Mago (song)

"Mago"
Logo of the single
Single by GFriend
from the album Walpurgis Night
ReleasedNovember 9, 2020
Recorded2020
Genre
Length3:19
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)FRANTS
GFriend singles chronology
"Apple"
(2020) 		"Mago"
(2020)
Music video
"MAGO" on YouTube

"Mago" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by South Korean girl group GFriend for their third Korean-language studio album Walpurgis Night. The song was released as the title track of the album on November 9, 2020 by Source Music. It is the group’s final release before their departure from Source Music and disbandment on May 2021.[1]

Background

On October 31, 2020, a sneak peek of the song and its music video has been shown during the group's online concert GFriend C:ON.[2] On the same day, members Eunha and Umji appeared on the show Knowing Bros and showcased a tip of the song and its choreography.[3]

Composition

"Mago"
A 24-second sample of "Mago", a disco and dance-pop song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The song was written and produced by FRANTS. Many other producers also participated in writing the song: "hitman" bang, Kyler Niko, Paulina Cerrilla, Cho Yoon-kyung, Alice Vicious, Cazzi Opeia, Ellen Berg, JADED JANE, Noisy Citizen, Justin Reinstein and JJean. Members Eunha, Yuju and Umji participated as well in writing lyrics for the song.[4]

The song was described by Teen Vogue's Sara Delgado as "the most striking videos to come from GFriend to date".[5]

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 17 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales and peaked at number 16 a week after.[6] It debuted as well as number 46 on Billboard's K-pop Hot 100 for the week ending November 21, 2020.[7] Then, it debuted at number 42 on Gaon Digital Chart for the week ending November 14, 2020.[8]

Music video

On October 31, 2020, a sneak peek of the music video for "Mago" was shown during the group's online concert GFriend C:ON.[2] The music video was then released on HYBE Labels' YouTube channel on November 9, 2020, along with the album. It was directed by Guzza of Lumpens, who previously directed the music video for their previous single, "Apple".

Accolades

Year-end lists
Critics/Publication List Rank Ref.
SCMP The Best 15 Singles from K-pop Groups in 2020 1 [9]
Billboard 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2020: Critic's Picks 4 [10]
Dazed The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 9 [11]
Paper The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020 12 [12]
Don't Bore Us 10 K-pop Tracks from 2020 — [13]
Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
The Show November 17, 2020 [14]
Show Champion November 18, 2020 [15]

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Mago"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various November 9, 2020
[20]

References

  1. ^ "여자친구 해체, 자필 편지로 전한 진심…"끝이 아니니 힘들어하지 말아라" - 이투데이". 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  2. ^ a b Lee, Jae-hoon (November 1, 2020). [리뷰]'여자친구' 6명 눈물 펑펑...청순~섹시함까지 많이 컸네 [[Review] 6 'GFRIENDS' tears popped... innocent ~ sexy]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020 – via Naver.
  3. ^ Ahn, Byung-gil (November 1, 2020). ‘아는 형님’ 여자친구, 베일 속 ‘MAGO’ 노출 ['Knowing Brother' GFriend exposes 'MAGO' in veil]. Sports trend (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020 – via Naver.
  4. ^ "MAGO". www.melon.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  5. ^ Delgado, Sara (9 November 2020). "GFRIEND Take on Disco Glamour in "MAGO" Music Video". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Park, Bong-gyu (November 18, 2020). 여자친구, 신곡 ‘MAGO’ 美 빌보드 차트 진입 [GFRIEND, new song 'MAGO' enters US Billboard chart]. Kookmin Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020 – via Naver.
  7. ^ a b "GFriend". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". gaonchart.co.kr. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "The best 15 singles from K-pop groups in 2020". South China Morning Post. December 26, 2020. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2020: Critic's Picks". Billboard. December 23, 2020. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "The 40 best K-pop songs of 2020". Dazed. December 19, 2020. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  12. ^ Bell, Crystal (December 19, 2020). "The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020". Paper. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "10 K-pop tracks from 2020 that saved this hellhole of a year". 29 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  14. ^ Gong, Mina (November 17, 2020). '더쇼' 여자친구, 'MAGO'로 1위 "버디 보고싶어요"[★밤TView] ['The Show' GFriend, ranked 1st with 'MAGO' "I want to see Buddy" [★ Night TView]]. StarNews (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020 – via Naver.
  15. ^ Jo, Sung-woon (November 18, 2020). ‘쇼챔피언’ 여자친구, MAGO로 1위 차지… “버디 고마워” ['Show Champion' GFriend Takes 1st Place with MAGO... “Thank you Buddy”]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020 – via Naver.
  16. ^ "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles In Malaysia". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "RIAS International Top Charts Week 47". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "GFriend". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  19. ^ "2020년 11월 Digital Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  20. ^ 回:Walpurgis Night, archived from the original on 2021-03-03, retrieved 2021-02-27