"The Lone Duckling" () is a song by South Korean pop music group

g.o.d g.o.d (; acronym for Groove Over Dose) is a South Korean boy band formed by IHQ (company), SidusHQ. Debuting in 1999, the group became one of the most popular boy bands of the early 2000s in South Korea. The members had gone on to solo careers ...

and released on May 7, 2014, as a teaser for their comeback and reunion to celebrate fifteen years since their debut in 1999. It was their first release since going on hiatus in December 2005.

Overview

The song is categorized as a ballad and was written and composed by

Duble Sidekick Duble Sidekick () is a South Korean music producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job i ...

, with the rap composed by

Danny Ahn Danny Ahn (; born December 22, 1978) is a South Korean- American entertainer best known as the main rapper of the South Korean pop music group g.o.d. Having made his debut in the entertainment industry as a member of g.o.d in 1999, Ahn has gone ...

. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' describes the song as having "classic boy band harmonies with modern-day electronic elements for a hit that boasts a hint of nostalgia for old-school fans". The title is a reference to the story of "

The Ugly Duckling "The Ugly Duckling" () is a Danish literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). It was first published on 11 November 1843 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. First Collection'', with three other tale ...

". The lyrics are sung from the perspective of an observer watching the duckling "crying" alone and likening one's own personal struggles to that of the duckling.

Track listing

*Digital download # "The Lone Duckling" – 4:24 # "The Lone Duckling" (instrumental) – 4:24

Release and reception

Despite being a pre-release for the upcoming eighth album, the single achieved what is known in the industry as an " all-kill", topping ten online music websites within two hours and temporarily displacing popular boy band

EXO Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...

in the #1 spot on the Gaon Charts. It peaked at #1 on ''

Korea K-Pop Hot 100 The K-pop Hot 100 was a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multim ...

and remained in the Top 30 for five consecutive weeks until the chart was discontinued in early July. The single finished second in the ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...

'' rankings for May 18 despite g.o.d not promoting the song at any music programs or being present at the show. Based on data compiled by the

Gaon Music Chart The Circle Chart (), previously known as the Gaon Music Chart or the Gaon Chart (), tabulates the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in South Korea. Founded in 2010, it is produced by the Korea Music Content Association and sponsored ...

it was the top-selling single for the month of May and remained in the top 50 for nine consecutive weeks. The first and only time g.o.d have performed the song as a quintet on a televised program was their appearance on ''

You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook ''You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook'' () is a South Korean talk show and live music television program airing from April 24, 2009, until July 22, 2022. It was hosted by You Hee-yeol, also known as his one-man band, Toy. The program has aired since Apri ...

'' in September 2014. As the single was intended to raise funds for victims of the Sewol ferry disaster, a music video was not made and the YouTube video uploaded by label

CJ E&M CJ ENM Entertainment Division (), formerly known as CJ E&M, is a South Korean entertainment and mass media division (formerly company) of CJ ENM. In July 2018, the company merged with the parent company's subsidiary CJ O Shopping, with the latte ...

only contains a screenshot of the group's logo and the song title. The video still garnered over a million views and was eighth most watched (internationally) K-pop music video in May. The song was well received by fans and critics, who have noted the meaningful lyrics and "comforting" melody as a welcome respite in a tragic time and also praised group's decision to retain their unique and signature blend of R&B and rap rather than follow the current K-pop trends.

Charts

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Track Information
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Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lone Duckling G.o.d songs 2014 singles 2014 songs Songs in Korean Billboard Korea K-Pop number-one singles Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles