"Hug" (Korean: 포옹) is the debut single by South Korean pop group TVXQ. Written by Yoon Jung and Park Chang-hyun and produced by Park Chang-hyun, "Hug" was first performed at a joint showcase featuring label mate BoA and American singer Britney Spears on December 26, 2003, TVXQ's official debut day.[1] The song was later released as a CD maxi single on January 14, 2004, in South Korea. Its accompanying music video was filmed in December 2003 at the Ilsan Art House.[2] The follow-up promotional song, "My Little Princess", was written by Hwang Sung-jae.
Under the name Tohoshinki, the group released an English version of "Hug" as a CD and DVD single in Japan on November 25, 2004. The Japanese language version of "Hug" was featured in the group's debut Japanese album Heart, Mind and Soul (2006). The Mandarin-language counterpart of "Hug" was released in May 2007.
Commercial performance
"Hug" was a sleeper hit in South Korea. It debuted at number thirty seven on the MIAK chart,[fn 1] selling only 4,630 copies in the first month of release.[3] Sales picked up the following month, and on March 28, 2004, TVXQ won their first music show award with "Hug" on The Music Trend. According to the MIAK, "Hug" peaked at number four on the months of April and May, selling a total of 56,543 copies in those months. "Hug" stayed charted for ten consecutive months, and by the end of the year, "Hug" sold over 169,000 copies. It was South Korea's fourteenth best-selling record of 2004. "Hug" sold 242,890 copies as of 2014. In Japan, "Hug" sold 4,710 copies.
Accolades
In 2021, the song was included in Melon and Seoul Shinmun's critics ranking of Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time at number 98.[4]
^Prior to the establishment of the Gaon, South Korea's music charts were supplied by the Music Industry of Korea (MIAK), which only published monthly and yearly rankings.
References
^"에스엠, 그룹 '동방신기' 싱글앨범 발매" [SM's new group 'TVXQ' releases single album]. Edaily (in Korean). Naver. January 15, 2004. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
^Catch Me – Production Note (released December 27, 2013)
^ ab2004.01월 – 가요 음반 판매량 [2004.01 – Sales volume] (in Korean). Music Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on June 17, 2004. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
^"보아 'My Name', 올해 최고의 뮤직비디오" [BoA's 'My Name' wins best music video of the year]. JoyNews24 (in Korean). Naver. December 5, 2004. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
^2004년 가요음반판매량 [2004 Album Sales Figures] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
