Fiction and Fact
Studio album by
Beast
ReleasedMay 17, 2011
Recorded2011
GenreK-pop, dance-pop, electropop, hip hop
Length35:24
LabelCube Entertainment, Universal Music Group
ProducerHong Seung Seong
Beast chronology
My Story
(2010)		 Fiction and Fact
(2011)		 So Beast
(2011)
Singles from Fiction and Fact
  1. "On Rainy Days"
    Released: May 12, 2011
  2. "Fiction"
    Released: May 17, 2011

Fiction and Fact is the first studio album by South Korean boy band Beast. It was released on May 17, 2011, by Cube Entertainment and contains 10 songs, including the singles "On Rainy Days" and "Fiction".[1][2] The album peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart[3] and was the fifth best-selling album of 2011 in South Korea, selling over 142,000 copies by the end of the year.[4][5]

The album garnered Beast a win for Artist of the Year for the 2nd Quarter at the 2011 Gaon Chart Music Awards,[6] while "Fiction" won Song of the Year at the 2011 KBS Music Festival.[7]

Background

On May 9, 2011, Cube Entertainment announced on its website that Beast would release their first studio album on May 17, 2011. The label said the album had the dramatic structure of a novel and would showcase "luxurious" musical arrangements.[1][8]

Composition

Fiction and Fact includes 10 songs which range from emotional ballads to fast dance tracks.[9]

The album's pre-release single, “On Rainy Days", is a guitar-backed ballad about heartbreak that the group reportedly actually recorded on a rainy day.[10] A company representative said, "While Beast was singing this song, all the members were emotional and shed tears", adding, "The recording was stopped several times due to continuous tears".[11] The song was written and produced by Choi Gyu-seong of Black Eyed Pilseung.[12]

The lead single "Fiction" was written and produced by Choi Gyu-seong and Shinsadong Tiger, the latter of whom previously wrote the Beast singles "Bad Girl" and "Shock".[12][13] "Fiction" is a dance song that combines "addictive piano riffs" with the melody of a ballad.[9] It tells the story of a man who can't accept a break-up so he writes a novel to continue his love story alone.[14]

Album track "Freeze" was co-written and co-arranged by Beast member Yong Jun-hyung alongside Shinsadong Tiger.[15]

Release and promotion

On May 12, 2011, “On Rainy Days" was released as a digital single.[11] On May 17, Fiction and Fact was released in physical and digital forms, followed by a music video for the album's lead single "Fiction".[2] The video, which was dubbed a "music drama", features actress Park Bo-young playing the former lover of Beast member Yong Jun-hyung.[16]

Beast began promotions for Fiction and Fact on May 19 on Mnet‘s M Countdown, where they performed "On Rainy Days" and "Fiction". In order to capture the feelings of these two very different songs, the M Countdown staff prepared two different stage sets. For the performance of "On Rainy Days", they built an atmosphere simulating rain, while they created an unrealistic, dreamlike stage for "Fiction".[17]

A week later, on May 26, Beast won their first first-place award for "Fiction" on M Countdown and subsequently won first place for the show's June 2 and June 9 episodes.[18] They also won first place on KBS Music Bank's May 27 episode for "On Rainy Days", while "Fiction" won first place on the show's June 3 and June 10 episodes.[19] Their title track also won first place on SBS Inkigayo's June 5 and June 12 episodes.

Beast ended their Korean promotions for Fiction or Fact on June 19 on SBS Inkigayo in order to promote their second Japanese single, "Bad Girl", in Japan.[20]

Commercial performance

Fiction and Fact entered the Gaon Album Chart at the number four spot,[21] peaking two weeks later at number one.[3] It was the chart's number one album of May 2011, with 90,000 copies sold,[22] and the fifth best-selling album of 2011 in South Korea.[4] As of the end of 2013, Fiction and Fact has sold 164,264 copies.[23]

Singles "On Rainy Days" and Fiction" peaked at number three and number five, respectively, on the Gaon Digital Chart.[24][25] Both songs have sold more than 3 million digital copies, placing them among the best-selling singles in South Korea.[26][27]

Controversy

On July 14, 2011, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) placed a ban on "On Rainy Days" because it “contained content that’s harmful to youth”. The agency cited the line "I think I'm drunk, I should stop drinking" as possibly encouraging young listeners to drink.[28] In response to the ban, member Yang Yoseob posted on his Twitter, "I think I'm going to start singing children songs. I need Tylenol" then added, "This is just too much. Sigh... we can't perform with this song, agh".

On August 25, 2011, Cube Entertainment filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, requesting that they nullify the ban on the song.[29] A Cube representative stated "The lyrics did not intend to glamorize drinking nor encourage it. The song is not about drinking at all, but rather a love story." They continued, "Considering the fact that the MOGEF has failed to ban other songs that contain strong lyrical content talking directly about topics that are more harmful to the youth, Beast's ban is a violation of equality."[30] On September 8, 2011, the Seoul Administrative Court suspended the MOGEF's ban, ruling that it should reverse its decision to designate the song as harmful to youths.[31][32] The court ruled in favour of Cube Entertainment, stating that the lyrics alone do not encourage drinking or smoking amongst youths.[33]

On April 15, 2017, An independent Thai rapper has been accused of plagiarizing BEAST's “Fiction” in one of his latest and most popular tracks. Thai rapper, SOLOIST, released a song titled “Just Married” as part of his newest mixtape and it has been drawing a lot of criticism from the K-Pop community.[34] In response to all the criticism from netizens, SOLOIST posted up a new statement on his Facebook saying that he had contacted Cube Entertainment and was granted permission to use the "Fiction" instrumental track.[35]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."The Fact"Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu Seong, Yong Jun-hyungShinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu SeongShinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu Seong2:20
2."Fiction"Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu Seong, Yong Jun-hyungShinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu SeongShinsadong Tiger3:55
3."Back to You"Seo Yong-bae, Seo Jae-woo, Yong Jun-hyungSeo Yong-bae, Seo Jae-wooSeo Yong-bae, Seo Jae-woo3:08
4."You"Choi Gyu-seong, Rado, Yong Jun-hyungChoi Gyu-seong, RadoChoi Gyu-seong3:51
5."Freeze"Yong Jun-hyung, Kim Tae-jooYong Jun-hyung, Kim Tae-jooShinsadong Tiger, Yong Jun-hyung, Kim Tae-joo3:33
6."Virus"Nang-ee, Beom-ee, Yong Jun-hyungNang-ee, Beom-eeNang-ee, Beom-ee3:25
7."불러보지만" (Bulleobojiman; Though I Call Your Name)Park Soo-seok, MarcoPark Soo-seok, Im Sang-hyuk, MarcoPark Soo-seok, Marco3:50
8."비가 오는 날엔" (Biga Oneun Naren; On Rainy Days)Choi Gyu-seong, Yong Jun-hyungChoi Gyu-seongChoi Gyu-seong3:46
9."Lightless" (Unplugged Version)Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu-seong, Rado, Yong Jun-hyungShinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu-seong, RadoGo Myeong-jae3:26
10."Fiction" (Orchestra Version)Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu-seong, Yong Jun-hyungShinsadong Tiger, Choi Gyu-seongKwon Seok-hong4:15
Total length:35:24

Personnel

  • Hong Seung-seong - executive producer
  • Shin Jeong-hwa - executive producer
  • Park Choong-min - executive supervisor
  • No Hyeon-tae - director
  • Im Sang-hyeok - music supervisor
  • Seo Jae-woo - A&R
  • Jo Seong-joon - mixing engineer (M.Cube Studio)
  • Hong Seong-joon - mixing engineer (Mojo Studio)
  • Jeong Taek-joo - mixing engineer (Sum Sound)
  • Jo Joon-sang - mixing engineer (W Sound)
  • Shin Jae-bin - recording engineer (M.Cube Studio)
  • Kwon Hae-joon - recording engineer (TS Studio)
  • Park Seon-young - recording engineer (TS Studio)
  • Choi Hyo-young - mastering engineer (Sonic Mastering Studio)[36]

Charts

Release history

CountryDateFormatLabel
South Korea May 17, 2011 Digital download, CD Cube Entertainment
Universal Music Group
May 25, 2011 Limited Edition
Taiwan June 17, 2011 CD Universal Music Taiwan
Philippines July 16, 2011 CD MCA Music[38]

References

  1. 1 2 "비스트 컴백,새 앨범 발매에 관하여" [Beast's comeback, about the release of new album] (in Korean). Cube Entertainment. May 9, 2011. Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "비스트 정규 1집 '픽션 앤 팩트' 공개 동시 반응 폭발!" [Public reaction is explosive to Beast's first studio album 'Fiction and Fact']. BNT News (in Korean). May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "2011년 24주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "2011년 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  5. ↑ "소녀시대 '더 보이즈' 2011 앨범판매 톱" [Girls' Generation's 'The Boys' is top seller of 2011]. E Daily (in Korean). February 14, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  6. ↑ "비스트, 가온K팝어워드 올해의가수상..2분기음반 1위" [Beast wins Artist of the Year at Gaon K-pop Awards...number one album of the 2nd quarter]. Star News (in Korean). February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  7. ↑ Joo, Kyung-don (January 2, 2012). "After a Beast of a year, one last award". Joogang Daily. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  8. ↑ "비스트, 1집 타이틀곡 '픽션' 트랙리스트 공개" [Beast reveals track list, including title track 'Fiction', for new album]. Star News (in Korean). May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "비스트, 부드럽게 변했다..신곡 '픽션' 들어보니" [Beast takes a soft turn...listening to new song 'Fiction']. Star News (in Korean). May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ "비스트, 발라드곡 '비가 오는 날엔' 깜짝 선공개" [Beast puts out surprise pre-release song 'On Rainy Days']. E Daily (in Korean). May 12, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "비스트 '비가 오는 날엔' 녹음하며 멤버 전원 눈물바다" [While recording "On Rainy Days" Beast members shed a sea of tears]. Newsen (in Korean). May 11, 2011. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  12. 1 2 "新대세 작곡팀들 급부상..흥미진진 음원차트" [New generation of songwriting teams on the rise...exciting music chart]. OSEN (in Korean). September 10, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  13. ↑ "신사동호랭이 "'픽션'올해의 노래 선정..만감 교차"(인터뷰)" [Shinsadong Tiger's "Fiction" is song of the year..."a thousand emotions" (Interview)]. Star News (in Korean). December 31, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ "'컴백' 비스트, 눈에 띄는 강세 '아이돌 정상 등극' 기대되는 이유" [Beast "comeback": a remarkable rise to 'top idol']. TV Daily. May 19, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ "[비하인드스토리]비스트 용준형, 숙소 탈출해 외박했던 진짜 이유는?" [[Behind-the-scenes story] Why did Beast's Yong Jun-hyung really not come back to the dorm?]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  16. ↑ "[VOD] 비스트, '픽션' 뮤비 공개…용준형·박보영 '애절한 눈물 연기' 화제" [Beast's 'Fiction" music video is released...Yong Jun-hyung and Park Bo-young's 'sad tears' grab public attention]. News Inside (in Korean). May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ "비스트, '픽션(fiction)' 눈에 띄는 강세 '심상치 않은 행보' 눈길" [BEAST, ‘Fiction’ striking emphasis ‘unusual movement’ receiving attention]. TVDaily (in Korean). May 18, 2011. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  18. ↑ "'1위' 비스트, "타이틀곡 잘못 정했나 걱정" 이색고민 토로" ['1st place' BEAST, "Worried we chose the wrong title track" expresses unusual concern]. Nate (in Korean). June 1, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Music Bank KChart". KBS (in Korean). May 27, 2011. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  20. ↑ "First place BEAST will end promotions on the 19th and head for Japan". Nate (in Korean). June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  21. ↑ "2011년 22주차 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  22. ↑ "2011년 05월 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  23. ↑ Cumulative sales of Fiction and Fact:
  24. ↑ "2011년 22주차 Digital Chart ["On Rainy Days" peak]". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  25. ↑ "2011년 25주차 Digital Chart ["Fiction" peak]". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  26. ↑ Cumulative sales of "On Rainy Days" are at least 3.1 million:
  27. ↑ Cumulative sales of "Fiction" are at least 3.2 million:
  28. ↑ "Songs by B2ST, Jay Park, 4minute, MBLAQ & more banned by Ministry of Gender Equality & Family". Star News (in Korean). July 18, 2011. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  29. ↑ Kim, Rahn (October 17, 2011). "Censors adopt flexible stance toward alcohol-related lyrics". Korean Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Cube Entertainment files a lawsuit on behalf of B2ST's first album". Star News (in Korean). August 29, 2011. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  31. ↑ Lee, HS (September 8, 2011). "Beast's song ruled not harmful to youth". Korean Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Ban On Beast's "On A Rainy Day" Dropped". KBS World News. September 8, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  33. ↑ Sung, So-young (September 9, 2011). "In music labeling battle, court rules against Family Ministry". Joongang Daily. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Thai Rapper SOLOIST Accused of Plagiarizing BEAST's "Fiction"". Koreaboo. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Netizens thought Thai rapper SOLOIST plagiarised BEAST/HIGHLIGHT". SBS PopAsia. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  36. ↑ Fiction and Fact (Media notes). Beast. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. ↑ "2012년 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  38. ↑ "CUBE POWER! The 4Minute and B2ST Album Launch!". MK News (in Korean). May 12, 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
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