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"One Candle" (Korean: 촛불하나; RR: Chotbulhana) is a song performed by South Korean boy band g.o.d. It is from their third album Chapter 3 (2000), and has since become one of their most widely-known songs.

Music

The lyrics and music were composed by Park Jin-young. He stated that the lyrics were inspired by a quote he saw on graffiti while visiting New York City: "Better to light a candle than curse the darkness." The song was promoted alongside the title track "Lies". At that time, the group was not managed by his company JYP Entertainment but he worked closely with them as a producer and songwriter. The accompanying soundtrack was also included in the album and was arranged by composer and music producer Bang Si-hyuk, who went on to establish Big Hit Entertainment.

The song is unusual as it opens with a spoken narration by Danny Ahn introducing the theme of the song, followed by Yoon Kye-sang and Son Ho-young rapping the verse. The chorus is sung in the American gospel style. The introduction is accentuated by handclaps and the audience is often encouraged to clap along during live performances.

Reception and commercial performance

The immense success of the album's title track "Lies" largely overshadowed "One Candle", which did not garner any recognition or awards despite being one of two songs promoted alongside "Lies" when the album was first released. Despite this the song has since become well-known both within South Korea and the Korean diaspora in the United States.

Already a popular and familiar noraebang song, "One Candle" charted in the Gaon Music Charts for the first time when g.o.d reunited in July 2014, following a nine-year hiatus. It reached #80 in the Digital Chart and peaked at #70 in the Noraebang Chart.

In popular culture

"Sky Blue Promise" (하늘색 약속), one of the pre-released songs from g.o.d's 15th anniversary album Chapter 8, heavily references "One Candle". It was a homage to their past hits and utilizes several lines from "One Candle" as well as the rhythm.

As "One Candle" is considered one of g.o.d's best known songs, it is frequently referred to whenever a member appears on television. Danny Ahn, Son Ho-young and Kim Tae-woo performed it together during their appearance on the Mnet music talk show The Playlist. Ahn performed his own rap part in his drama The Three Witches during a scene in which his character marries Shin Dong-mi's character. The song was referenced during Yoon Kye-sang's appearance Saturday Night Live Korea in which his character from The Outlaws, mobster Jang Chen, starts composing his own poem (by directly quoting the first verse of "One Candle").

In 2016 "One Candle" gained notoriety as one of many songs sung at candlelight rallies and protests calling for the removal of President Park Geun-hye, leading cultural commentators to later quip that the song's lyrics was prophetic of current times despite being written over fifteen years ago.

Is not a candle very fragile? The Saenuri politician said that the candle would be blown out by the wind, but the small, slender candles gathered two, three, and four, and finally it became a torch and went wild. It is communal power. "I will always be by your side / so that you never feel alone in this world. / I'll be right beside you holding your hand." These lyrics reflect the condition of our society.
— Professor Kim Tae-il on KBS Radio 1

The song was featured in a short film The Gil, which documented four British indie artists' dive into K-pop through remaking "One Candle" and "The Road". Directed by Korean-British Jeon Saet-byeol, the film was produced to commemorate 140 years of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Korea.

Notable cover versions

The upbeat melody and recognizable chorus have led the song to become popular with street performers. Traveling British busker Aancod Zaccarelli, who previously lived in South Korea as a teenager, sang the song accompanied by his guitar on a platform at the Seoul National University Station. Subsequent videos of the sizeable crowds of commuters singing and clapping along with him were uploaded on social media and went viral. The videos caught the attention of g.o.d leader Park Joon-hyung, who publicly complimented him during a press conference. He was invited to g.o.d's 15th anniversary concert series and performed on July 12, 2014, as the opening act.

The song has been covered numerous times by younger artists and sung at year-end ceremonies and festivals as an encore song. It was performed at the 2015 KBS Drama Awards by nominees for the Best New Actor and Actress awards and all participants at the 2016 KBS Song Festival during the opening stage. Other notable cover versions include:

• Katie Kim (K-pop Star season 4, Top 6 round)
• Park Ji-yeon, JB, Park Seo-joon and Ailee in the television series Dream High 2
• Son Seung-yeon and friends (winner of Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend episode 229)
• Yook Joong-wan and Lee Joo-hyuk (winner of MBC's Duet Song Festival episode 44)

References

1. ^ "<깨알상식> 케이티 김, god…국제앰네스티" (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. May 28, 2015.
2. "3집 Chapter 3". Naver Music. Naver. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
3. Anderson, Crystal S. (2020). Soul in Seoul: African American Popular Music and K-Pop. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496830098.
4. ^ "In a Korean Subway Station, Foreign Street Performer Busts Out Amazing Old-School K-pop". KoreAm. July 8, 2014.
5. "KTMF unites fans and performers at the Hollywood Bowl". The Korea Times. May 5, 2014.
6. "2014년 30주차 노래방 Chart" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
7. "2014년 28주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
8. "2014년 07월 노래방 Chart" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association.
9. "'하늘색 약속'에 담긴 god의 추억들, 눈치 채셨나요?". 10Asia (Korea Economic Daily) (in Korean). July 2, 2014.
10. "[더플레이리스트] god - 촛불하나(One Candle) (무대 FULL ver.)" (in Korean). YouTube (원스 ONCE). August 12, 2021.
11. "데니안-신동미, 특별한 결혼식 축가 '촛불하나' @마녀의 성 85회 20160419" (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System Official YouTube Channel. April 19, 2016.
12. "윤계상, '범죄도시' 장첸과 god가 만났을 때". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). October 31, 2021.
13. "'SNL 코리아' 윤계상, 장첸부터 god까지 소환… "역대급 호스트"". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). October 30, 2021.
14. "이대생 수천명 '촛불하나' 부르며 마스크 집회". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). August 3, 2016.
15. "DJ 박명수, '6차 촛불집회' 앞두고 '촛불하나' 선곡…". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). December 2, 2016.
16. "촛불집회 밝힌 '예상 밖 노래' 4". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). December 24, 2016.
17. "[비디오머그] '촛불 하나'로 듣는 5차 촛불 집회" (in Korean). SBS. November 27, 2016.
18. "'하야하그라' 피켓 들고 '그만두유' 마시며 다같이 '하야송'". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). November 28, 2016.
19. ^ "[KBS 공감토론] "2016 결산과 새해전망"" (in Korean). KBS. January 2, 2017.
20. "9 K-Pop Songs That Recently Became Part of South Korean Politics". Billboard K-Town. May 2, 2018.
21. "'Road' by K-pop group g.o.d remade into documentary short film". The Korea Times. November 10, 2023.
22. "Documentary of singers covering g.o.d songs invited to film awards". Korea JoongAng Daily. November 10, 2023.
23. "[공식] god '길' '촛불하나' 리메이크 단편 영화 '더 길', 영국브라이트X스칸디나비안영화제 초청". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). November 10, 2023.
24. "교대역에서 울려퍼진 god 노래." (in Korean). Naver. July 6, 2014.
25. "International busker a hit on the subway". The Korea Herald. July 15, 2014.
26. "god 박준형 "교대역 외국인 안코드, 우리보다 노래 잘해"". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). July 26, 2014.
27. "실검보고서, '사람이 좋다', 교대역 god 안코드의 빛나는 '촛불하나'". 10Asia (Korea Economic Daily) (in Korean). July 26, 2014.
28. "[god 콘서트]국민그룹 지오디 15주년 기념, 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert 지오디 콘서트 관람" (in Korean). Naver. July 13, 2014.
29. "2015 KBS 연기대상 1부 - 축하공연, 신인 연기자들이 꾸미는 무대! '촛불하나'.20151231". YouTube (KBS). December 31, 2015.
30. "'가요대축제' 전 출연자, god '촛불 하나'로 화려한 포문". JoongAng Daily (in Korean). December 29, 2016.
31. "8 Performances From "Immortal Song" You Need to Watch Right Now". Soompi. February 11, 2016.
32. "'불후의 명곡' god, 전설을 노래하다 …'어머님께부터 촛불하나까지' 우승자는?". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). December 13, 2015.

• G.o.d songs
• 2000 songs
• Songs in Korean
• Songs written by Park Jin-young