View (Shinee song)
Shinee's first deep-house single, praised as a K-pop milestone.
"View" is a song by South Korean boy band Shinee, released as the lead single from their fourth Korean-language studio album Odd on May 18, 2015. It was the first K-pop song to incorporate deep house, receiving positive reviews and appearing on Billboard's decade-end list of the greatest K-pop songs of the 2010s. The track reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and sold over 724,000 digital copies in South Korea by December 2015.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Shinee
- Album
- Odd
- Released
- 18 May 2015
- Studio
- SM Blue Ocean (Seoul)
- SM Yellow Tail (Seoul)
- SM Blue Cup (Seoul)
- Genre
- Deep house; pop
- Length
- 3:10
- Language
- Korean
- Label
- SM Entertainment
Facts from the source article.
Music and lyrics
The lyrics of "View" were written by Shinee's lead vocalist Jonghyun. Composition and arrangement were handled by British production duo LDN Noise (Greg Bonnick and Hayden Chapman), along with South Korean composer Ryan S. Jhun and Adrian McKinnon. The song is an uptempo 1990s-inspired deep house and pop track, marking a departure from the group's signature R&B sound; some critics also characterized it as Italo house and UK garage. Jonghyun stated that deep house had been developing internationally for a long time, and he believed "View" was the first K-pop song to weave in that sound and bring it to the masses. The production features light synth and stripped-down instrumentation, with a repetitive, saccharine chorus and bass over Disclosure-esque beats. The lyrics portray love as a mixture of diverse senses, using synesthetic imagery to describe how love intensifies people's senses.
Critical reception
"View" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised Shinee for experimenting with deep house and considered it K-pop's first foray into the genre. Scott Interrante of PopMatters praised the house beat as infectious despite its simplicity, noting the song becomes increasingly appealing with repeated listens. Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum of MTV described it as a great, laid-back summer jam that fools listeners into thinking it is an uptempo ballad before reaching its techno peak. IZMs Lee Ki-seon deemed the song an album highlight. Billboard writer Jeff Benjamin said the risk of doing less paid off handsomely, while Jessica Oak and Benjamin hailed it as another ambitious release. Idolator ranked "View" third on its list of best K-pop songs of 2015, comparing it to early-nineties gay New York nightclub music. The song won nine music show awards and received nominations for Song of the Year and Best Dance Performance – Male Group at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards, winning the latter. It was also nominated for the Digital Bonsang at the 30th Golden Disc Awards.
Release and commercial performance
Shinee’s fourth Korean studio album, Odd, was announced in May 2015, arriving a year and a half after their previous Korean release, Everybody (2013). On May 10, the full track list was shared, placing “View” as the album’s third song. Before the track dropped, the group rolled out photo and video teasers to build excitement for their comeback. They first performed “View” during a three-night concert series at Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastics Gymnasium from May 15 to 17. SM Entertainment made the song available for digital download and streaming on May 18, 2015, the same day the album came out. On the Gaon Digital Chart for the week of May 23, “View” entered at number two, moving 180,319 digital units in its debut week. It then rose to the top spot the next week, adding 77,304 more units. For May 2015, it ranked as the fourth best-performing song on the Gaon Monthly Chart, with 267,582 downloads. By the end of 2015, total South Korean sales exceeded 724,659 digital units, making it the 78th best-selling single of the year. It also reached number two on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart.
Promotion
The music video for "View" was released on YouTube on May 19, 2015, directed by Shin Hee-won and filmed in Thailand. Choreography was by American choreographer Ian Eastwood. The video uses a light, Instagram-like filter and shows the group performing before being kidnapped by female fans, interspersed with scenes of the members lifting beers from stores, using strangers' pools, and breaking into deserted warehouses to party. Fashion styles were inspired by various retro trends. Taylor Glasby from Dazed interpreted the video as creepy, fanfic-style. It was the most viewed music video on YouTube by a South Korean music act in May 2015. To promote the song, Shinee performed "View" on South Korean music programs including Music Bank, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo.
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