Alive (Big Bang EP)

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This article is about the Korean EP. For the Japanese album of same name, see Alive (Big Bang album).
Alive
BigBang - Alive (Korean Cover).jpg
EP by
Big Bang
ReleasedFebruary 29, 2012 (2012-02-29)
June 3, 2012 (2012-06-03) (Special edition)
Recorded2011–2012
Genre
Length23:41
Label
Producer
Big Bang chronology
Big Bang 2
(2011) 		Alive
(2012) 		Alive (album)
(2012)
Singles from Alive
  1. "Blue"
    Released: February 22, 2012
  2. "Bad Boy"
    Released: February 29, 2012
  3. "Fantastic Baby"
    Released: March 7, 2012
Special Edition 'Still Alive'
Big Bang Special Edition 'Still Alive'.jpg
Singles from Still Alive
  1. "Monster"
    Released: June 3, 2012

Alive is the fifth Korean-language extended play by South Korean group Big Bang. It was released on February 29, 2012 by YG Entertainment. Big Bang members G-Dragon and T.O.P wrote the music and lyrics, respectively, for nearly all tracks on the album. The EP had three singles—"Blue", "Fantastic Baby", and "Bad Boy". A repackaged version of the EP titled Still Alive was released on June 3, 2012, and featured the single, "Monster". Both EP versions and their singles achieved commercial success on music charts in South Korea, and the EP became the first K-pop album to chart on the United States' Billboard 200.

Release and promotion[]

On January 27, 2012, the track listing and title of Big Bang's upcoming EP, Alive were announced.[1] Teddy Park of YG Entertainment and Big Bang member G-Dragon produced the majority of the music for the EP with the help of other producers such as DJ Murf and Peejay. G-Dragon also wrote the majority of the songs on the EP with the help of T.O.P. and Teddy Park.

"Blue" was released on February 22, 2012, as the EP's lead single, and thereafter Big Bang released previews of other tracks on YouTube every day from February 23–28.[2] They also announced the Alive World Tour in support of the album.[3][4]

The EP and its second single, "Bad Boy", were released simultaneously on February 29, 2012. Promotions began with televised performances from the EP on SBS's Inkigayo.[5] "Fantastic Baby" was the third single, released on March 7, 2012.

The EP was repackaged as a special edition with additional songs and re-titled as Still Alive. The special edition and its single "Monster" were released June 3, 2012. "Blue", "Bad Boy", "Fantastic Baby", and "Monster" were also re-recorded with Japanese lyrics and included on Big Bang's full-length Japanese album, Alive. Other tracks, in their original Korean language form, were also included on the album.

Critical reception[]

Alive garnered critical acclaim, being hailed as "trendsetting". Fuse named Alive one of the best albums of the year, the only non-English album on the list, writing that the record "blurs the lines between traditional K-pop, dance pop, R&B and just about every other genre", and calling it "one of Big Bang's most well-rounded releases to date."[6] Billboard called the EP and its repackage "objectively one of the group’s best eras", and noted how "each song is iconic in its own way".[7] Chicago Sun-Times noted that Alive included a more mature sound and "more interesting production techniques", and that it displayed Big Bang's diversity.[8] The Fader praised Alive for making "the most compelling case yet" for a rising K-pop act in the west.[9] The Borneo Post declared that "Alive is a humble manifesto that declares Big Bang's efforts to grow into Kpop legends who live in the now. They've certainly proven before that they're a cut above the usual" and stated "this album is everywhere, and everyone-friendly."[10]

Commercial performance[]

Alive became the first Korean album or EP to chart on the United States' Billboard 200 and at its time of release, held the record for being the best selling K-pop album ever in the United States, selling over 4,100 copies in its first week of release.[11][12] It also charted at number four on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart,[13] at number twenty-two on the Independent Albums chart,[14] and number four on the World Albums chart.[15] On March 9, 2012, it was revealed that Big Bang was the first act to occupy 5 out of the top 10 spots on Billboard's K-pop Hot 100 with "Blue", "Bad Boy", "Fantastic Baby", "Ain't No Fun", and "Love Dust".[16]

Alive reached number six on Japan's domestic Oricon weekly album chart as a Korean import.[17] In South Korea, both Alive and Still Alive debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart.[18][19] The EP finished 2012 as the second best-selling album of the year in South Korea, while the repackage was the sixth.[20] In Taiwan, the EP reached the number-one spot on G-Music chart[21] and managed to be certified double platinum.[22]

As of December 2016, according to the Gaon Chart, Oricon and the Chinese music service KuGou, songs from the album have sold over 24 million downloads.

Track listing[]

Alive – Standard edition[23]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Intro (Alive)"G-Dragon, Teddy, T.O.PDee.P, G-Dragon, TeddyDee.P0:48
2."Blue"G-Dragon, Teddy, T.O.PTeddy, G-DragonTeddy3:53
3."Love Dust" (사랑먼지; Sarangmeonji)G-Dragon, Teddy, T.O.PG-Dragon, TeddyTeddy3:52
4."Bad Boy"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, Choice37Choice373:57
5."Ain't No Fun" (재미없어; Jaemieobseo)G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, D.J Murf, PeejayD.J Murf, Peejay3:42
6."Fantastic Baby"G-Dragon, T.O.P, TeddyG-Dragon, TeddyG-Dragon, Teddy3:51
7."Wings" (날개; Nalgae; Daesung solo)G-Dragon, DaesungG-Dragon, P.KP.K, Dee.P3:43
Total length:23:41
Big Bang Special Edition: Still Alive  – Repackage[24]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Still Alive"G-Dragon, Teddy, T.O.PDee.P, G-Dragon, TeddyDee.P3:18
2."Monster"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, P.KP.K, Dee.P3:51
3."Feeling" (Korean version)G-Dragon, T.O.PBoys Noize, G-Dragon, T.O.PBoys Noize3:35
4."Fantastic Baby"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, TeddyG-Dragon, Teddy3:52
5."Bad Boy"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, Choice37Choice373:58
6."Blue"G-Dragon, Teddy, T.O.PTeddy, G-DragonTeddy3:55
7."Bingle Bingle" (빙글빙글; Binggeul Binggeul)G-Dragon, T.O.PTeddy, G-Dragon, Seo Won-jinTeddy, Seo Won-jin3:00
8."Ego" (Korean version)G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, Ham Seung-cheon, Kang Uk-jinHam Seung-cheon, Kang Uk-jin3:25
9."Love Dust" (사랑먼지; Sarangmeonji)G-Dragon, Teddy, T.O.PG-Dragon, TeddyTeddy3:51
Total length:32:45
Taiwan Edition – DVD bonus tracks[25]
No.TitleDirectorLength
1."Monster" (Music Video with Chinese Subtitles)Han Sa-min 
2."Blue" (Music Video with Chinese Subtitles)Han Sa-min 
3."Bad Boy" (Music Video with Chinese Subtitles)Han Sa-min 
4."Fantastic Baby" (Music Video with Chinese Subtitles)Seo Hyun-seung 

Charts[]

Album[]

Sales[]

Awards and nominations[]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Big Bang

Accolades[]

Decade-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s 22 [42]

Release history[]

Region Date Edition Format Label
Worldwide[43] February 29, 2012 Alive Digital download YG
South Korea[44]
  • CD
  • digital download
Taiwan[45] March 27, 2012 CD Warner Music Taiwan
Worldwide[46] June 3, 2012 Still Alive Digital download YG
South Korea[47]
South Korea[48] June 6, 2012 CD
  • YG
  • KMP Holdings
Taiwan[45] June 29, 2012 CD, CD+DVD Warner Music Taiwan

References[]

  1. ^ "Big Bang reveals new track from upcoming album and release date!". Allkpop. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  2. ^ "BIGBANG Unleashes Fifth Teaser for Alive with Electro Title Track "Fantastic Baby"". Soompi. 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  3. ^ "Big Bang to hold 'ALIVE TOUR 2012' around the world through Live Nation!". allkpop. 2012-02-06.
  4. ^ "iTunes Music – Blue – Single by BIGBANG". iTunes. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  5. ^ "Big Bang Theory". Curious Port. 2012-02-27.{{|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  6. ^ "THE 40 BEST ALBUMS OF 2012: FUSE STAFF PICKS". Fuse. December 14, 2012. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  7. ^ Tamar Herman. "BIGBANG 10 must listen songs". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Big Bang's 10 best songs of the past 10 years". Sun-Times. 2016-02-05. Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  9. ^ Cooper, Duncan (2012-03-05). "Video: BIGBANG, 'Bad Boy'".
  10. ^ "Album Review: Big Bang's Alive". The Borneo Post. 2012-03-04.
  11. ^ "Big Bang's 'Alive' charts on the Billboard 200". allkpop. 2012-05-23.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Benjamin, Jeff (2014-03-05). "2NE1 Sets New U.S. Record for Highest-Charting, Best-Selling K-Pop Album With 'Crush'". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Big Bang chart history (Heatseekers)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Big Bang chart history (Independent)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  15. ^ "Big Bang chart history (World)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Bigbang takes over Billboard Charts". allkpop. 9 March 2012.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "2012年03月05日～2012年03月11日のCDアルバム週間ランキング (Oricon's Weekly chart for March 19th)" (in Japanese). Oricon. March 13, 2012.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "2012년 10주차 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "2012년 24주차 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "2012년 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Combo Chart, Week 12". G-Music. June 1, 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012.
  22. ^ "Big Bang Reaches Double Platinum Status in Taiwan". Mwave. April 6, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  23. ^ "Alive - BIGBANG". Qobuz (in French). Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "BIGBANG – New Album Release". YG Entertainment. YG LIFE. May 25, 2012. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012.
  25. ^ "Amazon.jp: Big Bang Special Edition - Still Alive (CD+DVD) (Taiwan Version)". Amazon. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  26. ^ "Gaon Album Chart 2012년 2월". Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  27. ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts / Billboard.com". Billboard. March 8, 2012.
  28. ^ "Heatseekers Albums / Billboard.com". Billboard. March 8, 2012.
  29. ^ "Independent Albums / Billboard.com". Billboard. March 8, 2012.
  30. ^ "World Albums / Billboard.com". Billboard. March 8, 2012.
  31. ^ "2012년 06월 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  32. ^ "Combo Chart, Week 26". G-Music. July 24, 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.
  33. ^ "2012년 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  34. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – 2013". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  35. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – December 2014". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  36. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – 2015". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b "2016 Gaon Album Chart - September". Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  38. ^ https://www.curiousport.com/2019/05/what-came-before-the-big-bang.html {{ |date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  39. ^ "2013년 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  40. ^ "Gaon Album Chart - 2014". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  41. ^ "Gaon Album Chart - 2015". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  42. ^ "The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s: Billboard Staff' Picks". Billboard. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  43. ^ "Big Bang - Alive". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  44. ^ "Big Bang - Alive (EP)" (in Korean). Hanteo. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  45. ^ Jump up to: a b "Big Bang - Alive". Warner Music Taiwan. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  46. ^ "Big Bang - Special Edition 'Still Alive'". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  47. ^ "Big Bang Special Edition 'Still Alive'" (in Korean). Naver Music. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  48. ^ "빅뱅 (Bigbang) - Still Alive: BIGBANG Special Edition CD (36p 화보+56p 브랜드북+패밀리카드)" (in Korean). Less Music. Retrieved April 30, 2017.

External links[]

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