Weekly K-Pop Music Chart 2011 - November Week 2

The top three songs remain at status quo this week with SNSD‘s “The Boys” remaining as No. 1 for the second week, even scoring one more point than last week. “The Boys” has swept every chart and countdown show you can name, increasing the gap with the No. 2 song, Secret‘s “Love Move.”  It looks like SNSD will have no problem holding onto the top spot again next week.

Secret and Orange Caramel remain at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. But the next two songs are making a push for the top. Noel rises six spots with their surprise hit “I Miss You.” Despite their lengthy time away, Noel has scored the biggest hit of their career with this song and is looking to enter the top three next week.

There are three new songs in the top 10 this week, lead by Lee Seung Gi‘s “We’re Friends” at No. 5. The singer-actor just released his fifth album and this is the title song. Working for the first time with top producer Hitman Bang, “We’re Friends” is a ballad with an addictive melody and rhythm. It is already in the top five in only its second week on the chart. This is another song eying the top three spots for next week.

Returning to the top ten for the first time in many years is T (Tasha). Her song “Get It In” features husband Tiger JK and R&B singer Jung In. It moves up eight spots to No. 8 this week. T’s charted songs are usually mainstream R&B ballads but this time she is returning to her hip-hop roots, delighting many fans. There are both English and Korean versions of this song, which meshes the hip-hop and electronic genres.

At No. 9, Epik High‘s Tablo makes his solo debut with his album “Fever’s End.” There are already three songs from this album that have generated interest: “Airbag“, “Bad“, and “Tomorrow.” While “Airbag” and “Tomorrow” feature the vocals of more famous singers Naul and Tae Yang respectively. It is “Bad” which enters the top 10 this week. “Bad” features Jin Shil from the female R&B group Mad Soul Child. Her dreamy vocals match well with Tablo’s slow rap on this hip-hop ballad. 

SOOMPI CHART for 2011, Month 11, Week 2

1. (–) SNSD – The Boys ***2nd Week @ No. 1***
Score: 947
Genre: Pop/Dance

Music: Teddy Riley / Lyrics: Yoo Young Jin
Album: SNSD Vol. 3 | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

2. (–) Secret – 사랑은 MOVE (Love Move)
Score: 871
Genre: Pop/Dance

Music: Kang Ji Won, Kim Ki Bum / Lyrics: Kang Ji Won, Kim Ki Bum
Album: Secret Vol. 1 | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

3. (–) Orange Caramel – 샹하이 로맨스 (Shanghai Romance)
Score: 725
Genre: Pop/Dance

Music: Cho Young Soo / Lyrics: Kim Hee Chul
Album: Orange Caramel Single Album – Shanghai Romance | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

4. (+6) Noel – 그리워 그리워 (I Miss You)
Score: 684
Genre: R&B Ballad

Music: Choi Gyu Sung / Lyrics: Choi Gyu Sung
Album: Noel mini-album | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

5. (+12) Lee Seung Ki – 친구잖아 (We’re Friends)
Score: 667
Genre: Pop Ballad

Music: Hitman Bang / Lyrics: Hitman Bang
Album: Lee Seung Ki Vol. 5 | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

6. (-1) Kim Hyun Joong (SS501) – Lucky Guy
Score: 555
Genre: Pop/Dance

Music: Steven Lee / Lyrics: Kim Tae Wan
Album: Kim Hyun Joong Mini Album Vol. 2 | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

7. (-1) Infinite – 파라다이스 (Paradise)
Score: 522
Genre: Pop/Dance

Music: Kim Seung Soo, Han Jae Ho / Lyrics: Song Soo Yoon
Album: Infinite Vol. 1 Repackaged Version | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

8. (+8) T – Get It In (feat Tiger JK)
Score: 484
Genre: Hip-Hop

Music: / Lyrics:
Album: T digital single “Get It In (The Creator Project)”
Watch: MV

9. (+3) Tablo – 나쁘다 (feat. 진실) (Bad (feat. Jin Sil))
Score: 465
Genre: Hip-Hop

Music: Tablo / Lyrics: Tablo
Album: Tablo Vol. 1 | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

10. (-6) FT Island – 새들처럼 (Like The Birds)
Score: 451
Genre: Rock

Music: Ji Geun Sik / Lyrics: Ji Geun Sik
Album: FTIsland Remake Album – Memory in FTIsland | Purchase this Album
Watch: MV

THIS WEEK IN 2008:

In this segment, we go back in time to re-visit charts of the same week in past years. The Soompi Music Chart began in January 2005. At first we had only 20 songs and later expanded to 50 songs.

As I researched back into previous years’ charts for the second week of November, one group dominated this slot and it happens that they have come back recently. Wonder Girls hit No. 1 in November, Week 2 of 2007 with “Tell Me“, and No. 1 in the same week of 2008 with “Nobody“. While “Tell Me” is the song that made Wonder Girls a top female group in Korea and probably one of the top songs ever in the history of our Soompi chart, it is “Nobody” that took Wonder Girls to the international stage. “Nobody” has both Korean and English versions and we can confidently say that anyone who listens to K-Pop music knows this song.  Surprisingly, this song only spent one single week on top of our chart, which was this week exactly three years ago.  Once again, it proves that classic hits may not be a song that spent many weeks as No. 1. It’s how people remember the song that defines its legacy.

Let’s revisit Nobody’s classic MV which also features JYP.

About the Soompi Music Chart:

Soompi Music Chart is unlike any other music charts or television rankings. It takes into account not only sales and rankings by various other charts in Korea, but also the airplay of each song, as well as the number of live performances and appearances, making it an unbiased and objective tally of what’s going on in the world of K-pop. Our chart is composed of the following sources:

Air Monitor Chart – 15%
GAON Music Chart – 15%
Various Internet charts (Olleh, Bugs, Melon, Naver, Monkey3, Daum, Cyworld, Soribada) – 15%
ChartKorea – 5%  
Hottracks Weekly Album Sales (1 weeks lag) – 10%
SBS (Inky Gayo Take 7 + SBS Miil weekly rankings) – 10%
MBC Inky Top 100 Chart – 10%
KBS Music Bank K-Chart – 10% 
MNet M!Countdown – 5%
Gasoo appearance on gayo shows  (MBC Music Core, SBS Inky Gayo, KBS Music Bank, M!Countdown) – 10%

Thanks to Mardi09 for helping on this week’s internet chart research and motoway065 for song title translations.