Tonight
EP by
Big Bang
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2011 (2011-02-24)
Recorded2010–2011
Genre
Length20:05
Label
Producer
Big Bang chronology
Big Bang
(2009)		 Tonight
(2011)		 Big Bang 2
(2011)
Singles from Tonight
  1. "Tonight"
    Released: February 24, 2011
Big Bang Special Edition
Singles from Big Bang Special Edition
  1. "Love Song"
    Released: April 8, 2011

Tonight is the fourth extended play of South Korean boy band Big Bang. It was their first new material released in South Korea after two-year hiatus as a group.[1] Upon its release, the album and its lead single of the same name became a chart-topper in various South Korean and international music charts.[2] It was released on February 24, 2011, under YG Entertainment. A repackaged edition titled Big Bang Special Edition was released on April 8, 2011, and featured a new track "Love Song" as the lead single.

Background

While writing the songs for the then-untitled album, leader G-Dragon and lead rapper T.O.P began to break away to collaborate on their GD & T.O.P project.[3] According to G-Dragon, the group was trying a "new combination" with their music, in which the vocalists Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri were to record their own music as a trio while the remaining two were to branch off as a duo since they had not been with their fans for the past two years.[3] Although the division of the group was initially for BigBang's materials only, G-Dragon and T.O.P saw positive response to their materials from the fans and went to Yang Hyunsuk, CEO of YG Entertainment, to allow the duo to release an album.[3]

Composition

After the promotions for GD & T.OP. collaboration ended, the group reunited to record the tracks to be included for Tonight. Songs from the album have been reportedly recorded variously over the two years span that the group was on hiatus.[4] G-Dragon describes the music from the extended play as "very cheerful" in hopes of cheering up their listeners. Though the group's previous extended plays contained songs that were heavily influenced by electronic music, the group decided to concentrate more on "warm rock music."[5]

Big Bang’s music has been very cheerful and lyrical so far, but this time we added rock. These days, people seem to find something interesting that can make them laugh and it might come from many accidents and incidents that happened last year, so we are going to present warm and cheerful music for those people rather than heavy and electronic music. — G-Dragon[5]

Promotion and release

After nearly two-year hiatus, BigBang made their comeback in South Korea in February 2011 which kicked off with their annual concert, Big Show 2011.[1] There, they also showcased songs from Tonight,[6] performing before an audience of 40,000 fans.[7] The show was aired online by SBS and Mnet.[8] The performance has been hailed as "sensual and stylish" as well as "luxurious" by Lee Soo-yeon of Newsen[6] while it was called "fresh and bold" by Yonhap News, which also went on to state that "Big Bang has come back brilliantly."[9] Park Young-gun of the Star News also applauded the group for their use of lavish props, calling the performance "compelling" and "explosive" and declaring that "Big Bang has come back stronger than ever."[10] The show was watched by a nationwide audience of 5.7%, higher than the 4.9% expected.[11] Revenues from the concert were reported to be ₩43 billion ($38 million).[12]

Teaser photos of the group's music video for their lead single Tonight, which was written solely by G-Dragon with the rap parts written by T.O.P, were also released online.[4] The group also acknowledged their return to the music industry by posting it as their status on Taeyang's Twitter account.[4]

Reception

Critical reception

The EP has received mostly positive praises, with Expo Flat News complimenting it for its "impressive, sophisticated sound textures."[13] The lead single "Tonight" was also praised for its "sophisticated electronic sound" paired with acoustic guitar.[14] Lee Jeon-hyuk of Sports Chosun hailed the group's comeback as "brilliant"[15] while Choi Jun of Asiae complimented the group's new direction in their music, acknowledging that during the two years of hiatus, the group's "style and musical sensibility [had] deepened."[11] Despite this, the group have been criticized for their over-use of electronic sound.[16]

Commercial performance

Tonight peaked at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart in addition to the monthly chart for February 2011. The album has sold 100,000 copies in South Korea.[17] Internationally, it charted at number 3 on the Billboard World Albums chart, also number 3 on the Heatseekers chart, and number 29 on the Independent Albums chart.[18] After the release of Big Bang Special Edition, it topped the weekly and monthly album charts in April 2011.

Track listing

Tonight – Standard edition
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Intro (Thank You & You)"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, Choice37Choice371:32
2."Hands Up"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, KushKush3:54
3."Tonight" (투나잇; Toonait)G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, KushP.K3:39
4."Somebody to Love"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, Ham Seung-cheon, Kang Uk-JinHam Seung-cheon, Kang Uk-Jin3:32
5."What is Right"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, D.J Murf, PeejayD.J Murf, Peejay3:43
6."Café"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, D.J Murf, PeejayD.J Murf, Peejay3:40
Total length:20:04
Taiwan Edition – DVD bonus tracks[19]
No.TitleLength
1."Tonight" (Music Video with Chinese Subtitles) 
Big Bang Special Edition – Repackage
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Love Song"G-Dragon, T.O.P, TeddyG-Dragon, TeddyTeddy, Seo Won-jin3:45
2."Stupid Liar"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, P.KP.K, Dee.P3:54
3."Tonight" (투나잇; Toonait)G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, KushP.K3:43
4."High High" (G-Dragon & T.O.P)G-Dragon, T.O.P, TeddyTeddyTeddy3:10
5."Oh Yeah" (G-Dragon & T.O.P featuring Park Bom)G-Dragon, T.O.P, TeddyTeddy, Sunwoo Jung AhTeddy, Sunwoo Jung Ah3:19
6."Café"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, D.J Murf, PeejayD.J Murf, Peejay3:42
7."I Need a Girl" (Taeyang featuring G-Dragon)Jun Goon, G-DragonJun Goon, Choi Gub-wonJun Goon3:40
8."Somebody to Love"G-Dragon, T.O.PG-Dragon, Ham Seung-cheon, Kang Uk-JinHam Seung-cheon, Kang Uk-Jin3:34
9."What Can I Do" (어쩌라고; Eojjeorago; Seungri solo)Seungri, G-DragonSeungri, P.K, Big ToneP.K3:40
10."Baby Don't Cry" (Daesung solo)KushKushKush4:31
Total length:37:40

Charts

Album

Sales

Region Sales
South Korea – Tonight 146,450[25]
South Korea – Big Bang Special Edition 98,906[26]

Release history

RegionDateEditionFormatLabel
Worldwide[27] February 24, 2011 Tonight Digital download YG
South Korea[28] CD, digital download
Japan[29] April 13, 2011 CD Universal Music Japan
Taiwan[30][31] July 8, 2011 CD+DVD Warner Music Taiwan
Worldwide[32] April 8, 2011 Big Bang Special Edition Digital download YG
South Korea[33] CD, digital download
  • YG
  • Mnet Media
Taiwan[31] July 8, 2011 CD+DVD Warner Music Taiwan

References

  1. 1 2 Kim, Sunny (December 6, 2010). "Big Bang's Concert "2011 Big Show" To Be Held In February!". MTV Korea. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Big Bang on the Gaon Chart". Korea Music Content Industry Association. March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Kim, Jessica (December 15, 2010). "G-Dragon and T.O.P hold world premiere showcase for duo unit". 10asia. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Choi, Jun (February 28, 2011). "빅뱅 '투나잇' 뮤비 공중파 첫 공개…음악+스타일UP↑". 10asiae. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "G-Dragon and Top: 'Rappers Acknowledge Our Instinctive Hip Hop'". KBS. February 7, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Lee, Soo-yeon (February 26, 2011). "컴백 빅뱅, 엠넷 '빅뱅TV 라이브' 전격 방송 '6곡 최초 공개'". Newsen. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  7. ↑ Chung Ah-young (February 17, 2011). "Big Bang to return with new album". The Korea Times. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  8. ↑ Kim, Hye-rin (February 26, 2011). "빅뱅 컴백에 방송가도 주목! 'The 빅뱅쇼'에 이어 '빅뱅TV 라이브'까지". The Union Press. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  9. ↑ "<빅뱅, 화려한 컴백 공연..4만팬 집결>". Yonhap News. February 27, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  10. ↑ Park, Young-gun (February 27, 2011). "돌아온 빅뱅, 더 강해졌다..'빅쇼' 1만4000팬 열광". Star News. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  11. 1 2 Choi, Jun (February 28, 2011). "'더빅뱅쇼' 빅뱅, 2년 3개월만에 공중파 첫 선··'강렬+파격'". 10asiae. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Big Bang totals 7 billion won in sales prior to official promotions". AllKpop. March 2, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  13. ↑ "빅뱅 신곡 투나잇, 발매 동시에 음원 차트 올킬!". KBS. February 26, 2011. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  14. ↑ "빅뱅, 화려한 컴백 공연…4만팬 집결". SBS. February 27, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  15. ↑ Lee, Jeon-Hyuk (February 28, 2011). "'더빅뱅쇼', 시청률 5.7% 기록. 화려한 무대와 폭풍 웃음 선사". Sports Chosun. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  16. ↑ Kim, Hannah (March 1, 2011). "Big Bang records early success with latest album". JoongAng Daily News. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  17. ↑ Cho, Euna-young (March 1, 2011). 빅뱅, 오늘 음반판매 10만장 돌파..음원도 돌풍 (in Korean). Daum. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Billboard Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Big Bang Mini Album Vol. 4 (CD + DVD) (Taiwan Limited Edition)". yesasia. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Gaon Chart Week 11 – 2011". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Gaon Chart – Album Chart – February 2011". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Gaon Chart Year End – 2011". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Gaon Chart Week 16 – 2011". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Gaon Chart – Album Chart – April 2011". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Gaon physical sales". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  26. ↑ Cumulative sales of Big Bang Special Edition in South Korea:
  27. ↑ "Big Bang – Tonight (EP)". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  28. ↑ "4집 빅뱅 미니앨범" (in Korean). Mnet. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  29. ↑ "BIGBANG 4th Mini Album Japan Edition". Universal Music Japan. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Big Bang Mini 4台灣獨占豪華限定盤CD+DVD" (in Chinese). G-Music. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  31. 1 2 "Big Bang Signs With Warner Music". Soompi. June 20, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Big Bang – BIGBANG (Special Edition)". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  33. ↑ "빅뱅 스페셜에디션" (in Korean). Naver Music. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
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