"Tell Me"
Single by Wonder Girls
from the album The Wonder Years
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2007
Recorded2007
Genre
Length3:37
LabelJYP
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Park Jin-young
Wonder Girls singles chronology
"Irony"
(2007)		 "Tell Me"
(2007)		 "So Hot"
(2008)
Music video
"Tell Me" on YouTube

"Tell Me" is a song by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls, from their debut album, The Wonder Years (2007). It was released as the lead single from the album on September 13, 2007, through JYP Entertainment. Written and produced by Park Jin-young, the song samples Stacey Q's "Two of Hearts" (1986) written by John Mitchell. "Tell Me (Rap version)", which features Yubin's self-written rap verse, was added as a B-side to their second physical single "So Hot" in May 2008.

"Tell Me" was a major commercial success in South Korea, topping all online and offline charts. It spent six non-consecutive weeks in the number one position on KBS's Music Bank and achieved a triple crown at SBS's Inkigayo. The song gained significant attention throughout South Korea for its choreography, which was widely imitated and featured on various online video sites.[2]

"Tell Me" was voted the Song of the Year at the Melon Music Awards and Sports Korea Awards in 2007, and was voted the number one most popular song of the year on Gallup Korea. It was named one of top 10 greatest K-pop songs of all time by Melon and Rolling Stone for sparking a "hook song trend" in K-pop.

Background and release

Wonder Girls performing "Tell Me" at Halla University in May 2008.

"Tell Me" is a fast-tempo song about a girl who has fallen in love. A highlight of the song is an exclamation of surprise, "어머나!" (Eomeona!, similar in meaning to "Oh, my goodness!) sung in the pre-chorus by member Sohee.

When producer Park Jin-young first introduced the song to the group, the Wonder Girls felt that the song was too different and would not be successful. However, once they were used to the song, they eventually believed it could be a strong single. The song was promoted with an updated version of the song, titled "Tell Me (Rap version)", which is the first release from the group to feature member Yubin following Hyuna's departure. On September 5, 2007, Yubin made her debut in the group's live performance of "Tell Me" on Music Bank.[3]

"Tell Me" was initially planned to be the second English single for the group, as a follow-up to "Nobody".[4] "Tell Me" did not see a release as a single in the United States, but an English version of the song was featured on their second extended play 2 Different Tears which was released on May 15, 2010.[5]

Versions

The original version of "Tell Me" is featured on the group's debut album The Wonder Years and features vocals from the original line-up consisting of Min Sunye, Park Yeeun, Ann Sohee, Lee Sun Mi and Kim Hyuna. Due to the last-minute addition of rapper Yubin to the group, her rap is not on the album version, and a version titled "Tell Me (Rap Version)" was made to include Yubin's vocals. This version was included as a B-side on the group's maxi-single So Hot (2008). The song was later re-recorded for the Japanese release of their greatest hits album WonderBest (2012) and features the band's third line-up consisting of Min Sunye, Park Yeeun, Ahn Sohee, Kim Yubin and Woo Hyerim, with previous members' vocals removed. "Tell Me" was recorded by the Wonder Girls in 3 languages: Korean, English, and Mandarin-Chinese.

The choreography for the song was simple and widely imitated: by October, many fan performances of the dance circulated on video sharing sites such as YouTube and Daum,[6] including one by a group of policemen who were eventually profiled on SBS's Star King and performed both in front of and with Wonder Girls.[7] This was dubbed the "Tell Me Syndrome" and led the girls to be named "Korea's Little Sisters". Many celebrities, including Shin Hye Sung, Super Junior's Kim Heechul, Nam Hyun Joon and Hong Kyung-min, also sang and danced to the song at their own fan meetings. The song was labelled a "pop phenomenon" by the San Francisco Chronicle, and YouTube co-founder Steve Chen stated that the dance clips were among his favorites on the website.[2] Furthermore, on the December 28, 2007 edition of Music Bank, Big Bang joined Wonder Girls for a performance that included both "Tell Me" and "Lies".[8]

The song has also been covered by other K-pop artists, including in full by Girls' Generation on the July 4, 2008 edition of Music Bank. This was one half of a song trade where both groups covered one song by the other group, with Wonder Girls also covering "Kissing You" on the same show.[9] Sistar also performed a dance cover of the song on MBC's Star Dance Battle on February 3, 2011.[10] On May 25, 2016, JYP labelmates Twice covered the song at an open concert. On December 24, 2022, NewJeans covered "Tell Me" at the SBS Gayo Daejeon.[11]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for "Tell Me"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2007 Cyworld Digital Music Awards Song of the Month – October Won [12]
Golden Disc Awards Digital Bonsang Won [13]
Digital Daesang Nominated
Popularity Award Won
Melon Music Awards Song of the Year Won [14]
Sports Korea Awards Song of the Year Won [15]
2008 Korean Music Awards Best Dance & Electronic Song Won [16]
Song of the Year Nominated [17]
Music program wins (10 total)
Program Date Ref.
Inkigayo October 28, 2007 [18]
November 11, 2007 [19]
November 18, 2007 [20]
Music Bank November 2, 2007 [21]
November 9, 2007
November 30, 2007 [22]
December 7, 2007 [23]
December 28, 2007 [24]
January 4, 2008 [25]
M Countdown November 8, 2007

Legacy

Tamar Herman of Billboard called the song the most influential song in Wonder Girls' career, writing that it "went viral as YouTube was just beginning out and resulted in a dance craze in South Korea based around the single's easy-to-learn choreography".[26] In 2014, Mnet included "Tell Me" in their list of "Legend 100 Songs", a list of some of the most influential songs in Korean music history.[27] In the same year, Star News named the track one of the ten best digital hit songs in South Korea.[28] In a survey involving 30 Korean music critics published by The Dong-a Ilbo in 2016, it was chosen as the second best female idol song by both the public and music experts in the past 20 years.[29]

In a ranking conducted by 35 Korean music critics and industry professionals curated by Melon and newspaper Seoul Shinmun in 2021, "Tell Me" was named the ninth best K-pop song of all time. Music critic Hwang Seon-yeop said that "If I were to pick the most important event in the chronicle of K-pop, I think I could say without hesitation that it was the 'butterfly effect caused by this song'". Hwang added the song symbols "the starting point of the so-called 'hook song' trend, which uses addictive repeating phrases and emphasizes the importance of 'choreography' in idol pop. [...] This is a work that defined the concept of K-pop and opened up its revival in earnest."[30] In 2023, Rolling Stone named it the tenth greatest song in the history of Korean pop music, writing that "Wonder Girls established a blueprint of catchiness with 'Tell Me,' one of K-pop’s first modern 'hook songs' and one of the first to spark a dance craze".[31]

"Tell Me" on selected listicles
Publisher List Rank Year
Billboard Every Wonder Girls Single Ranked: Critic’s Take 1 2017[26]
The Dong-a Ilbo Best female idol songs according to experts 2 2016[29]
Best female idol songs according to the public 2
Gallup Korea Most Popular Songs of 2007 1 2007[32]
IZM 20 Best Singles of the Year Included 2007[33]
Melon Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time 9 2021[34]
Mnet Legend 100 Songs Included 2014[27]
Music Y 120 Best Dance Tracks of All Time 8 2014[35]
Research Panel Korea Best hit idol songs of all time 1 2013[36]
Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music 10 2023[31]
Star News 10 Best Digital Hit Songs in the Past 10 Years Included 2014[28]

Release history

Country Date Format Label
South Korea September 13, 2007
JYP
United States May 15, 2010

References

  1. ↑ Korea Focus - January 2012. 한국국제교류재단. March 30, 2013. ISBN 9788986090819. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Yang, Jeff (April 9, 2008). "ASIAN POP: Next stop, Wonderland". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  3. ↑ Kim, Won-gyum (September 5, 2007). 원더걸스, 새멤버 공개..19세 김유빈 (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  4. ↑ 원더걸스, 美 데뷔 앨범 발표하고 본격 진출 [Wonder Girls, debut album in the US enters full swing]. Osen (in Korean). June 5, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2009 – via Daum.
  5. ↑ "iTunes – Music – 2 Different Tears by Wonder Girls". iTunes Store. May 15, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  6. ↑ "[2007연예결산]올해의 사자성어 '원더걸스(原多渴水)'" (in Korean). Gonews. December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  7. ↑ Star King 2007 – The Wonderful Policemen (Tell Me Dance Cover) Archived May 12, 2021, at the Wayback Machine YouTube (originally broadcast by KBS)
  8. ↑ Music Bank December 28, 2007 - Tell Me / Lies - Wonder Girls & Big Bang Archived May 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine YouTube (originally broadcast by KBS)
  9. ↑ Music Bank July 4, 2008 - Special Stage: Kissing You (originally by Girls' Generation) - Wonder Girls Archived February 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine YouTube (originally broadcast by KBS)
  10. ↑ Star Dance Battle February 3, 2011 - Tell Me (originally by Wonder Girls) - Sistar Archived February 22, 2017, at the Wayback Machine YouTube (originally broadcast by MBC)
  11. ↑ "뉴진스 '텔미'→엔시티 드림 '캔디', 세대 뛰어넘는 K팝 축제 (SBS 가요대전)[종합]" [New Jeans 'Tell Me' → NCT Dream 'Candy', a K-pop festival that transcends generations (SBS Gayo Daejeon) [comprehensive]]. Xports News (in Korean). Naver. December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  12. ↑ 원더걸스, 상복 터졌다…'10월의 노래'상도 접수. My Daily (in Korean). November 19, 2007. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  13. ↑ [골든디스크] 원더걸스, 본상-인기상 '텔미'로 싹쓸이 [[Golden Disc] Wonder Girls sweeps away Bonsang - Popularity Award for 'Tell Me']. Sportsseoul (in Korean). December 14, 2007. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  14. ↑ "2007 Melon Music Awards Winners" (in Korean). Melon. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  15. ↑ ""대중문화 전문가가 뽑은 스타에 원더걸스"" ["Wonder Girls as the star chosen by pop culture experts"]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Naver. November 17, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  16. ↑ Gil, Hye-seong (March 5, 2008). 원더걸스, '텔미'로 한국대중음악상 '최우수 댄스&일렉트로닉 노래상' 수상 [Wonder Girls, 'Tell Me' won the 'Best Dance & Electronic Song Award' at the Korean Popular Music Awards]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  17. ↑ "2008 Korean Music Awards – Song of the Year Nominees". Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  18. ↑ "원더걸스, 데뷔 8개월 만에 지상파 첫 정상". Star News (in Korean). Naver. October 28, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  19. ↑ "'텔미' 신드롬 원더걸스, 2주 연속 뮤티즌송 감격". My Daily (in Korean). Naver. November 11, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  20. ↑ "원더걸스, 싸이월드 '10월의 노래'..신인상 이어 연일 수상" [Wonder Girls wins Cyworld 'October's Song']. Star News (in Korean). Naver. November 19, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  21. ↑ "원더걸스,'텔미'로 '뮤뱅' 2주연속 차트 1위" [Wonder Girls, No. 1 on the 'Music Bank' chart for 2 weeks in a row with 'Tell Me']. Star News (in Korean). Naver. November 9, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  22. ↑ "원더걸스, 11월 세번째 '뮤뱅' 정상…박진영도 축하" [Wonder Girls, third 'Music Bank' win in November ... congratulations to Jinyoung Park]. JoyNews24 (in Korean). Naver. November 30, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  23. ↑ "원더걸스, '뮤직뱅크' 차트쇼 2주 연속 1위". Star News (in Korean). Naver. December 7, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  24. ↑ "원더걸스, '뮤직뱅크' 올해의 노래-신인-스페셜 무대 3관왕 올라". Star News (in Korean). Naver. December 28, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  25. ↑ "'텔미' 원더걸스, '뮤뱅' 차트쇼 1위" ['Tell Me' Wonder Girls, No. 1 on 'Music Bank' chart show]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. January 4, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  26. 1 2 Herman, Tamar (February 9, 2017). "Every Wonder Girls Single Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic's Take". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  27. 1 2 Kim, Soo-jung (February 3, 2014). "'동백아가씨'부터 '강남스타일'까지, 대중 사로잡은 명곡은?" [From 'Camellia Lady' to 'Gangnam Style', which famous songs have captured the public?]. MediaUS. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  28. 1 2 "대중음악계 10년史..최고 히트곡 톱10·연도별 190選" [10 years of popular music .. Top 10 hits, 190 songs by year]. Star News (in Korean). September 15, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  29. 1 2 "'반짝반짝 눈이 부셔'… 빅뱅-소녀시대 역대 최고 아이돌". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). September 1, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  30. ↑ "K-pop 100 Masterpieces: Tell Me - 원더걸스 (Wonder Girls)". Melon. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  31. 1 2 "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  32. ↑ "갤럽조사 "원더걸스 텔미가 올해 최고 인기"" [Gallup Poll 'Wonder Girls Tell Me is the most popular song this year']. KBS News (in Korean). December 26, 2007. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  33. ↑ "[100 Of The Year] Single 20". IZM (in Korean). December 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  34. ↑ Hicap, Jonathan (August 29, 2021). "Top 100 K-pop songs of all time revealed". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  35. ↑ Yun, Ho-jin (July 30, 2014). "Dance Track 120 8위: 원더걸스 (Wonder Girls) –『Tell Me: Sampling From 'Two Of Hearts'』". Music Y (in Korean). Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  36. ↑ "원더걸스 '텔미', 역대 최고의 아이돌 히트곡 선정" [Wonder Girls' 'Tell Me' selected as the best idol hit song of all time]. My Daily (in Korean). Naver. June 6, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
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