"Fire" is the debut single by South Korean girl group 2NE1. YG Entertainment released the song to digital outlets on May 6, 2009, as the lead single for the group's self-titled debut extended play (2009). Despite the group having appeared alongside labelmate Big Bang for the promotional single "Lollipop" in March 2009, "Fire" served as 2NE1's official debut. The song nevertheless became a hit on all Korean charts following its release.
Critical reception towards "Fire" were positive, with a majority of the critics commending its production and the group's performance. Various critics have highlighted "Fire" for having helped start the "girl crush" trend in K-pop, a concept which revolves around themes of female empowerment and self confidence. Melon included "Fire" at number 37 on their ranking of the top 100 K-pop songs of all time.
2NE1 was first unveiled to the public on March 27, 2009 after appearing alongside labelmate BigBang for the LG Cyon promotional track "Lollipop". Despite the track not having any formal promotions on music shows, the song became a hit on all offline and online charts in South Korea.[1] On April 30, 2009, CEO of YG Entertainment Yang Hyun-suk revealed that 2NE1's debut song would consist of a hip-hop and reggae concept, to be released via digital download and streaming on May 6, 2009.[2] The song, titled "Fire", was written and produced by 1TYM's Teddy Park, and gives a "strong and sophisticated feeling". Short clips of the song were teased on the group's official website at the beginning of May.[3]
"Fire" was released as planned on May 6, with two versions of the music video released the same day — a "space" version and a "street" version.[4] Both of the music videos received over one million views in a day;[5] the viewcount then quickly increased to two million.[6] The videos were profiled on Perez Hilton's blog.[7]
Reception
Critical reception
Writing for webzine IZM, Lee Jong-min said that "'Fire' produced a more evolved image than the previous scene created by the agency", and added that its use of synthesizers and heavy bass sounded like something out of a martial arts movie, generating power that surprises watchers.[8] The publication further wrote that "the development of one or two melodic variations and the electronic sound that dominates the entire song cleverly mixes the hip-hop attitude with club scene musical trends."[9] They named "Fire" one of the best singles of 2009—the only song from an idol group in the list.[9] In webzine Weiv's year-end feature ranking the best singles of the year, critic Kim Min-young ranked the song number three while Choi Min-woo ranked it number four on their individual year-end listings.[10]
Retrospectively, Jeff Benjamin of Billboard ranked it the 14th best single in the group's discography, complimenting the group's charisma in addition to the track's "exciting" and "twinkling synthesizers", and wrote that it "set the groundwork for much of the act's future singles -- catchy electro-pop bangers with loads of attitude."[11]
Public reception
Both the song and the group have been very popular online, with the song topping Mnet's online chart and the group's name becoming a top search term.[12] The group was also rewarded with three Cyworld Digital Music Awards, with both "Lollipop" and "Fire" winning "Song of the Month" awards and the group winning "Rookie of the Month" for May 2009.[13]
2NE1 performing the song at 34th & 35th Cyworld Digital Music Awards
The "Space" version of the music video showcases 2NE1 performing the song in Space. During the intro, CL is also seen wearing Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. The "Street" version of the music video features 2NE1 performing "Fire" on an abandoned street at night. The video also features a cameo appearance by G-Dragon of Big Bang. Both versions of the music video were filmed in secret during April 2009. The music videos were released May 6, 2009, both being directed by Seo Hyun-seung. Both versions were uploaded on YG's official YouTube account on August 17, 2009. The space version has since accumulated over 52 million views on the platform. A behind the scenes video was released May 10, 2009.
The group's first performance of the song was on May 17, 2009, on SBS's Inkigayo, beginning the group's activities.[6] The performance was featured on Perez Hilton's blog, once again showing his interest towards the group.[22] 2NE1 went on to win two "Mutizen" awards from the music program; their first win on June 14 set a record at the time for the fastest group to receive a music show win—just 39 days after their debut. Both of the official music videos were uploaded in HD on the YouTube channel of 2NE1 on September 6, 2010.
Covers and usage in media
At the 2009 KBS Entertainment Awards, various comedians performed a parody of "Fire" on stage.[23] On a 2 Days & 1 Night episode aired on February 28, 2010, MC Mong, Lee Soo-geun, Kim Jong-min and Kim C dressed up as the 2NE1 members and performed a parody of "Fire".[24] While filming the drama Wife Returns in 2010, actress Yoon Se-ah mentioned that she would often listen to "Fire" on set as it helped refine her character in the drama.[25] During the first season of survival show Produce 101 in 2016, the song was performed by multiple trainee groups as one of the debut song missions.[26] It was also used as one of the mission songs in the 2017 drama The Idolmaster KR.[27]
During the first season of Mnet's Queendom in 2019, (G)I-dle performed a cover of "Fire" as part of the show's cover segment. Following the episode's broadcast, group leader Soyeon commented how she felt honored to cover the song as she looked up to 2NE1 since she was young.[28] After Woo!ah! covered the song in 2021, a member of the group expressed that they aspire to grow as an artist like 2NE1.[29] In the 2021 series Work Later, Drink Now, Lee Sun-bin, Han Sun-hwa, and Jung Eun-ji's characters performed a cover of "Fire" inside a bar.[30] During a January 2022 episode of Saturday Night Live Korea, all three of them served as hosts and opened the show by reenacting the cover.[31]
In February 2023, Everglow covered the song at the 30th Anniversary Hanteo Music Awards.[32] During the final episode of Babymonster's Last Evaluation show chronicling the group's selection process, "Fire" was performed as part of a "2NE1 mash-up" that served as the show's last mission prior to the group's debut.[33] In November 2023, Kiss of Life covered "Fire" at a concert in Busan.[34]
Legacy
In 2014, webzine Music Y included "Fire" in their list of 120 greatest dance tracks of all-time: music critic Hong Hyuk-soo wrote that "Fire" may have been a kind of feminism that revolted against the music market that goes back and forth between innocence and sexy; "a gesture of one-dimensional rebellion against the social convention that says, 'Because you are a woman, you have to be careful.'"[35]South China Morning Post's Patti Sunio hailed the "instant hit" as the track "that broke the cutesy clean-cut look typical of girl groups."[36] In 2020, Globe Telecom named "Fire" one of the most iconic K-pop music videos, saying that the "bold video style coupled with the pulsing synths made a refreshing addition to the existing lineup of bubblegum pop female acts."[37]
"Fire" was ranked number 37 in Melon and newspaper Seoul Shinmun's 2021 list of Top K-pop Songs of All Time, with music critic Squib writing that the flame of the "new evolution" that "Fire" ignited can be still seen in the genealogy of girl groups that claim strong images in the present, ranging from 4Minute to most recently Blackpink and Itzy.[38]Insider named it one of the best debut songs of all time in K-pop, writing that it "opens with one of the most iconic spoken lines in any K-pop track".[39]Billboard Brasil expressed that "Fire" helped "change the history of the genre and how the South Korean music industry viewed a female group".[40]
^ ab"양현석 "2NE1 데뷔곡은 레게풍 힙합곡"" [Yang Hyun-suk "2NE1's debut song is a reggae-style hip-hop song"]. SBS News (in Korean). April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
^ ab"이즘 선정 2009년 올해의 가요 앨범, 싱글" [Best Songs of the Year selected by IZM for 2009]. IZM (in Korean). December 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
^"[Special] weiv 필자가 뽑은 2009년 베스트(국내)" [[Special] weiv's Best of 2009 selected by authors (domestic)]. Weiv (in Korean). December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
^"소녀시대'Gee' MMA 대상 올해의 노래상 수상 '6관왕' 기염" [Girls' Generation's 'Gee' won the Song of the Year award at the MMA Awards 'six crowns']. Newsen. December 16, 2009. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
^"올 한해 20대가 선정한 최고는 이효리·2NE1·2PM… 'Mnet 20's 초이스' 나란히 3관왕" [The best people in their 20s this year were Lee Hyori, 2NE1, 2PM ... 'Mnet 20's Choice' 3 awards won side by side] (in Korean). Maeil Business. August 28, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2022 – via Naver.
^"2NE1, 'Fire'로 2주 연속 SBS '인기가요' 정상" [2NE1 tops SBS 'Inkigayo' for 2 weeks in a row with 'Fire']. Asia Economy (in Korean). Naver. June 21, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
^"'1박2일' 김C, 충격적인 2NE1 산다라박 변신" ['2 Days & 1 Night' Kim C Gets a Shocking 2NE1 Sandara Park Transformation]. Maeil Business (in Korean). February 28, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
^"'아이돌마스터.KR-꿈을 드림' 데뷔조 VS 루키조 첫 미션" ['The Idolmaster KR' debut group VS rookie group first mission]. Maeil Business (in Korean). Naver. May 27, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
^"(여자)아이들 전소연 "2NE1 커버할 수 있어 영광" 소감[SNS★컷]" [(G)I-dle’s Jeon So-yeon 'It’s an honor to be able to cover 2NE1' [SNS Cut]]. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. September 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2023. It was such an honor to be able to cover the song of 2NE1 sunbaenim, whom I have really admired since I was young.
^"이선빈→정은지, 2NE1 완벽 변신 (술꾼도시여자들)" [Lee Sun-bin → Jung Eun-ji, 2NE1 complete transformation (drinking city women)]. Xports News (in Korean). Naver. November 4, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
^"이선빈 한선화 정은지, 화끈한 'SNL 술꾼도시여자들'" [Lee Sun-bin, Han Seon-hwa, and Jung Eun-ji in 'SNL Drinking City Women']. KBS Entertainment (in Korean). Naver. January 11, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
^"최예나·템페스트·에버글로우…위에화 글로벌 인기 '한터뮤직어워즈'에서 증명" [Choi Yena · Tempest · Everglow ... Yuehua's global popularity proved at the 'Hanteo Music Awards']. Seoul Economic Daily (in Korean). Naver. February 13, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
^"'해운대 반짝인 6천 K팝팬심' 굿밤콘서트 in 부산, 피날레공연 성료…에스파·온앤오프 등 대세출격" ['Haeundae Shining 6,000 K-pop Fans' Good Night Concert in Busan, Finale Performance Successfully Concluded … aespa, ONF, etc. are popular]. Electronic Newspaper (in Korean). Naver. November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
