The Wonder Begins
Single album by
Wonder Girls
ReleasedFebruary 13, 2007 (2007-02-13)
Genre
Length13:12
LabelJYP Entertainment
ProducerPark Jin-young
Wonder Girls chronology
The Wonder Begins
(2007)		 The Wonder Years
(2007)
Singles from The Wonder Begins
  1. "Irony"
    Released: February 13, 2007

"The Wonder Begins" is the debut single album by South Korean girl group Wonder Girls, released on February 13, 2007, through JYP Entertainment. It contains the main track "Irony", written and produced by Park Jin-young. The release also contains three additional tracks: "Bad Boy", "It's Not Love", and a remix of "Irony".[1] An accompanying music video for "Irony" features members Sohee, Yeeun, Sunmi and Hyuna getting revenge on Sunye's unfaithful boyfriend by using a voodoo doll to embarrass him. The Wonder Begins is the group's only release that was promoted with member Hyuna, who left the group in July 2007.

Irony

Versions

"Irony" was pre-released on Melon on February 6, 2007.[2][3] The original studio version featuring the original line-up (Min Sunye, Park Yeeun, Lee Sunmi, Kim Hyuna and Ahn Sohee) is available on The Wonder Begins and on their debut studio album The Wonder Years. The song was later re-recorded for the Japanese release of their greatest hits album Wonder Best and features the line-up consisting of Min Sunye, Park Yeeun, Ahn Sohee, Kim Yubin and Woo Hyerim, with the vocals of the former members removed.

Music video

A music video was produced for "Irony" to promote the The Wonder Begins. The video begins by showing the group members casually hanging out at a house, when Sunye enters in a depressed state. Her groupmates sit around her and Sunye tells them about her cheating boyfriend. Sunmi locates him through their computer, Sohee activates a satellite dish for remote surveillance, and Hyuna uses a voodoo doll to embarrass him in front of his new girlfriend. The girls later enter a club where he is with his friends. Sunye blows him away, causing a gust of wind, and he falls down a wall. The video ends with the girls laughing at him and walking away.

Critical reception

The Wonder Begins received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Jeong Seong-ha, Han Dong-yoon, Yoon Jee-hoon of Korean web magazine IZM gave "Irony" unfavorable reviews, and described the song as lacking innovation, comparing the song to works of older artists such as g.o.d and Rain.[4] YesAsia wrote a positive review of the single album, describing "Irony" as a "catchy, up-tempo hip hop number" and "Bad Boy" as an "innovative electronic R&B song". They concluded that: "The Wonder Begins marks a very promising start for K-pop's newest sensation."[5] In a retrospective review, Billboard said: "'Irony' is pretty dated with its R&B-pop styling and redundant beat, but the sleek, hook-filled chorus was filled with promise."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Park Jin-young.

The Wonder Begins
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Irony"Park Jin-young4:04
2."Bad Boy"
3:11
3."It's Not Love" (미안한 마음; Mianhan Maeum)
  • Park Jin-young
  • SoulAttack
4:00
4."Irony" (Tae Kwon – "Daybreak" remix)Park Jin-young3:57
Total length:13:12

Charts and sales

The chart positions are based on data from Music Industry Association Korea. Unlike Oricon and Billboard, the charts are released monthly, not weekly.

Sales

Country Sales
South Korea 15,000[9]

References

  1. ↑ "The Wonder Begins – 원더걸스" (in Korean). Naver Vibe. February 13, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  2. ↑ "박진영이 키운 원더걸스, 6일 음원-사진 베일 벗는다" [Wonder Girls, raised by Park Jin-young, take off their veil on the 6th]. Osen (in Korean). Naver. February 6, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  3. ↑ "원더걸스, 6일 첫 싱글 전격 공개" [Wonder Girls unveil their first single on the 6th]. JoyNews24 (in Korean). Naver. February 6, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  4. ↑ "원더 걸스(Wonder Girls) - Irony Single Review". IZM (in Korean). April 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  5. ↑ "YESASIA: Wonder Girls First Single - The Wonder Begins CD - Wonder Girls, JYP Entertainment - Korean Music - Free Shipping". www.yesasia.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  6. ↑ Herman, Tamar (February 10, 2017). "Every Wonder Girls Single Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic's Take". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  7. ↑ 2007.02월 – 가요 음반 판매량 [2007.02 – Sales volume] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  8. ↑ 2007년 가요음반판매량 [2007 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  9. ↑ 2008.06월 – 가요 음반 판매량 [2008.06 – Sales volume] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
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