"I'm a Loner"(외톨이야;Oetoriya) is a song by South Koreanpop-rockidolbandCNBLUE.It is the debut andlead singleto the band's first mini-albumBluetory.Written by Han Seong-ho and Amen, thefunk-rocktrack was released underFNC Musicon January 14, 2010. Upon its release, CNBLUE achieved immediate commercial success; the song earned the band its first two music show wins onKorean Broadcasting System's (KBS)Music BankandSeoul Broadcasting System's (SBS)Inkigayo.Unprecedented at the time, CNBLUE held the record for shortest period between debuting and earning a music show win for four and a half years. The song also peaked at number two on theGaon Digital Chart.
| "I'm a Loner" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SinglebyCNBLUE | ||||
| from the albumBluetory | ||||
| Released | January 14, 2010 | |||
| Genre | Funk rock | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | FNC | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Han Seong-ho, Amen, Kim Do-hoon, Lee Sang-ho | |||
| CNBLUEsingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The composers Kim Do-hoon and Lee Sang-ho faced a lawsuit filed byindie rockband Ynot? two months after the release of "I'm a Loner". The band accused the two of plagiarizing one of its songs; a judge would later dismiss the charges.
Composition
edit"I'm a Loner" is classified as afunk-rocktrack.[1]The song was written by Han Seong-ho and Amen, and composed and arranged by Kim Do-hoon and Lee Sang-ho;[2]it is composed in thekeyofD minorusingcommon timewith a tempo of 105beats per minute.[3]Writing for Newsen, reporter Cha Yeon described the track as a "modern funk-rock song" with an "addictive" and "strong"melody.She noted that theguitar riffsandchord progressionproduced a "refined charm", which offered an alternative to thehook songsof otheridol groupsat the time.[4]
Release and promotion
edit"I'm a Loner" was made available ononline music storeson January 14, 2010.[4]The following day, CNBLUE began promoting the song by performing it on weekly music chart shows, beginning withKBS'Music Bankand following withSBS'Inkigayo.[5][6]On the January 29 broadcast ofMusic Bank,"I'm a Loner" ranked number one on the program's music chart and earned the band its first music show win.[7]CNBLUE won the Mutizen Song award onInkigayotwo days later, the band's second and final win.[8]At the time, CNBLUE's win two weeks into its debut was unprecedented.[9]It held the record for shortest amount of time to win a music show award from debut untilWinnerwon its first music show with "Empty" on August 17, 2014, five days into its debut.[10]
Commercial performance
editOn the chart dated January 10–16, 2010, "I'm a Loner" debuted at number five on theGaon Digital Chart.[11]The following week, it rose to its peak at number two.[12]"I'm a Loner" ranked at number 31 on the 2010 Comprehensive Digital Top 100 chart. By the end of the year, it was the eighth best-selling song in South Korea with 2,959,800digital downloadsand ranked at number ten on the Streaming Chart for accumulating 27,564,498streams.[13]
Plagiarism lawsuit
editIn March 2010,indie rockband Ynot? filed a civil lawsuit against Kim Do-hoon and Lee Sang-ho. In "I'm a Loner", the band accused the songwriters of plagiarizing "Bluebird" from its mini-albumGreenApple(2008); Ynot? reportedly asked for₩50 million in compensation. Kim and Lee denied the accusations and stated, "only one bar... is similar, but the chord progression is different, the intro part is not at all similar and main chorus melody 'Alone, alone' is completely different."[14]Rock musicianShin Hae-chulwrote a scathing post in response to the plagiarism accusations, saying, "If the song is not plagiarism, plagiarism will disappear in the world." He continued by criticizing the idol band, stating, "If CNBLUE is an indie band, a fly is a bird. If it's a real band, I will retire."[15]In April 2011, a court found in favor of the songwriters and dismissed the charges of plagiarism.[16]
Charts
editWeekly
edit| Chart (2010–16) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[12] | 2 |
| South Korea (Gaon Mobile Chart)[17] | 1 |
| South Korea (Gaon Noraebang Chart)[18] | 95 |
Year-end
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea (Gaon Digital Chart)[13] | 31 |
Cover versions
edit"I'm a Loner" was covered byR&BsingerKim Bum-sooon the July 10, 2011 broadcast ofMBC's singing competition programI Am a Singer.[19]His version debuted and peaked at number 22 on theGaon Digital Chartdated July 10–16, 2011.[20]It went on to sell 632,941digital downloadsby the end of the year.[21]Musical theatreactorKang Dong-hocovered the song, which was re-titled to "I'm a Loner (A Train to the World)", on the March 6, 2016 episode ofKing of Mask Singer.[22]
Charts
editWeekly
edit| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Gaon Digital Chart[20] | 22 |
Year-end
edit| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Gaon Download Chart[21] | 377 |
References
edit- ^Lee, Eun-jeong (January 13, 2010).씨엔블루 "할아버지 밴드 되기로 약속했죠".Yonhap News Agency(in Korean).Yonhap.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Bluetory(liner notes). CNBLUE.FNC Music.2010. 1021955933.
{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^"상세페이지:: 악보나라"(in Korean). Akbonara.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^abCha, Yeon (January 14, 2010).'정용화 밴드' 씨엔블루 데뷔곡 '외톨이야' 세련미+중독성 '대박예감'(in Korean). Newsen.Archivedfrom the original on July 18, 2018.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Lee, Un-hyeok (January 15, 2010).'정용화그룹' 씨엔블루 '외톨이야' 화이트 댄디룩 꽃미남밴드 '반색'(in Korean). Newsen.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Lee, Mi-hye (January 17, 2010).‘데뷔’ 정용화밴드 씨엔블루, 연주실력+강렬보컬 수준급 감탄(in Korean). Newsen.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Kim, Hyeong-woo (January 29, 2010).씨엔블루 '외톨이야' 데뷔 보름만에 뮤뱅 1위 기염 '최강신예 돌풍'(in Korean). Newsen.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Hong, Lucia (February 1, 2010)."CNBLUE tops TV music charts".Asia Gyeongje.Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2013.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Kang, Seung-hun (January 29, 2010).씨엔블루, 데뷔 2주만에 KBS '뮤직뱅크'서 1위.Asia Gyeongje(in Korean).RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Yoon, So-hee (August 22, 2016).[TF별별이슈] 위너•블랙핑크•씨엔블루, 최단기 1위 기록 TOP3.The Fact(in Korean).Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^2010년 04주차 Digital Chart(in Korean).Gaon Music Chart.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^ab2010년 05주차 Digital Chart(in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^ab2010년 가온차트 부문별 Top 100위(in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. February 8, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon February 13, 2011.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Kim, Lynn (March 11, 2010)."Ynot? to take legal action against CNBLUE song".Asia Gyeongje.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Cho, Jae-hyon (February 8, 2010)."Shin Hae-chul Spews Venom Against CNBLUE".The Korea Times.Hankook Ilbo.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Kim, Jessica (April 13, 2011)."CNBLUE song cleared of plagiarism charges".Asia Gyeongje.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^2010년 06주차 Mobile Chart(in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^2011년 03주차 노래방 Chart(in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Choi, Yun-jin (July 10, 2011).'나가수' 김범수 '외톨이야'로 3위, 히든 카드는?.Korea Economic Daily(in Korean).Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^ab2011년 30주차 Digital Chart(in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2019.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^ab2011년 Download Chart(in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.
- ^Park, Seon-min (March 7, 2016).'복면가왕' 강동호, 듬직한 어깨라인 '외톨이야' 열창… "전역 후 첫 무대 대박이야!".The Financial News(in Korean).Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2016.