melon counts down the ‘Top 100 K-Pop Masterpieces,’ or the 100 best kpop songs of all time!

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

Earlier this week, Melon started a countdown of the 100 best kpop songs! The 100 songs were picked out of 1,120 picks by a board of 35 critics and/or industry professionals. On Melon's write-up it says the criteria was based on the popularity, creativity, influence, significance, and performances of the songs picked... that includes the virality for the some of the newer songs definitely, too. You can check the yearly breakdown here. Below is a (nearly) full playlist! It's 97 songs, excluding “와 (WA)” by Lee Jung Hyun (entry 22), “U-Go-Girl” by Lee Hyori (entry 41) and “초대 (Invitation)” by Uhm Jung Hwa (entry 67).

1. BoA – No.1 (2002)
2. EXO – 으르렁 (Growl) (2013)
3. PSY – 강남스타일 (2012)
4. BTS – Dynamite (2020)
5. Girls’ Generation – Gee (2009)
6. Girls’ Generation – 다시 만난 세계 (Into the New World) (2007)
7. 2NE1 – 내가 제일 잘나가 (I am the Best) (2011)
8. Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra (2009)
9. Wonder Girls – Tell me (2007)
10. TVXQ! – 주문-MIROTIC (2008)
11. SHINee – Sherlock.셜록 (Clue+Note) (2012)
12. SUPER JUNIOR – 쏘리 쏘리 (Sorry, Sorry) (2009)
13. BLACKPINK – 뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU) (2018)
14. S.E.S. – (‘Cause) I’m Your Girl (1997)
15. IU – 좋은 날 (2010)
16. Lee Hyori – 10 Minutes (2003)
17. H.O.T. – Candy (1996)
18. KARA – 미스터 (2009)
19. BIGBANG – 거짓말 (2007)
20. Red Velvet – 빨간 맛 (Red Flavor) (2017)
21. Seotaiji and Boys – 난 알아요 (1992)
22. Lee Jung Hyun – 와 (1999)
23. INFINITE – 내꺼하자 (2011)
24. BIGBANG – FANTASTIC BABY (2012)
25. BTS – 피 땀 눈물 (2016)
26. miss A – Bad Girl Good Girl (2010)
27.Wonder Girls – Nobody (2008)
28.Sunmi – 가시나 (2017)
29. SECHSKIES – 커플 (1998)
30. god – 거짓말 (2000)
31. TWICE – CHEER UP (2016)
32. BTS – 봄날 (2017)
33. Girls’ Generation – I Got A Boy (2013)
34. IU – 스물셋 (2015)
35. 2PM – Heartbeat (2009)
36. Taemin – MOVE (2017)
37. 2NE1 – Fire (2009)
38. Baby VOX – Get Up (1999)
39. Gain – 피어나 (2012)
40. f(x) – 4 Walls (2015)
41. Lee Hyori – U-Go-Girl (With Nassun) (2008)
42. EXID – 위아래 (2014)
43. HyunA – Bubble Pop! (2011)
44. CLON – 꿍따리 샤바라 (1996)
45. f(x) – NU 예삐오 (NU ABO) (2010)
46. Taeyang – 눈, 코, 입 (2014)
47. G-Dragon – 삐딱하게 (Crooked) (2013)
48. IZ*ONE – FIESTA (2020)
49. (G)I-DLE – LION (2019)
50. NCT U – 일곱 번째 감각 (The 7th Sense) (2016)
51. Chungha – 벌써 12시 (2019)
52. OH MY GIRL – 비밀정원 (2018)
53. SHINee – View (2015)
54. DEUX – 여름 안에서 (1994)
55. f(x) – 첫 사랑니(Rum Pum Pum Pum) (2013)
56. TWICE – TT (2016)
57. Fin. K.L – 영원한 사랑 (1999)
58. H.O.T. – 전사의 후예 (폭력시대) (1992)
59. DEUX – 나를 돌아봐 (1993)
60. ITZY – 달라달라 (2019)
61. Park Ji Yoon – 성인식 (2000)
62. Rain – 태양을 피하는 방법 (2003)
63. Orange Caramel – 까탈레나 (Catallena) (2014)
64. T-ARA – Roly-Poly (2011)
65. Wanna One – 에너제틱 (Energetic) (2017)
66. GFRIEND – 시간을 달려서 (Rough) (2016)
67. Uhm Jung Hwa – 초대 (1998)
68. SHINHWA – Brand New (2004)
69. LOONA – Butterfly (2019)
70. BTS – DNA (2017)
71. SISTAR – 나혼자 (Alone) (2012)
72. Rain – It’s Raining (2004)
73. Zico – 아무노래 (2020)
74. BTS – 작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy With Luv) (Feat. Halsey) (2019)
75. god – 길 (2001)
76. AFTERSCHOOL – 뱅(Bang)! (2010)
77. iKON – 사랑을 했다 (LOVE SCENARIO) (2018)
78. WINNER – REALLY REALLY (2017)
79. Taeyeon – I (Feat. Verbal Jint) (2015)
80. SEVENTEEN – 아주 NICE (2016)
81. SHINHWA – T.O.P. (Twinkling Of Paradise) (1999)
82. IU – 밤편지 (2017)
83. MAMAMOO – 음오아예 (Um Oh Ah Yeh) (2015)
84. Lovelyz – Ah-Choo (2015)
85. Red Velvet – Psycho (2019)
86. S.E.S. – Dreams Come True (1998)
87. SHINee – Ring Ding Dong (2009)
88. Fin.K.L – 내 남자친구에게 (1998)
89. NCT 127 – Cherry Bomb (2017)
90. Busker Busker – 벚꽃 엔딩 (2012)
91. Seotaiji and Boys – Come Back Home (1995)
92. PENTAGON – 빛나리 (2018)
93. BoA – 아틀란티스 소녀 (Atlantis Princess (2003)
94. NRG – 할 수 있어 (1997)
95. Epik High – Fly (Feat. Amin. J) (2006)
96. Jinusean – 말해줘 (1997)
97. SHINee – 누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay) (2008)
98. TVXQ – Hug (2004)
99. Seotaiji and Boys – 교실 이데아 (1994)
100. Trouble Maker – Trouble Maker (2011)

5. Girls' Generation — 다시 만난 세계 (Into the New World) (released 2007)

22. Lee Jung Hyun – 와 (WA) (released 1999)

45. f(x) – NU 예삐오 (NU ABO) (released 2010)

91. Seotaiji and Boys – Come Back Home (released 1995)

92. PENTAGON – 빛나리 (SHINE) (released 2018)

SOURCE(s): melon + spotify + youtube (smtown [2] | backent - sbs old entertainment | seotaiji | 1thek)

Comments

[babycheeses1.livejournal.com]

Yayyyyaaa SHINee occupying 4 spots (5 with Taemin's move). And yayaaa to the f(x) recognition! Aaaand Queen Boa definitely deserved the number one spot 😌 (pun intended)

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

At least someone recognizes BEG’s impact

[vanilla-09.livejournal.com]

Rightt!! I remember when they started off pop/acoustin/r&b and then started the whole sexy, mature sensual vibe that a lot of the girls are trying to emulate these days. Abracadabra/Sound G was such a reset for them and for GGs as a whole and they deserve the recognition.

[punkylana.livejournal.com]

shinee's songs should be way higher but i'm glad growl is in the top 5, it's truly an iconic pop song even tho i don't care about exo.

happy to see f(x) in this ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

dynamite being #4 is a joke.

[babycheeses1.livejournal.com]

View deserved to be way waaaay higher. Move too.

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

dynamite being on it at all is a joke (and i still think it shouldn’t be included on the basis of it being all english, same as their all english singles being nominated + winning music show trophies 🤭)

[timetobegin.livejournal.com]

I was so suprised but VERY happy to see Nu Abo made the list! One of my favourite all time Kpop songs and f(x) tracks for sure. Very underrated.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

NU ABO was a game changer

[sunsetburgundy.livejournal.com]

I cannot believe Uhm JungHwa's iconic Invitation is so low! Should top ten imo.

Good to see Abracadabra's up there.

Be Mine might be my least favorite song from Infinite. I know it's partially based on popularity, but they still should've replaced it with The Chaser instead.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Be Mine might be my least favorite song from Infinite

I think this might be my first time seeing someone rate Be Mine so low! 😨 Can I ask why?

[sunsetburgundy.livejournal.com]

I just don't like the song and the chorus is grating to me. I like their other songs more.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

I see! Last Romeo is my favorite and I always feel weird because I feel like that's nobody's favorite Infinite song lol

[em-cavey.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this post and playlist, OP!!!
I was keeping up with the list on Melon and thought for a second about making a post but I’m way too lazy to assemble all the songs lol

Some of these inclusions and placements were a choice but most of the top 10 is pretty solid except for 4 — I get it was the first billboard #1 but should've been Spring Day. And some serious recency bias, there's no way Seo Taiji shouldn't be up there. But it’s a great mix of eras/generations and my god am I having some intense childhood/middle-school flashbacks rn lmao (Get up! WA! All the g.o.d and finkl!! 😱)


+ Since 초대 isn’t on the playlist, here it is. Still iconic and everyone should hear it if they haven’t

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

i was keeping up with it since they started posting! it's basically been keeping me entertained all week :P i thought it would be a fun sunday post, too! and i was surprised that no one had gotten to it before me

> Some of these inclusions and placements were a choice
what are some inclusions you'd take out? i don't really agree with iz*one – fiesta, (g)i-dle – lion and nct 127 – cherry bomb (tho it is hands down one of my favorite concepts and nct songs, so i'll take it lol). i would've placed bubble pop! higher too and i think this list definitely should have some older songs on it. idk much about the 90s era but i was really surprised as i told you – kim sung jae isn't on this list, i would think it has a bigger impact just knowing it's one of those songs that gets covered really often, kind of like a rite of passage for boy groups

also wa is one of my favorite kpop songs of all time so wish it were in the top 10 but whatever! melon is not pandering to me, obvi

[em-cavey.livejournal.com]

So few gen 4 songs have major gp impact, I don’t understand most of the ones here tbh. IA with you on Iz*One, G I-dle, and also NCT U and even Chungha, like those four songs in a row being that high makes no sense to me lol. And Wanna One should be out but the first two Produce 101 songs should be included. I like Psycho and 4 walls but idk if they should be here. 아무노래 is nonsense and not just bc I hate Zico, something like Block B’s Her would make sense.

Yeah the whole thing is pretty heavy on the later 2010s and there’s no way Seotaiji shouldn’t be in the top 10 of all time. You’re right about Kim Sungjae too. And Lee Junghyun could be on the list one or two more times, maybe 줄래 and 바꿔, though WA is rightfully queen. And I hate to admit it but there should be more TVXQ and Exo lol

[setsuna16.livejournal.com]

So, like... y'all know... BoA = everything to me...

But No. 1 is... NUMBER ONE?!

AND it's her only song on the whole list?

Baffled. Happy, but baffled.

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

atlantis princess is on it, too! imo it's far too low (entry 93)

[setsuna16.livejournal.com]

Ah. I did scroll, but didn't control F it.

The greater point remains. Also, not here for this Only one erasure!

[sinnamon roll (from livejournal.com)]

Yeah I thought Girls on Top would’ve been number 1

[dantethetaco.livejournal.com]

Ok, delete number 4 for Infinite's The Chaser and we have a pretty solid list. I also would have chosen a diffent song for Epik High, I never really liked Fly. It's also missing something from VIXX.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Agreed that VIXX is needed

[dull-and-wicked.livejournal.com]

i'm shocked VIXX didn't make the list for Chained Up, they definitely influenced a few other comebacks that came down the line for other boy groups with that one. or even for Shangri La, the modern/traditional theme had an impact when it came out too

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

THAT part, Shangri La is a spiritual experience

[sinnamon roll (from livejournal.com)]

Interesting list. If Growl is on here then IGAB should be too!

Spring Day should replace Dynamite. Why is it even on the list??

[dantethetaco.livejournal.com]

Spring Day is already on the list #31. I feel like Dynamite, DNA and Boy with Luv all should be out, and maybe I need U, Run or even Fire replace one of those.

[babycheeses1.livejournal.com]

The bts choices were lazy tbh. It's like they Googled "popular bts songs" and chose the top three lol. Spring Day and BST definitely deserve to be there. Dynamite, Boy with Luv, and DNA? Not so much. I'd pick Dope.

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

not here for the dna slander but for the rest agree heavily!

[sinnamon roll (from livejournal.com)]

I meant the placement of it, it should be in the top 10.

I think DNA should stay because it made their audience bigger but Dynamite doesn’t belong here at all

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Dynamite being higher than Spring Day is WILD

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

igab is 33!

[sinnamon roll (from livejournal.com)]

Oops I don't how I missed it haha. Thank you!

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

Top 10 is pretty solid, except Dynamite. But yas to Soshi being the only group with 2 songs in the top 10.

[lostintheechoes.livejournal.com]

the wrong infinite song is on the list...


also, justice for ON.

[em-cavey.livejournal.com]

It's weird to say any post-2019 BTS song is underrated lol but it's insane how quickly ON has been forgotten.

I remember when Black Swan and ON dropped I was so excited, thinking for a shining moment this is what the future was going to be... 🥲

[lostintheechoes.livejournal.com]

they both could have been those songs of 2020. stupid pandemic.

[kris-terror.livejournal.com]

It's tragic they didn't get their time to shine and that they got overshined by Dynamite last year cause they're some of BTS' best work recently.

[theweebdream.livejournal.com]

Iu having multiple songs on here but none of them being the red shoes…smh

Also the only Loona song on here being 69th lol

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

it's a pretty good list and i'm agreeing with most of the alterations proposed in the comments. dynamite and boy with luv especially do not belong here, and in general i feel like it's a bit bts heavy in a way???

happy to see my gals f(x), but justice for twice's fancy and feel special! they should've been included next to cheer up and tt. and wonder girls' i feel you, which was groundbreaking at the time imo, the whole album was. i feel like the writer(s) leaned too much into virality and popularity over quality and trendsetting imo

[sweetestbliss1.livejournal.com]

I feel like everything is always BTS heavy nowadays. No hate, but just saying.

[ohlookshiny.livejournal.com]

dynamite at no.4 is an absolute travesty………

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

I'm not mad at this as I thought I would be lmao.
I mean, most of these are more about the impact made by the song rather than the song being the best (otherwise Dynamite wouldn't be up there lmao it's not even BTS's best song) but it's very varied and I love how many 2nd gen songs are there!
BoA sitting at her rightful place tho~

[921227.livejournal.com]

A solid list! Im glad there's a good number of 1st and 2nd gen groups on list. They might not have done the sheer numbers and went viral like groups can these days, but they're fundamental to kpop. !!

[pikapika217.livejournal.com]

Yay for Wonder Girls!!!

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Thank you OP!!!

Trouble Maker made the list YES I was obsessed and I still am

Replay needs to be higher than RDD I think

Gotta Go at 51, SUCH a good song

Dynamite being higher than Blood, Sweat and Tears and Spring Day is making me cry

Glad to see SNSD domination

All due respect to Growl but there needs to be way more EXO on this list

[burnbook31.livejournal.com]

shinee not making the top 10 is blasphemy.

also today i learned u can actually blocked an artist on spotify! thank god

[myungung.livejournal.com]

It’s a relatively good list, but of course list is perfect. I think their categorisation is too wide because if there’s popularity and significance involved, you’ll have bad songs like Dynamite.
Pleasantly surprised with the number of girl groups songs, and yes to Soshi getting that influence

[reader17.livejournal.com]

I get that people don't want Dynamite in it because of an English song but for Impact yes I can see why it is there. I love dynamite myself but since this is Melon's list so I do agree Spring day should be up in the top 10 instead of Dynamite, but I still think for the impact that Dynamite had, it should still be on the list.

Even last week when I went to Wawa I heard Dynamite and Permission to Dance still playing at the pumps at Wawa!

Forgot to add so happy Pentagon's Shine, and Winner's Really Really is on the list I love both of those songs!