“Information conveyedwithin this post is factual & opinionated”.
K-Pop band “BLACKPINK“ is the edgiest, most provocative, most amusing, and most delightful girl group in the pop music industry. BLACKPINK consists of four artists: Lisa (Main Dancer), Jennie (Lead Vocals), Jisoo (Lead Vocals), and Rosé (Lead Dancer).
Founded in August 2016, their public image and their music make them the epitome of an epic, spectacular dance group.
BLACKPINK is a dynamic, exceptionally talented girl group signed to YG Entertainment.
The stage name “BLACKPINK’’ is about the contradiction of colors. BLACKPINK means “pretty isn’t everything,” which means the name is intended to contradict common views of the color pink. YG Entertainment has stated, “it symbolizes they’re a team encompassing not only beauty, but great talent”. The band’s art is salacious, raunchy, poetic, rhythmic, and quite amusing.
BLACKPINK has become so popular internationally that they have their own reality show on YouTube based around them personally & professionally. The show is called BLACKPINK, where the members move out of their dorm and into a special house in Hongdae built just for them.
Fans of BLACKPINK admire the band’s uniqueness as well as the members’ mature, mischievous, and empowering personalities. BLACKPINK continues to revolutionize the music industry.
Each member comes from a diverse background. They all can speak Korean, English, and Japanese fluently. Jisso is the only member who doesn’t speak English fluently, but she’s able to speak Chinese very well. Jennie grew up In New Zealand, Rosé grew up in Australia, and Lisa grew up in Thailand and therefore speaks Thai fluently.
If you’re eager to learn more about the band, here’s 10 BLACKPINK Facts Every Fan Should Know written by GRAYSON GILCREASE
Are you wondering what the top 10 songs of BLACKPINK are? Sit back—let’s find out!
1. “How You Like That”
After a yearlong music hiatus, BLACKPINK released “How You Like That”, along with their first Korean-language studio album called… The Album.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, BLACKPINK released a song with the meaning of people hitting rock bottom and feeling like they’ve sunken deep.
For a 3:03 minute song, the song’s lyrics encompass a positive message, catchy beat, flashy outfits (in the music video), and nice rhythm.
According to BLACKPINK member Jisoo, “is to serve as an encouragement during dark times. Simply put, it is based on the concept of remaining positive and strong during dire times.”
“How You Like That” is addressing someone whose weaknesses were exposed, therefore exploited by their enemies. Then the person was able to overcome their issues, rise up, find salvation, and self-motivate themselves. People who morph from rags to riches can easily relate to How You Like That.
Feel free to check out facts & the meaning in more detail at SongsMeanings+Facts.com
The aforementioned song heals me when I’m feeling weak, lonely, penniless, and powerless. Sheer volume of determination goes into improving yourself in the face of adversity. You may feel inclined to lash back at haters once you’ve achieved your dreams.
The lyrics below help to prove my point:
“Plain Jane get hijacked, don’t like me?
Then tell me how you like that, like that”
2. “뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU)”
BLACKPINK’s “(DDU-DU DDU-DU)” was released in June 2018, recorded in Korean and Japanese with a bit of English. It accumulated 36.2 million views in 24 hours. According to Wikipedia, it is “[T]he most viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean act, and the second most watched music video of all time with more than 36.2 million views within 24 hours after release”.
It was the first titled track in the group’s mini-album Square Up. As with many songs from the group, this track’s fierce tone, catchy beats, beguiling attitude, and enchanting vocals make this one of their most successful songs. The lyrics allude to a female who is strong-minded & hard to get. This song conveys the group’s characteristics through their confidence and their charismatic enigma. “(DDU-DU DDU-DU)” shows fans a more aggressive side of BLACKPINK instead of the usual suggestive content.
From 2020-present, the music video for this track has been the most-watched video on YouTube by a group in the K-pop genre.
Jennie’s verse in English translates to:
“A kind face and an attitude that isn’t”
“A volume twice the size hidden in a slender figure”
“Relentlessly going forward, not caring what other people think”
“When you say Black we say Pink, we are pretty Savage”
The song has an arcade-style beat, with an array of flamboyance embedded in the music video. The track debuted at #55 on the Hot 100. At the same time, it broke the record for the highest-charting hit ever by a K-pop girl group on the listing overtaking Wonder Girls, whose “Nobody” peaked at #76 in 2009.
3. “Kill This Love”
As of January 2022, “Kill This Love” has 1.4 billion views on YouTube. Let that sink in and show you the immense talent within BLACKPINK.
Released in April 2019, as the title of the song suggests, “Kill This Love” conveys a termination of romantic relationships with lovers who are not feeling they’re important enough to flourish in life. Some could argue this song is bashing an ex, especially an estranged ex that’s kept their partner feeling immobilized. To a degree that’s true, but here’s a source that tells the whole story:
Banned On KBS Broadcaster
South Korean broadcaster KBS decided to ban the song from their station due to a scene where Rosé is driving a car without a seatbelt. In my opinion, this is by far one of the most senseless reasons to discredit a song. Music videos will display many controversial ideas; the seatbelt aspect is by far the most foolish reason to ban a video that anyone’s ever heard of.
This scene violated the nation’s Road Traffic Act. This situation serves as a good example of today’s cancel culture; a phenomenon of sensitivity, stupidity, and demoralizing principles.
4. “Lovesick Girls”
“Lovesick Girls” was released on October 2, 2020, a part of the album The Album. It was the third song released for The Album and one of the most popular.
The track consists of dance-pop and electropop with components of EDM sound. “Lovesick Girls” is a quintessentially upbeat pop song, from the lights and the camera angles to the outfits, catchy lyrics, and instrumentals. 3:21 seconds was enough time to make such a masterpiece. “Lovesick Girls” reminds me of that teenage exuberance coupled with a surge of joy throughout your body. The song has the ability to illuminate your world with so much gleam.
The song’s lyrics deal with the soreness of intense heartbreak. The song is hard to loathe due to all the enjoyable elements it has. Many fans have wanted a BLACKPINK comeback, and they’ve still got the momentum to have one.
5. “붐바야 (BOOMBAYAH)”
“BOOMBAYAH” is a 4:03 song released in August 2016 as a part of the group’s digital album called Square One. Boombayah peaked at Number Seven in South Korea and also topped the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in its first week of sales. On October 13, 2020, “Boombayah” became the first K-Pop debut music video to reach one billion views on YouTube.
The song is featured in Just Dance 2022. You know the song’s a big deal if it garners attention from a major video game franchise.
The song contains all of the band members in an amorous fashion. The beat contains African and Reggae influence, also do the lyrics and dance moves.
Boombayah means to love without regret and live life to the fullest. It shows that BLACKPINK may have been scared to love before but now they’re not. Now they have confidence, so they are not scared of ghosts anymore.
6. “Ice Cream”
“Ice Cream” (with Selena Gomez) was released on August 28, 2020. It’s the second single from the album titled The Album. Ice Cream is an electropop and bubblegum pop song with trap influence. The song’s length is 2:56 minutes, and it features Selena Gomez to make the most perfect musical collaboration within the past decade.
Ice Cream was co-written by Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez alongside a few other songwriters. Ice Cream peaked at #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming BLACKPINK’s first single to reach the top-twenty of the chart. The song has also peaked within the top ten on the Billboard Global 200.
Ice Cream is the type of song geared towards prepubescent children. The idiosyncrasy within the song’s lyrics, beat, and video evokes vibes that’ll make kids feel perplexed and amused.
When I heard the song, I giggled at its creativity. I was glad Selena appeared. She helped carry the song with BLACKPINK.
In an interview for Radio.com, Gomez revealed that she was first introduced to BLACKPINK after meeting Jisoo and Rosé during New York Fashion Week in 2018. The band shared that they had been big fans of Gomez’s growing up, having danced to her music as trainees.[1]
7. “AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST”
“AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST” was released on June 22, 2017. The song is 3:33 long and consists of synth-pop, classical, house, reggae, and moombahton styles. It was the first track released by BLACKPINK since 2016’s single “Stay”. Around its release, it peaked at Number One on the US Billboard 100. The song has sold approximately 2.5 million copies in South Korea and was Number Two on K-pop Hot 100.
The majority of the lyrics are in Korean. Simply put, the single is an endearing song about a woman’s love for a man. The title alludes to her desire to have the man of her dreams kiss her as if it is his last day.
Lyrics translated in English
Read more at:
https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/as-if-its-your-last-by-blackpink/
There’s not much more to say. “AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST” is your typical K-Pop single with themes of dance, electro, and standard pop music. I would recommend listening to the track to make your own judgement.
8. “Pretty Savage”
“Pretty Savage” was released on October 2, 2020. The song is 3:19 long, and it’s predominantly trap-influenced. The track was the third song on The Album, which was released on October 2, 2020. The song debuted at #32 on the Billboard Global 200. “Pretty Savage” contains aggressive tones, coupled with rhythmic bass and a sensuous trap beat.
Pretty Savage reminds me of all the trap songs I’ve heard over the years; especially the ones you’d play at a house party or something. The track helps show an assertive side of BLACKPINK while sliding away from the enchanting, girly side. This song has all the sassiness fans were looking for.
Lisa’s verse “born skinny” is a response to those on social media who seemingly taunt her for being so thin. Lisa’s organically thin, and her response towards detractors is flawless. In a nutshell, “Pretty Savage” is a single that shows assertiveness and bashes haters.
9. “Forever Young”
The ninth entry is “Forever Young”, which was released on June 12, 2018, as the second track in the bands first mini-album called Square Up.” The song is 3:57 long; recording for the song began way back in 2015. It consists of moombahton elements, along with an emotion-driven message about 21st Century life of the youth. A Japanese version of the song was included in the group’s first Japanese studio album, Blackpink in Your Area
During the course of 2015, BLACKPINK members were trainees for YG ENTERTAINMENT. Nevertheless, the song eventually was rerecorded and released in 2018. The song was a critically-acclaimed success, selling approximately 2,500,000 digital downloads in South Korea. It became the band’s second song to achieve a platinum certification from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). At the time of writing, the practice video has accumulated over 205 million views on YouTube.
Most of us view youthhood as a pivotal moment in our lives. A time where we’re at our peak, but also a time when we’re vulnerable to behaving like a wooden-headed person. BLACKPINK releases so much vehemence in “Forever Young”.
10. “STAY”
The last song on this list is “Stay”, which was released on October 31, 2016. It’s the second featured single in their single album titled Square Two, which was released on November 1, 2016. Stay is a 3:50 song of pure folk-pop. The song peaked at number 10 on the Gaon Digital Chart, and number 4 on the US World Digital Songs chart (Billboard).
“Stay” is by far the saddest song released by the group. A slow-tempo song that doesn’t possess the upbeat and blissful tone fans would expect, the slow-vocals (not typical for a BLACKPINK song) help for displaying an endearing and saddened side of the girls, while maintaining pop rituals.
When I heard the songs, I was mesmerized by the slow melody that serenades you until you sleep. This masterpiece is so deep to the fullest; the lyrics can relate to times when people have sunken deep into a murky world. I’ll admit, I cried when I heard the song. Even though I can’t comprehend Korean, I still connected to it.
The music video shows BLACKPINK in various places and scenarios. It even shows one of the singers on a skateboard swing. “Stay” still shows the quirky side of BLACKPINK that fans admire, along with vibrant colors in the video.
“I was at the concert yesterday and at the end, while singing “STAY,” I cried a bit, a tiny bit. For me, “STAY” is a song that has a lot of meaning. Like, it was one of the songs that we worked on since the beginning, and the lyrics make me think of the members and the fact that I could be on the stage like that made me feel very emotional”.
11. Honorable Mention: “LALISA”
Here's an honorable mention for this list.
Lisa from the group decided to do her own thing in 2021. She released her own single which, as of March 2022, has 440 million views on YouTube.
The Thai singer’s debut solo track surely packed a punch. It was released in September 2021, it’s the first song of her album titled Lalisa, which came out that same day. The song reached Number Two on Billboard Global 200 and has been successful ever since.
The music video received 73.6 million views on YouTube in 24 hours, becoming the most-viewed music video in the first 24 hours on the app by any solo artist, breaking a record held by Taylor Swift’s “Me!” featuring Brendon Urie.
The song is catchy. Lisa’s singing and rapping abilities are good. The music video puts emphasis on why some band members should go solo for a brief stint to rediscover themselves. There’s a scene where Lisa’s a police detective solving a crime, soon switching to dancing on a pole. “Lalisa” is, all in all, a fast-paced goofy track.
This article was originally posted on Medium on January 21, 2022.
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