Bar Bar Bar

"Bar Bar Bar"
Single by Crayon Pop
ReleasedJune 20, 2013 (2013-06-20)
Recorded2013
GenreK-pop
Length3:00
LabelChrome Entertainment,
CJ E&M Music
Songwriter(s)Kim Yoo-min, Lee Da-kyeong
Crayon Pop singles chronology
"Dancing Queen"
(2012) 		"Bar Bar Bar"
(2013) 		"Lonely Christmas"
(2013)
Music video
"Bar Bar Bar" on YouTube
Audio sample

"Bar Bar Bar" (Korean: 빠빠빠; RR: Ppa Ppa Ppa) is the second single album, and fourth single overall by Crayon Pop. It was released digitally on June 20, 2013 by Chrome Entertainment and distributed by CJ E&M Music. "Bar Bar Bar" became a viral hit in late July, eventually reaching number one on Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100 chart and number three on the Gaon Digital Chart.[1]

Release and promotion

[edit]
Crayon Pop performing "Bar Bar Bar" in December 2013

On June 8, Crayon Pop performed "Bar Bar Bar" for the first time at the Migliore Festival.[2] The single album was released digitally on June 20 and a choreography music video was released three days later. Following this release, Crayon Pop's unique outfits and choreography drew interest and their popularity rose. The group wore helmets and colorful tracksuits, and the dance featured choreographed jumping, dubbed the "Straight-Five Engine Dance" by fans because it resembled the movement of engine cylinders.[3] The song and dance were often called addictive, with easy-to-follow choreography and simple, repetitive lyrics. Member Way said, "Overall, the lyrics mean let's jump together. It's meant to give a source of energy and strength to the tired people. It just means let's all dance together and have fun."[4]

Their first music show performance was on MBC's Music Core on June 22. The song was promoted on music shows through July and August, with the last performance being on KBS Music Bank on September 6. Crayon Pop was often in contention for first place during the month of August. They lost numerous times to Exo's "Growl" before "Bar Bar Bar" won first place on Music Bank on August 30.[5]

Music videos

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The "Bar Bar Bar" story version music video was released on June 13, a week before the song's digital release. On June 23, the choreography version was released. This music video was filmed in Yongma Land, an abandoned amusement park in Jungnang-gu,[6][7] with a budget of only 380,000 won (US$338).[8] As of July 2021, the choreography music video has more than 66 million views on YouTube.[9]

On September 9, a "Global Version" music video was released. It was aimed at an international audience and was filmed in popular locations in Seoul including Noksapyeong Station, Garosu Street, Ttukseom Hangang Park and Children's Grand Park. "Bar Bar Bar" has been compared to Psy's "Gangnam Style" and this music video contains several references to Psy's song.[3][10] The audio was slightly remixed; this remix was later released as "Bar Bar Bar 2.0" on the mini album, The Streets Go Disco.

Reception and accolades

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"Bar Bar Bar" entered the Gaon Digital Chart at number 143 in the first week of its release.[11] As "Bar Bar Bar" went viral, it gradually rose in the charts. In its seventh week, the song peaked at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart, and spent a total of 31 consecutive weeks on the chart.[12] It reached number one on Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100 eight weeks after release,[1] and was number nine on the year-end chart.[13] Music industry officials commented that the song's chart trajectory was rare, because normally a song reaches peak position soon after release before being pushed down as time passes.[14][15]

YG Entertainment's CEO Yang Hyun-suk praised Crayon Pop for having the best hit song of the first half of 2013. He said, "Other than 'Gentleman', the biggest hit was 'Bar Bar Bar'. Even my kid knows about Crayon Pop. People aren't interested about which song is at number one these days. What's important is whether people know about a singer and if they have fans. Crayon Pop succeeded in that sense".[16][17] Jeff Benjamin of Billboard credited the song's success to its "quirky video, fun dance and catchy hook".[13]

Taylor Glasby of Dazed ranked the song ninth on the publication's "Top ten K-Pop of 2013". He described the group as "simultaneously creepy and adorable" and the song as "cheekily adventurous" with an "earworm chorus" and "iconic" dance.[18] He also said the song is "smarter than it first appears", with layered 1980s brass and 1970s disco beats.[19] Scott Interrante, writing for PopMatters, discussed "Bar Bar Bar" in his overview of K-pop in 2013: "The song and video are bratty, obnoxious, and totally awesome. Its hallyu style is so extreme it can convincingly be taken as satire. But one thing that's certain is that it's going to get stuck in your head and annoy you probably forever."[20]

"Bar Bar Bar" won Crayon Pop a New Rising Star award at the 28th Golden Disk Awards.[21] It also received nominations for the Music Video Award at the MelOn Music Awards, Song of the Year and Best Dance & Electronic Song at the Korean Music Awards, and Song of the Year and Best Dance Performance - Female Group at the Mnet Asian Music Awards.[22][23]

[edit]
"Bar Bar Bar" flash mob at a K-pop festival in Gangwon

Many groups covered the dance or made parody videos, including M.I.B., MBLAQ, Perfume, Justice Crew and the Gyungbuk women's police department.[24][15] On August 13, 2013, "Bar Bar Bar" was parodied on SNL Korea by guest Kim Gura and the SNL cast.[25] On October 19, the song was again featured on SNL Korea, this time danced by actor Tom Hiddleston.[26]

For Taiwanese artists, at the end of 2013, Jeannie Hsieh arranged this song with the Chinese title "阿公呷嘸飽" and took her performance on Taipei New Year's Eve Party.[27] On February 20, 2014, a dance cover by Taiwanese twin six-year-olds, Zony and Yony, was uploaded to YouTube. This video also went viral and has more than 6 million views as of December 2014.[28] As a result of this video, the twins were invited on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where they performed the "Bar Bar Bar" dance.[29]

On August 17, 2014, "Bar Bar Bar" was included in the soundtrack of the tvN historical drama, The Three Musketeers. The song was arranged in the style of traditional Korean music.[30] On October 21, "Bar Bar Bar" was featured in the fourth episode of American TV series Selfie, with actors Karen Gillan and John Cho dancing to the song.[31]

Track listing

[edit]

All music composed by Kim Yoo-min and Lee Da-kyeong. All tracks arranged by Kim and Lee Seung-yeop

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Bar Bar Bar"Kim Yoo-min3:00
2."Bar Bar Bar (Inst.)" 3:00
Total length:6:00

Charts

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Release history

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Country Date Format Label
South Korea June 20, 2013 Digital download Chrome Entertainment,
CJ E&M Music
July 9, 2013 CD single
Worldwide September 2, 2013 Digital download Sony Music

References

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  1. ^ a b Benjamin, Jeff (August 15, 2013). "Crayon Pop Ride Viral Wave to number 1 on K-Pop Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  2. ^ Jeon Su Mi (18 March 2015). "Crayon Pop to Hold Street Showcase for ′FM′ on 3/21". enewsWorld. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b Benjamin, Jeff (August 13, 2013). "Based around a ridiculous dance -- currently sweeping South Korea -- the K-pop girl group may have crafted their very own "Gangnam Style"-like smash". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  4. ^ Cho, Joohee (August 28, 2013). "Crayon Pop Hoping to Become the Next Psy". ABC News. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  5. ^ Park Jin-hai (9 September 2013). "Sugar Pop group crawling back to fame". The Korea Times. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  6. ^ Baek Jong-hyun; Yang Bo-ra (December 20, 2014). "It's the most wonderful time for a creative date". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  7. ^ Dunbar, Jon (December 26, 2013). "The empty rides of Yongma Land". The Korea Blog. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  8. ^ Moon Wan-sik (2 August 2013). 크레용팝 헬멧의 비밀.."매일 밤 전기테이프··" [Secrets of Crayon Pop's helmet: 'Electrical tape every night']. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. ^ "[Crayon Pop] 크레용팝 빠빠빠(Bar Bar Bar) - M/V (안무버젼)". YouTube. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. ^ "Crayon Pop plans to go global with "Bar Bar Bar 2.0" music video". KBS News. September 6, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  11. ^ "Gaon Digital Chart - 2013년 6월 5주차차". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  12. ^ "Gaon Digital Chart - 2014년 1월 4주차". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c Benjamin, Jeff (December 13, 2013). "The Year In K-Pop 2013: Sistar19, Cho Yong Pil, Lee Seung Chul Triumph". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  14. ^ Lee Sun-min (24 July 2013). "Crayon Pop's mysterious rise". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Sing me a new song: What comes after K-pop?". The Economist. October 26, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  16. ^ "YG CEO Says Huge World Stars Participate in PSY's New Album". KBS News. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  17. ^ Park Hyeon-min (2 September 2013). YG 양현석 대표 "크레용팝에 박수 보낸다" [YG Yang Hyun Suk CEO "I give a round of applause to Crayon Pop"]. OSEN (in Korean). Naver News. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  18. ^ Glasby, Taylor (December 2013). "Top ten K-Pop of 2013". Dazed. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  19. ^ Glasby, Taylor (22 May 2014). "Crayon Pop: Lady Gaga's K-pop secret weapon". Dazed. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  20. ^ Interrante, Scott (20 December 2013). "K-pop's Generation". PopMatters. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  21. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (17 January 2014). "Psy and EXO Crowned as Daesang Winners at Golden Disk Awards". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  22. ^ Hicap, Jonathan M. "2013 Melon Music Awards nominees revealed". Manila Bulletin. News Philippines. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  23. ^ "MAMA Vote 2013". Mwave. Mnet. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  24. ^ "M.I.B parodies Crayon Pop's 'Bar Bar Bar' in a remix video". Allkpop. September 6, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
    "MBLAQ dress up in skirts & helmets while performing Crayon Pop's 'Bar Bar Bar'". Allkpop. August 15, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
    Smith, Corynn (20 November 2014). "Perfume's Sweet Techno Beats Move NYC on 3rd World Tour". MTV Iggy. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
    "Justice Crew parody Crayon Pop's Bar Bar Bar". SBS PopAsia. October 31, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  25. ^ Jackson, Julie (28 October 2013). "Crayon Pop to hold first solo concert for free". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  26. ^ Lee Yousun (21 October 2013). "Tom Hiddleston performs 'Bar Bar Bar' dance on SNL Korea". Asia Today. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  27. ^ "謝金燕新嗨歌　翻唱韓團高唱「阿公」". TVBS (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  28. ^ 甘芝萁 (2014-12-09). "YouTube年度非音樂影片 左左右右點閱率奪冠". The Liberty Times (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  29. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (May 8, 2014). "Taiwan's Zony & Yony performed the kooky choreography to Crayon Pop's "Bar Bar Bar"". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  30. ^ Lee So-dam (August 17, 2014). ‘삼총사’ 퓨전사극 새 장 여나, 크레용팝 ‘빠빠빠’ 국악버전까지. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  31. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (October 22, 2014). "Watch Crayon Pop's K-Pop Hit 'Bar Bar Bar' Get the ABC Sitcom 'Selfie' Dancing". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  32. ^ "Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 - Week of August 24, 2013". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  33. ^ "Gaon Digital Chart - 2013년 8월 2주차". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  34. ^ "2013년 29주차 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  35. ^ "The ARIA Report - Issue 1238" (PDF). ARIA. ARIA Charts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-23. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  36. ^ "2013년 08월 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  37. ^ "2013년 07월 Album Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  38. ^ "2013년 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  39. ^ "Gaon Album Chart – August 2013". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  40. ^ "Gaon Download Chart – 2013 Year End". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
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