"Roly-Poly" | ||||
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Single by T-ara | ||||
from the album John Travolta Wannabe and Jewelry Box | ||||
Released | 29 June 2011 29 February 2012 (JP) | |||
Genre | K-pop, disco [1] | |||
Length | 3:34 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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T-ara Koreansingles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Roly-Poly" | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Roly-Poly" on YouTube "Roly-Poly" (Japanese ver.) on YouTube |
"Roly-Poly" is a song by South Korean girl group T-ara. It was taken from their second mini album John Travolta Wannabe which was released on 29 June 2011. The song was written and produced by Shinsadong Tiger and Choi Kyu-sung,who were also behind the group's 2009 song "Bo Peep Bo Peep". "Roly-Poly" won three weekly music program awards on M Countdown and Inkigayo . Only a month after release,the song accumulated over US$2.3 million in digital sales with over $280,000 per day. [2] Despite peaking at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart,it went on to become the best-selling song of 2011 in South Korea with over 4,000,000 digital downloads,the highest figure for a K-pop girl group single on Gaon in the 2010s. [3]
"Roly-Poly" was released on 29 June 2011,as the lead single of T-ara's John Travolta Wannabe with 3 different music videos,a short dance version,a long drama version and special version made by CCM that compiled several covers of the song from fans around the world and was titled "Roly Poly Version 3". The music video was revealed to be viewed in over 70 countries. Stereogum ranked the music video of the song No. 12 on its list of 20 Best K-pop videos. [4]
A remix of the song titled "Roly-Poly in Copacabana" was released on 2 August [5] and was used for the group's follow up promotions. In 2012,The song was re-released in Japanese on 29 February 2012,as the group's third single. [6]
The song was re-released in Japanese on 29 February 2012,as the group's third single in the Japanese market. The single peaked at 3 on Oricon and at 5 on Billboard Japan Hot 100.
Since its release,the song has received positive reviews from critics. The song was listed among the best hit songs of the last decade and of all time by multiple local and international publications. Chinese media Sina Music described "Roly-Poly" as the most dazzling retro dance music recently,"and it has the strength to bring the retro style back again". [7]
In 2021,Gabriela Caeli Sumampow of Vice included Roly Poly in her "bubbly K-pop" guide on "The Guide to Getting Into K-Pop,South Korea's Record-Breaking Pop Music". [8] PopMatters gave "Roly-Poly" a positive review;"Its success propelled the start of a disco trend in K-pop,as heard later in songs like Dal Shabet's "Bling Bling" (2011) and Nine Muses's "Figaro" (2011). The magazine also referred to the song as "one of the catchiest K-pop songs ever made". [9] Stereogum ranked the music video of the song No. 12 on its list of 20 Best K-pop videos. [4] The song was selected as the song of the summer by club DJs. [10] In January 2024,the song was placed at No. 12 on Hello Music Theory's list of 15 Of The Best K-Pop Songs Of All Time describing it as a cultural phenomenon. [11] The same year,NME ranked it at No. 2 on its list of the best T-ARA songs to date. [12]
On the Gaon Digital Chart dated 26 June 2011,"Roly-Poly" debuted at number three,before descending to number eight the week after. On its third week it bounced back to number two,the song's peak on the chart. "Roly-Poly" managed to hold at the runner-up slot for two more weeks (stuck behind three different songs nonetheless),before descending down the chart. Only a month after release,the song accumulated over US$2.3 million in digital sales with over $280,000 per day. [2] Despite never topping the weekly or monthly chart and having a little less than half a year to chart,"Roly-Poly" managed to become the best-performing song of the year on the Gaon Digital Chart. It went on to become the best-selling song of 2011 in South Korea with over 4,000,000 digital downloads,the highest figure for a K-pop girl group single on Gaon in the 2010s. [3]
"Roly-Poly" appeared on multiple South Korean television series and films since its release including in the first episode of KBS's Dream High 2 in 2012. [13] The song was also played in the 2011 horror movie Gisang Spirit. [14] In 2017,the song was played on the 7th episode of the KBS drama Manhole. The song was covered on the 2019 TV series Welcome To Waikiki 2 . It was also played on the 5th episode of the 2020 SBS drama Backstreet Rookie in a form of karaoke. In 2021,it was played in the first episode of the webtoon-based drama Work Later,Drink Now . The same year,its Japanese single album appeared on KBS2's drama Cheat on Me If You Can .[ citation needed ]
Since its release,"Roly-Poly" achieved nationwide popularity due to its retro influences and outfits. The song's popularity spread with T-ara's constant promotion overseas. Since then,the song has been played in several TV series,films and campaigns. K-pop artists such as Oh My Girl, [15] Itzy, [16] Wanna One,Mamamoo, [17] Davichi, [18] STAYC, [19] Iz*One, [20] DKZ, [21] covered the song on different occasions. In September 2012,popular comedian Kim Shin-Young performed a parody of the song on MBC's "World-Changing Quiz" on Chuseok special episode which gathered attention for the unique stage presented by the comedian. [22] On 24 December 2012,Gag concert members Park Ji-sun,Jang Do-yeon,Oh Na-mi,Kim Min-kyung,Park Na-rae,Heo Min,Park So-young,Heo Anna and Ahn So-mi covered the song on 2011 KBS Entertainment Awards. [23] On 17 May 2019,the song was covered by a group of female university professors called "SSAM" at the "28th Gamatbee University Festival". The event was held at Gumi University. [24]
In June 2017,South Korean girl group G-reyish released a new song named "ohnny GoGo" using the same disco style of the 1980s and modern pop music elements. In an interview with "FN News",the group said "T-ara presented the concept of retro after going through many activities [...] we hope that we can present a retro style as soon as we debut,so that fans can be impressed by us in the future". Member Yena Jung also said,"It's something I'm grateful for just being mentioned with T-ara." [25] In May 2021,during their release showcase,girl group Rocket Punch revealed that they took "Roly-Poly" and its performances as an influence for their 80s inspired song "Ring Ring",where they said "If you look at the stages,there are many things we can imitate from the props and gestures." [26]
In March 2012,"Roly-Poly" was used as a representative political campaign song by the Saenuri Party ahead of the 19th general election of South Korea. It was reported that more than ₩10 million were spent to use the song in addition to the ₩2 million copyright fees and production costs. [27] On March 22,2018,the song was performed by Hari Won at the reception party held to welcome South Korea's former president Moon Jae In in Vietnam. [28]
Our Youth,Roly Poly | |
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Original title | 우리들의청춘롤리폴리 |
Based on | Roly-Poly |
Directed by | Han Jin-Seop |
Choreography | Kang Ok-soon |
Date premiered | 13 January 2012 |
Place premiered | Seongnam Art Center Opera House |
Original language | Korean |
Genre | Musical |
www.rolypoly2012.com |
The song also received two musical adaptations in 2012. [29] "Roly-Poly" was made into a stage musical starring T-ara's Hyomin,Jiyeon and Soyeon,Kang Min-kyung (Davichi),Jang Hye-jin ( I Am a Singer ),veteran musical actress Park Hae-mi,Han Ji-sub,Kim Jae-hee and Yoon Young-joon. [29] [30] The first press conference for the musical was held on 4 January at the Seoul Press Center. [31] [32] Due to the success of the musical,another one was produced and premiered on 2 May 2012. However,the T-ara members did not participate in it due to their busy schedules. [33]
Award ceremony | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Home Shopping Awards | 2011 | Top 10 Songs | 4th place | [34] |
KBS Music Festival | Song of the Year | Nominated | [35] | |
Melon Music Awards | Best Music Video | Won | [36] | |
Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
Mnet 20's Choice Awards | 20's Online Music | Nominated | [37] | |
Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Dance Performance –Female Group | Nominated | [38] | |
Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
MTV Best of the Best Awards | Best Music Video | Nominated | [39] | |
Gaon Chart Music Awards | 2012 | Song of the Month –July | Won | [40] |
Korean Music Awards | Best Dance &Electronic Song | Nominated | [41] | |
Seoul Music Awards | Best Song | Won | [42] | |
Tower Records Awards | Single of the Year | Nominated | [43] |
Program | Date | Ref. |
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M Countdown (Mnet) | 14 July 2011 | [44] |
21 July 2011 | ||
Inkigayo (SBS) | 24 July 2011 | [45] |
Year | Publisher | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Edge Media | 2011's Top 10 K-Pop Songs | 4 | [46] |
2012 | Stereogum | Top 20 Best K-Pop Videos | 12 | [4] |
Spin | The 21 Greatest K-Pop Songs of All Time | 16 | [47] | |
2014 | Y Magazine | 120 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time | 92 | [48] |
2016 | The Dong-a Ilbo | Best female idol songs according to the public | 14 | [49] |
2017 | SBS PopAsia | 9 of the best T-ara singles | 5 | [50] |
2019 | Billboard | The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s | 25 | [51] |
Popkultur | The 82 Greatest K-Pop Songs of All Time | 49 | [52] | |
2021 | Melon | Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time | 64 | [53] |
KKBOX Taiwan | Top K-POP songs of 2011 | Placed | [54] | |
2023 | Digital Trends | The 50 best K-pop songs of all time | [55] | |
2024 | Hello Music Theory | 15 Of The Best K-Pop Songs Of All Time | 12 | [11] |
NME | The 10 best T-ARA songs | 2 | [56] |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Roly-Poly" (Japanese ver.) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu Sung, Kim Boa, Shoko Fujibayashi (Japanese lyrics) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung | 3:36 |
2. | "Lies (Japanese Ver.)" (コジンマル~嘘~) | Cho Young Soo, Kei (Japanese lyrics) | Cho Young Soo | 3:49 |
3. | "Roly-Poly" (Instrumental) | 3:36 | ||
4. | "Lies" (Instrumental) | 3:46 | ||
Total length: | 14:44 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Roly-Poly" (Japanese ver.) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung, Kim Boa, Seiko Fujibayashi (Japanese lyrics) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung | 3:36 |
2. | "Apple is A" (Japanese ver.) | Cho Young Soo, Seiko Fujibayashi (Japanese lyrics) | Cho Young Soo | 3:10 |
3. | "Roly-Poly" (Instrumental) | 3:36 | ||
4. | "Apple is A" (Instrumental) | 3:08 | ||
Total length: | 13:28 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Roly-Poly" (Japanese ver.) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung, Kim Boa, Seiko Fujibayashi (Japanese lyrics) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung | 3:36 |
2. | "Roly-Poly in Copacabana (Japanese ver.)" (Roly-Poly in コパカバーナ; (Japanese ver.)) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung, Kim Boa, Seiko Fujibayashi (Japanese lyrics) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung | 3:31 |
3. | "Roly-Poly" (Instrumental) | 3:36 | ||
4. | "Roly-Poly in Copacabana" (Instrumental) | 3:33 | ||
5. | "Bo Peep Bo Peep" (Korean version; Live ver. from T-ARA First Show Case in SHIBUYA-AX 2011.7.5) (Bonus track) | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung | Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-Sung | 4:12 |
Total length: | 18:24 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Roly-Poly (Japanese ver.) Music Video" | |
2. | "コジンマル~嘘~ (Japanese ver.) Music Video" |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Roly-Poly (Japanese ver.) Music Video Dance Feature ver." | |
2. | "Roly-Poly (Japanese ver.) Music Video Making" |
Korean version
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Country | Sales |
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South Korea (digital) [62] | 4,077,885 |
Japan (physical) [63] | 62,774 |
T-ara is a South Korean girl group formed in 2009, currently consisting of four members: Qri, Eunjung, Hyomin, and Jiyeon. T-ara's career is marked by hook-heavy dance-pop music, a result of their close partnership with composer Shinsadong Tiger. A broad array of visual concepts have earned the group a "chameleon-like" reputation. The group has achieved commercial success in several regions in Asia including South Korea and China, with their single "Roly-Poly" (2011) being one of the most downloaded domestic singles since 2010 and the most downloaded girl group single to date.
Absolute First Album is the first studio album and debut Korean release by South Korean girl group T-ara. It was released on November 27, 2009, through Core Contents Media. T-ara sought to showcase "two different charms" through Absolute First Album, one embracing a "trendy" image and the other leaning towards a "classic" aesthetic. The result is a modern dance record with traces of retro influences. Absolute First Album features contributions by Shinsadong Tiger, Cho Young-soo, Choi Kyu-sung, Wheesung and "Hitman" Bang.
South Korean girl group T-ara has released four studio albums, nine extended plays, two compilation albums, two remix albums, two single albums, and thirty-six singles, and six promotional singles. T-ara's debut studio album Absolute First Album (2009) peaked at number two on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart and yielded two South Korean top-ten singles, "Bo Peep Bo Peep" and "Like the First Time". Its 2010 reissue, Breaking Heart, reached number two in South Korea and spawned the number-one single "You Drive Me Crazy", which sold over three million digital downloads.
Hahm Eun-jung, known professionally as Eunjung and also Elsie, is a South Korean singer and actress. She began her career at the age of seven as an entertainer in 1995, when she won the Little Miss Korea competition and debuted as a child actress in the same year in a television drama A New Generation of Adults (1995). Since then, she has taken on several roles in movies, television series and also being cast in various commercial films. After three years of training, she debuted as a member of South Korean girl group T-ara in July 2009. She has won the Child Actor Award for her role in "Drama of The Year" multi-winner Land at the 2004 SBS Drama Awards. She was also nominated and won awards for comedies Coffee House (2010) and Dream High (2011), reality show We Got Married (2011–12), family drama Be My Dream Family (2021), and daily soap opera Love Twist (2021–22).
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Park Sun-young, known professionally as Hyomin (효민), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion designer known for her work as a member of South Korean girl group T-ara. Apart from her group's activities, Hyomin has also starred in various television dramas such as My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox (2010), Gyebaek (2011), The Thousandth Man (2012), and in various films such as Gisaeng Ryung (2011) and Jinx!!! (2013).
Park So-yeon, referred to as Soyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress. She debuted as a member of girl group T-ara in July 2009. She debuted as a solo artist in 2021.
John Travolta Wannabe is the second extended play by South Korean girl group T-ara. The EP's repackage edition is called Roly-Poly in Copacabana and it was released as a limited edition on August 2, 2011.
Lee Ji-hyun, better known by her stage name Qri (Korean: 큐리), is a South Korean singer, actress, model and fashion designer. She debuted as a member of girl group T-ara in July 2009. Since 2009, Qri has been active in the entertainment industry from acting and variety shows to music to modeling. Her most notable works include her supporting role in hit drama Queen Seondeok, which received near-universal acclaim, winning over 20 awards and solidifying Qri's career in the field.
"Bo Peep Bo Peep" is a song by South Korean girl group T-ara. It is the first lead track from the album Absolute First Album, the other being "Like The First Time" (Korean: 처음처럼). The song won 5 weekly number one awards on KBS Music Bank and SBS Inkigayo. It was later re-recorded in Japanese for the group's debut single, which was released on September 28, 2011. They are the first Korean group to debut at the number one spot in both Oricon's weekly chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100. The single has sold a total of more than 91,343 copies to date and was certified Gold for a shipment of over 100,000 paid downloads by the RIAJ.
Black Eyes is the third extended play by South Korean girl group T-ara. Its release was originally set for release on November 18, 2011, but was pushed forward one week to November 11 due to the demand for the album's lead track, "Cry Cry". A repackaged version of the EP, titled Funky Town, was released on January 3, 2012, with the song "Lovey-Dovey" serving as the lead track.
"Lovey-Dovey" is a song by South Korean girl group T-ara from their fourth extended play Black Eyes (2011) repackage, Funky Town (2012). It was released as the lead single on January 3, 2012. A thirty-second teaser of "Lovey-Dovey" was unveiled at the end of their "Cry Cry" music video, with a full one-minute teaser released on November 30, 2011.
T-ara N4 was the first official sub-group of South Korean girl group T-ara, composed of Eunjung, Hyomin, Jiyeon and previously Areum until her departure from the main group in July 2013. The sub-group only released one EP, Jeon Won Diary in April 2013.
"Number Nine" is a song by South Korean girl group T-ara, from their eighth extended play Again. The song was written and composed by Shinsadong Tiger and Choi Gyu-sung. "Number Nine" was released as the lead single from the album on 10 October 2013. The song was released in Japanese with "You Gave Me Guidance" which was selected as the theme song to the film Jinx!!! starring member Hyomin. The single was released on 20 November 2013, through EMI Records Japan. "Number Nine" was selected as the song of the year by KoreanWave Indonesia.
Again is the fifth extended play by South Korean girl group T-ara, It was released on October 10, 2013 by Core Contents Media. It marked their first release with the original line-up following member Lee Areum’s departure from the group. It is also the first official release without Ryu Hwayoung's vocals being featured.
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What's My Name? is the ninth extended play by South Korean girl group T-ara. It was released on 14 June 2017, by MBK Entertainment and distributed by Interpark. The EP was released in six versions: a normal edition containing the group songs; an edition of each member with their solo songs; and a digital edition with all the songs, group and solo. A music video for the title track was also released on 14 June. This is the first release since the departure of members Soyeon and Boram and the final release by T-ara under MBK Entertainment. The EP peaked at number four on the Gaon Album Chart. The various versions of the EP have sold over 39,453 physical copies combined as of July 2017.
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