Telephone (Exo-SC song)
| "Telephone" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Exo-SC featuring 10cm | ||||
| from the album 1 Billion Views | ||||
| Language | ||||
| Released | July 7, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2020 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Studio 159 | |||
| Exo-SC singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| 10cm singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Telephone" on YouTube | ||||
"Telephone" (Korean: 척; RR: cheog; lit. Chuck) is a song recorded by South Korean duo Exo-SC, a subgroup to the boy band Exo, and features 10cm as the guest vocalist. It was released on July 7, 2020, by SM Entertainment and distributed by Dreamus as a pre-release single for their debut studio album, 1 Billion Views.
Background
[edit]Shortly after releasing their debut EP the previous year, Exo-SC embarked on Exo's fifth headlining concert tour, Exo Planet 5 – Exploration, performing "What a Life", "Closer to You".[1]
On June 23, 2020, SM announced that the group will release their debut studio album, 1 Billion Views in July.[2]
On July 1, SM uploaded a schedule poster of the comeback, which features the track list of the album, where "Telephone" is included among the nine tracks.[3] The song and its music video was released on July 7.[4]
The release of "Telephone" was described as "surprising" since the song was previously unannounced. Chanyeol said it was a way for the duo to gift the fans who were patiently waiting for the comeback — so they played the song in advance during their live broadcast before officially announcing what just happened.[5]
Composition
[edit]"Telephone" is a hip-hop song with a cheerful piano riff and heavy bass.[6] It was co-composed and co-written by member Sehun, Gaeko, and Studio 159.
The song is about someone hiding their phone obsession and the feelings that come with it.[6]
It was produced and arranged by Studio 159 in the key of F minor with the tempo of 90 beats per minute.[7]
During their V Live broadcast on July 13, Chanyeol revealed that he was "excited" and danced on the spot after hearing the song for the first time.[8]
Music video
[edit]The music video was released on July 7, 2020. It mixes 70s, 90s, and 2000s styles for a retro feel, showing Chanyeol and Sehun's funny struggle with waiting for a text message on a Blackberry phone.[9]
Live performance
[edit]The song is included in Chanyeol's "2024 Chanyeol Live Tour: City-scape".[10]
Chart
[edit]| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea (Gaon)[11] | 72 |
| US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[12] | 23 |
Credits and personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]
Studio
- SM Big Shot – recording, digital editing, engineered for mix
- PYT Studio – recording
- SM Blue Ocean Studio – mixing
- 821 Sound Mastering – mastering
Personnel
- SM Entertainment – executive producer
- Lee Soo-man – producer
- Studio 159 – producer, composition, lyrics, arrangement
- Loey – vocals, composition, lyrics, arrangement, background vocals, vocal direction
- MQ – composition, lyrics, arrangement
- Jeon Yong-joon – composition, lyrics, arrangement, piano
- Yunji – composition, lyrics, arrangement, drum, strings, keyboards, bass
- Gaeko – composition, lyrics, vocal direction, programming, synthesizer
- Oh Se-hun – vocals, composition, lyrics
- 10cm – vocals, background vocals
- Chancellor – recording, background vocals
- Lee Min-gyu – recording, digital editing, engineered for mix, mixing
- Lee Yo-han – recording
- Kim Chul-soon – mixing
- Kwon Nam-woo – mastering
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | July 7, 2020 | ||
| Various | SM |
References
[edit]- ^ Park, Seo-hyun (July 29, 2019). 엑소 다섯번째 콘서트 'EXO PLANET #5 - EXplOration' 성료..9만 관객 열광 [EXO's 5th concert 'EXO PLANET #5 - EXplOration' successfully concluded... 90,000 audience members excited]. K-Pop Herald (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Lee, Jae-hoon (June 23, 2020). 엑소 듀오 유닛 '세훈&찬열', 7월 첫 정규앨범 [EXO duo unit 'Sehun & Chanyeol' to release their first full-length album in July]. Newsis (in Korean). Seoul. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Hong, Hye-min (July 1, 2020). 엑소 세훈&찬열, '10억뷰' 컴백 본격 시동 [EXO's Sehun & Chanyeol start their comeback with '1 Billion Views']. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Yusron, Atmi Hasani (July 7, 2020). "EXO-SC Kejutkan EXO-L dengan MV Lagu Telephone" [EXO-SC Surprises EXO-L with MV of Telephone Song]. Detik.com (in Indonesian). Jakarta. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Lee, Da-hye (July 13, 2020). 엑소 세훈&찬열 “‘10억뷰’, 팬들에 익숙한 단어들 가사에 녹여”(일문일답) [EXO's Sehun & Chanyeol "'1 Billion Views' Blends Words Familiar to Fans into Lyrics" (Q&A)]. Asia Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Ham, Na-yan (July 7, 2020). 10CM→개코…엑소 세훈&찬열, ‘10억뷰’ 피처링 라인업 공개 [10CM → DOG... EXO's Sehun & Chanyeol Unveil '1 Billion Views' Featuring Lineup]. The Dong-A Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "Key & BPM for "Telephone" by Exo-SC". TuneBat. July 7, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Kang, Min-kyung (July 13, 2020). 엑소 세훈&찬열이 밝힌 '10억뷰'의 모든 것 "1위 공약? 번지점프!" [V라이브 종합] [EXO's Sehun & Chanyeol's All About '1 Billion Views' "No. 1 Promise? Bungee jumping!" [V Live Comprehensive]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Chakraborty, Riddhi (July 7, 2020). "Watch EXO-SC Forlornly Await a Text in The Retro Video for "Telephone"". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Bernardo, Jaehwa (October 22, 2024). "EXO's Chanyeol praises Pinoy fans' singing, covers 'Raining In Manila'". ABS-CBN. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ 2020년 28주차 Digital Chart [Week 28 of 2020 Digital Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). July 11, 2020. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "Exo-SC World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ SC, EXO (2020). 1 Billion Views (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment. Credits.
