A (Rainbow song)
"A" is a song by the South Korean girl group Rainbow. It was released on August 12, 2010, and was later included on their second mini album So Girls.
| "A" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original Korean version | ||||
| Single by Rainbow | ||||
| from the album So Girls | ||||
| Released | August 12, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | DSP Media | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Rainbow singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "A" on YouTube | ||||
Background
A teaser photo with the concept of the song was released on August 4.[1] A teaser of the music video was released on August 10[2] and the full music video on August 12, along with the release of the single.
Composition
The song was produced by Han Jae Ho and Kim Seung Soo (also known as Sweetune), who also produced the songs "Rock U", "Pretty Girl", "Honey", "Wanna", "Mister" and "Lupin" for their label-mate KARA.[3]
Promotions
The promotions of the song started on August 13 in the KBS's Music Bank. It was also promoted on MBC's Music Core, SBS's Inkigayo and Mnet's M! Countdown.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A" | Song Soo Yoon | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 |
| 2. | "A (Inst.)" | Song Soo Yoon | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 6:26 | |||
Chart performance
In the first week, the song was at number 50 and climbed to the number 11 the following week. The peak position was 9, in the week of September 4. The song ranked number 80 in Gaon's yearly chart with 337,665,388 points and with 1,617,074 digital copies sold.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Gaon Weekly singles[5] | 9 |
| Gaon Monthly singles[5] | 13 |
| Gaon Yearly singles[5] | 80 |
Japanese version
| "A (エー)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Regular edition cover | ||||
| Single by Rainbow | ||||
| from the album Over the Rainbow | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | September 14, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop | |||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | Universal Sigma | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Rainbow singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was re-record in Japanese as the group's first single in Japan. It was released digitally on September 7, 2011,[6] and physically on September 14[7] in four different versions: three limited editions (CD+DVD, CD + 32-pages photobook and CD only with a bonus track) and a regular edition.
Composition
The Japanese version remains some lyrics written by Song Soo Yoon and was translated by Yu Shimoji and nice73. The B-side is a Japanese version of the song "Gossip Girl", previously recorded in Korean. The song is the lead single from their first EP Gossip Girl.
Promotions
In Japan, Rainbow performed the song on the shows Happy Music, Hey!Hey!Hey! Music Champ and Music Japan. The group held their first event in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo with a crowd of 2,000 fans. They performed "A" and had a 15-minute talk session.[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A" (エー; Ē) | Yu Shimoji, nice73 | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Gossip Girl" (ゴシップガール; Goshippugāru) | Litz, nice73 | Hur Youn Won | 3:11 |
| 3. | "A" (Instrumental) | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 | |
| Total length: | 9:55 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "A" (Korean version) | Song Soo Yoon, Yu Shimoji, nice73 | Han Jae Ho, Kim Seung Soo | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 13:18 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A" (Music video) | |
| 2. | "Belly Dance Lesson" | |
| 3. | "A" (Music video - Dance version) | |
| 4. | "A" (Music video - Behind the scenes) |
Chart performance
The physical single began at number 3 in Oricon's daily chart[9] and also number 3 in Oricon's weekly chart with 24,082 copies sold in the first week.[10] After hearing about their position in Japan, the girls said, "When we first heard that we were ranked in third, we were all surprised because we had no idea that they’d take such an interest in us. There were even some members who cried. There’s also a lot of pressure in that we have to work harder and do better. We’re still very grateful and thankful for our position on the charts. Since we’re already receiving so much love, we’re really not anticipating a rise in the weekly charts. For the remainder of our stay here, we’re just going to do our best."[11]
Oricon
| Oricon Chart | Peak | Debut sales | Sales total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Singles Chart | 3 | 24,082 | 44,858 |
| Weekly Singles Chart[10] | 3 | ||
| Monthly Singles Chart | 18 | ||
| Yearly Singles Chart | 172 |
Other charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Japan Hot 100[12] | 4 |
| RIAJ Digital Track Chart weekly top 100[13] | 15 |
Ab dance controversy
The "ab dance" in Rainbow's choreography was banned from broadcasting on September 8, 2010, because it was "too sexually suggestive". The dance move involves the group lifting their shirts up to the point where their abdomen or stomach can be seen before taking them down again which was deemed similar to a strip tease. The music video was also age restricted on YouTube, but DSP retired the restriction.[14] They started promoting the song without the "ab dance" on September 11.
However, when the group promoted the song in Japan they were allowed to perform the dance, and referred to it as the "belly dance".
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | August 12, 2010 | Digital download, Promotional single | DSP Media |
| Japan | September 7, 2011[6] | Digital download | Universal Sigma |
| September 14, 2011 | CD single |
References
- "레인보우, 무지개빛 눈화장 컴백 화보 공개". Star News. August 4, 2010.
- "레인보우(Rainbow) A Teaser". YouTube. March 3, 2011.
- "레인보우, 신곡 'A' 뮤비 공개..13일 컴백 무대". Star News. August 12, 2010.
- "(싱글) A / Daum 뮤직 :: 언제 어디서나 Music on Daum" (in Korean). Daum Communications. August 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- "Gaon Search - Rainbow" (in Korean). Gaon. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- "iTunes - ミュージック - Rainbow「A (エー) - Single」" (in Japanese). iTunes. September 7, 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- "RAINBOW - A （エー） 初回盤C - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN" (in Japanese). Universal Music Group. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- 레인보우, 日싱글 오리콘 데일리 판매 3위. Naver (in Korean). September 15, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- "레인보우, 日 오리콘 3위로 데뷔 '기염'". Naver. September 15, 2011.
- "2011年09月12日～2011年09月18日のCDシングル週間ランキング (Oricon's Weekly Chart for September 26th)" (in Japanese). Oricon. September 19, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- "日 성공적 데뷔 레인보우, "놀라고 감사해 눈물 흘렸다" (인터뷰)". Naver. September 17, 2011.
- "Japan Hot 100 / Billboard.com (Billboard Japan Hot 100 for October 1st)". Billboard. October 1, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- "2012年03月21日～2012年03月27日 略称：レコ協チャート (RIAJ Digital Track Chart: Chart issue March 27, 2012)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- 레인보우 '배꼽춤', 방송금지 "선정적, 수정 불가피". Star News (in Korean). September 8, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2012.