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T.O.P.
Studio album by Shinhwa
Released	April 15, 1999 (1999-04-15)
Recorded	1999
Studio	SM Digital Recording Studio (Seoul)
Genre	K-pop
Language	Korean
Label	SM
Shinhwa chronology
Resolver (1998) T.O.P. (1999) Only One (2000)
Singles from T.O.P.
"T.O.P." Released: April 15, 1999 "Yo!" Released: April 15, 1999

T.O.P. is the second Korean studio album by South Korean boy band Shinhwa. It was released on April 15, 1999, by SM Entertainment. The album title T.O.P. stands for Twinkling Of Paradise. The album spawned two singles: the title track "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)", which incorporated elements of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", and "Yo!". The album saw greater levels of success in comparison to their debut album Resolver (1998), selling over 377,000 copies in 1999. Both of its singles ranked atop the music program charts for multiple weeks.

Reception

The album garnered much success, climbing the charts quickly (debuting at number four and peaking at number three on the MIAK monthly album chart). Although they promoted their first album well, Shinhwa did not do many promotions for their second album, and instead began working on their third album. Despite the lack of promotions, the single "T.O.P." was a success, and spent 24 weeks on the charts before it dropped. "T.O.P." represented Shinhwa's first significant commercial success and was noted for its use of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" music.

SM Entertainment labelmate S.E.S. released a cover of "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)" as their fourth Japanese single on October 27, 1999. Years after its original release, "T.O.P." has been performed on television with its original choreography by groups such as Girls' Generation, Spica, Super Junior, and BTS.

Music video

The music video for "T.O.P." shows the six Shinhwa members in white suits with a bright fantasy-like back-drop. The music video for "Yo!" tells the story of vocalist Lee Minwoo, as a trouble-maker boy who falls in love with a girl, played by Kim Bo-mi.

Accolades

The second single "Yo!" collected seven number one wins on live music programs, a record it held until "This Love" from their eleventh album The Classic, won eight first place wins in 2013. This record was broken again by "Sniper" from their twelfth album We, which won ten first place wins in 2015.

In 2021, Melon and Seoul Shinmun ranked "T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)" number 81 in their list of the Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time. Critic Park Hee-ah called it a main prototype of how "idols can freely embrace any genre of music, can generate great interest by twisting existing perspectives, and can also provide fun in interpreting the narratives hidden in albums or songs. In other words, 'T.O.P.' was a track that contained all the factors that has helped made K-pop popular these days."

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

Charts and sales

Monthly charts

Sales

Release history

References

1. 6집 '너의 결혼식' 낸 신화, The Chosun Ilbo, retrieved January 19, 2015
2. 신인들의 신화창조…댄스그룹 '신화'2집, The Chosun Ilbo, retrieved January 19, 2015
3. 소녀시대, '9인의 여전사' 파격 변신...신화 'T.O.P' 도전, E-Daily, September 7, 2008, retrieved January 18, 2015
4. 스피카 '신화 T.O.P 재현, 영광이에요~', JoongAng Ilbo, retrieved January 18, 2015
5. 2005 MKMF 2nd Story:Reloaded-Super Junior+ChunSangJeeHee+TVXQ/ Man in love-Kim JongKuk+Shin HyeSung+Tei/ March-Drunken Tiger+T+Dynamic Duo+Jeon InKwon, CJ E&M, archived from the original on October 26, 2014, retrieved January 18, 2015
6. BTS – This Love & T.O.P (Shinhwa), 방탄소년단 – 디스러브 & 티오피 (신화), Show Champion 20140319, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved January 18, 2015
7. Kim, JiYeon (June 7, 2013). "Shinhwa Gets Most No. 1 Trophies for a Single Track with ′This Love′". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
8. "SHINHWA Concludes "Sniper" Promotions with Ten Music Show Awards". Soompi. April 3, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
9. "K-POP 명곡 100 – 81위 T.O.P. (Twinkling Of Paradise)" (in Korean). Melon. August 29, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
10. T.O.P. (Media notes). SM Entertainment. 1999.
11. "Album Sales For The Month of May 1999". Recording Industry Association Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 18, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
12. "Album Sales For The Month of September 1999" (in Korean). Recording Industry Association Korea. Archived from the original on March 15, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
13. "T.O.P album info". Hanteo (in Korean). Retrieved March 20, 2015.
14. "T.O.P. album info (Japan)". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved March 20, 2015.

• 1999 albums
• Shinhwa albums
• SM Entertainment albums
• 1990s Korean-language albums