Seo Taiji and Boys IV

Seo Taiji and Boys IV is the fourth and final studio album by Korean musical trio Seo Taiji and Boys, released on October 5, 1995. With 2.4 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling albums in South Korea. The single "Come Back Home" was released off of the album, and was voted the year's most popular K-pop song by netizens in 2005.[1]

Seo Taiji and Boys IV
Studio album by
Seo Taiji and Boys
ReleasedOctober 5, 1995
Recorded1995
StudioBay Studio, Seoul
Techno Taiji, Seoul
Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles
GenreRap rock, alternative rock
Length47:15
LanguageKorean
LabelBando Eumban
ProducerSeo Taiji
Seo Taiji and Boys chronology
Seo Taiji and Boys III
(1994)		 Seo Taiji and Boys IV
(1995)		 Goodbye Best Album
(1996)
Singles from Seo Taiji and Boys IV
  1. "Come Back Home"
    Released: October 5, 1995

Overview

"Come Back Home" was a foray into Gangsta rap. Seo Taiji wrote the song about his own experiences running away from home.[2] The third track, "Pilseung" (필승, lit. Must Triumph), was a hit with its alternative rock sound. "Goodbye" on this album is instrumental. A version with vocals was later released on their 1996 compilation, entitled Goodbye Best Album. "Free Style" was written and composed by Seo and his former Sinawe bandmate Kim Jong-seo. Kim provides vocals on the track, appears in its music video and included it on his own 1995 album, Thermal Island.

Lee Juno later stated that group leader Seo made the decision to disband Seo Taiji and Boys himself while recording their fourth album, much to the surprise of Yang Hyun-suk and himself.[3]

Reception

In April 1996, Billboard reported that the album was nearing the 2 million copies sold mark.[4] The album has sold over 2.4 million copies, making it the group's best selling album.[5][6] Kyunghyang Shinmun ranked the album number 36 on its 2007 list of the Top 100 Pop Albums.[7] Chuck Eddy of Spin wrote that on their fourth album, Seo Taiji and Boys "were all over the map: horse-whinnying Cypress Hill–style nasal frat-hop, Rancid-like surf-guitared ska-punk, metal shrieking, blues-rock solos, flutes, Brazilian percussion, turntable-scratching of acid-rock riffs, smooth-jazz interludes with doo-woppish sha-la-las."[8]

Controversies

"Come Back Home" has been criticized for being similar to Cypress Hill's 1993 hit "Insane in the Brain". However, Cypress Hill member B-Real later explained they were aware of the controversy but "we were cool about shit like that."[9] "Sidae Yugam" (시대유감, lit. Regret of the Times) was rejected by the Public Performance Ethics Committee for having lyrics that criticized the government. Seo Taiji declined to alter the cited lyrics and instead, the album includes only an instrumental version of the song.[10][11] The lyrics below were requested be removed/altered, after being translated into English:

Lips stained black. Gone is the era of honest people. [...] How far do you think you can fly with these broken wings of yours? I wish for a new world that will overturn everything. [...] I hope that I can avenge the grudge in my heart.[12]

The backlash from the fans was immense, and the system of 'pre-censorship' (사전심의제) was abolished in June 1996, partially as a result of this. An EP titled Sidae Yugam and including the original vocal version of the song was released a month after the system was abolished.

Track listing

English titles are based on the official translations provided by the Seotaiji Company for international markets. All tracks were written by Seo Taiji, except track 9 written and composed by Seo Taiji and Kim Jong-seo.

Seo Taiji and Boys IV track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Yo! Taiji"1:05
2."Sad Pain" (슬픈 아픔)5:35
3."Must Triumph" (필승 (必勝))3:45
4."Come Back Home"3:54
5."Regret of the Times" (시대유감(時代遺感))3:23
6."1996, When They Conquered the World" (1996, 그들이 지구를 지배했을 때)3:38
7."Taiji Boys"1:27
8."Good Bye"5:01
9."Free Style"3:53
10."Inabilisnabi" (이너비리스너비)1:11
15th Anniversary Edition (2007)
No.TitleLength
11."Sad Pain ('04 Zero Live)" (슬픈 아픔 ('04 Zero Live))6:00
12."Must Triumph ('04 Zero Live)" (필승 ('04 Zero Live))3:55
13."'07 Come Back Home (Remix)"3:55

Credits and personnel

References
  1. 누리꾼 "1995년엔 '서태지와…'이 최고였지" [A netizen said, "In 1995, 'Seo Taiji and Boys 'were the best'"]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). January 9, 2005. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via Naver.
  2. Han, Hyun-woo (October 4, 2008). [Why] [한현우의 히든트랙] 돌아온 서태지 단독 인터뷰 [[Why] [Han Hyeon-Woo's Hidden Track] Seo Taiji's return solo interview]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  3. "Way Back Wednesday: Seo Taiji & Boys - "Nan Arayo"". allkpop.com. November 18, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  4. "Seoul Music: Rockin' in Korea; April 20, 1996". Billboard. p. 18.
  5. Lee, Seung-ryun (January 31, 2018). "이주노와 양현석...이들 활동했던 '서태지와 아이들'에 관심 집중". Kookje Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  6. "1995년 베스트 가요 콜렉션 / 연도별가요".
  7. "[대중음악 100대 명반]36위 서태지와 아이들 '서태지와 아이들IV'". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). December 27, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  8. "K-pop: The polyglot fizz of K-pop conquers Asia, and prepares to spray the West". Spin. November 1, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  9. "I'm B-Real, the Frontman of Cypress Hill and Co-Founder of BREAL.TV - Ask Me Anything (LIVE BROADCAST)". Reddit. 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  10. "Tri-Lingual Radio for Malaysia, Censorship Exemption in Korea; August 10, 1996". Billboard. p. 45.
  11. Mitchell, Tony (January 1, 2002). Global Noise: Rap and Hip Hop Outside the USA. Wesleyan University Press. p. 251.
  12. The Korean Popular Culture Reader. Duke University Press. March 7, 2014. p. 302.
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