Gee (Girls' Generation song)
Encyclopedia
"Gee" is a song by K-pop
girl group
Girls' Generation
. It was released on online music sites on January 5, 2009, with the physical release of the EP
on January 7. It quickly went to #1 on various charts and eventually set a record for longest-running #1 on KBS's music chart show Music Bank, staying at that position for 9 consecutive weeks.
's hourly music chart on the day of release and topping 6 different digital music charts within two days.
; however, questions were raised when the group did not appear on the program, with rumors spreading regarding a possible rift between SM Entertainment
and KBS. "Gee" also went to #1 on SBS's 인기가요 (Inkigayo) a week after their return.
"Gee" first tied with "Nobody
" by the Wonder Girls
for the longest-running #1 on music portal M.Net (6 weeks). The song then broke the record by staying on top a seventh week, and remained in the position for an eighth week. It also tied then broke the record for longest-running #1 on KBS's Music Bank, beating the 7-week record previously set by Jewelry
in 2008 with "One More Time". "Gee" achieved its ninth #1 on the show on March 13, 2009.
SM Entertainment
stated that over 100,000 copies of the mini-album were shipped to stores, while sales analyst company Hanteo reported sales in excess of 30,000 copies within the first 10 days of its release.
2010 year-end chart. On April 20, 2011, the girls added another accomplishment to their belt as the RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan) website updated their charts showing that SNSD's Chaku Uta Full (ringtones) downloads for "Gee" went Double Platinum. The RIAJ certifies Platinum as moving 250,000 units, so Double Platinum would mean that the girls had over 500,000 downloads for "Gee".
member Minho
plays the employee. At the end of the video, the girls run away as they're mannequins and Minho comes in and looks at a work board. The dance scenes show the girls dancing in a white room wearing different colored shorts. The music video for "Gee" accumulated over a million views within a day of its release, and has over 55 million hits on YouTube
as of July 2011. The other two videos are dance versions of the music video. The first one shows the girls dancing in the store, without the "mannequin storyline" while the second one simply shows the girls dancing before a white background which is used in the original music video.
On October 6, 2010, the Japanese music video of "Gee" was released. SHINee
's Minho
once again plays a role, this time as a customer, of the store run by Girls' Generation.
Throughout the video they dance in the shop, and instead of showing them wearing different colored shorts like Pink, Green or Red as they did in the Korean version, this time they wore jeans. It also has new scenes of the girls dressing up, which are in the second chorus. When Minho comes in the store the girls hear the door and they drop everything in their hands, but pick them back up and run to Minho.
's 쇼! 음악 중심 (Show! Music Core).
.
A Viral video
named was posted on YouTube
on Aug 15, 2011 featuring elderly men in a shoe shop dancing to the Japanese
version of "Gee". The video was originally on SMAPxSMAP Japanese show. It was also posted on Smosh.com
and was reviewed by "AtomicMari" on "Smosh Pit Weekly".
A popular CGI movie series:Dead Fantasy used the song in a music video for the series.
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...
girl group
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...
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...
. It was released on online music sites on January 5, 2009, with the physical release of the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on January 7. It quickly went to #1 on various charts and eventually set a record for longest-running #1 on KBS's music chart show Music Bank, staying at that position for 9 consecutive weeks.
Background
Various media outlets reported that Girls' Generation would return in January 2009, after a 9-month hiatus. The song's release was preceded by various teaser posters around Seoul, released on December 26, and a 25-second teaser video. After its digital release, interest in the song rose greatly, topping CyworldCyworld
Cyworld is a South Korean social network service operated by SK Communications , a subsidiary of SK Telecom .Members cultivate relationships by forming Ilchon or "friendships" with each other through their minihompy....
's hourly music chart on the day of release and topping 6 different digital music charts within two days.
Japanese version
On October 20, 2010 a Japanese version of "Gee" was released in three versions on CD and DVD. At the end of September, the Japanese "Gee" version was released to be played on radio stations.Composition
"Gee" is a fast-tempo song about a girl who has fallen in love for the first time. The title is supposed to be an exclamation of surprise, similar to "어머나!" (Eomeona!, similar in meaning to "Oh, my goodness!", or, more similarly, "Gee!" in English).South Korea
A week after its release, "Gee" went #1 on Music BankMusic Bank (TV series)
Music Bank is a South Korean music television program broadcast by Korean Broadcasting System, KBS. It airs live every Friday at 6:10 PM KST. It is currently hosted by guest MCs...
; however, questions were raised when the group did not appear on the program, with rumors spreading regarding a possible rift between SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment
S.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
and KBS. "Gee" also went to #1 on SBS's 인기가요 (Inkigayo) a week after their return.
"Gee" first tied with "Nobody
Nobody (Wonder Girls song)
"Nobody" is a dance pop song produced by Park Jin-Young and recorded by Korean girl group Wonder Girls. The song was released as a digital download single on September 22, 2008 in their native Korean...
" by the Wonder Girls
Wonder Girls
Wonder Girls is a South Korean girl group. Its producer and manager is singer-songwriter Park Jin-Young and the Wonder Girls is signed to his talent agency, JYP Entertainment. Each of the five original members were selected through auditions...
for the longest-running #1 on music portal M.Net (6 weeks). The song then broke the record by staying on top a seventh week, and remained in the position for an eighth week. It also tied then broke the record for longest-running #1 on KBS's Music Bank, beating the 7-week record previously set by Jewelry
Jewelry (band)
Jewelry is a South Korean girl group. After releasing their first album with low sales, the group eventually rose to prominence via their second album and reached their commercial peak with their fourth album Superstar, which spawned a number-one hit for them...
in 2008 with "One More Time". "Gee" achieved its ninth #1 on the show on March 13, 2009.
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment
S.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...
stated that over 100,000 copies of the mini-album were shipped to stores, while sales analyst company Hanteo reported sales in excess of 30,000 copies within the first 10 days of its release.
Japan
Girls' Generation also had success in Japan with their second Japanese single "Gee". They took second place and were crowned the first ever overseas girl group to claim this position. On October 26, 2010 it was announced that their Japanese 2nd single "Gee" reached #1 on the Oricon Daily chart, making them the first non-Japanese Asian girl group to reach number 1 on the chart. The song was ranked fifty-seventh on the Japan Hot 100Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
2010 year-end chart. On April 20, 2011, the girls added another accomplishment to their belt as the RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan) website updated their charts showing that SNSD's Chaku Uta Full (ringtones) downloads for "Gee" went Double Platinum. The RIAJ certifies Platinum as moving 250,000 units, so Double Platinum would mean that the girls had over 500,000 downloads for "Gee".
Tracklisting
Korean version
There are three full music videos for Gee. The video with the storyline was released on January 7, 2009. It features the girls as mannequins in a store who come to life after the employee closes and leaves the store. SHINeeSHINee
Shinee is a contemporary R&B South Korean boy band. Formed by SM Entertainment in 2008, they made their debut on May 25, 2008 on SBS's Inkigayo with their promotional single, "Noona Neomu Yeppeo "...
member Minho
Choi Minho
Minho , is a South Korean idol singer, rapper, dancer, actor, model and host. He is most famously known as a member of the contemporary R&B and Pop quintet boy band, SHINee, under SM Entertainment.-Biography:Minho was born on December 9, 1991 in Incheon, South Korea...
plays the employee. At the end of the video, the girls run away as they're mannequins and Minho comes in and looks at a work board. The dance scenes show the girls dancing in a white room wearing different colored shorts. The music video for "Gee" accumulated over a million views within a day of its release, and has over 55 million hits on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as of July 2011. The other two videos are dance versions of the music video. The first one shows the girls dancing in the store, without the "mannequin storyline" while the second one simply shows the girls dancing before a white background which is used in the original music video.
Japanese version
On September 30, 2010, a teaser for "Gee" was released. In the teaser, it shows the girls as mannequins in their own dress up area. The video has no mannequin storyline this time though.On October 6, 2010, the Japanese music video of "Gee" was released. SHINee
SHINee
Shinee is a contemporary R&B South Korean boy band. Formed by SM Entertainment in 2008, they made their debut on May 25, 2008 on SBS's Inkigayo with their promotional single, "Noona Neomu Yeppeo "...
's Minho
Choi Minho
Minho , is a South Korean idol singer, rapper, dancer, actor, model and host. He is most famously known as a member of the contemporary R&B and Pop quintet boy band, SHINee, under SM Entertainment.-Biography:Minho was born on December 9, 1991 in Incheon, South Korea...
once again plays a role, this time as a customer, of the store run by Girls' Generation.
Throughout the video they dance in the shop, and instead of showing them wearing different colored shorts like Pink, Green or Red as they did in the Korean version, this time they wore jeans. It also has new scenes of the girls dressing up, which are in the second chorus. When Minho comes in the store the girls hear the door and they drop everything in their hands, but pick them back up and run to Minho.
- There are still mannequins in the video this time but they are real ones and cannot come alive. The video shows the girls hiding behind the mannequins at the very beginning.
Live performances
The group was scheduled to perform on January 9 on KBS's Music Bank, but for unknown reasons, the performance was pushed to January 10 on MBCMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
's 쇼! 음악 중심 (Show! Music Core).
In popular culture
A parody of "Gee", called "Hee", has gained popularity among Korean citizens. It is a combination of the instrumental of "Gee" and some extremely venomous dialogue from the drama Temptation of a WifeTemptation of a Wife
Temptation of Wife was a highly watched drama in South Korea broadcast by SBS. It began to air in 2008 and continued through the early quarter of 2009, ending on May 1, 2009...
.
A Viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
named was posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on Aug 15, 2011 featuring elderly men in a shoe shop dancing to the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
version of "Gee". The video was originally on SMAPxSMAP Japanese show. It was also posted on Smosh.com
Smosh
Smosh is a web-based comedy duo consisting of Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla. Padilla first began posting flash movies on Newgrounds in early 2003, under the name Smosh. He was later joined by his friend Ian Hecox...
and was reviewed by "AtomicMari" on "Smosh Pit Weekly".
A popular CGI movie series:Dead Fantasy used the song in a music video for the series.
Awards
- CyworldCyworldCyworld is a South Korean social network service operated by SK Communications , a subsidiary of SK Telecom .Members cultivate relationships by forming Ilchon or "friendships" with each other through their minihompy....
Digital Music Awards: Song of the Month (January) - CyworldCyworldCyworld is a South Korean social network service operated by SK Communications , a subsidiary of SK Telecom .Members cultivate relationships by forming Ilchon or "friendships" with each other through their minihompy....
Digital Music Awards: Bonsang Award - 19th Seoul Music AwardsSeoul Music AwardsThe Seoul Music Awards is an awards show founded in 1990 that is presented annually by the Sports Seoul for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea.- Categories :...
: Bonsang Award - 19th Seoul Music AwardsSeoul Music AwardsThe Seoul Music Awards is an awards show founded in 1990 that is presented annually by the Sports Seoul for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea.- Categories :...
: Digital Album Award - 19th Seoul Music AwardsSeoul Music AwardsThe Seoul Music Awards is an awards show founded in 1990 that is presented annually by the Sports Seoul for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea.- Categories :...
: Daesang Award - Gaon ChartGaon ChartThe Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts...
: Digital Music Award ("Gee") - 7th Korean Music Awards: Song of the Year
- 2009 Melon Music Awards: Song Of The Year
- 2009 Melon Music Awards: Odyssey
- 24th Golden Disk AwardsGolden Disk AwardsThe Golden Disk Awards is an awards show founded in 1986 that is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea...
: Digital Bonsang Award - 24th Golden Disk AwardsGolden Disk AwardsThe Golden Disk Awards is an awards show founded in 1986 that is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea...
: Digital Daesang Award
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Weekly singles |
2 |
| Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Yearly singles |
47 |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
2 |
| RIAJ Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... Digital Track Chart RIAJ Digital Track Chart The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads .... |
1 |
| RIAJ Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... Digital Track Chart RIAJ Digital Track Chart The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads .... yearly top 100 |
42 |
Sales and certifications
| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
| Oricon physical sales | 200,392 |
| RIAJ Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... physical shipping certification |
Gold (100,000+) |
| RIAJ ringtone downloads | Double platinum (500,000+) |
| RIAJ full-length cellphone downloads | Double platinum (500,000+) |
| RIAJ PC downloads | Platinum (250,000+) |