Piano Man is the second extended play by South Korean girl group Mamamoo. It was released by WA Entertainment on November 21, 2014 and distributed by CJ E&M Music. It contains two songs—the single of the same name and "Gentleman", a collaboration with Esna. Musically, the album is retro-inspired and the title track was described as an electronic swing dance song.
| Piano Man | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | November 21, 2014 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 13:27 | |||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Label | WA Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Kim Do-hoon | |||
| Mamamoo chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Piano Man | ||||
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Release and chart performance
editOn November 5, 2014, Mamamoo announced that a new album would be released later in the month.[1] Their second EP, Piano Man, was originally scheduled for release on November 20, but the release was delayed by one day because the music video was not ready in time. The digital album and accompanying music video were released on November 21, and the CD version was released on December 1.[2][3] The album entered the Gaon Album Chart at number eight in the first week of December, and sold 1,701 units during the month.[4][5] The title track entered the Gaon Digital Chart at number 87, and peaked at number 41 the following week.[6][7][8] The album re-entered the Gaon Album Chart at number 17 in November 2015 after Mamamoo gained public attention with their win on Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend.[9][10][11]
Composition and promotion
editBoth songs on the album were written by Kim Eana and composed by Kim Do-hoon and Esna. "Piano Man" is a retro-inspired electronic swing dance song with a rhythmic piano melody and brass instrumentation.[3][12] Lyrically, it is about a woman falling in love at first sight with the "piano man".[13] "Gentleman" is also retro-inspired with brass instrumentation, and is about a group of female friends meeting at a café to discuss their ideal men.[13] The album also includes a piano version and instrumental of "Piano Man".[3]
The music video for "Piano Man" was directed by BoA's brother Kwon Soon-wook of video production company Metaoloz.[14][15] It has a retro style reminiscent of the 1960s and 1970s, and is mostly in black-and-white, with color used for emphasis.[16] It takes place in a jazz bar and features B1A4's Gongchan, wearing a trench coat and fedora, as the "piano man".[16] The Mamamoo members play a singer, bartender, businesswoman, and dancer who are all trying to seduce the pianist.[17][18] The song was choreographed by the group, and the dance scenes were filmed on a brick street.[19]
Mamamoo promoted the album with performances of "Piano Man" on various music TV shows. The song was first performed on SBS MTV's The Show on November 18, three days before the album's release date.[19] They performed a remix version on several year-end specials, including on Music Bank and Show! Music Core.[20] They also performed the song at the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards in January 2015, where they were awarded New Female Artist of the Year.[21][22]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Piano Man" |
| Kim Do-hoon | 3:15 | |
| 2. | "Gentleman" (featuring Esna) |
|
| Lee Sang Ho | 3:40 |
| 3. | "Love Lane" (CD Only) |
| Park Woo-sang | Park Woo-sang | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Piano Man" (Piano version) |
| Kim Do-hoon | 3:15 | |
| 5. | "Piano Man" (Instrumental) |
| Kim Do-hoon | 3:17 | |
| Total length: | 13:27 | ||||
Charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korean Albums (Gaon)[4] | 8 |
References
edit- ^ Lee Hye-rin (November 5, 2014). "마마무, 이달말 컴백..11월 걸그룹 대전 합류". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ "마마무 – Piano Man". Hanteo. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Piano Man" (in Korean). Melon. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ a b "2014년 50주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ "2014년 12월 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ "2014년 48주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ "2014년 49주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ Kim Jae-heun (March 21, 2016). "MAMAMOO wants to collaborate with Jay Z". The Korea Times. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ "2015년 46주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
- ^ "'불후의 명곡' 배호 특집 마마무 1부 우승 '시원시원한 가창력과 완벽한 호흡'" [Mamamoo wins 'Immortal Songs' Bae Ho Special – Strong Vocals and Perfect Breath]. Busan Ilbo (in Korean). October 31, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ "K-pop's top girl crush groups in 2016". K-Pop Herald. January 29, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ Herman, Tamar (October 3, 2016). "Mamamoo's 'Melting' Brings Retro Soul Back to K-Pop". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ a b "MAMAMOO & eSNa (AHH OOP!)". Pops in Seoul. April 20, 2015. Arirang. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (November 17, 2014). "[Video] MAMAMOO Unveils Jazzy Teaser for ′Piano Man′ Featuring B1A4′s Gongchan". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ Metaoloz (November 24, 2014). "Mamamoo – Piano Man MV". Vimeo. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ a b Hong, Grace Danbi (November 21, 2014). "[Video] MAMAMOO Members Find Their ′Piano Man′ in B1A4′s Gongchan in New MV". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ "MAMAMOO(마마무) – Interview". Pops in Seoul. December 9, 2014. Event occurs at 2:29. Arirang. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ Ghim, Sora (November 25, 2014). "Gongchan Becomes Mamamoo's 'Piano Man'". BNT News. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ a b Lee Jeong-hyeok (November 18, 2014). "마마무, 오늘 '더쇼'에서 신곡 '피아노맨' 공개". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ Kim Min-ji (December 27, 2014). "마마무, 마이크로 의상 아래 드러난 스키니 각선미(음악중심)". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ Jo Hye-ryeon (January 28, 2015). "[가온차트K-POP어워드] 마마무, 신인 맞아? 무대부터 가창력까지 '화려해'". TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ Hwang Hye-jin (January 29, 2015). "SUJU's Leeteuk Commemorates Ladies' Code's Late Kwon Rise and EunB at 'Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards'". Newsen. Translated by Yeawon Jung. Archived from the original on March 6, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2016.