Spring of a Twenty Year Old

Spring of a Twenty Year Old
EP by IU
Released May 11, 2012
Genre K-pop
Length 11:34
Label LOEN Entertainment
Producer Jo Young-chul
IU chronology

I□U
(2011)		 Spring of a Twenty Year Old
(2012)		 Can You Hear Me?
(2013)
Singles from Spring of a Twenty Year Old
  1. "Peach (복숭아)"
    Released: May 4, 2012
  2. "Every End of the Day (하루 끝)"
    Released: May 10, 2012

Spring of a Twenty Year Old (Hangul: 스무 살의 봄; RR: Seumusal-ui Bom) is the fifth Korean-language extended play (EP) by South Korean singer and actress IU. It was released and distributed by LOEN Entertainment on May 11, 2012. The CD, which was also released digitally, consists of three tracks in total, one of which was composed by IU.[1] It is the singer's first Korean-language release since the full-length album, Last Fantasy, was released six months prior.

The EP spawned two hit singles, "Peach" and "Every End of the Day". The latter topped Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks, making it the singer's second number-one hit on the chart after "You and I".[2]

Background

On May 1, 2012, IU posted a hand-drawn picture of a peach to her official Twitter account, which she described as "racy".[3][4] Little known to fans, this was the first information regarding IU's upcoming Spring of a Twenty Year Old album. A video teaser for the song "Peach" (Hangul: 복숭아; RR: Boksung-a) was revealed the following day. The teaser ended with another hand-drawn image of a peach.[5] Later, on the May 22 episode of SBS's Strong Heart, IU revealed that her label had requested for her to draw an image for the "Peach" teaser. She decided to draw a peach which also resembled a heart, however, her initial attempt, the "racy" peach, was rejected as "too risque".[6]

The teaser video also shows footage of IU singing and playing guitar, as she writes the song.[5] The text description of the teaser, uploaded on LOEN Entertainment's official YouTube channel, revealed the first details about the song. "Peach" is the third composition of IU, featuring an acoustic focus. The song title was named after IU's favorite word and fruit.[7] The song's arrangement contains both the recorder and triangle, which IU played herself. In an interview with Cyworld, she revealed that she used these instruments as she felt they represented childhood, which allowed her to create a playful atmosphere in the song. She also mentioned that the lyrics were written to convey the emotion one feels when looking at their lover and that she put special attention into portraying one verse of the lyrics from the perspective of a male thinking about a pretty girl, using f(x)'s Sulli as reference.[8]

On May 4, 2012, the full digital single, "Peach", was released, preceding the release of the full CD single by seven days.[9] The single was highly successful and achieved the number one spot on many South Korean music websites.[10]

Following the release of "Peach", several video teasers were released onto LOEN Entertainment's official YouTube channel to promote the upcoming album and its associated music video. The teasers were themed to display IU's travels from Incheon, South Korea to Venice, Italy. One teaser in particular showed IU playing the recorder melody from "Peach".[11][12]

Release and promotion

The full CD single was released on May 11, 2012. It contained the already-released "Peach", "Every End of the Day" (Hangul: 하루 끝; RR: Haru Kkeut), and "I Really Don't Like Her" (Hangul: 그 애 참 싫다; RR: Geu Ae Cham Silta). The album was immediately successful; all three songs achieved the top 10 spots on the South Korean music websites Mnet, MelOn, and Olleh Music. "Every End of the Day" managed to achieve the number one spot on these websites.[13]

The same day, the music video for the track, "Every End of the Day", was released. This 26-minute-long short film is done in a documentary style and features interviews with IU as well as footage from her previously mentioned trip to Venice.[14] The song itself is a lively up-tempo song, that sounds similar to older pop music. The arrangement features string instruments. The lyrics and music video tell the tale of a girl who is deeply in love with a man that she hopes will make the first move.[15]

One week after the album's release, the single, "Every End of the Day", managed to make it to the first place spot on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100.[16]

The final song on the album, "I Really Don't Like Her", is about a girl who resents a lost love for not giving her the attention she wanted. The song features an acoustic guitar and is done in an R&B ballad style.[17]

To prepare for her first solo concert, "Real Fantasy", IU did not perform any broadcast promotions for Spring of a Twenty Year Old.[18]

Track listing

※ Bolded tracks identify singles from the album.

CD/Digital download[8][19]
No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Peach" (복숭아; Boksung-a)IUIU 3:13
2. "Every End of the Day" (하루 끝; Haru Kkeut)Kim EanaPark Geun-tae, Kim Do-hoon 4:04
3. "I Really Don't Like Her" (그 애 참 싫다; Geu Ae Cham Silta)Kim Eun-sooShim Eun-ji 4:17
Total length:
 11:34

Chart performance

Album charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position		 Sales
South Korean Gaon Weekly Albums Chart[20] 3
South Korean Gaon Monthly Albums Chart[22] 5
South Korean Gaon Year-End Albums Chart[23] 48

Single charts

Peach

Chart (2012) Peak
position		 Sales
South Korean Gaon Weekly Singles Chart[24] 2
  • KOR: 1,384,071+ (digital downloads only)[25]
South Korean Gaon Monthly Singles Chart[26] 5
South Korean Gaon Year-End Singles Chart[27] 101
US Billboard K-Pop Hot 100[28] 3
US Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 (Year-End)[29] 88

Every End of the Day

Chart (2012) Peak
position		 Sales
South Korean Gaon Weekly Singles Chart[30] 1
  • KOR: 2,527,530+ (digital downloads only)[31]
South Korean Gaon Monthly Singles Chart[26] 2
South Korean Gaon Year-End Singles Chart[27] 13
US Billboard K-Pop Hot 100[32] 1
US Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 (Year-End)[33] 22

Other charted songs

Title Peak chart position Sales
KOR
Gaon		 KOR
Billboard
"I Really Don't Like Her" 15 —
  • KOR: 630,104+ (digital downloads only)[34]

Awards and nominations

Annual music awards

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012
7th Cyworld Digital Music Awards
Song of the Month – May "Peach" Won

Release history

Region Date Format Edition Label
South Korea May 10, 2011 Digital download LOEN Entertainment
May 11, 2011 CD Standard Edition
Worldwide[35] May 10, 2011 Digital download

References

  1. ↑ IU releases new single 'Spring of a Twenty Year Old'. Allkpop. (2012-05-10). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  2. ↑ Chart references of "Every End of the Day":
  3. ↑ (Korean) Twitter / lily199iu: 아한 복숭아..순수. Twitter. (2012-05-01). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  4. ↑ IU sketches a "racy peach". Allkpop. (2012-05-02). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 IU reveals video teaser for "Peach". Allkpop. 2012-05-02. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  6. ↑ IU talks about her "risqué peach" drawing on Strong Heart. Allkpop. 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  7. ↑ IU(아이유)_PEACH(복숭아)(Teaser) on YouTube. (2012-05-02). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 [Interview] [120511] Cyworld Music Star BGM Interview - IU ♥ WeHeartIU - Lee Jieun International Forum. WeHeartIU. (2012-05-13). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  9. ↑ IU releases new single "Peach". Allkpop. (2012-05-03). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  10. ↑ IU's "Peach" immediately achieves #1 on Korean music charts. Allkpop. 2012-05-03. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  11. ↑ IU Special YouTube Page Shows "IU's a Little Private Story". Soompi. (2012-05-07). Retrieved on 2012-06-07.
  12. ↑ Video teaser for IU's 'Spring of a Twenty Year Old'. Allkpop. 2012-05-04. Retrieved on 2012-06-07.
  13. ↑ Songs from IU's new single 'Spring of a Twenty Year Old' top music charts. Allkpop. 2012-05-10. Retrieved on 2012-06-07.
  14. ↑ IU releases music video film for "Every End of the Day". Allkpop. 2012-05-11. Retrieved on 2012-06-07.
  15. ↑ IU(아이유) _ Every End of the Day(스무 살의봄 - 하루 긑) Full MV - YouTube. YouTube. 2012-05-10. Retrieved on 2012-06-07.
  16. ↑ IU tops Billboard's 'K-Pop's Hot 100' Chart. Allkpop. 2012-05-17. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  17. ↑ IU releases new single 'Spring of a Twenty Year Old'. Allkpop. 2012-05-10. Retrieved on 2012-06-07.
  18. ↑ IU to forego broadcast promotions for "Peach" to focus on tour preparations. Allkpop. (2012-05-03). Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  19. ↑ (Korean) IU Official Homepage :: LOEN Entertainment. Retrieved on 2012-06-06.
  20. ↑ "South Korean Gaon Chart: Album – May 13, 2012 to May 19, 2012". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  21. ↑ Sales references for Spring of a Twenty Year Old:
  22. ↑ "South Korean Gaon Chart: Album – May 2012". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  23. ↑ "South Korean Gaon Chart: Album – 2012". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  24. ↑ "South Korean Gaon Chart: Overall singles – May 6, 2012 to May 12, 2012". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  25. ↑ Sales references for "Peach":
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "South Korean Gaon Chart: Overall singles – May 2012". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "South Korean Gaon Chart: Overall singles – 2012". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  28. ↑ "Korea K-Pop Hot 100, Week of 19 May, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  29. ↑ "Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100: 2012 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  30. ↑ "South Korean Gaon Chart: Overall singles – May 13, 2012 to May 19, 2012". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  31. ↑ Sales references for "Every End of the Day":
  32. ↑ "Korea K-Pop Hot 100, Week of 26 May, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  33. ↑ "Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100: 2012 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  34. ↑ Sales references for "I Really Don't Like Her":
  35. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Spring of a Twenty Year Old by IU". iTunes Store. Retrieved 24 November 2013.

External links