Abracadabra (Brown Eyed Girls song)
Encyclopedia
"Abracadabra" is a song by Korean girl group
Brown Eyed Girls
. Released as the first single from Sound G in 2009, it marked a change in the group's image and style. The song topped various on- and offline charts, including a 3-week chart-topping run on music portal M.Net.
The song's title was originally named "Voodoo". The lyric is about a blind love, and especially the phrase, 'a doll resembling you' implies a ritual carried out in the religion. However, as the title mentioning the specific religion was caught up by the censorship, it was replaced with the current title meaning a conjuration.
Due to the various girl groups that debuted and succeeded in 2009, the Brown Eyed Girls felt that having a cute and innocent concept would work against them; as such, they came back as "sexy bad girls".
and has established her career as music video and commercial director since 2002. The video was praised for its sensational and intense presentation but also garnered controversies regarding its sensual contexts. In a 2009 interview, Hwang said she wanted to express the feelings of the subject in the song going back and forth between reason and emotion in a modern and fashionable choreography since the main theme is a curse and blind love. She divided the video into two settings; performing scenes of the band and narrative drama scenes. The former are in a white background with tone-downed saturation to prevent other narrative stories from conflicting the latter, and to represent an infinite space.
Teasers for the music video were released in mid-July 2009, hinting at a possible kiss scene between members Ga-in and Narsha. After its full release, netizen
s posted critical remarks of the video due to its suggestive content. However, the "Saucy" dance (called Sigeonbang chum in Korean), showing the members moving their hips left and right, became a popular dance.
Various news agencies reported that member Ga-in watched pornography in order to prepare for the video's dance sequences. However, on the August 29 broadcast of Star Golden Bell
, Ga-in clarified the misunderstanding, stating that she watched sensual movies, namely 9½ Weeks
.
In August, a parody video was done by members of boy band
s 'One Day' (a collective name of 2AM
and 2PM
), appeared there as "Dirty Eyed Girls" (드러운 아이드 걸스) in an episode of 2PM's reality show Wild Bunny; the Brown Eyed Girls said that they were thankful in response, as it showcased the video's popularity.
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Brown Eyed Girls
Brown Eyed Girls
The Brown Eyed Girls , often abbreviated as B.E.G., is a South Korean girl group managed by Nega Network. The group consists of four members: Jea, Miryo, Narsha, and Ga-in. They've debuted as an R&B/ballad vocal group in 2006 and challenged themselves with different music genres. Rising to...
. Released as the first single from Sound G in 2009, it marked a change in the group's image and style. The song topped various on- and offline charts, including a 3-week chart-topping run on music portal M.Net.
History
The song is written by Kim Ina (김이나) and composed by a hit-song writer, Lee Min-su (이민수), and Jinu (지누, a member of Roller Coaster).The song's title was originally named "Voodoo". The lyric is about a blind love, and especially the phrase, 'a doll resembling you' implies a ritual carried out in the religion. However, as the title mentioning the specific religion was caught up by the censorship, it was replaced with the current title meaning a conjuration.
Due to the various girl groups that debuted and succeeded in 2009, the Brown Eyed Girls felt that having a cute and innocent concept would work against them; as such, they came back as "sexy bad girls".
Promotion
The group returned to the various network music shows at the end of July, continuing the mature concept.Charts and performance
The song was released to various digital outlets in July 2009, after which it quickly topped various online charts. The song also won the "Mutizen Song" award on SBS's Inki Gayo music program. The song also won a "Best Dance/Electronic song of the year" in the 2010 Korean Music Awards.Music video
The 3 minute-length music video was directed by a female director, Hwang Su-a who studied Film at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and has established her career as music video and commercial director since 2002. The video was praised for its sensational and intense presentation but also garnered controversies regarding its sensual contexts. In a 2009 interview, Hwang said she wanted to express the feelings of the subject in the song going back and forth between reason and emotion in a modern and fashionable choreography since the main theme is a curse and blind love. She divided the video into two settings; performing scenes of the band and narrative drama scenes. The former are in a white background with tone-downed saturation to prevent other narrative stories from conflicting the latter, and to represent an infinite space.
Teasers for the music video were released in mid-July 2009, hinting at a possible kiss scene between members Ga-in and Narsha. After its full release, netizen
Netizen
The term Netizen is a portmanteau of the English words internet and citizen. It is defined as an entity or person actively involved in online communities and a user of the internet, especially an avid one. The term can also imply an interest in improving the internet, especially in regard to open...
s posted critical remarks of the video due to its suggestive content. However, the "Saucy" dance (called Sigeonbang chum in Korean), showing the members moving their hips left and right, became a popular dance.
Various news agencies reported that member Ga-in watched pornography in order to prepare for the video's dance sequences. However, on the August 29 broadcast of Star Golden Bell
Star Golden Bell
Star Golden Bell was a South Korean variety show broadcast on KBS. In addition to the main MC, Jun Hyun-Moo , there were two additional hosts, Kim Je-dong and Lee Chae-young , who were either in charge of administering games or were challengers competing against the celebrity contestants...
, Ga-in clarified the misunderstanding, stating that she watched sensual movies, namely 9½ Weeks
9½ Weeks
9½ Weeks is a 1986 erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. It is based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth McNeill....
.
In August, a parody video was done by members of boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
s 'One Day' (a collective name of 2AM
2AM
2AM is a South Korean four-member ballad boy band under JYP Entertainment. The members are Jo Kwon, Jinwoon, Seulong, and Changmin. 2AM is one of the two subgroups branched out from the eleven-member boy band One Day, the other being 2PM. They officially debuted on July 11, 2008 on KBS's Music...
and 2PM
2PM
2PM is a South Korean boy band, originally a seven-member group, but currently consisting of six members due to the sudden contract termination of leader Jaebeom following an Internet controversy in September 2009. They are managed by JYP Entertainment...
), appeared there as "Dirty Eyed Girls" (드러운 아이드 걸스) in an episode of 2PM's reality show Wild Bunny; the Brown Eyed Girls said that they were thankful in response, as it showcased the video's popularity.