The Shinee World is the first Korean languagestudio album recorded by South Koreanboy band, Shinee. It was released on August 28, 2008 under S.M. Entertainment. The album includes the lead single "Love Like Oxygen", the promotional single of the same name "The Shinee World ", and their previous single "Replay", which was the lead and debut single from their mini-album, Replay. On October 29, 2008 the album was re-released under the title Amigo with three additional tracks: the self-titled title track, a Korean cover of Cinema Bizarre's "Forever or Never" and a plugged version of "Love Should Go On". Apart from meaning "friend" in Spanish language, "Amigo" is a shortened version of the Korean phrase "You will suffer if you love the beautifulness". "Amigo" was also choreographed by Misha Gabriel, an American dancer, choreographer, and actor. With "Love Like Oxygen" the group took first place on M! Countdown on September 18, 2008, which brought them their first win on Korean music shows since debut. The single also topped several Korean online music charts and received positive reviews. The album was commercially successful in South Korea, it debuted at number 3 on the MIAK monthly music chart, selling 30,000 copies. Since its release The Shinee World has sold over 80,000 copies. The album was awarded with "Newcomer Album of the Year" at the 23rd Golden Disc Awards in 2008.
Concept and composition
For their first studio album Shinee show a more mature and masculine image compared to their debut concept, while the group maintained their characteristic style featuring high-top sneakers and skinny jeans, the group wears darker colors for the album promotional cycle unlike the colorful fashion the group portrayed for their debut track "Replay". Many top producers and songwriters like Yoo Youngjin, Kenzie and Wheesung participated in the production of the album. It includes 12 songs with different genres such as R&B, urban and pop. The lead single "Love like Oxygen" is a remake of Danish X Factor winner Martin Hoberg Hedegaard, under title "Show the World". It combines the disco-based funky rhythm that reminds of Michael Jackson and the drum pattern that commonly appears in American R&B music. The lyric were created by Young-hu Kim, the lyricist of "Replay" — it compares the change of love to the ice, water, and oxygen to sensuously express the pain of letting go the beloved one. Yoo Youngjins song "The SHINee World" is characterized by a powerful beat and melody. Jonghyuns first solo "Hyeya " is a cover of "Y, ¿Si Fuera Ella?", originally sung by the Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz in 1997. "One for Me" is an urban R&B style song, which is written by Wheesung.
"Best Place" contains a sample from "Hope", a track from Construction Urban Flava compilation series, which itself samples "One for U", as written and performed by DJ Okawari.
