We Who Listened to Lies: How Do We Remember BIGBANG’s Early Years?

The title track of the first mini album ‘Always’, released on August 16, 2007. According to the official album introduction, it was initially prepared as a solo work by G-DRAGON but released as a group song. We hear the original album track of about 3 minutes 49 seconds, distinct from the remixes on later records. Think about what memories the chorus you once knew so well calls up now. For those who discovered BIGBANG through the new single, it’s a starting point for learning which music first broadened the public’s interest before. Rather than re-ranking the song’s popularity, enjoy it as a time to compare your first memory with how it feels today.

‘Last Farewell’ is the final track and title song of the second mini album ‘Hot Issue’, released on November 22, 2007. It is the English track name of the song known in Korean as ‘Majimak Insa’. The official introduction highlights the combination of a strong beat, a trance-hip-hop rhythm and the melody. Over about 3 minutes 51 seconds, listen for how it differs from ‘Lies’ before it. Those who know both songs can revisit the memories of that time, while newcomers can trace the direction of music released back to back within a single year. It becomes a listen that looks at love and parting while comparing the memory of its release with how you feel now.

The third mini album ‘Stand Up’ came out on August 8, 2008, with ‘Haru Haru’ as its title track. It can be found under the name ‘Haru Haru’ on international services as well. We hear the original of about 4 minutes 16 seconds, kept apart from the separate acoustic version on the second studio album. Listen closely for whether the place or the people from when you heard it first come to mind. If you’re hearing it for the first time, feel how the repeated title shapes the impression of the whole song. Since it shares an album with ‘Heaven’ right after, the two different songs let you compare the breadth of the 2008 music.

‘Heaven’ is the third track of ‘Stand Up’. The international music service we chose lists it as ‘My Heaven’, but here we listen to the roughly 3-minute-52-second song from the 2008 Korean album. Keeping it distinct from the later Japanese promotional song and separate releases makes it easier to find again. If you only knew ‘Haru Haru’, feel what mood the next song on the same record gives you. Just knowing one more album cut beside a signature song can leave the music of a familiar period more broadly in your memory.

The title track of the second studio album ‘Remember’, released on November 5, 2008. The official introduction confirms that it is built on Lee Moon-sae’s original, using its chorus while reconstructing the song in BIGBANG’s own way. Listen to the roughly 3-minute-24-second track while thinking about how memories of the same song might differ from generation to generation. If you know the original, there’s fun in comparing the familiar parts with the changed impression. If it’s new to you, look up both versions in turn later on. Rather than presenting it as old music simply sung again, it’s worth getting to know as a song where the work of different creators meets.

‘TONIGHT’ is the title track of the fourth mini album, released on February 24, 2011. Looking back on the Korean activities after the second studio album, you can pay attention to the direction where electronic music and hip-hop meet. The track chosen is the roughly 3-minute-42-second version from the February mini album, kept distinct from the one on the April special edition. After listening through the old signature songs, see what changes you sense at this point. It’s also worth thinking about what scene the night in the title adds to your listening. Continue into ‘LOVE SONG’ and ‘STUPID LIAR’ to take in the other work from the same year as a single flow.

The first track and one of the two title songs of the special edition released on April 8, 2011. YG introduces it as a joint work by G-DRAGON and TEDDY, combining electronic rhythms with modern rock elements. In the roughly 3-minute-45-second song, feel both the ease the vocals leave behind and the directness of a title that simply says love. For anyone curious about a texture different from the earlier hits, it’s a choice for examining the musical change. ‘STUPID LIAR’ from the same release comes right after, so it works to hear the two as a pair. It takes you beyond knowing the names of the signature songs to understanding the direction the record was attempting at the time.

‘STUPID LIAR’ is the second track of the 2011 special edition and was introduced as a title track alongside ‘LOVE SONG’. The official description points to the melody and the memorable chorus as the main things to listen for. Over about 3 minutes 54 seconds, compare what stays with you differently from the same record’s first track. If you had remembered only one song as representative, this is a chance to get to know the other title track too. After listening from ‘Lies’ in 2007 through to this song, look back on which elements of BIGBANG in that period you like. When you want to carry your interest into the album period that followed, you can move on to ‘STILL ALIVE’.