Some of the staff members combed through this year's numerous releases to bring you a list of fifty of the year's most noteworthy songs. Check in every Wednesday between now and the new year (January 1) for the next group of songs in our ranking. Note: To be on this ranking, the songs had to be released between the dates of December 1, 2012 to November 15, 2013 for consideration. Today, we bring you the ranking for numbers eleven through twenty on our list.
Album: Modern Times
Label: LOEN Entertainment
Release Date: October 8th, 2013
IU's 2013 comeback had a lot riding on it, and every K-Pop fan was watching to see what would happen. Could the nation's little sister really be knocked from her throne so easily? As it turns out, the answer is a resounding no - IU ruled the charts and did it with class.
From a diss battle with a former labelmate to a dating scandal with f(x)'s Sulli, it seemed the guys of Dynamic Duo couldn't stay out of the news this year. Don't let all the hype fool you, however - these guys put out some good music, such as hit track "BAAAM". Don't let the song's chill vibe fool you - it's actually about the frustration of dealing with a girl who can't decide if she's hot or cold and won't explain why she's acting that way.
Girl's Day has been bubbling just under the surface of K-Pop for a long time - everyone knew who they were, everyone liked them, but they couldn't quite seem to break through to that next level of success. Then, "Expectation" happened. The song and dance blew up and gave the girls their first major hit since "Twinkle Twinkle". While their follow up track, "Female President", actually out-performed "Expectation", it was "Expectation" that paved the way for that success.
Most of us simply can't imagine the pressure that Psy must have been under to follow up "Gangnam Style", and many people declared "Gentleman" a failure right out of the gate for a number of reasons - the song didn't soar as high as "Gangnam Style", the dance was
borrowed from Brown Eyed Girls' "Abracadabra", the song sounded too much like "Gangnam Style"... Yet "Gentleman" was still one of this year's biggest hits and it still gained significant traction internationally- more so than any K-Pop artist before him, for sure.
Album: What's Going On?
Label: WM Entertainment
Release Date: May 6th, 2013
B1A4 just missed their first win last year with "Tried to Walk"- one of many songs steamrollered by the "Gangnam Style" juggernaut. For 2013, they returned to their fun-loving image with "What's Going On?", finally earning that first win and showing us all just
how far they've come since their "OK Girl" days. With Sandeul earning nothing but praise for his run on 'Immortal Song' and Baro bringing in new fans by the day with his acting in 'Reply 1994', B1A4 is headed nowhere but up going into the new year.
11. A Pink "No No No"
Album: Secret Garden
Label: A Cube Entertainment
Release Date: July 5th, 2013
A Pink was away from the spotlight for a surprisingly long time after "Hush", especially for a rookie group still trying to get recognized. After Eunji shot to fame for her roles in 'Reply 1997' and 'Wind Blows in Winter', Na-Eun's rise to popularity on "We Got Married", and a slight lineup change, A Pink finally came back with their S.E.S-inspired "No No No", a song of encouragement for those going through tough times. With a cute concept that didn't overdo it and an audience nostalgic for girl groups of the past, "No No No" swept the nation and propelled A Pink out of rookie status.
Check back next week on Monday, January 1st for songs one through ten!
allkpop's 'Top 50 K-Pop Songs of 2013' is staff-determined and is not in any way connected with the fan-voted 2013 allkpop awards.
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