Zimzalabim

"Zimzalabim" (Korean: 짐살라빔; RR: Jimsallabim) is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their sixth Korean extended play The ReVe Festival: Day 1, which acts as the first installment of the group's The ReVe Festival trilogy. Primarily an EDM-influenced electropop track that resembles a "colorful parade" and showcases an extravagant soundscape, the song was composed by production duo Caesar & Loui, Ollipop and Hayley Aitken with Korean lyrics adaptation by lyricist Lee Seu-ran, which tells the listeners to "unfold a dream" that is "held deeply" in their heart. Accompanied by an amusement park-themed music video, it was released on June 19, 2019 by SM Entertainment as the lead single for Day 1, and subsequently the first single from The ReVe Festival trilogy.[1]

"Zimzalabim"
Single by Red Velvet
from the EP The ReVe Festival: Day 1
LanguageKorean
ReleasedJune 19, 2019
Recorded2019
StudioSM Studio Center, Seoul, South Korea
Genre
Length3:10
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ollipop
  • Caesar & Loui
Red Velvet singles chronology
"Close To Me (Remix)"
(2019)		 "Zimzalabim"
(2019)		 "Umpah Umpah"
(2019)
Music video
"Zimzalabim" on YouTube

Upon its release, "Zimzalabim" polarized music critics over its "genre-hopping" composition. While some felt the song was a "downhill" from the group's previous experimenting tunes, others saw the song as a sonic roller coaster ride and praised its "energetic, anthemic" sound. It also attained moderate success, becoming their first lead single to miss the top ten on Gaon Digital Chart, peaking at number eleven, while earning Red Velvet their fourteenth consecutive top-ten entry on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart. The song also marked the group's first chart appearance in Oceania, peaking at number thirty-nine on New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.

Background and release

Following the release of their second Japanese extended play Sappy on May, SM Entertainment shared the first preview of The ReVe Festival through social media accounts on June 4, 2019[2] The word "Zimzalabim" was revealed on June 8 to 9 through the videos posted on Red Velvet's official social media accounts.[3] The group released a trailer video on June 10 which announced the full-scale start of The ReVe Festival through their YouTube and V Live channels.[4] It was revealed that SM Entertainment chief producer Lee Soo-man has been holding the song for a while, but strongly suggested that the group was ready to pull the track off as a title song.[5][6] The song had its official digital release on June 19, 2019, along with The ReVe Festival: Day 1.

Composition

"Zimzalabim" was composed by Olof Lindskog, Daniel Caesar, Ludwig Lindell and Hayley Aitken.[1][7] In an email interview with The Korea Herald, Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell under the name of Caesar & Loui revealed that the song was inspired by Girls' Generation's "I Got a Boy".[5]

Musically, Tamar Herman of Billboard characterized "Zimzalabim" as an electropop song with "funky percussive melodies, tinny hip-hop chants, EDM dance breaks, and chill, groovy moments". It is composed in the key of F major, with a tempo of 128 beat-per-minute.[8] Choi Young-joo of No Cut News noted the "rhythmic drumming and cool melodies".[6] In addition, Lee Jung-ho of Star News noted the song's unconventional style and frequent changes in genre.[9] Lyrically, "Zimzalabim" talks about "breaking convention, reaching for your dreams, and letting a little bit of magic back into your life".[10]

Music video
Red Velvet members in a scene captured from the music video of "Zimzalabim".

On June 10, 2019, the trailer video titled "Special Competition: RVF D-10", was uploaded through the Red Velvet's official YouTube channel.[11] On June 17, 2019, a 17-second video teaser for "Zimzalabim" was uploaded on the official SM Town channel. A final 19-second video teaser was uploaded the next day, and the music video for "Zimzalabim" was released on June 19, 2019.

The music video is set in a fantastical amusement park, where they ride roller coasters through the skies, throw a tea party in a spinning teacup and perform the song alongside sentient instruments.[12] Following the music video's release, writer Tamar Herman of Billboard described it as "a bright music video", further praising the video for "the song's mesmerizing choreography".[1] Writer Puah Ziwei of NME noted the "energetic" music video.[12] Emlyn Travis of Buzzfeed noted the video as "magical" referring to its "carnival rides, floating instruments, tea cups, and a hefty dose of fantasy".[10]

Live performances

Red Velvet promoted the song on several music programs in South Korea including Show! Music Core, Music Bank and Inkigayo.[13] The group received five music show trophies for the song. On June 22, 2019, Red Velvet has released methods of applying for the global dance cover campaign, "Zimzalabim In Public" through various official SNS accounts, as well as a focus cam by members with the highlight choreography of the new song, and the group dance shooting site.[14] On June 25, 2019, a flash mob performance video, titled "ZIP.CODE : SEOUL" was uploaded to the SM Town official YouTube channel.[15] About 500 people, including famous YouTube creators Na Ha-eun and Go Toe-kyung were part of the performance.[16]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Y-Magazine

Following its initial release, "Zimzalabim" was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Tamar Herman of Billboard magazine viewed the track as an "extravagant soundscape", adding it as a "genre-hopping song, which incorporates an addicting chorus".[1] Writer Kim Do-hyun of IZM described the track as "neither a meaningful experiment nor a significant point in Red Velvet's career".[17] The music video was placed atop BuzzFeed's list of "Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019", where it claimed that the video showcased everything "from dancing crystalline animals to boots that march on their own", labelling it as "a perfect example of how Red Velvet boldly pushes creative boundaries with grace, style, and a sprinkle of magic."[18]

Commercial performance

"Zimzalabim" debuted at number 14 on the Gaon Digital Chart and peaked at number 11 the following week.[19][20] The song debuted at number 8 on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 before reaching number 4 in its second week.[21] It was later ranked at number 169 on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart for 2019.[22] It became the group's fourteenth consecutive top-ten single on the World Digital Song Sales chart, reaching number 10 three weeks after its release.[23] Moreover, "Zimzalabim" reached the weekly chart in New Zealand, becoming their first entry on the latter chart.[24]

Accolades

"Zimzalabim" received nominations for the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards and the 9th Gaon Chart Music Awards.[25][26] The song managed to receive five music program wins.[27] The song also achieved two consecutive Melon Weekly Popularity Awards.[28]

Awards and nominations for "Zimzalabim"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best Dance Performance (Female Group) Nominated [25]
Song of the Year Longlisted
2020 Gaon Chart Music Awards Song of the Year – June Nominated [26]

Usage in media

On January 15, 2020, Trolls World Tour used "Zimzalabim" in a trailer that was released by Thailand film distributor Major Group marking the appearance of Red Velvet in the film.[34] On April 8, 2020 the film also used the song in the trailer released by South Korean Universal Pictures.[35][36]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The ReVe Festival: Day 1.[37]

Studio

  • Recorded at SM Blue Cup Studio
  • Digital edited and engineered for mix at SM LYVIN Studio
  • Mixed at SM Blue Ocean Studio

Personnel

Charts

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Zimzalabim"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various June 19, 2019
[40]

See also

References
  1. Herman, Tamar (June 19, 2019). "Red Velvet Take a Magical Ride in 'Zimzalabim' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. "Red Velvet Comeback! 'The ReVe Festival' will be held in 2019!". SM Entertainment. June 4, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. "Red Velvet, a new mini-album title song 'Zimzalabim' intense addictive notice!". www.smentertainment.com. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  4. "레드벨벳, '짐살라빔 (Zimzalabim)'으로 컴백".
  5. Yim, Hyun-su (July 16, 2019). "Meet songwriting duo behind Red Velvet's 'Zimzalabim'". K-Pop Herald. The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  6. Choi, Young-joo (June 19, 2019). 레드벨벳, 중독성 강한 '짐살라빔'으로 '써머 퀸' 노린다 [Red Velvet is Aiming for 'Summer Queen' with its Addictive 'Zimzalabim']. No Cut News (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  7. Yim, Hyun-su (June 20, 2019). "Red Velvet is back with new electropop single "Zimzalabim"". K-Pop Herald. The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  8. "BPM and Key for Zimzalabim by Red Velvet | Tempo for Zimzalabim | songbpm.com". songbpm.com. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  9. Lee, Jung-ho (June 19, 2019). 레드벨벳, 중독성 甲 '짐살라빔'으로 서머퀸 노린다 [Red Velvet Aims for Summer Queen with Addictive 'Zimzalabim']. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  10. Travis, Emlyn (June 20, 2019). "K-Pop Queens Red Velvet Just Put Out The Song Of The Summer And I Think I'm In Love". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  11. "레드벨벳, 중독성 가득 '짐살라빔' 19일 공개".
  12. "Watch the dizzying video for Red Velvet's new single 'Zimzalabim'". NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  13. Kim, Joo-won (June 25, 2019). 레드벨벳, '짐살라빔' 주문 통했다..주간 음반 차트 1위 [Red Velvet's 'Zimzalabim' Orders are Up Number One on the Weekly Albums Chart]. Seoul Economy Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  14. Woo, Bin (June 25, 2019). 레드벨벳, '짐살라빔' 초대형 군무 퍼포먼스 공개 [Red Velvet Reveals a Super Large Group Dance Performance for 'Zimzalabim']. TenAsia (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  15. Yoo, Byung-chul (June 26, 2019). 레드벨벳, 초대형 '짐살라빔' 군무 퍼포먼스 영상 화제 [Red Velvet's Mega-sized 'Zimzalabim' Group Dance Video has Become a Hot Topic]. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  16. Park, Bong-kyu (June 25, 2019). 레드벨벳 초대형 ‘짐살라빔’ 군무 퍼포먼스 공개 [Red Velvet's Super Large 'Zimzalabim' Group Dance Performance Revealed]. Kukmin Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  17. Kim, Do-heon (June 2019). "'The ReVe Festival' Day 1 Review". IZM (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  18. "Best K-pop Music Videos of 2019". BuzzFeed. January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  19. 2019년 25주차 Digital Chart [2019, Week 25 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  20. 2019년 26주차 Digital Chart [2019, Week 26 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  21. "Billboard K-Pop 100 Chart – The Week of June 29, 2019". Billboard. June 29, 2019. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  22. 2019년 Digital Chart [2019 Digital Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  23. "World Digital Song Sales – The Week of July 6, 2019". Billboard. July 6, 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  24. "Hot 40 Singles Chart – The Week of July 1, 2019". Official New Zealand Music Chart. 29 June 2019. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  25. "2019 MAMA Nominees". Mwave. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  26. "9th Gaon Chart Music Awards Song of the Year Nominees". Gaon Chart Music Awards (in Korean). November 1, 2019. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  27. Sun, Mi-kyung (July 7, 2019). '인가' 레드벨벳, 1위 추가로 5관왕 달성..은지원⋅청하⋅(여자)아이들 컴백 [Red Velvet has Five Music Program Wins in Addition to Winning the First Place on 'Inkigayo', Eun Ji-won, Chung-ha, and (G)I-DLE Comeback] (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  28. "Melon Weekly Popularity Award". Melon (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  29. Lee, So-dam (June 26, 2019). '쇼챔피언' 레드벨벳, '짐살라빔' 컴백 첫 1위.."모든 행운 다 이뤄지길" [Red Velvet's 'Zimzalabim' Comeback First Win on Show Champion, "May all the luck come true."]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  30. Ha, Su-jeong (June 27, 2019). '엠카' 레드벨벳, 출연없이 1위·2관왕..컴백 청하x(여자)아이들 [Red Velvet Wins First Place on 'M Countdown' With Two Wins Without Appearance, Chungha and (G)I-DLE's Comeback]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  31. Kim, Bo-ra (June 28, 2019). '뮤직뱅크' 레드벨벳, 상반기 결산 1위 '3관왕'..청하・(여자)아이들 컴백 [Red Velvet Wins First Place on 'Music Bank' for the First Half of the Year with 'Three Wins', Chungha and (G)I-DLE's Comeback]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  32. Lee, Ha-na (June 29, 2019). '음악중심' 레드벨벳, 방탄소년단 제치고 1위 등극‥은지원 청하 컴백 [Red Velvet Beats BTS for First Place in 'Show! Music Core', Eun Ji-won and Chung-ha's Comeback]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  33. Ji, Yeon-joo (July 7, 2019). '인기가요' 레드벨벳 '짐살라빔' 막방에 1위, 청하→은지원 컴백 [Red Velvet's 'Zimzalabim' Won First Place on 'Inkigayo', Chungha and Eun Ji-won's Comeback]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  34. Herman, Tamar (January 16, 2020). "Red Velvet to Help Save the Troll Music World in 'Trolls World Tour'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  35. Bae, Hyo-joo (April 8, 2020). '트롤:월드투어' 레드벨벳이 왜 거기서 나와? K팝 담긴 예고편 [Why is Red Velvet Coming Out of 'Trolls World Tour'? K-Pop Trailer]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  36. Kim, Dong-yeok (April 8, 2020). [영상] 트롤: 월드 투어, 'K-POP 트롤' 깜짝 등장에 이목 집중…"세상의 모든 음악이 쏟아진다" [[Video] Trolls World Tour, Surprise Appearance of 'K-Pop Trolls', "All the music in the world is pouring in."]. Consumer Times (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  37. The ReVe Festival: Day 1 (booklet) (in Korean). Red Velvet. SM Entertainment. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. "Singapore Top 30 Regional Streaming Chart Week 27". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
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  40. 곡 정보 - 짐살라빔 (Zimzalabim) [Song Information - Zimzalabim]. Melon (in Korean). June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
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