The Story of Light (Shinee album)

The Story of Light refers to the set of three EPs and a reissue compilation that make up South Korean boy group Shinee's sixth Korean studio album. This album release marks the group's first in South Korea since 1 of 1 in November 2016, and the first since member Jonghyun's death in December 2017. It also celebrates the groups tenth anniversary since their debut on May 25, 2008. The Story of Light EP.3 is the last Shinee release to feature Jonghyun following his death.[3]

The Story of Light
Studio album by Shinee
Released	May 28, 2018 (2018-05-28) (see release history)
Recorded	2017–2018
Studio	S.M. Studios, Seoul, South Korea
Genre	K-pop R&B tropical house ballad
Length	55:00
Language	Korean
Label	SM IRIVER[1]
Shinee chronology
Shinee The Best From Now On (2018) The Story of Light (2018)
Repackaged edition cover
Album cover for The Story of Light-Epilogue
Singles from The Story of Light
"Good Evening" Released: May 28, 2018 "I Want You" Released: June 11, 2018 "Our Page" Released: June 25, 2018[2]
Singles from The Story of Light: Epilogue'
"Countless" Released: September 10, 2018

The album is divided into three parts, with each EP consisting of five songs and a separate lead single. The first EP with its lead single "Good Evening" was digitally and physically released on May 28, 2018 under SM Entertainment and distributed by IRIVER. The second EP of the trilogy was released on June 11 with the lead single "I Want You" and the third and final EP of the album was released on June 25 with its lead single "Our Page". On September 10, 2018, Shinee released a repackaged version of the album titled The Story of Light: Epilogue, combining the previous three parts with a new track, "Countless".

Background and release

The Story of Light

Reports of a Shinee comeback first surfaced in May 2017, where it was stated that Shinee would be one of four groups returning in the final quarter of 2017.[4] However, no further updates were released on this. In May 2018, SM Entertainment announced Shinee would return with a new album to celebrate the groups tenth anniversary, including a fan meeting on May 27, 2018.[5][6] It marks the group's first release since the repackaged album 1 and 1 in November 2016, and the first since member Jonghyun died in December 2017.[7] Shinee's sixth full-length album, titled The Story of Light, was confirmed to be divided into three parts with each part consisting of five songs and separate lead singles.[8][9][7][10] Member Key noted that the reason why they wanted to release three lead singles is to show that the group is still here, working hard and doing well in coping with things as they are, referring to the grief they suffered from Jonghyun's death.[10]

The first part of the album, led by the lead single "Good Evening," was released on May 28.[11] The dance for the song was choreographed by Japanese choreographer Koharu Sugawara, who had previously worked with Taemin on his single "Move" in October 2017.[12]

The second part of the trilogy was released on June 11 with the single "I Want You".[13] According to group, the second part of the album represents the group's view of themselves, while the first part reflected what others think of them.[14][15] The third and last part of the album is fronted by the single "Our Page" and was released on June 25.[15]

The first and second EPs also made a double appearance on Billboard's World Albums Chart on June 20, 2018. The Story Of Light: EP.2 debuted at number four, while The Story Of Light: EP.1 ranked at number eleven for its third week on the chart. The double appearance of different albums from one act on World Albums makes the group the fifth K-pop act to score two simultaneous entries on the chart for the same week.[16]

On August 1, 2018, Shinee released the Japanese version of "Good Evening" and "I Want You" as part of their 15th Japanese single, "Sunny Side".[17]

The Story of Light-Epilogue

On September 10, 2018, the group released the finale of their 10th anniversary album series, a repackaged album titled The Story of Light: Epilogue featuring sixteen tracks, including its lead single "Countless" and past singles "Good Evening", "I Want You" and "Our Page".[18][19]

Composition

"Good Evening" gives off deep house vibes and recalls Shinee's 2015 hit "View" but unlike "View" it draws more heavily on a classic R&B sounds and incorporates 112's 1997 classic "Cupid" into its melody. The lead track of the second part, "I Want You" is a tropical house tune that offers a more energetic vibe than its previous single.[20] The third part of the album is led by the lead track "Our Page" and is described to be a medium-tempo R&B song, which is in stark contrast to the tracks from previously-released parts like "Good Evening" and "I Want You".[21][15] "Our Page" is written by Shinee's members and songwriter Kenzie. Onew, Taemin, Key, and Minho participated in writing the lyrics with Jonghyun in mind. The song contains the message, "This unfinished novel, we'll fill it until the last page". Additionally "Our Page" is titled "The Words You Left Behind" in Korean and according to SM Entertainment, it reflects the group's message of "We will be together until the end". The song also incorporates references to the group being a five membered act and their debut date, May 25, 2008.[22][23] The special track "Lock You Down" also contains Jonghyun's voice.[23][22]

Music video

The music video of "Good Evening" is using a color scheme consisting of green, blue and pearl aqua. It shows the four members and their dancers perform on a set filled with forestry, film equipment, and other various items. The video also features a more laid-back choreography atop of chairs, which was choreographed by Koharu Sugawara, who previously choreographed Taemin's solo tracks like "Flame of Love"[24] and gives off a sense of almost accidental flailing and falling motions and like the music video for "Good Evening", the music video for "I Want You" features a CGI fox. It also showcases old school green screen graphics recalling '80s sci-fi tropes and while "Good Evening" featured a loose choreography, the dance moves to "I Want You" are more playful and tightly-angled.[15][20] The accompanying music video to "Our Page" shows the four members working on their own and doing various activities before they eventually come together to perform the song atop of stairs with a fifth mic standing and left untouched.[22]

Promotion

Shinee at an autograph event for The Story of Light in Goyang on June 29, 2018

On May 31, 2018, Shinee began their promotion performances for the first part of their sixth album, performing their lead single, "Good Evening", and "All Day All Night"on Mnet's M Countdown.[25] The group also performed on KBS2s Music Bank and MBCs Show! Music Core during their promotional cycle.[26] The group also appeared on Radio Star to promote their new album on May 30, 2018. They used the opportunity to open up about the death of their bandmate Jonghyun, stating that it was painful to be asked if they were feeling okay from everyone they met after the incident, which is why the members requested their fans and people around them to treat them the way they used to before to help them to acknowledge Jonghyun's death and to move on with their lives. Member Minho admitted they've struggled after the tragic loss, but they are willing to move forward.[27]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the official homepage.[28][29][30]

The Story of Light – EP.1

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"All Day All Night"	Kenzie	Delly Boi Davey Nate Peter Tambakis	Delly Boi	3:19
2.	"Good Evening" (데리러 가; Derireo ga; lit: Going to you)	Jo Yoon-kyung Minho Key	Chaz Mishan David Delazyn Bryan Jackson Arnold Hennings Daron Jones Michael Keith Quinnes Parker Marvin Scandrick Courtney Sills Yoo Young-jin	The Fliptones	3:43
3.	"Undercover"	Seo Ji-eum	Deez Andrew Choi Alexander Karlsson Alexej Viktorovitch	Jel	3:10
4.	"Jump"	Hwang Yoo-bin	WayBetta Curtis Richa Charlie Brown Jerome Williams	Waybetta Curtis A. Richardson Charlie Brown Jerome Williams	3:44
5.	"You & I" (안녕; annyeong; lit: goodbye)	Key	Choi Jin-seok Ronny Svendsen Anne Judith Stokke Wik Nermin Harambasic Moa Anna Carlebecker Forsell Martin Mullholland	Choi Jin-seok	3:04
6.	"Good Evening" (instrumental)		Chaz Mishan David Delazyn Bryan Jackson Arnold Hennings Daron Jones Michael Keith Quinnes Parker Marvin Scandrick Courtney Sills Yoo Young-jin	Delly Boi	3:43
Total length:					20:43

The Story of Light – EP.2

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangements	Length
1.	"I Want You"	Jeong Joo-hee (Jam Factory)	Mike Woods Kevin White Andrew Bazzi MZMC 에스나 (eSNa) Tay Jasper Yoo Young-jin	Rice n' Peas	3:05
2.	"Chemistry"	Cho Yoon-kyung Minho	Andrew Choi Deez Yunsu	Deez Yunsu	3:36
3.	"Electric"	Hwang Yubin	G'harah 'PK' Degeddingseze Matt Wong Jamie Jones Hannah Asres Victor Portillo	Jamie Jones Matt Wong	3:24
4.	"Drive"	Goo Tae-woo	Gannin Arnold Andy Delos Santos	Gannin Arnold	3:09
5.	"Who Waits for Love" (독감; dokkam; lit: Flu)	Seo Ji-eum Deepflow	Shin Hyuk Ross Lara Dave Cook JJ Evans Jeff Lewis		3:51
6.	"I Want You" (instrumental)		Mike Woods Kevin White Andrew Bazzi MZMC 에스나 (eSNa) Tay Jasper Yoo Young-jin	Rice n' Peas	3:05
Total length:					20:10

The Story of Light – EP.3

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Our Page" (네가 남겨둔 말; nega namkyeodun mal; lit: The Words You Left Behind)	Shinee Kenzie	Mike Woods Kevin White Andrew Bazzi MZMC Yoo Young Jin	Rice n' Peas	3:59
2.	"Tonight"	Cho Yoon-kyung MINOS	Hyuk Shin MRey (Joombas) JJ Evans (Joombas) Jeff Lewis	Hyuk Shin MRey (Joombas)	3:51
3.	"Retro"	Cho Yoon-kyung	Andreas Öberg Simon Petrén Gustav Karlström DEEZ	Andreas Öberg Simon Petren Gustav Karlström DEEZ	3:05
4.	"I Say"	Blue Bus Gaho Lee Ji-eun (Music Cube) Gu Seul-yoon (Music Cube)	Blue Bus Gaho	Blue Bus Gaho	3:10
5.	"Lock You Down" (Special Track)	Brian Kim Jo Yoon-kyung	The Stereotypes August Rigo	The Stereotypes	3:17
6.	"Our Page" (instrumental)			Rice n' Peas	3:59
Total length:					21:35

The Story of Light: Epilogue – Repackage

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"All Day All Night"	Kenzie	Delly Boi Davey Nate Peter Tambakis	Delly Boi	3:19
2.	"Countless" (셀 수 없는, sel su eomneun)	전간디 Jeon Gandi	Jamil 'Digi' Chammas Adrian Mckinnon Tay Jasper Sara Forsberg Leven Kali MZMC		3:09
3.	"Good Evening"	Jo Yoon-kyung Minho Key	Chaz Mishan David Delazyn Bryan Jackson Arnold Hennings Daron Jones Michael Keith Quinnes Parker Marvin Scandrick Courtney Sills Yoo Young-jin	The Fliptones	3:44
4.	"Chemistry"	Cho Yoon-kyung Minho	Andrew Choi Deez Yunsu	Deez Yunsu	3:36
5.	"Electric"	Hwang Yubin	G'harah 'PK' Degeddingseze Matt Wong Jamie Jones Hannah Asres Victor Portillo	Jamie Jones Matt Wong	3:24
6.	"Who Waits for Love" (독감; dokkam)	Seo Ji-eum Deepflow	Shin Hyuk Ross Lara Dave Cook JJ Evans Jeff Lewis		3:51
7.	"Our Page" (네가 남겨둔 말; nega namkyeodun mal ; lit : The Words You Left Behind)	Shinee Kenzie	Mike Woods Kevin White Andrew Bazzi MZMC Yoo Young Jin	Rice n' Peas	4:00
8.	"I Say"	Blue Bus Gaho Lee Ji-eun (Music Cube) Gu Seul-yoon (Music Cube)	Blue Bus Gaho	Blue Bus Gaho	3:10
9.	"Retro"	Cho Yoon-kyung	Andreas Öberg Simon Petrén Gustav Karlström DEEZ	Andreas Öberg Simon Petren Gustav Karlström DEEZ	3:05
10.	"Drive"	Goo Tae-woo	Gannin Arnold Andy Delos Santos	Gannin Arnold	3:09
11.	"I Want You"	Jeong Joo-hee (Jam Factory)	Mike Woods Kevin White Andrew Bazzi MZMC 에스나 (eSNa) Tay Jasper Yoo Young-jin	Rice n' Peas	3:05
12.	"Undercover"	Seo Ji-eum	Deez Andrew Choi Alexander Karlsson Alexej Viktorovitch		3:11
13.	"Jump"	Hwang Yoo-bin	WayBetta Curtis Richa Charlie Brown Jerome Williams		3:44
14.	"Tonight"	Cho Yoon-kyung MINOS	Hyuk Shin MRey (Joombas) JJ Evans (Joombas) Jeff Lewis	Hyuk Shin MRey (Joombas)	3:51
15.	"You & I"	Key	Choi Jin-seok Ronny Svendsen Anne Judith Stokke Wik Nermin Harambasic Moa Anna Carlebecker Forsell Martin Mullholland	Choi Jin-seok	3:04
16.	"Lock You Down" (Special Track)	Brian Kim Jo Yoon-kyung	The Stereotypes August Rigo	The Stereotypes	3:18
Total length:					55:00

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
	EP.1	EP.2	EP.3	Epilogue
French Download Albums (SNEP)[31]	45	81	60	—
Japanese Albums (Billboard Japan)[32][33]	6	6	9	19
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[34][35]	7	8	18	8
Japanese International Albums (Oricon)[36]	2	1	2	—
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[37]	5	—	—	—
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[38][39]	1	1	2	1
UK Download Albums (OCC)[40]	80	—	—	—
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[41]	2	5	11	—
US World Albums (Billboard)[42][43]	4	4	4	9

Awards and nominations

Accolades

Decade-end lists

Critic/Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s	11	[44]

Music program awards

Song	Program	Network	Date	Ref.
"Good Evening"	The Show	SBS MTV	June 5, 2018	[45]
"I Want You"	M Countdown	Mnet	June 21, 2018	[46]

Release history

Region	Date	Edition(s)	Format(s)	Label(s)
South Korea	May 28, 2018	EP.1	CD digital download streaming	SM Entertainment IRIVER
	June 11, 2018	EP.2
	June 25, 2018	EP.3

References

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2. "오늘 10살된 샤이니, 앞으로도 기대해". SBS FunE (in Korean). Retrieved May 28, 2018.
3. "Jonghyun, lead singer of K Pop band SHINee, dies aged 27".
4. http://www.nspna.com/news/?mode=view&newsid=222079
5. Cho Yun-myung. "SHINee to hold fan meeting, make comeback in May". K-pop Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
6. "Shinee to drop new album, celebrate 10th anniv. next month". Yonhap News. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
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8. "SHINee to drop new project in three parts". Korea Joongang Daily. May 17, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
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13. "샤이니(SHINee), 5일(오늘) 정규 6집 두 번째 앨범 음원 미리 공개…'기대감 UP'". Top Star News (in Korean). June 5, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
14. Kwak Yeon-soo (June 12, 2018). "10 years of SHINee: 'This is just the beginning'". The Korea Times. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
15. Tamar Herman (June 11, 2018). "SHINee Release Second 'The Story of Light' Album Fronted by Vibrant 'I Want You': Watch the Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
16. Jeff Benjamin. "SHINee Score Rare Double Appearance on World Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2018. The new set sold 1,000 copies in the week ending June 14, according to Nielsen Music.
17. "SHINee 東京ドームでの初ファンイベントで55,000人動員　ファンを想って作詞した新曲披露" [SHINee brings in 55,000 fans for their first Fan Event in Tokyo Dome and perform new song]. Excite Japan (in Japanese). July 27, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
18. "[공식]샤이니, 정규6집 합본 에필로그 10일 발매…신곡 수록" [SHINee officially announces “The Story Of Light Epilogue” album release with new songs included] (in Korean). Naver via Sports Chosun. September 4, 2018.
19. Tamar Herman (September 12, 2018). "SHINee Drop 10th Anniversary Compilation Album 'The Story of Light: Epilogue': Watch the 'Countless' Music Video". Billboard.
20. Tamar Herman (May 29, 2018). "SHINee Commemorates 10th Anniversary With 'The Story of Light' EP". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
21. "SHINee proud of 10th anniversary". K-pop Herald. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
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23. Park So-hyun. ""故종현 향한 마음 담아"…샤이니, 오늘(25일) '네가 남겨둔 말' 발표" ["The Late Jonghyun's Heart" ... Shinee, today announced (25th) 'the pages you left']. Naver via Xports News. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
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31. Charted albums on the French Downloaded Albums Chart:
    • "The Story of Light Ep.1" (in French). SNEP. June 1, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.2" (in French). SNEP. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.3" (in French). SNEP. June 15, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
32. Charted albums on Billboard Japan Hot Albums Chart:
    • "The Story of Light Ep.1". Billboard Japan. June 11, 2018.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.2". Billboard Japan. June 25, 2018.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.3". Billboard Japan. July 9, 2018.
33. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums | Charts (Epilogue)". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-03.
34. Charted albums on the Oricon Albums Chart:
    • "The Story of Light Ep.1". Oricon. June 11, 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.2". Oricon. June 25, 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.3". Oricon. July 9, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
35. "オリコン週間 アルバムランキング 2018年09月10日～2018年09月16日 | ORICON NEWS". 2018-09-22. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
36. Charted albums on the Oricon International Albums Chart:
    • "The Story of Light Ep.1". Oricon. June 11, 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.2". Oricon. June 25, 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
    • "The Story of Light Ep.3". Oricon. July 9, 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
37. "The Story of Light Ep.1 – NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 4, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
38. Charted albums on the Gaon Album Chart:
    • "The Story of Light EP.1 – Week 22, 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 8, 2018.
    • "The Story of Light EP.2 – Week 24, 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 21, 2018.
    • "The Story of Light EP.3 – Week 26, 2018". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved July 5, 2018.
39. "Gaon Weekly Album Chart - Week 37, 2018 (Epilogue)". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
40. Charted albums on the UK Downloaded Albums Chart:
    • "'The Story Of Light' EP.1: The 6th Mini Album". June 1, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
41. Charted albums on the US Top Heatseekers Albums Chart:
    • "'The Story Of Light' EP.1: The 6th Mini Album". June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
    • "'The Story Of Light' EP.2: The 6th Mini Album". June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
    • "'The Story Of Light' EP.3: The 6th Mini Album". July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
42. Charted albums on the US World Albums Chart:
    • "'The Story Of Light' EP.1: The 6th Mini Album". June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
    • "'The Story Of Light' EP.2: The 6th Mini Album". June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
    • "'The Story Of Light' EP.3: The 6th Mini Album". July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
43. "World Albums Chart (Epilogue)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
44. "The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s: Billboard Staff' Picks". Billboard. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
45. "'더쇼' 샤이니, 모든 성적이 압도적…컴백과 동시에 1위". www.xportsnews.com (in Korean). 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
46. "'엠카운트다운' 샤이니, 모두가 원한 'I Want You'로 1위(종합)". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-06-03.