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Girls' Generation's Gee celebrates 15 years: Exploring song's records and major impact on Korean wave
Girls’ Generation’s iconic, timeless song Gee just turned 15. Here’s all you need to know about the legendary song and its impact on the Korean wave.
As 2024 unfolds, the concept of K-pop songs and videos going viral has become really common. Groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, and NewJeans deliver hits almost every other day. However, looking back to 2009, only a few years after the debut of YouTube, South Korean acts with hits that circulated globally through their music videos were a rarity. It was during this time that Girls' Generation made a significant impact by releasing Gee on January 5, transforming the landscape of K-pop and setting a new standard for international recognition.
Now, 15 years later, the impact of Gee continues to resonate across the K-pop landscape. Beyond propelling the then-nonet to the top as one of the premier girl groups of their generation, the success of the song marked the onset of a new era in K-pop, leading to one of the industry's most transformative and pivotal years.
Gee by Girls' Generation: Know the song and its records
Gee stands out as a bubblegum track featuring an electrifying blend of electropop and Europop, characterized by prominent techno- and hip-hop-influenced synthesizers and beats. The lyrics convey the theme of first love from a youthful female perspective.
Accompanying the infectious melody is a music video that portrays group members as mannequins. As the shop owner departs, these mannequins come to life, showcasing vibrant choreography in colored skinny jeans. Notably, Gee achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first girl group video to surpass 300 million views on YouTube.
Even at 15 years old, Gee retains its timeless brightness and infectious charm, continuing to set the standard for bubblegum pop perfection. Fueled by its memorable hook featuring the repeated phrases "gee, gee, gee, gee, baby, baby, baby," this Girls' Generation classic, penned by K-pop hitmakers E-TRIBE, opens sweetly with an English-language intro: "Listen boy, my first love story/ My angels, my girls, my sunshine."
Gee eventually became a big hit, scoring nine consecutive number ones on KBS's Music Bank and bagging eight consecutive wins on Mnet's chart, making a record at that time. It earned the title of Song of the Decade on South Korea's online music platform Melon and was crowned the most popular song of 2009 on Music Bank.
The song's video prominently featured SHINee member Minho in the role of a shopkeeper. The music video underwent a remastered version, which is part of SM Entertainment's SM x YouTube Remastering Project, aiming to revisit the history of K-pop due to the genre's widespread popularity today.
In January 2014, Gee received a Million certification from the RIAJ, surpassing one million digital downloads. It stands as the group's top-selling single in the US. Music critics acknowledge Gee as a K-pop classic that played a pivotal role in shaping the contemporary bubblegum sound, with its popularity attributed in part to the iconic music video. The song secured the top spot on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music.
Watch the iconic song here-
Girls' Generation's Gee's impact on Korean music industry
Gee stands as a true K-pop classic and is widely recognized as the group's signature song. In crafting the group's biography for AllMusic, Chris True highlighted Gee as one of their standout tracks. This iconic song was pivotal in propelling K-pop into the second Hallyu wave, influencing the sound of subsequent girl groups. Girls' Generation, also known as the Nation's Girl Group, became a household name in Korea and various parts of Asia.
According to music critic Jiseon Choi, the rise of Gee in 2009 set off a nationwide phenomenon, heating up the cultural landscape. This period marked the peak of late 2000s pop culture, with the song serving as the soundtrack and mood board for many high school students' first experiences of blossoming romance. Essentially, Gee captures the essence of first love in sonic form. Notably, in 2010, Gee topped the Oricon Daily Chart, making it the first song by a foreign Asian girl group to achieve this milestone.
The impact of Gee extended beyond its status as one of the year's best-selling songs. The dance moves, particularly the viral "crab dance," became a cultural sensation, and the group's fashion choices, notably the skinny jeans, set trends that resonated widely. This marked the beginning of the Girls' Generation's ascent as one of the most influential girl groups in history.
Their journey continued with a string of hits and monumental concert tours, solidifying their position in the music industry. Despite undergoing changes over the years, with only five members actively remaining under SM Entertainment as the unit team Oh!GG, Gee undeniably served as the catalyst that transformed the K-pop landscape. It not only launched Girls' Generation's career but also established a strong example of what it takes to become a generation's girl group.
Watch Gee's Japanese version here-
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