Loser (Big Bang song)
"Loser" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band Big Bang. It was made available for digital download and streaming audio on May 1, 2015 by YG Entertainment, as the first single from Made, being included in the single album M, marking the first music release for the band since Still Alive. Written by T.O.P, Teddy and G-Dragon, and produced by Teddy and Taeyang, the track was acclaimed by music critics, who admired its mature concept.
"Loser" became a chart-topper in South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and on Billboard World Digital Songs. The single finished 2015 as the second best performing song of the year on the Gaon Digital's year-end chart, and was awarded Song of the Year on the traditional Golden Disc Awards.
Background
YG Entertainment announced the title tracks of Big Bang's "MADE Series: M" in the third teaser, including two singles, "Loser" and "Bae Bae". Two of the four teasers for D-1 to D-4 consist of the song info, including who was responsible for the tracks' composition.Composition and lyrics
"Loser" is a hip-hop/R&B track with a slow tempo and emotional melody. The song was composed using common time in the key of E♭ major, with a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute. The vocals span from the lower octave of F4 to the two-lined higher note of B♭5. Billboard compared the song with "the previously heard brilliance in songs like 'Bad Boy,' 'Lies' and 'Blue'," and highlighted how the track "stripped away all trendy elements for a straightforward, acoustic-leaning take on baring what lies deep in each of our consciousness." "Loser" was noted for introducing a more mature style to Big Bang as a group, without losing the images they had enforced through previous releases.The song's lyrics were noted to be "confessional," showing that even superstars have insecurities. Standing out from other Big Bang songs for not falling in the love song category, the lyrics described feelings of doubt and unhappiness that accompany the everyday life of a self-proclaimed loser, while also detailing "unhappiness with one-night stands and forgetting the importance of love." G-Dragon explained the meaning behind the lyrical-content, saying that "people who stand under the spotlight are just human beings," saying that all humans have their feelings hurt, but also the songs adept on all the situations, saying "however, we wanted to offer a theme with this song, so we drew a bigger picture. Somebody may not have a friend and somebody may not have love, you know? Everyone lives in a different situation. Depending on how you accept it, this song could be your story."
Reception
Commercial
With only two days since its release, "Loser" debuted at number one on Gaon's Digital and Download charts, with 256,398 digital downloads sold. In just 9 days "Loser" broke the Gaon record for the year of 2015, being streamed over 10.5 million times and downloaded 479,474 times, making Big Bang the most streamed artist of the year. Within two months of sales, "Loser" became the second best selling single of the year, with 988,321 copies sold. On July 16, the song reached one million sales in South Korea, less than three months after its release. The song became the third-best-selling single of the year in South Korea."Loser" debuted on Billboard's "World Digital Songs" chart at number one on May 7. The music video was the third most viewed K-pop video in the U.S. and around the world for the month of April, according to Billboard, with only two days worth of views. The song also ranked third as the most popular Korean singles in 2015 in Taiwan by music streaming service KKBOX.
"Loser" won a total on ten music program awards, breaking many records. On Inkigayo, "Loser" was awarded three times, breaking the tie with g.o.d, making Big Bang the artist with the most songs that achieved a Triple Crown on Inkigayo. It also achieved one of the highest scores of all time on the program. On M Countdown, it became the eighth highest score in all time at the time.
Critical
"Loser" received critical acclaim upon release. The song was chosen by fuse as one of the best songs of 2015, the only non-English song on the list. The channel claimed that the track "moves you regardless of what language you speak." Billboard named "Loser" the best K-pop song of 2015, saying that the single "proved that a subtle take on all the things that make a group unique can speak so much louder" and concluding that "such an impassioned performance has you hooked from first listen." The magazine also called "Loser" the group's sixth essential song in honor of their tenth anniversary. Sun-Times included "Loser" in their unranked list of ten best Big Bang songs. Consequence of Sound chose the song as one of the 10 most popular songs of 2015 that weren't in English. "Loser" won Best Pop Song at the 2016 edition of the critics given Korean Music Awards.Music video
The music video was directed by Han Sa Min, who previously directed "Blue," "Bad Boy," "Monster," and "Love Song." Big Bang started filming secretly in Los Angeles between April 2, and April 8, 2015.The music video has a story line for each member. G-Dragon starts his scenes in a lift, revealing a neck tattoo that reads Truth + Dare. He walks the streets alone, feeling isolated from the world, having forgotten what love feels like. Taeyang has a personal fight with his faith, holds a cross with the sentence "Sin will find you" written on it. In the end he apparently commits suicide and the cross breaks apart leaving the words "Sin will find you." Seungri has problems controlling his anger, kicking a car and destroying his room after seeing the girl that he loved with someone else. He repeatedly tries to call her, but to no avail. T.O.P cannot commit to one relationship. He doesn't accept them, and he seems to have no control over anything which leads him to kill the women that he had an affair with. Daesung gets attacked by a group of men. He tries to defend himself but can't and ends up covered in blood, helpless, and unable to stand. The music video showed a darker side that has never been seen in Big Bang's music videos. In the end of the music video, all 5 members of the group were seen walking away together away from the city.
On YouTube, "Loser" became the most viewed Kpop group video within 24 hours, with 4.5 million views. After two months, "Loser" became the second most viewed Kpop video of 2015. After a few days, it became the first, later being surpassed by Big Bang's own "Bang Bang Bang." The video reached 100 million views on the same site in June, 2016.