"Crooked" (삐딱하게; ppittaghage) is a song recorded by South Korean rapper G-Dragon, serving as the third single for his second studio album Coup d'Etat (2013). It was written and produced by Teddy and G-Dragon. A pop-punk song, "Crooked" peaked at number three at the Gaon Digital Chart and became one of his most successful singles.[1]
| "Crooked" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by G-Dragon | ||||
| from the album Coup d'Etat | ||||
| Released | September 5, 2013 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label | YG | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| G-Dragon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Crooked" on YouTube | ||||
Writing and composition
edit"Crooked" was described as a "synthed-up, deliriously catchy pop-punk" with a "neon-bright" sound.[2] The track fuses "heavy drumbeats and metal guitar riffs",[3] besides featuring a "heavy bass line and fully amplified sound at the chorus."[4] In the track, G-Dragon mixes rap with singing.[3] Lyrically, the single describes a man "full of angst and despair" that demands to be left alone as he spends the night "like a 'crooked-minded person,' because in the end, he's alone and doesn't need anyone's 'sugarcoated sympathy.'"[3]
The song's producer, Teddy Park, commented about the song's placement in the album, stating that "[W]e felt like the album had a lot of trap music, some R&B records, and some club tracks. But GD's like a punk rocker at the same time. He raps and shit, but he really loves that whole punk attitude. So we needed a track that could express that."[5] Additionally, G-Dragon revealed that "Crooked" was "intended to make the audience go crazy during live shows", so the raps and chorus were made "to sound extra catchy so people could easily sing and dance to it."[5]
Critical reception
edit"Crooked" received positive reviews. Corban Goble of Pitchfork wrote that it "might just be a song you'll play 30 times in a row and never play again, but those 30 listens are pure serotonin-fueled bliss."[6] In a review of the album for MTV, Alexis Stephens stated that G-Dragon's songs like "Crooked" "exude opulence in a way that's increasingly rare outside of Korea."[7] "Crooked" was voted as MTV Iggy's Song of the Year, with the website commenting that "G-Dragon made a big splash in the world of K-pop and beyond with his solo album Coup d'Etat. 'Crooked' from that album was the endlessly playable sound of him breaking big."[8]
Commercial performance
editWith only three days since its release, "Crooked" debuted at number seven on Gaon's Digital and Download charts, charting behind four of his songs that topped the chart, and selling 160,893 digital downloads.[9][10] On the second week, the song rose to number three in Digital chart and number two in Download chart, selling 162,815 copies.[11][12] "Crooked" became one of the best performing singles of the year, with 1,106,269 downloads and 29.6 million streams by the end of 2013.[13][14]
"Crooked" debuted on Billboard's K-pop Hot 100 at number two, becoming his highest-peaking entry on the chart.[15] The song also peaked at number five on Billboard's World Digital Songs.[16] "Crooked" won a total on four music program awards. The single competed with G-Dragon's others songs from the same album, "Black", "Who You" and "Coup d'Etat". As all the songs have won at least one time, the artist became the first act ever to win multiple music shows with four different songs from a single album.[17][18]
Music video
editThe music video for "Crooked" was released on September 4, 2013.[2] The video was filmed in England, in a grand-scale approach that required a budget of about three to four times larger than the record company's usual music videos. G-Dragon puts on 16 different outfits in total,[19][20] including T-shirts honoring the punk bands Black Flag and Sex Pistols.[2] In the video, the rapper runs through the London underground while causing fights and destruction at clubs.[4] Spin commented that "Crooked" is "no less visually dazzling" that the other music videos from the album, describing it as a "rapid-paced clip" toying with "first-generation punk iconography."[2] Fuse named it one of G-Dragon "must-see videos".[21] It became his first solo music video to hit 100 million views on YouTube in January 2017.[22]
Live performances
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2021) |
G-Dragon performed the song for the first time on the final shows of his One of a Kind World Tour in Seoul on August 31 and September 1. Later, the first televised performance was held on the talk show You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook on September 6. The first performance at a music show took place on SBS's Inkigayo on September 8, 2013. On M Countdown the single was performed with the then YG trainees, iKon and Winner, who were at the time appearing in the survival audition program, WIN: Who Is Next, acting as backup dancers.[23] "Crooked" was performed at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Big Bang's single "Sober" was used as a prelude to the performance two years before its release. The rapper also performed "Crooked" at his second world tour, Act III: M.O.T.T.E.[1]
Awards
edit| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Dance Performance – Male Solo | Won | [24] |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| MTV Iggy | Song of the Year | Won | [25] | |
| 2014 | Golden Disc Awards | Digital Bonsang | Nominated | [26] |
| Popularity Award | Nominated | |||
| Korean Music Awards | Best Dance & Electronic Song | Nominated | [27] | |
| Singapore Entertainment Awards | Most Popular K-pop Music Video | Nominated | [28] |
| Program | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Inkigayo | September 22, 2013 | [29] |
| September 29, 2013 | [30] | |
| M! Countdown | September 26, 2013 | [31] |
| Music Bank | September 27, 2013 | [32] |
Impact
editIn 2024, during protests in Seoul following the 2024 South Korean martial law and calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, demonstrators sung "Crooked" in the streets of the city along with other K-pop songs including Aespa's "Whiplash", 2NE1's "I Am the Best", and Girls' Generation's "Into the New World".[33]
Charts
editSales
edit| Country | Sales |
|---|---|
| China | 910,600[36] |
| South Korea | 1,814,075[37] |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[38] Japanese version |
Gold | 100,000* |
| Streaming | ||
| Japan (RIAJ)[39] Japanese version |
Gold | 50,000,000† |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "I Traveled All the Way to Bangkok to Watch the King of K-Pop Live and it Was Totally Worth it". Rolling Stone India. July 14, 2017. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Hogan, Marc (September 6, 2013). "G-Dragon Spreads Anarchy in K-Pop With Punk-Charged 'Crooked' Video". Spin. Spin Media. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ a b c Benjamin, Jeff; Oak, Jessica (September 4, 2013). "G-Dragon, 'COUP D'ETAT': First Listen". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ a b "G-Dragon – Crooked". Hypebeast. September 5, 2013. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Making of G-Dragon's "Coup D'Etat"". Complex. September 10, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ Goble, Corban (September 20, 2013). "G-Dragon: Coup D'Etat Album Review". Pitchfork Media. Pitchfork Media Inc. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ^ Stephens, Alexis (September 19, 2013). "Reviewed: G-Dragon's Coup D'etat". MTV Iggy. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ^ "G-Dragon tops MTV Iggy 2013 with "Crooked"". The Korea Times. January 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "2013 Gaon Digital Chart - Week 37". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "2013 Gaon Download Chart - Week 37". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ a b "2013 Gaon Digital Chart - Week 38". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "2013 Gaon Download Chart - Week 38". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "2013 Gaon Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "2013 Gaon Streaming Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ a b "Yoon Mi Rae Holds Off 12 G-Dragon Tracks for Second Week Atop K-Pop Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ a b "Billboard World Digital Songs: Chart Search". Billboard. September 21, 2013. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018.
- ^ "G-DRAGON sets a new record by sweeping chart with 3 songs from 1 album". YG Life. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "[단독]지드래곤, '뮤직뱅크' 4년만에 출연..2주 연속 1위할까". Joins News. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "G-DRAGON returns with phenomenal 4 title songs from 2nd regular album with remarkable lineup of Missy Elliott & Diplo". YG Life. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "YANG HYUN SUK, "GD's grand MV of CROOKED filmed in England"". YG Life. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "G-DRAGON HEADLINES KCON 2014: 5 MUST-SEE VIDEOS BEFORE HIS CONCERT". Fuse TV. August 8, 2014. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "'Crooked' music video by BIGBANG's G-Dragon hits 100 million YouTube views; Singer throws a party at Paris fashion week". Yibada. January 28, 2017. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "[Video] Big Bang G-Dragon Gets 'Crooked' with WIN Trainees". Mwave. September 13, 2013. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "Mnet Asian Music Awards 2013 Winners". Mnet Asian Music Awards. Archived from the original on November 23, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
- ^ Jeon, Su-mi (January 20, 2014). "Big Bang G-Dragon's 'Crooked' Selected as MTV Iggy's Song of the Year". Yahoo! Singapore. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "28th Golden Disk Awards Nominees Revealed! | the AU review". Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "KMA 2013 - Nominees List 2". KMA. January 29, 2013. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ^ "Singapore E-Awards 2014 / 《新加坡e乐大赏》". Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "지드래곤 2주 연속 1위, '삐딱하게' 정상 차지… '독주 행진'". Starin Edaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "지드래곤, 인기가요 3주 연속 1위 '독보적 인기'". Starin Edaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "GD tops Inkigayo 3 consecutive weeks: unrivalled achievement". YG Life. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "GD thanks the fans as he tops Music Bank with 'Crooked'". YG Life. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (December 11, 2024). "K-Pop Songs by aespa, G-Dragon, 2NE1 and Light Sticks Used By Peaceful Protesters in South Korea". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ "Circle Digital Chart – 2013". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Korea K-pop Hot 100 — Year-End 2013". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "酷狗单曲畅销榜" (in Chinese). KuGou. January 3, 2016. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
- ^ Cumulative sales for "Crooked":
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- ^ "Japanese digital single certifications" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2018年8月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – G-DRAGON (from BIGBANG) – ピタカゲ (CROOKED) -JPN-" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved September 27, 2024. Select 2024年8月 on the drop-down menu