Misplaced Pages

"Fxxk It" (Korean: 에라 모르겠다; RR: Era moreugettda; lit. Eh I don't know) is a song recorded by South Korean boy band Big Bang. The group's first single in over a year, "Fxxk It" was released alongside "Last Dance" on December 13, 2016, in conjunction with the group's third Korean-language studio album Made through YG Entertainment. It was written by long-time group collaborator Teddy Park with group members G-Dragon and T.O.P, with production handled by the first two contributors along with R. Tee.

Musically, "Fxxk It" is an electronic hip-hop track that blends instrumentations of horns, synths, and tropical beats. The song's lyrical content revolves around the notion of letting go of ones worries. It was subject to positive reviews from music critics; The Star highlighted its "playful persona and eclectic artistry" while Dazed was favorable towards its easy-going production and the members' vocal delivery.

The song was a commercial success—it topped the Gaon Digital Chart for three consecutive weeks and sold more than 2,500,000 digital units in South Korea. Elsewhere, it peaked within the top ten on the Japan Hot 100 and entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 98. BigBang promoted the song with live performances on the music program Inkigayo throughout the month following its release. It was also included on the set lists of their ongoing 10th anniversary 0.TO.10 concert tour and Big Bang Special Event fan meeting in Japan and South Korea.

Background and release

On December 6, the name of the single was revealed with a promotional poster. The song was released on December 13 at midnight KST worldwide on iTunes. Upon its release, national public broadcaster KBS banned the song from being permitted to air. According to their announcement, KBS' music review panel had flagged it as inappropriate for broadcast due to its lyrics, particularly with the world "yangachi," which translates to "thug" or "scumbag". In response, however, YG Entertainment said "We will not be reviewing the song," stating that they would not be changing the lyrics to be more broadcast-friendly.

Music and lyrics

"Fxxk It" was written by YG Entertainment producer Teddy Park alongside BigBang members G-Dragon and T.O.P, whilst production was handled by the first two contributors alongside R. Tee. The members have said that the song came out "when we didn't know what to do and were just sighing", and wanted to express the feeling of immaturity in it. The song's production was noted for being "futuristic", including a "amalgamation of tropical beats, horns and synths". Tamar Herman of Billboard described it as "quirky mid-tempo" that "pulls heavily on Big Bang’s international appeal and begins with Taeyang’s English-language lovelorn verse. The song quickly morphs into an electronic hip-hop track that blends an eclectic mix of horns, synths, and tropical beats, recalling the subtle chaos of last year’s 'Bae Bae.'" Fuse said that the song mirrors one the album's previous singles, "Bae Bae,": "the guys deliver bouncy, electro-hip-hop, detailing relationship nerves until finally deciding 'Fxxk it, I just wanna get down.'" Chester Chin from The Star said that "it sets the perfect tone by being one of the BigBang-est song there is. The quirky mid-tempo hip-hop number underlines the boys’ playful persona and eclectic artistry.

Critical reception

"Fxxk It" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Writing for Billboard, Tamar Herman ranked the track number seven in the magazine's list of ten best BigBang songs, saying that it "incorporates the best of the quintet: strong vocals, dramatic raps, and quirky beats". Alan Gibbens from Gig Soup Music was favorable towards the track's upbeat and enjoyable character, and said that "the chorus is catchy and bouncy, with a general tone of letting go of ones worries." Jeff Benjamin for Fuse described the song as "career-exemplifying" and wrote that it "highlights the group's always-forward-thinking production along with their signature style of mixing heartfelt with tongue-in-cheek lyrics". Benjamin concluded by complimenting "how comfortable the guys sound on the track, particularly as Taeyang nails the all-English opening, further proving their international appeal".

Jon Caramanica from The New York Times was favorable towards the song, where he highlighted its more laid-back production and the members' vocal delivery. In The Star, Chester Chin called the track a "futuristic top-notched" offering, capturing the group's "playful persona and eclectic artistry". Dazed ranked it one of the best K-pop songs of 2016, highlighting the group's "undeniable maturity", stating that "everything here flows, no one element is too heavy-handed". The publication additionally added that "as a final single for some time due to military service, it’s a definite high to go out on". Apple Music additionally listed it as one of the best songs of the week.

Awards

Due to is success on digital platforms, "Fxxk It" received the Song of the Year – December award at the 6th Gaon Chart Music Awards and was one of the eleven songs to receive the Digital Bonsang prize at the 32nd Golden Disc Awards. The song additionally achieved the top spot on the music programs M Countdown, Inkigayo, and Music Bank, and received four consecutive weekly Melon Popularity Awards.

Commercial performance

"Fxxk It" was commercially successful in South Korea. It debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart in the week of December 11–17, 2016, where it recorded the second highest weekly sales of the year after Lim Chang-jung's "The Love That I Committed" in September, selling 325,623 digital copies in five days. The single also debuted at the top position on the component streaming chart during the same week, with over seven million audio streams. The song remained atop the digital ranking in the next two chart issues with a total of three weeks at number one, selling another 273,875 digital units in the country. It topped both the December 2016 monthly digital and download rankings, with nearly 600,000 digital units sold in three weeks since being made available. During the course of the following year, the song garnered an additional 1,178,534 digital downloads, ranking at number 35 on the component download chart for 2017. It was the 25th most streamed track of the year with more than 81.8 million audio streams, raising the cumulative streaming figures for the song to 103 million. "Fxxk It" was ranked the 35th best-performing single overall in the country on the 2017 year-end digital chart.

In Japan, the song debuted and peaked at number seven on the Japan Hot 100 in the chart issue dated December 21, 2016. It charted for an additional five weeks on the Japanese Billboard chart. "Fxxk It" also entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 98 in the chart issue dated January 7, 2017, the first song of the group to appear on the chart. In the United States, the song charted second on the US World Digital Song Sales, becoming their eighth top-two single on the chart; it further remained on the chart for an additional nine weeks. In its year-end ranking for 2017, "Fxxk It" was listed as the 15th most downloaded foreign-language/international song in the US. In Finland, the single peaked at number 23 on the national download chart, becoming BigBang's highest-charting single. It additionally entered the New Zealand Heatseekers singles chart at number 7.

Music video and promotion

The music video was filmed in Cheongju, on October 18, 2016. It was directed by Seo Hyun-seung, who previously directed "Fantastic Baby" (2012) and "Bang Bang Bang" (2015). "Fxxk It" was chosen by Stereogum as the best music video of the week, with critic Tom Breihan saying that "South Korea’s greatest boy band have mastered the visual panache of the mid'-90s alt-rock/bubblegrunge video, and none of us are safe."

Charts

Release history

References

1. ^ "Bigbang Releases 3 New Songs Ahead of T.O.P's South Korean Military Service". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
2. ^ ""Comeback D-6" Bigbang… The title track is "Fxxk It"". YG Life. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
3. Lee, Sang-won (December 21, 2016). "KBS bans Big Bang's 'Fxxk It' for 'inappropriate' lyrics". Kpop Herald. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
4. "Bigbang Says, "'Fxxk It' came out when we didn't know what to do and were just sighing." (Interview)". YG Life. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
5. ^ Chin, Chester (January 31, 2017). "Review: Made by BigBang". The Star. Archived from the original on July 24, 2017.
6. "The 10 Best Bigbang Songs: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
7. Gibbens, Alan (May 2, 2017). "Big Bang 'Made'". GIGsoup. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
8. "Bigbang Finally Release 'Made' Album with Career-Exemplifying 'Fxxk It' and 'Last Dance' Videos". fuse. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
9. Caramanica, Jon (December 16, 2016). "The Playlist: BigBang Prepares for a Split and 2 Chainz Steals the Spotlight′". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
10. "The 20 best K-Pop tracks of the year". Dazed. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
11. "Big Bang′s 'Fxxk It' Featured on iTunes' 'Best of the Week'". MWave. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
12. "주간 인기상" [Melon Music Weekly Award]. Melon. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
13. Hwang, Soo-yeon (February 22, 2017). "[6th 가온차트]"더 없이 공정했다"..엑소 4관왕·블랙핑크 3관왕(종합)" [ 'It was more fair'.. Exo wins 4 crowns, Blackpink 3 crowns (comprehensive)]. Herald Pop (in Korean).
14. Lee, Dambi (November 15, 2017). "멜론 뮤직 어워드 'TOP10' 로 보는 2017 K팝" [2017 K-Pop seen through Melon Music Awards 'Top 10']. Kookmin Ilbo (in Korean).
15. Kim, Yeon-ji (December 11, 2017). [32회 골든] 부문별 후보부터 심사기준까지..골든디스크, 톺아보기 [ From the nominations for each category to the judging criteria... Golden Disc Awards, click here]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Retrieved December 13, 2017.
16. '엠카' 빅뱅, 세븐틴 누르고 1위…이어지는 괴물 행보 (종합) ['M Countdown' Big Bang beats Seventeen and ranked first... The next monster's walk]. Xports News (in Korean). December 22, 2016. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021 – via Naver.
17. '엠카운트다운' 빅뱅, 새해 첫 1위...AOA·엄정화 등 컴백 러시(종합) ['M Countdown' Big Bang, the first place in the new year...]. Ten Asia (in Korean). January 5, 2017. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020 – via Naver.
18. 빅뱅 출연없이 '엠카운트다운' 1위…신화 컴백·아이 핫데뷔(종합) [Big Bang achieves No. 1 in 'M Countdown' without appearing... Shinhwa's comeback]. News1 (in Korean). January 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020 – via Naver.
19. 12월 넷째 주 인기가요 차트 (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System. December 27, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
20. 1월 첫째 주 인기가요 차트 (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System. January 3, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
21. 1월 둘째 주 인기가요 차트 (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System. January 8, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
22. 역시 빅뱅! '뮤직뱅크' 1위…신화 컴백·아이 데뷔[종합] [Big Bang too! 1st place on 'Music Bank'... Shinhwa comeback, child debut ]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021 – via Naver.
23. '뮤직뱅크' 서현-니엘 화려한 솔로 컴백…빅뱅 2주째 1위 (종합) ['Music Bank' Seohyun's brilliant solo comeback... Big Bang 2nd week 1st place (Overall)]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). January 20, 2017. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021 – via Naver.
24. "Gaon Digital Chart – Week 51 of 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. December 17, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
25. Kim, Jin-woo (December 22, 2016). "동향_ 빅뱅 컴백과 시즌송 시장 부진" [Trend_ Big Bang comeback and season song market slump] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
26. "Gaon Download Chart – Week 51 of 2016". Gaon Music Chart. December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
27. "Gaon Streaming Chart – Week 51 of 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
28. ^ Kim, Jin-woo (January 9, 2017). "12월 리뷰, 엑소 음반 판매량 1위" [December review, Exo's album sales number 1] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.
29. "Gaon Download Chart – December 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
30. "Gaon Download Chart – 2017 (Year-End)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
31. Streaming references for "Fxxk It":
    • "2016 December Gaon Streaming Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
    • "2017 Gaon Streaming Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
32. "Gaon Digital Chart – 2017 (Year-End)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
33. ^ "Billboard's Japan Hot 100 Singles Chart: Singles". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
34. "Big Bang Chart History: Japan Hot 100 (Fxxk It)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
35. "Billboard's Canada Hot 100 Singles Chart: Singles". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
36. "Big Bang Chart History - World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
37. ^ "World Digital Song Sales - Year-End 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
38. ^ "Suomen virallinen lista - Big Bang: Fxxk It" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
39. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Singles". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
40. "[Exclusive ②] Sechkies & Bigbang are coming back in December… Not competing, but "pushing and pulling" one another for mutual success". YG Life. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
41. "The 5 Best Videos Of The Week". Stereogum. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
42. "Bigbang Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
43. "Gaon Digital Chart: December 11–17, 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016.
44. Benjamin, Jeff (December 19, 2016). "BIGBANG Earns 2nd Entry on Billboard 200 With Career-Defining 'Made' Album". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
45. "2016년 12월 Digital Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
46. "2017년 Digital Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

• BigBang (South Korean band) songs
• 2016 singles
• 2016 songs
• Songs in Korean
• YG Entertainment singles
• Songs written by Teddy Park
• Songs written by G-Dragon
• Songs written by T.O.P
• Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles