Twenty-Three (song)

"Twenty-Three" (스물셋; Seumulset) is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter IU for the fifth extended play Chat-Shire. IU herself penned the lyrics of the song and co-composed it with its producers Lee Jong-hoon and Lee Chae-kyu. The song was released on October 23, 2015, in conjunction with the release of the album as the album's lead single.[1] A dance track, the lyrics document IU's inner thoughts as she walks into her twenties.

"Twenty-Three"
Single by IU
from the album Chat-Shire
ReleasedOctober 23, 2015
GenreDance
Length3:14
LabelLoen Entertainment
Songwriter(s)IU
IU singles chronology
"Leon"
(2015)
"Twenty-Three"
(2015)
"Choice"
(2016)
Music video
"Twenty-Three" on YouTube

"Twenty-Three" received positive reviews from music critics. It was a commercial success topping the Gaon Digital Chart upon release and has since sold over 2.5 million downloads in South Korea. An accompanying music video was released simultaneously with the single release on YouTube.

Composition

"Twenty-Three" is a disco-inspired dance track which marks a departure from folk towards a more electropop sound.[2][3][4] The song features a funky bassline and percussive vocals, with the singer's signature vocal flourishes.[3] The track was written and composed by IU, while production was handled by Lee Jong-hoon and Lee Chae-kyu.[2][3] The song has a length of three minutes and fourteen seconds and is performed in the key of F minor. The tempo runs at 123 beats per minute and is set in a 4/4 time signature.[5]

A satirical coming-of-age track, "Twenty-Three" alludes to the Korean age 23 of the singer.[6] Lyrically, the song feels like a personal declaration of the singer, in which she discusses the contradictions and pressures of becoming an adult woman who is struggling to choose between childhood and adulthood.[2][3] The lyrics also throws light on the singer's personality by reflecting her inner thoughts and emotions. During the chorus, she talks about her animal-like personas, as indicated in the line, "a fox that pretends to be a bear that pretends to be a fox."[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
IZM[7]

"Three-Three" received generally positive reviews from music critics praising IU's vocal performance and her skill as a songwriter. The song's personal direction was also praised by critics. Idolator listed "Twenty-Three" at number 12 on its list of "Best K-Pop Songs of 2015". On behalf of the publication, Jacques Peterson explained: "The talented star once again proved that she could seamlessly blend her singer/songwriter leanings with catchy hooks and melodies, cementing herself as this generation’s greatest K-pop princess."[6] Scott Interrante of PopMatters dubbed "Twenty-Three" as " one of the most entertaining songs of 2015," praising the singer's "powerful" and "expressive" vocals and felt that the track brought "her music into a more personal direction than they have before."[3] Jeff Benjamin of Billboard acclaimed the track, hailing it as the singer's most "personal music yet."[2] In another review for the same publication, Benjamin ranked it as one of the stand-out tracks of Chat-Shire.[8]

Chart performance

The song topped the domestic music charts, and eventually achieved a Perfect All-Kill, as the single reached number one on all of the major South Korean music sites simultaneously.[9][10] Upon its week of release, the song claimed the top spot on the Gaon Digital Chart for the 44th charting week of the year - October 18 to October 24 - despite being released the 23rd of that month.[11] The song performed identically on the component Download chart.[12] The song held its number one position on the Digital chart the following week while climbing to the top of the Streaming chart also.[13][14] It was the fourth best-performing song on the Gaon Monthly Chart for October 2015, selling 492,954 downloads.[15]

As of February 2019, the song has sold over 2,500,000 copies in South Korea.[16]

Music video

An accompanying music video directed by Lumpens was released alongside the song.[17] The video portrays IU trying out an array of colorful outfits and settings.[2]

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon)[18] 1
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[19] 4
Chart (2015) Position
South Korea (Gaon)[20] 60

Sales

Chart Downloads Streaming
South Korean 2,500,000+[upper-alpha 1] 100,000,000[upper-alpha 2]
  1. South Korean sales figures for 'Twenty-Three' as of February 2019.[21]
  2. South Korean streaming figures for 'Twenty-Three' as of December 2021.[22]

Music program awards

Program Date Ref.
Inkigayo November 1, 2015 [23]
November 8, 2015 [24]
Show! Music Core November 14, 2015 [25]

References

  1. "컴백! 아이유, 새 미니앨범 '챗셔' 10월 23일 발매..전곡 프로듀싱" [Comeback! IU's new mini-album 'Chat-shire' to be released on October 23... Produced songs]. The Chosun Ilbo. October 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  2. Benjamin, Jeff (October 26, 2015). "IU Details the Toils of Being 'Twenty-Three' in Most Personal Single Yet". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  3. Interrante, Scott (December 17, 2015). "The Best K-pop of 2015". PopMatters. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. "Review: IU Gets Personal On The Single 'Twenty-Three' From Her New Album 'Chat-Shire' [VIDEO]". KpopStarz. October 27, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  5. "Key, BPM and Analysis of Twenty-Three by IU". Musicstax. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  6. Peterson, Jacques (December 29, 2015). "The 25 Best K-Pop Songs Of 2015". Idolator. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  7. "Twenty-Three". IZM (in Korean). Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  8. Benjamin, Jeff (November 3, 2015). "IU's Best Deep Album Cuts: 'The Shower,' '23' & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  9. "IU tops eight domestic charts with new song "Twenty-Three"". The Korea Times. South Korea. October 23, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  10. "[뮤직톡톡] 아이유, 진짜 '센 언니'". Osen (in Korean). South Korea. October 24, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2020 via Naver.
  11. "Gaon Digital Chart - Week 44 of 2015". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  12. "Gaon Download Chart - Week 44 of 2015". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  13. "Gaon Digital Chart - Week 45 of 2015". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  14. "Gaon Streaming Chart - Week 45 of 2015". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  15. "Gaon Download Chart - October 2015". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  16. ".Gaon's 관찰노트" [Gaon's Observation Notes.] (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  17. Kim, Mi-hwa (November 8, 2015). 아이유 '스물셋' 뮤비 감독, 제작과정 공개..'아동성애자' 논란 해명 [IU's 'Twenty-Three' MV Director Reveals Production Process... clarifies Controversy over 'Child Sexuality']. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  18. "Digital Chart – Week 44 of 2015". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  19. "IU Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  20. "2015 년 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  21. C., Daniel (February 26, 2019). "Gaon's 관찰노트" [Gaon's Observation Notes]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  22. 가온차트 관찰노트 1편 [스트리밍차트 누적 이용량] [Gaon Chart Observation Note Part 1 [Streaming Chart Cumulative Capacity]]. Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved September 21, 2022 via YouTube.
  23. Jeon, Won (November 2, 2015). "아이유 '인기가요' 1위…방송활동 없이도 무한질주 ("IU Wins #1 on Inkigayo... She Keeps Rushing Even Without TV Promotions")" (in Korean). MyDaily. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  24. 아이유, 논란에도 '인기가요' 2주연속 1위 [IU, even 'popular music' win over debate for 2 consecutive weeks]. Osen (in Korean). November 8, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2020 via Naver.
  25. 아이유, 순위제 폐지 '음중' 2015년 마지막 1위 [IU, ranking the abolition of 'eumjung' above the last one in 2015]. Star News (in Korean). November 14, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2020 via Naver.
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