"Paparazzi"
Digital and CD-only edition cover.
Single by Girls' Generation
from the album Girls & Peace
LanguageJapanese
ReleasedJune 27, 2012 (2012-06-27)
Recorded2012
Genre
Length3:47
LabelNayutawave
Songwriter(s)
  • Fredrik Thomander
  • Johan Becker
  • Junji Ishiwatari
Producer(s)Miles Walker
Girls' Generation singles chronology
"The Boys"
(2011)		 "Paparazzi"
(2012)		 "Oh!"
(2012)
Music video
"Paparazzi" on YouTube

"Paparazzi" is a song recorded in the Japanese language by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation for their second Japanese-language studio album, Girls & Peace (2012). It was released as the album's lead single on June 27, 2012. Written by Fredrik Thomander, Johan Becker, and Junji Ishiwatari, and produced by Miles Walker, the track was described as an electropop and R&B song. To promote the single, Girls' Generation appeared on Japanese music programs Music Station and Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, while a music video for the song directed by Toshiyuki Suzuki premiered on June 10, 2012, to accompany the release of the song.

Upon its release, "Paparazzi" received mixed reviews from music critics, who compared the song to the group's previous Japanese-language single "Mr. Taxi" in 2011. The track was ranked number 19 on Spin's list of top 20 K-pop songs of 2012.[1] The single was a commercial success in Japan, peaking atop the Japan Hot 100 and at number two on both the Oricon Singles Chart and RIAJ Digital Track Chart. "Paparazzi" was certified Gold in Japan for the sales of the single's digital and physical release, respectively.

Recording and release

"Paparazzi" is a song recorded in the Japanese language, which was described as a hybrid of electropop and R&B.[2] It was written by Swedish songwriters Fredrik Thomander and Johan Becker, while production was handled by American producer Miles Walker. Japanese songwriter Junji Ishiwatari provided additional writing credits.[3] The track was released as the lead single from the group's second Japanese-language studio album, Girls & Peace (2012), as part of the group's comeback to Japanese promotions.[4] It was released for CD and DVD sales in Japan by Nayutawave Records, which is affiliated with Universal Music Group, on June 27, 2012.[5] The song was made available for digital purchase globally on the same day.[6] "Paparazzi" was also released in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea in mid-2012 under license by Universal Music Hong Kong, Universal Music Taiwan, and S.M. Entertainment, respectively.

Promotion

To promote the single, Girls' Generation performed "Paparazzi" on the Japanese music program Music Station on June 22, 2012, where the group wore tuxedos and pink gloves.[7] On July 9, 2012, the group staged their second performance of the song on Fuji Television's Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, where the members wore tuxedos with black gloves.[8] The accompanying music video for "Paparazzi" was directed by Toshiyuki Suzuki and is almost seven minutes long.[9] In the video, Girls' Generation performs on stage in a theatre, with the set inspired by classic musicals. The video begins with the members wearing trench coats and "whimsically prancing" to Gene Kelly's "Singin' in the Rain".[10][11] During the main performance of "Paparazzi", the video is intercut with scenes of the members being followed by photographers. They perform in two different outfits – showgirl-inspired costumes and tuxedos with pink gloves.[12] Jeff Benjamin from Billboard praised the dance routines for their "perfect nine-piece synchronization" and opined that the pink gloves of the girls resembled those worn by Marilyn Monroe.[11]

Reception

Upon its release, "Paparazzi" received mixed reviews from music critics. Jeff Benjamin from Billboard named it a "high-energy" track.[11] James Hadfield, writing for the Tokyo edition of Time Out, compared the song's R&B styles to those of the group's previous 2011 Japanese-language single "Mr. Taxi" and called it a "redux" of the latter single, writing that "you'd struggle to spot many real improvements."[2]

"Paparazzi" was a commercial success in Japan, debuting at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart on the chart issue dated July 9, 2012; the number one position belonged to KAT-TUN's single "To the Limit".[13] The following week, it dropped to number ten.[14] "Paparazzi" became the 58th best-selling physical single of 2012 on the Oricon chart, selling 136,181 copies.[15]

The single debuted at number 31 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 on July 2, 2012.[16] The following week, it rose up to the top position on the chart.[17] On the chart issue dated July 16, 2012, the single dropped to number seven.[18] "Paparazzi" ranked at number 50 on the year-end chart of 2012.[19] The track as well charted at number two on the Billboard Japan Hot Singles Sales,[20] number five on the Billboard Japan Adult Contemporary Airplay,[21] and number two on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart.[22] According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Paparazzi" has sold 103,000 digital copies in Japan as of July 2012.[11]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the CD issue's liner notes[27]

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[32]
physical single 		Gold 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[33]
digital download 		Gold 100,000*
South Korea — 14,663[31]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Worldwide June 27, 2012 Digital download[6][34][35] Nayutawave Records
Japan CD[5] Nayutawave Records, Universal Music Japan
CD + DVD[36]
Hong Kong July 11, 2012 CD[37] Universal Music Hong Kong
Taiwan July 13, 2012 CD[38] Universal Music Taiwan
South Korea August 16, 2012 CD + DVD[39] S.M. Entertainment

References

  1. ↑ Bevan, David (December 12, 2012). "Life After Psy". Spin. Spin Media. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Hadfield, James (December 4, 2012). "Kara vs Girls' Generation". Time Out. Tokyo. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013.
  3. ↑ Girls & Peace (CD liner notes) (in Japanese). Girls' Generation. Nayutawave Records under exclusive license to Universal Music Japan. 2012. UPCH-20305.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ↑ Choi, Jung Bong; Maliangkay, Roald (2014). "Hallyu and the K-pop boom in Japan". The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry. Routledge. p. 158. ISBN 9781317681793.
  5. 1 2 "Girls' Generation – Paparazzi" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Paparazzi – Single by Girls' Generation". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. January 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "June 22: Linkin Park, Matsumi, KAT-TUN, Girls' Generation and Maeda Atsuko Appeared on 'Music Station'" (in Japanese). Tower Records. Rovi Corporation. June 18, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ (in Japanese). Girls' Generation. Tokyo: Fuji Television. July 9, 2012.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ "Girls' Generation – Paparazzi" (in Japanese). Takahashi Office. Space Inc. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (June 15, 2012). "Girls' Generation Hop into a Musical for New 'Paparazzi'MV". enewsWorld. Mwave. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Benjamin, Jeff (July 12, 2012). "Girls' Generation Push Japanese Domination With 'Paparazzi,' 1 Million Albums Sold". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  12. ↑ Paparazzi (music video) (in Japanese). Girls' Generation, Toshiyuki Suzuki. S.M. Entertainment / Universal Music Japan.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. 1 2 "Weekly Singles Chart: July 9, 2012" (in Japanese). Oricon. Oricon Entertainment Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Weekly Singles Chart: July 16, 2012" (in Japanese). Oricon. Oricon Entertainment Inc. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Oricon Top 100 Singles of 2012" (in Japanese). Oricon. Oricon Entertainment Inc. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Japan Hot 100: 2012.07.02". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Japan Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Japan Hot 100: 2012.07.16". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  19. 1 2 "Japan Hot 100: 2012 Year-End". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales". Billboard (in Japanese). Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Billboard Japan Adult Contemporary Radio". Billboard (in Japanese). Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Weekly Ranking: 2012.06.26" (in Japanese). RIAJ Digital Track Chart. Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Paparazzi – Single by Girls' Generation". iTunes Store (NZ). Apple Inc. January 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  24. ↑ "少女時代 / PAPARAZZI【DVD付通常盤】【CD Maxi】【+DVD】【2012年6月27日発売】" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  25. ↑ "少女時代 / PAPARAZZI【通常盤】【CD Maxi】【2012年6月27日発売】" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  26. ↑ "少女時代 /PAPARAZZI【スペシャルエディション初回限定盤】【CD Maxi】【+DVD】【2012年6月27日発売】" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  27. ↑ Paparazzi (CD liner notes) (in Japanese). Girls' Generation. Japan: Nayutawave Records / Universal Music Japan. UPCH-80279.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart: Week 34, 2012" (in Korean). Gaon Album Chart. Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013.
  29. ↑ "World Digital Songs: November 17, 2012". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Yearly Singles Chart: 2012" (in Japanese). Oricon. Oricon Entertainment Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  31. 1 2 "Gaon International Albums" (in Korean). Gaon Album Chart. Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Japanese single certifications – 少女時代 – Paparazzi" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 19, 2015. Select 2012年6月 on the drop-down menu
  33. ↑ "Japanese digital single certifications – 少女時代 – Paparazzi" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2012年10月 on the drop-down menu
  34. ↑ "Paparazzi – Single by Girls' Generation". iTunes Store (GB). Apple Inc. January 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Paparazzi – Single de Girls' Generation" (in Spanish). iTunes Store (ES). Apple Inc. January 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Girls' Generation – Paparazzi" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  37. ↑ "少女時代 – PAPARAZZI" (in Chinese). HMV Hong Kong. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Paparazzi – Girls' Generation / 少女時代" (in Chinese). Universal Music Taiwan. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  39. ↑ "소녀시대 – PAPARAZZI [CD+DVD] [통상반]" (in Korean). Hot Tracks. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
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