Eyes, Nose, Lips
A South Korean R&B single that topped charts in 2014.
Taeyang’s “Eyes, Nose, Lips” was the second single off his 2014 album Rise. Teddy Park and Taeyang wrote the lyrics, while production came from Park, Bekuh Boom, Dee.P, and P.K. The track hit number one on both the Gaon Digital Chart and the K-pop Hot 100, ultimately ranking as South Korea’s second most successful single for 2014.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Taeyang
- Album
- Rise
- Language
- Korean
- Released
- 3 June 2014
- Recorded
- 2014
- Studio
- YG (Seoul)
- Genre
- R&B
- Composer
- Teddy Park
- Dee.P
- P.K
- Bekuh Boom
Facts from the source article.
Background and composition
YG Entertainment announced the song as the title track of the album on May 29, 2014, with a release date of June 3 alongside the music video. Taeyang told Billboard that it was the last song completed for the album and the reason for its release. He described how Teddy Park wrote chords, Becca wrote the melody on the spot, and Taeyang added his vocals. After demo recordings, he shared personal experiences with Teddy, which became lyrics about missing an old lover and remembering their eyes, nose, and lips. The track is an R&B-style song with a solid piano sound and appealing vocals. It is composed in common time in the key of C major at a moderate tempo of 72 to 76 beats per minute. Lyrics include lines about not being able to erase the person and a faint longing to see them again. The Star Online noted it as a heartfelt love song heavy on piano and low on audio enhancements.
Promotion
Taeyang first performed the song on Inkigayo on June 6, 2014, with a second comeback stage on M! Countdown. He also performed it on the talk show You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook. On June 15, YG Entertainment announced a cover project; Akdong Musician released the first cover, Tablo did a rap version with Taeyang appearing during the bridge, and Lydia Paek was the third YG Family artist to cover the song.
Critical reception
The song received positive reception and was named one of the best songs of the year. Melody L. Goh from The Star Online wrote that Taeyang "may have just hit musical gold." Douglas Markowitz of Miami New Times stated that even without understanding the lyrics, one can feel the passion in his voice. Jakob Dorof of Noisey described the single as "painfully pretty" and praised its key change catharsis. Scott Interrante of PopMatters called it "emotionally powerful" and admired Taeyang's vocals and the music video. Kult Scene said it is the most vulnerable song from the singer and one of his best.
Commercial performance
The song entered Gaon’s Digital and Download charts at number one, moving 322,577 copies in its debut week. It climbed to the top of the Streaming Chart in week two and held that spot for five straight weeks. For June, it led the monthly Digital, Download, and Streaming charts, with 765,833 downloads and 21.7 million streams. By the end of 2014, it ranked as South Korea’s second best-selling single, totaling 1,613,109 downloads and 74.7 million streams. On Billboard’s K-Pop Hot 100, it started at number 34 before rising to number one the next week, marking Taeyang’s first solo chart-topper. It also placed third on Billboard’s World Digital Singles chart.
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