"Tonight" (Korean: 투나잇) is a song by South Korean boy band BigBang released on February 24, 2011, through YG Entertainment as the only single from the quintet's fourth extended play of the same name after a two-year hiatus. It was also the group's first Korean-language single since "Sunset Glow" in 2008. Written by members G-Dragon and T.O.P, the song peaked at number one on the Gaon Music Chart,[1] and become one of the best-performing singles of 2011 in their home country.
| "Tonight" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by BigBang | ||||
| from the album Tonight and Big Bang 2 | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2011 | |||
| Genre | dance-pop | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | YG | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| BigBang singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and composition
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Following a two-year hiatus where members explored and experimented with different sounds, BigBang returned to South Korea with their 2011 Big Show concert,[2] showcasing songs from the then-unreleased EP.[3] Though the group's previous extended plays contained songs that were heavily influenced by electronic music, they opted to concentrate more on "warm rock music" for new materials.[4] Released as the lead single, "Tonight" contained a "sophisticated electronic sound" paired with acoustic guitar.[5] The song is "clearly grounded in dance-pop" a genre the quintet is known for.[6] The track is built over "fist-pumping beats and applause", features "heavily autotuned vocals" and concludes "with sudden silence and then picking up again as if returning for an encore."[7]
Reception
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Billboard noted how "Tonight" was "more nuanced and sophisticated than many of [Big Bang's] previous club anthems," and hailed it "four-minute sonic journey" to one of the group's concerts. The magazine ranked it number ten on their list of BigBang's must-listen songs.[7] KpopStarz choose it as one of BigBang's definite songs,[6] while Sun-Times named it one of the group's ten best songs, calling the single a "slick party anthem".[8]
"Tonight" debuted at number two on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, at number one on the Download Chart and five on the Streaming Chart.[9] On its second week, the single rose to a peak position atop the Digital[10] and the Streaming charts, while remaining at number one on the Download Chart.[11] Additionally, the single topped the Gaon BGM Chart upon release.[12] By the end of 2011, "Tonight" was the eighth best-performing single of the year in South Korea,[13] with over 2.3 million downloads sold.[14] With over 23 million streams, the song was the tenth most streamed of 2011.[15]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award-Giving Body | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Dance Performance – Male Group | Nominated | [16] |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Myx Music Awards | Favorite K-Pop Video | Nominated | [17] |
| Program | Date |
|---|---|
| M Countdown | March 3, 2011 |
| March 10, 2011 | |
| March 17, 2011 | |
| Music Bank | March 4, 2011 |
| March 11, 2011 | |
| March 18, 2011 | |
| Inkigayo | March 6, 2011 |
| March 13, 2011 | |
| March 20, 2011 |
Charts
editSales and certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[21] | Gold | 100,000* |
| South Korea (Gaon) | — | 2,454,322[22] |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Big Bang on the Gaon Chart". Korea Music Content Industry Association. March 4, 2011. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- ^ Kim, Sunny (December 6, 2010). "Big Bang's Concert 2011 Big Show To Be Held In February!". MTV Korea. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ Lee, Soo-yeon (February 26, 2011). "컴백 빅뱅, 엠넷 '빅뱅TV 라이브' 전격 방송 '6곡 최초 공개'". Newsen. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ "G-Dragon and Top: 'Rappers Acknowledge Our Instinctive Hip Hop'". KBS. February 7, 2011. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ "빅뱅, 화려한 컴백 공연…4만팬 집결". SBS. February 27, 2011. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ a b "K-Pop Mixtape: 9 Most Definitive Big Bang Songs". KpopStarz. August 23, 2015. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ a b Herman, Tamar (August 19, 2016). "Happy 10-Year Anniversary, BIGBANG! 10 Must-Listen Songs from the Boy Band". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ^ "Big Bang's 10 best songs of the past 10 years". Sun-Times. May 2, 2015. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "Tonight" debuts on the Gaon Chart
- "2011년 10주차 Digital Chart". Gaon Chart. February 26, 2011. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- "2011년 10주차 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. February 26, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- "2011년 10주차 Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. February 26, 2011. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ a b "Digital Chart – Week 11 of 2011". Circle Chart (in Korean). March 6–12, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ *"2011년 11주차 Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. March 3, 2011. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- "2011년 11주차 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. March 3, 2011. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "2011년 10주차 BGM Chart". Gaon Chart. February 26, 2011. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ a b "Yearly Digital Chart - 2011". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "2011년 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "2011년 Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "List of nominees announced for MNET Asian Music Awards in Singapore". SG Magazine. October 24, 2011. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ "MYX Music Awards 2012 Nominees". Orange Magazine. February 9, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ "Billboard's Japan Hot 100 Singles Chart: Singles". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ^ "Billboard World Digital Songs: Chart Search". Billboard. May 7, 2011. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018.
- ^ "Monthly Digital Chart – March 2011". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ "Japanese digital single certifications" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2014年2月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ Cumulative sales for "Tonight"
- "2011년 Download Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- "January - 2012 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016.
- "Gaon Download Chart - February - 2012". Archived from the original on August 16, 2016.
- "Gaon Download Chart - March- 2012". Archived from the original on August 16, 2016.
- "Week 15 - 2012 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- "Week 16 - 2012 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- "Week 24 - 2012 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2016.