Girls’ Generation Debut Song ‘Into The New World’ Suddenly Surges To Number 1 On Music Charts — What Is The Reason For The Sudden Fame For A Decade-Old Song? [Video]
If anyone were to ask a seasoned K-pop fan which K-pop girl group is the most popular in the industry since Hallyu initiated, those who are unbiased will say it is So Nyeo Shi Dae (SNSD), better known as Girls’ Generation. Since their debut back in 2007, the formerly nine-member girl group — Taeyeon, Tiffany, Sunny, Yuri, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, Yoona, Seohyun, and formerly Jessica — have dominated the charts and helped pave the way for Hallyu (especially with “Gee”) alongside other K-pop acts like Big Bang, Wonder Girls, and Super Junior.
Through the course of their almost decade-long career, Girls’ Generation has dominated the musical charts with numerous number one songs with “Party” being their latest song to reach the coveted spot (believe it or not, both “Lion Heart” and “You Think” never made it to number one). Three of their songs, “Gee,” “The Boys,” and “I Got a Boy” have over 100 billion views with the last song just shy 25 billion views of the 200 billion view mark.
However, 2016 has been a very quiet year for Girls’ Generation. With the exception of their song “Sailing” releasing on SM Station, all the remaining members of the popular K-pop girl group are busy with solo endeavors. Taeyeon and Tiffany are working on a solo music career. Yuri, Sooyoung, and Yoona are working on their acting careers. Hyoyeon was last seen as a part of Triple T. Finally, Sunny is busy with radio shows and variety show appearances. With that in mind, it was probably a surprise to them that their debut song from almost a decade ago titled “Into the New World” suddenly surged to number one on the music charts.
For those who do not know, the debut song for Girls’ Generation, “Into the New World,” was released on August 3, 2007, which is also their debut date. According to AllKpop, that song has for some reason suddenly risen to number one on the music charts, specifically Melon. The news does sound like a fairy tale per se as it is very rare to see older songs suddenly rank higher than modern day songs, but in the case of “Into the New World,” there is a major reason why it is suddenly number one.
At this moment, Park Geun Hye, the President of South Korea, is being investigated for a “heartbreaking” scandal for manipulating South Korean politics. Now the K-pop industry has been thrown into the mix. According to Billboard, YG Entertainment was somehow connected to the family of Choi Soon Sil, President Park’s friend who has been accused by critics of being one of the people to manipulate South Korean politics. So far, YG Entertainment talent — specifically Psy and Lee Seung Chul — have denied any connections to Soon Sil.
As a way of protesting the situation about Park Geun Hye, Korean university students across the nation are blasting “Into the New World” from speakers. In short, it has become their “fight song” in a way which had the positive effect of making the song finally hit number one on the music charts. When “Into the New World” originally played back in 2007, it never got to number one on the music charts though it did get number one on M! Countdown.
Girls’ Generation’s “Into the New World” hitting number one on the music charts despite its reasoning is K-pop fans’ way of showing the K-pop girl group how much they mean to them over the years despite the reasoning. With 2016 almost done, many K-pop fans who are Sone (Girls’ Generation fan club) will anxiously look forward to 2017, a year many of them grudgingly believe will be the year Girls’ Generation disbands.
[Featured Image by SM Entertainment]
