"White"
Regular Edition cover
Single by CNBLUE
from the album Colors
ReleasedApril 8, 2015 (2015-04-08)
Recorded2014
GenreElectronic rock
Length3:56
LabelWarner Music Japan
Songwriter(s)Lee Jong-hyun, Jung Yong-hwa, miwa
CNBLUE Japanese singles chronology
"Radio"
(2014)		 "White"
(2015)		 "Supernova"
(2015)

"White" (stylized "WHITE") is a song by South Korean rock band CNBLUE. It was released on April 8, 2015, as their ninth single under Warner Music Japan and 12th single overall in Japan. The song was conceived by guitarist Lee Jong-hyun in midst of the CNBLUE 2014 Arena Tour "Wave" concerts. The song was written by band members Lee Jong-hyun and Jung Yong-hwa, in addition to miwa. Portraying a message of hope, "White" combines the band's rock style and infuses a synthesizer to create a sound distinctive from the band's previous work.

The single was released in four editions: Regular Edition, Limited Editions A and B, and a fan club-only Boice Limited Edition. "White" debuted on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart at number four and has sold over 28,000 copies since its release. The band embarked on the CNBLUE Spring Live 2015 "White" arena tour, where they held three concerts in Osaka and Kanagawa. The final show of the tour was recorded, spawning a live DVD and Blu-ray release in August 2015. "White" was included on the band's sixth Japanese studio album Colors.

Background

After the release of CNBLUE's fifth Japanese studio album Wave in September 2014, band member Lee Jong-hyun began forming ideas of releasing a single that slightly deviated from the band's music. He consulted his bandmates regarding the notion, but he "didn't think very seriously about it". He felt that it was a natural progression as a musician. He began working on the song during the CNBLUE 2014 Arena Tour "Wave" concerts and continued to work on the song during the 2014 FNC Kingdom in Japan: Starlight concerts, among various other opportunities.[1] In creating the composition, he wanted to avoid making more sad songs and set out to make a "fun" song for live performances.[1][2] He first began by playing a full phrase on a guitar before implementing different arrangements on a computer.[1] "White" was announced as CNBLUE's ninth single on March 7, 2015, with a release date of April 8.[3]

Composition

"White" was written by band members Lee Jong-hyun and Jung Yong-hwa, with additional songwriting by miwa.[4] The song was composed by Lee Jong-hyun, Ryo, and Go Jin-young, and arranged by Tomozaku Miura and Jun "Silky Voice" Inoue. It is an uptempo electronic rock song that incorporates a synthesizer;[1][2] the lyrics deliver a "positive message about leading one's life, like trying to fill a blank map".[3] In an interview with Excite Japan, Lee Jong-hyun articulated, "Light has three primary colors, but doesn't light become white by combining different colors? However, by combining various colors, it becomes black, too. So, keeping that in mind, isn't everyone turning dark when overthinking lately? So, 'let's be the light!', that is the theme."[1] "White" steers from the band's typical musical style. Bassist Lee Jung-shin sensed an "exceptional transformation", noting a change in ambiance from Lee Jong-hyun's previous work. Drummer Kang Min-hyuk said that he was "surprised" that Lee Jong-hyun "challenged new things". Both members cited Lee Jong-hyun's history of writing ballads as source of their astonishment for the new sound. Vocalist Jung Yong-hwa observed the change as well, finding that the repetitious synthesizer was "quite appealing". Lee Jong-hyun expressed that he did not intend to surprise his listeners with the song, but described that the feeling came naturally afterward.[1]

The single was accompanied by two coupling tracks. "Stay Sober" was written by Jung Yong-hwa, who also composed the song alongside Hong In-ho. It was arranged by Park Hyun-woo and Kim Jae-yang, with an additional guitar and bass provided by Lee Tae-wook and Go Jin-young, respectively. "Irony" was written by Lee Jong-hyun and Ryo, with the music being composed by the former. It was arranged by Park Hyun-woo and Ryo, with additional guitar and bass provided by Jung Jae-pil and Go Jin-young, respectively.[4]

Release and promotion

A 30-second preview of the music video for "White" was uploaded on Warner Music Japan's YouTube channel on March 13, 2015.[5] The full music video was uploaded on March 20. It is set in a cafe that exudes an "exotic atmosphere".[6] The band is joined by an unidentified elderly man who plays a character referred to as White Man. The quintet make up Team White and they perform together throughout the video.[1][6]

"White" was released on April 8, 2015, in four editions: Regular Edition; Limited Edition A with bonus DVD content that includes multi-angle performance footage of "Ring", "Go Your Way", and "Lonely Night" from the CNBLUE 2014 Arena Tour "Wave" concert that took place at the Osaka-jō Hall, the music video for the single, and a special feature; Limited Edition B with bonus DVD content that includes performance footage of "Ryu Can Do It", "In My Head", "Wake Up", and "Coffee Shop" from the first half of the band's set at the 2014 Summer Sonic Festival; and Boice Limited Edition with bonus DVD content that includes performance footage of "I'm Sorry", "Lady", and "Can't Stop" from the second half of the band's set at the 2014 Summer Sonic Festival.[7]

CNBLUE was a guest on Tokyo Broadcasting System Television's (TBS) variety show Ōsama no Brunch (王様のブランチ」に; King's Brunch) on the April 11 broadcast in order to promote "White".[8] The band embarked on the CNBLUE Spring Live 2015 "White" arena tour concerts on April 22 in Osaka at the Osaka-jō Hall and from April 24–25 in Kanagawa at the Yokohama Arena.[9] The final show of the tour was recorded and aired on TBS on June 14.[10] On July 10, Warner Music Japan published a video digest of the Spring Live 2015 "White" ＠Yokohama Arena DVD and Blu-ray. It was released on August 5.[11]

Chart performance

"White" sold 19,859 copies in its first day of release and ranked number two on the daily Oricon Singles Chart.[12] On the issue dated April 20, 2015, the single debuted at number four on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart, selling 25,999 copies in its first week.[13][14] On the same issue date, the song debuted at number five on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.[15] On the monthly Oricon Singles Chart dated between April 6 through May 3, the single sold 28,871 copies.[16] The single remained on the Oricon chart for five weeks.[17]

On the issue dated August 17, 2015, CNBLUE's Spring Live 2015 "White" ＠Yokohama Arena video release debuted at number three on the weekly Oricon DVD Chart and at number 13 on the Oricon Blu-ray Chart.[18][19]

Track listing

Regular and Boice Limited Editions
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."White"Lee Jong-hyun, Jung Yong-hwa, miwaLee Jong-hyun, Ryo, Go Jin-young3:56
2."Stay Sober"Jung Yong-hwaJung Yong-hwa, Hong In-ho3:54
3."Irony"Lee Jong-hyun, RyoLee Jong-hyun3:51
4."White" (Instrumental) Lee Jong-hyun3:53
Total length:15:34
Limited Edition A
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."White"Lee Jong-hyun, Jung Yong-hwa, miwaLee Jong-hyun, Ryo, Go Jin-young3:56
2."Stay Sober"Jung Yong-hwaJung Yong-hwa, Hong In-ho3:54
3."Irony"Lee Jong-hyun, RyoLee Jong-hyun3:51
4."Stay Sober" (Instrumental) Jung Yong-hwa, Hong In-ho3:54
Total length:15:35
Limited Edition A — bonus DVD content
No.TitleLength
1."Ring", "Go Your Way", "Lonely Night" (CNBLUE 2014 Arena Tour "Wave" @Osaka-jō Hall Multi Angle) 
2."White" (music video and special feature) 
Limited Edition B
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."White"Lee Jong-hyun, Jung Yong-hwa, miwaLee Jong-hyun, Ryo, Go Jin-young3:56
2."Stay Sober"Jung Yong-hwaJung Yong-hwa, Hong In-ho3:54
3."Irony"Lee Jong-hyun, RyoLee Jong-hyun3:51
4."Irony" (Instrumental) Lee Jong-hyun3:51
Total length:15:32
Limited Edition B — bonus DVD content
No.TitleLength
1."Ryu Can Do It", "In My Head", "Wake Up", "Coffee Shop" (Live from Summer Sonic 2014 [first half]) 
Boice Limited Edition — bonus DVD content
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Sorry", "Lady", "Can't Stop" (Live from Summer Sonic 2014 [second half], special feature) 

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Billboard Japan Hot 100[15] 5
Oricon Singles Chart[13] 4

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tae, Ōmae. CNBLUE シングル『WHITE』インタビュー（インタビュー1）. Excite Music (in Japanese). Excite Japan. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Makino, Rie (April 8, 2015). CNBLUE最新インタビュー、2015年第1弾シングル「WHITE」. EMTG Music (in Japanese). EMTG Company. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  3. 1 2 CNBLUE、新作「WHITE」リリース＆アリーナ公演. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 7, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  4. 1 2 White (booklet). CNBLUE. Japan: Warner Music Japan. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ ジョン・ヨンファ（from CNBLUE）、大阪公演2DAYSで「記念撮影会付きミート＆グリート」が決定！. T-Site (in Japanese). T-Media Holdings. March 14, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  6. 1 2 CNBLUEが“TEAM WHITE”に扮する新曲PV公開. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 20, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  7. ↑ "500" CNBLUE ニュー・シングル「WHITE」4月8日発売決定！！ジャケ写、最新アーティスト写真公開！！ (in Japanese). CNBLUE Official Website. March 7, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  8. ↑ 中華料理と韓国料理が融合！「チャンポン＆チャジャン麺」. Ameba (in Japanese). CyberAgent. April 14, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ "500" CNBLUE SPRING LIVE 2015 “WHITE” 大阪・神奈川2都市でのアリーナ公演決定！ (in Japanese). CNBLUE Official Website. March 7, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ "500" 6/14（日）CS放送「TBSチャンネル1 最新ドラマ・音楽・映画」にて、『CNBLUE SPRING LIVE 2015“WHITE”』テレビ初独占放送！ (in Japanese). CNBLUE Official Website. March 7, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ CNBLUE、ライブDVD/BD「SPRING LIVE 2015 “WHITE”」のダイジェスト映像を公開. T-Site (in Japanese). T-Media Holdings. July 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  12. ↑ Choi, Song-hee (April 9, 2015). [스타 in 일본] 씨엔블루, 싱글 ‘WHITE’ 오리콘 2위…식지 않는 인기. Aju Business Daily (in Korean). Ajunews Corporation. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  13. 1 2 オリコン週間 CDシングルランキング 2015年04月06日～2015年04月12日. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 －CD・ブルーレイ・DVD・書籍・コミック－. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ オリコン月間 CDシングルランキング 2015年04月度 21～30位. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  17. ↑ >WHITE(初回限定盤A). Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  18. ↑ オリコン週間 DVD総合ランキング 2015年08月03日～2015年08月09日. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  19. ↑ オリコン週間 Blu-ray総合ランキング 2015年08月03日～2015年08月09日 11～20位. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

"White" on YouTube

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