.[1] However, after a controversy involving his fellow Big Bang member, T.O.P, G-Dragon serviced "Untitled, 2014" to radio instead.[2] Though he's primarily a rapper, "Untitled, 2014" features G-Dragon only singing over a "single piano accompaniment".[3] The song was composed using common time in the key of E major, with a moderate tempo of 80 beats per minute.[4]
Described as an "evocative, simple piano ballad" by Billboard, the single is said to showcase G-Dragon at his "most vulnerable".[5] Hype Beast calls it a "heart-wrenching ballad".[6] Without any percussion or beat, Jeff Benjamin of Fuse compares the song to Adele's "Someone like You" for its simplicity.[7] Lyrically, the single is "a letter to a past lover",, with G-Dragon "apologizing for his past actions, asking for forgiveness and the chance to see his ex again even if it's just one more time or in his dreams."[7]
Critical reception
Taylor Glasby of Dazed called the song "beautiful", "emotionally charged" and "a raw emotion that cracks at the edges", and wrote that, even though G-Dragon "clearly enjoys creating the spectacle when it comes to his music", he "loses nothing when stripped of it".[3] Tamar Herman of Billboard noted that "Untitled, 2014" "presents the simplest, most honest version" of himself that the artist "has ever put forward".[5] Erica Russel from the website PopCrush highlighted that his "delicate yet powerful vocals shimmer on the sparse" ballad.[8] In a positive review, Douglas Markowitz of Miami New Times stated that "[a]fter years in the game, all it takes for this mega-star to soar above the competition is piano and vocal."[9]
Commercial performance
"Untitled, 2014" debuted atop South Korean music charts, a feat that, since the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism changed the regulation of the charts in February of the year, has only been achieved before by IU.[10] Later in the week, the single reached a "perfect all-kill", topping all major music charts simultaneously, as well as placing first on the daily and weekly charts.[11]
Even though it was released with only three days left in the tracking week, "Untitled, 2014" debuted at number one in the Gaon Digital,[12] and Download charts, with 218,500 copies sold.[13] In the streaming chart, the track debuted at number 10 with over 4 million streams.[14] In the second week, the single fell to number two in the Digital chart[15] but rose to the first position in the Streaming chart, with 7,406,802 audio streams.[16] Additionally, "Untitled, 2014" topped the Gaon BGM Chart for three consecutive weeks.[17] For the month of June, "Untitled, 2014" topped Gaon's Digital, BGM and Download Monthly Charts with 555,587 copies sold.[18][19]
By the end of 2017, "Untitled, 2014" was the 16th best-performing song of the year in his home country,[20] with 1,476 million downloads[21] and over 74 million streams in South Korea.[22]
Music video
On June 8, 2017, YG Entertainment released the music video of "Untitled, 2014", which features G-Dragon himself singing in it. The music video was originally planned to be filmed within 2 days using different sets and various shots. However, it was shot it in a single take, and filming was finished in less than an hour.[23]
The music video gained over 1 million views in just 4 hours after release, and in 24 hours it reached over 5.6 million views on YouTube.[24] On August 10, 2019 the music video surpassed 100 million views on YouTube.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
|
Accolades
Program | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Show! Music Core (MBC) | June 17, 2017 | [28] |
June 24, 2017 | [29] | |
Inkigayo (SBS) | June 18, 2017 | [30] |
June 25, 2017 | [30] | |
Show Champion (MBC M) | June 24, 2017 | [31] |
Music Bank (KBS) | June 30, 2017 | [32] |
References
- "[Official Announcement] Title of G-DRAGON's New Album is "KWON JIYONG", and the Title Song is "BULLSHIT"". YG Life. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- "(LEAD) G-Dragon switches new album's title song amid T.O.P scandal". Yonhap News. June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- Glasby, Taylor (June 21, 2017). "The K-pop songs you need to hear this month". Dazed Digital. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ""Untitled, 2014" Sheet Music (Piano Solo) in E Major". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- Herman, Tamar (June 9, 2017). "G-Dragon Gets Personal With Eponymous 'Kwon Ji Yong' EP". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- Lam, Teresa (2017-06-08). "G-Dragon Drops Comeback Music Video for New Track, "Untitled, 2014"". Hype Beast. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- Benjamin, Jeff (June 8, 2017). "G-Dragon Makes His Solo Return With 'Kwon Ji Yong' Album & 'Untitled 2014' Video". Fuse. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- Russel, Erica (June 8, 2017). "G-Dragon Releases Heavenly, Emotional Video For 'Untitled, 2014': Watch". PopCrush. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- Markowitz, Douglas (July 18, 2017). "A K-Pop Primer to Prepare You for G-Dragon's Miami Show". Miami New Times. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- "지드래곤의 줄세우기, 차트개혁도 안 통했다". OSEN (in Korean). June 9, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "지드래곤, 음원차트 퍼펙트 올킬…". DongA News (in Korean). June 12, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "Gaon Digital Chart - Untitled, 2014".
- "2017년 23주차 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "2017년 23주차 Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "2017년 24주차 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "2017년 24주차 Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "Untitled, 2014" in the BGM Chart
- "2017년 23주차 BGM Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "2017년 24주차 BGM Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "2017년 25주차 BGM Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- "지드래곤 '무제' 가온 6월 월간차트 3관왕". Korea Economic Daily. July 6, 2017.
- "2017년 06월 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- "Yearly Digital Chart - 2017". Gaon Chart. Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- "Online Download – 2017". Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- "2017 Gaon Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- "YG "지드래곤 '무제' MV, 한 시간만에 촬영"". Naver News. June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- "G-Dragon's New Album Tops iTunes Charts In 39 Countries; MV Exceeds 5 Million YouTube Views Within A Day". Hello K-Pop. June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- "Billboard Japan Hot 100 - Untitled, 2014".
- "World Digital Singles - Untitled, 2014".
- "Untitled, 2014" sales in QQ Music:
- "巅峰榜·MV (06.05 – 06.11)". China QQ. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- "巅峰榜·MV (06.12 – 06.18)". China QQ. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- "巅峰榜·MV (06.19 – 06.25)". China QQ. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "巅峰榜·MV (06.26 - 07.02)". China QQ. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
- "巅峰榜·MV (07.03 - 07.09)". China QQ. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- "巅峰榜·MV (07.10 - 07.16)". China QQ. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- "巅峰榜·MV (07.17 - 07.23)". China QQ. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- "GD, 방송출연 없이 '음악중심' 1위". Asiae (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- "'인가' GD, 출연없이 5관왕..블랙핑크·마마무·몬엑 컴백 [종합]". Korean Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- "GD, '인가' 2주 연속 1위...마마무·블랙핑크 상큼 컴백(종합)". StarNews (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- "G-Dragon 蟬聯《Show! 音樂中心》第一 〈無題〉第四冠入袋". Korean Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-06-30.
- "'뮤뱅' 지드래곤, 상반기 마지막 1위..출연없이 6관왕 [종합]". OSEN (in Korean). June 30, 2017y. Retrieved 2017-06-30.