Replay (Shinee song)

On May 19, 2008, SM Entertainment announced the formation of their new boy band, Shinee. Described as a "contemporary band", the group was composed of five teenagers and was intended to set trends in music, fashion and dance.[1] A teaser for the music video of their debut single, "Replay", was released the same day.[2] The song and its accompanying music video were released on May 22, alongside the EP of the same name.[3] The music video features Victoria of f(x) as the female lead.[4] The choreography was created by Rino Nakasone.[5] The music video was remastered in 4K and was re-released on April 20, 2022.[6]

"Replay" is a contemporary R&B song composed by The Heavyweights, who co-arranged with Yoo Young-jin, while the lyrics was written by Young-hu Kim.[3] The lyrics are from the perspective of a young man in love with an older woman.[7] The line, "Noona (older sister), you're so pretty", directly targets the adult female demographic.[8][9] The group took an entire day to record the song, finding it unexpectedly challenging and vocal-driven. Prior to their debut, three of the group's five members were training to be rappers; only Jonghyun and Onew were vocalists.[7] The youngest member, Taemin, did not feature on the song at all.[10]

Shinee performed "Replay" for the first time on the music program Inkigayo on May 25, 2008.[11] The performance attracted over 800 fans, and the group held an event afterwards at a nearby park where they handed out lollipops.[12] They also performed at the 2008 Dream Concert on June 7.[13]

Writing in 2008, Jo I-seul of IZM described "Replay" as a "trendy" and "high-quality" song, but did not find it lived up to the originality implied by Shinee's "contemporary band" label.[14] Retrospectively, "Replay" has met with more positive reviews. It was named one of the top 100 K-pop songs of all time by a panel of 35 music critics and industry experts in association with Melon and the Seoul Shinmun.[15] According to music critic Kim Yun-ha, "Replay" laid the foundation for Shinee's "unique identity", and carries the "mint-coloured freshness" that the public associates with the group.[16] Park Chang-young of Maeil Business Newspaper stated that "Replay" "opened a new chapter in idol music".[17] Writing for Marie Claire, Quinci LeGardye called the song "one of the best idol debuts ever".[18] Insider named it one of the best debut songs of all time in K-pop.[19]

A Japanese version of "Replay", titled "Replay (Kimi wa Boku no Everything)", was released on June 22, 2011, featuring the Japanese version of "Hello" as a B-side.[22] Yoona of Girls' Generation appeared in the music video.[23] Shinee celebrated its release with a live showcase at Abbey Road Studios in London, becoming the first Asian artists to perform there.[24] The single sold over 91,000 copies in the first week, setting a new sales record for the Japanese debut single of a Korean group.[25] It was certified Gold by RIAJ for selling over 100,000 copies,[26] the first debut single by a Korean male group to do so.[27] The song was later included on Shinee's first Japanese album, The First.[28]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Replay.[29]

Recording

• Recorded and mixed at SM Booming System
• Recorded at SM Blue Ocean Studio
• Mastered at Sonic Korea

Personnel

• Shinee – vocals, background vocals
• Young-hu Kim – lyrics, directing, vocal directing, recording
• The Heavyweights – composition, arrangement
• RaVaughn – composition
• James Burney II – composition
• Yoo Young-jin – arrangement, directing, vocal directing, background vocals, recording, mixing
• KAT – recording
• Jeon Hoon – mastering