The Lone Duckling

"The Lone Duckling" (Korean: 미운오리새끼; RR: Miun orisaekki) is a song by South Korean pop music group g.o.d and released on May 7, 2014, as a teaser for their comeback and reunion to celebrate fifteen years since their debut in 1999. It was their first release since going on hiatus in December 2005.

"The Lone Duckling"
The Ugly Duckling
Single by g.o.d
from the album Chapter 8
LanguageKorean
ReleasedMay 7, 2014
GenreR&B
Length4:24
LabelCJ E&M
Composer(s)Duble Sidekick
Lyricist(s)Duble Sidekick, Danny Ahn
single
The Lone Duckling on YouTube

Overview

The song is categorized as a ballad and was written and composed by Duble Sidekick, with the rap composed by Danny Ahn.[1][2][3] Billboard describes the song as having "classic boy band harmonies with modern-day electronic elements for a hit that boasts a hint of nostalgia for old-school fans".[4]

The title is a reference to the story of "The Ugly Duckling". The lyrics are sung from the perspective of an observer watching the duckling "crying" alone and likening one's own personal struggles to that of the duckling.[3][5]

Track listing
  • Digital download[6]
  1. "The Lone Duckling" – 4:24
  2. "The Lone Duckling" (instrumental) – 4:24

Release and reception

Despite being a pre-release for the upcoming eighth album, the single achieved what is known in the industry as an "all-kill", topping ten online music websites within two hours[3] and temporarily displacing popular boy band EXO in the #1 spot on the Gaon Charts.[4][7][8] It peaked at #1 on Billboard's Korea K-Pop Hot 100 and remained in the Top 30 for five consecutive weeks until the chart was discontinued in early July. The single finished second in the Inkigayo rankings for May 18 despite g.o.d not promoting the song at any music programs or being present at the show.[9] Based on data compiled by the Gaon Music Chart it was the top-selling single for the month of May[10] and remained in the top 50 for nine consecutive weeks.[11][12] The first and only time g.o.d have performed the song as a quintet on a televised program was their appearance on You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook in September 2014.

As the single was intended to raise funds for victims of the Sewol ferry disaster,[2] a music video was not made and the YouTube video uploaded by label CJ E&M only contains a screenshot of the group's logo and the song title.[13] The video still garnered over a million views and was eighth most watched (internationally) K-pop music video in May.[14]

The song was well received by fans and critics, who have noted the meaningful lyrics and "comforting" melody as a welcome respite in a tragic time and also praised group's decision to retain their unique and signature blend of R&B and rap rather than follow the current K-pop trends.[2][15]

Charts
CountryChartPeak
position
Weekly Monthly Yearly
South KoreaKorea K-Pop Hot 100 1 — —
Gaon Digital Chart 1 1 41

[4][10][16][17]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Result
2014 Golden Disc Awards[18] Single of the Year (Digital bonsang) Nominated
2015 Gaon Chart Music Awards[8] Song of the Year (May) Won

See also

References
  1. "g.o.d Reveals the Title of Comeback Song". Mnet. May 7, 2014.
  2. '미운 오리 새끼' 8일 낮 12시 공개…'god표 감성 발라드'. JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). May 8, 2014.
  3. "g.o.d Records All-Kill on 10 Charts in Two Hours with "The Lone Duckling"". Soompi. May 8, 2014.
  4. "Classic K-Pop Band g.o.d Returns After 10-Year Hiatus to Top K-Pop Hot 100". Billboard K-Town. May 16, 2014.
  5. "Lyrics — The Lone Duckling (god)". Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange.
  6. 미운오리새끼 (in Korean). Genie Music.
  7. "g.o.d achieve an all-kill with 'The Lone Duckling' + Park Joon Hyung writes a letter of thanks". allkpop.com. May 9, 2014.
  8. "Winners From the 4th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards". Soompi. January 28, 2015.
  9. "'Inkigayo' returns, EXO-K tops music chart". The Korea Herald. May 18, 2014.
  10. 2014년 05월 Digital Chart (May 2014 Gaon Digital Chart) (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  11. OST 음원시장 II, 2분기 음원수명 (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. August 22, 2014.
  12. "Gaon Music Chart — Artist search: god" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  13. '완전체' 컴백 god 관련, 궁금한 몇 가지. 왜 다시 뭉쳤고, 계속 볼 수 있을까?. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). May 6, 2014.
  14. "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos in America vs. Around the World: May 2014". Billboard K-Town. June 6, 2014.
  15. god, ‘미운오리새끼’ 12년 기다림 아깝지 않았던 감성 발라드. 10Asia (Korea Economic Daily) (in Korean). May 8, 2014.
  16. 2014년 20주차 Digital Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  17. 2014년 Digital Chart (Year 2014 Digital Chart) (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
  18. "2014 Golden Disk Awards to be Held in Beijing, Nominees Include EXO, 2NE1, CNBLUE, and More". Soompi. December 3, 2014.
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