A lot of the top idol groups now weren't always reigning high. In fact, a lot of them started at the bottom, burdened with many antis or people who simply didn't care. That is, until one song completely changed the game for them. In some other cases, the groups were somewhat known but failed to break that last barrier until they met that one fateful song.
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Super Junior - Sorry Sorry
Super Junior had a few songs before "Sorry Sorry" such as "Twins (Knock Out)", "Miracle", "U", and "Don't Don", but "Sorry Sorry" was their biggest hit. Equipped with an addicting dance and chorus, the song was what propelled them up to the top and the boys still perform this song to this day. The song's been picked by a lot of other idols as the song they'd like to have for themselves.
Big Bang - Lies
Big Bang also had a handful of songs before "Lies". Even though they gripped a lot of fans with their new hip hop sound, the group didn't shoot up to the top until "Lies", a song that combined all the members' unique voices perfectly and resonated with the masses. "Lies" is still a favorite among many Big Bang fans today.
Girls' Generation - Gee
This song is known as the "one that turned antis into fans". Girls' Generation's "Gee" hit the nation so hard that they set a record with the most number of wins on 'Music Bank' (although that title now belongs to Psy). It was Gee-Mania, everyone was doing the dance, singing the song, and dressing the way the girls were. The song is still parodied and covered by a lot of idol groups today.
SHINee - Ring Ding Dong
Even though SHINee got a lot of attention with their debut song "Replay" (which also cemented their image), the boys actually didn't win anything until "Love Like Oxygen" was released. But their real game-changing song was "Ring Ding Dong", their first-ever triple-crowning song. Sadly, 3 of the members caught the H1N1 virus that was going around, but the boys enlisted help from their Super Junior sunbaes to keep promoting their addicting song.
4minute - What's Your Name?
4minute always came out with catchy songs that seemed to do well, but for some reason they just couldn't push over that little ledge into A-list-dom. They finally got it with "What's Your Name?", which had an addicting chorus and choreography. The girls also got their first ever triple-crown with the song on 'Show Champion', and it's the song that's got us on our toes waiting for their next comeback.
INFINITE - BTD
Even though INFINITE didn't win any music show awards with "BTD", it's still the song - or perhaps more accurately, the dance - that pops into most people's heads when they think of INFINITE. It also set up the stage for their "Be Mine" hit and cemented the image of their sword-sharp and on-sync choreography .
Block B - Very Good
Block B had a lot of bumps in the road until they were able to get to "Very Good". It might be even more accurate to say that the song wasn't the game changer, but their entire situation. Equipped with their own unique style and a brand new label, the boys snagged their first ever music show award with this song.
Girl's Day - Expectation
Although Girl's Day's first big hit was "Female President", the girls couldn't have gotten there without "Expectation" paving the way. This was also the point the girls changed their concept from cute to sexy. Sometimes, such drastic changes don't work out very well, but it worked like magic for the girls. The girls are now definitely one of the staple names in K-pop.
EXO - Growl
EXO took a long break from "MAMA" to "Wolf" and even though "Wolf" did superbly, it was "Growl" that really caught the attention of the world. The MV for "Wolf" wasn't anything new to K-pop before. But all 12 boys moving perfectly, completely in control of what was happening on the floor was something K-pop had never seen before, and this was the song that saw EXO become the first million seller in more than a decade.
B.A.P - 1004 (Angel)
You don't have to be a B.A.P fan to know that it's a group that's constantly on the market. The boys choose to promote one song after another so frequently that fans joke it's not a comeback since they were never gone. The boys always did decently, but just like 4minute, never could get that last bit of push. They changed their sound a little to something softer and got that last bit of push with "1004 (Angel)".
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