Greatest Hits:: SHINee: Everybody

 Finally a moment to breathe where I can get to this one. This was suggested to me via a Reddit comment by a user who asked me if I'd do this song because I'd mentioned it in my August wrap-up in the honorable mention category. No further details were incoming, but that's okay! In this case, I didn't need any. SHINee is the oldest group I've done so far for a Greatest Hits addition, and Everybody is also the oldest song I've done so far because it's a month older than Hush. So, reviewer hat off, and fan hat on. 

Everybody earned not one, not two, not even three, but six music show wins during its promotional period, which makes it easily the most-winning song so far. It's the first track on the album, and while it only has one writer (Cho Yunkyoung, who has EXO, NCT, CLC, TXT, Enhypen, LE SSERAFIM, Red Velvet, and GFRIEND, among others (and I absolutely adore some of those songs)), it's got a few producers.

• Group: SHINee
• Debut Date: 2008 May 25
• Company: SM Entertainment
• Status: Active
• Album: Everybody
• Song: Everybody
• Release Date: 2013 October 14

My city doesn't have a ton of K-Pop things happening, so when things happen, I want to go to them, even if it's for a group I don't know well/listen to as a show of support so we can get more and hopefully for a group I listen to. In the case of SHINee, I knew An Encore, because I heard it during my 2PM phase as a suggestion and absolutely fell in love (it's still my favorite SHINee song). I knew Ring Ding Dong, because you'd have to live under a rock in order to be a K-Pop fan and not know that song, and even then, I think you'd still hear it under the rock. And I knew Sherlock, because of Seventeen (specifically Hoshi and Seungkwan)'s (also, I think it's fantastic how much the two groups seem to love each other) love for it. A K-Pop events group in my city did a showing of SHINee World IV, and so I went, and was exposed to a large number of SHINee music videos I'd never seen or heard before, including Everybody. When I tell you that music video fundamentally changed my understanding of what K-Pop could be, I wish I was exaggerating. 

I didn't really watch a lot of the music videos, which I probably should have in hindsight, but I live my life not actually watching music videos despite how much music I listen to.

I still haven't seen the like of it in recent days. Also, the eyeliner. The late 00s and the early 10s were definitely the era of eyeliner. Do I kind of miss it? Yes. Did I ever go that hard with the eyeliner? No. But it was a very bold look and I quite enjoyed it.

I really kind of want to do a whole essay on this music video (I may or may not have a draft started specifically for that in case I decide I hate myself again and want to give myself more work here because I've gotten the film analysis itch). So in case I ever write it, I'm not going to say a lot here. I will say that the android and the chess motifs are so cool though. It's so Tron.

And, like, the amount of harmonizing you've got in this song and the number of hand-offs where they're passing the lines back and forth creates such a strong sense of cohesion because in order for it to work like it does, the teamwork and trust has to be impeccable. The training is there, the trust is there. 

You know how some songs just sort of define a group? I'm pretty sure that Everybody is one of those for SHINee (thank you again, Reddit user, who asked me to do this one because I had it on my August Wrap-Up). Like, looking into the comments, it's just pure admiration for their stage presence and their skills. This is from MCountdown.

And, of course, comments on Onew during the most replayed part (it starts at 3:01, and normally I'd drop you right into him pinwheeling for his life, but the motorcycle set-up is just so incredible that I'm going to let you have the lead-in before you have to look behind everyone else to Onew). My shoulders hurt just watching him, but it makes the look of that part so dynamic and layered.

Also, Jonghyun's face at 3:50. That is a smirk, and I love that. It's a very bold choice for a very bold song.

Much later in the promotion cycle, we've got this one from Show! Music Core. The camerawork in this one is so dynamic and unusual, which means we get some very interesting close-ups I'm not used to seeing in stages like this.

I'm not sure what else to talk about first. The insane stability with obviously live vocals? The odd but really cool and cohesive stage costumes? Key's eyebrow? There's a lot going on.

Minho is working his hardest with that face card he's got. He's winking. He's smiling. He's got expressions. The best expression is, of course, hands down, at 1:46 when he turns and just grins at the camera. It's so endearing. 

And then their performance of Everybody in SHINee World IV locked that song in as one of the standards for me. So here, have it. I'm also a huge fan of the way Minho clothes himself during the beginning, because it's so seamless with the choreography. One second, his jacket is unbuttoned, the next it is done up. So professional. Also, he makes me laugh from his expressions. 

But they are so locked in with this song. 

And those are live vocals. Minho especially is so clear, especially his and Key's shouting at the very end. They're so obviously live vocals that I did actually find the SHINee World IV album specifically for this song, Stranger, Ready or Not, and Nightmare because I love those songs with the live vocals so much.

Not me just now learning that Everybody a) has a Japanese version (although I don't know why I'm surprised by this...), b) they did their Japanese SHINee World in the Tokyo Dome, and c) that this clip exists. 

Key has pink-red hair.

I think I actually really like the Japanese version. It's kind of got a different flavor, so I wonder if there's a difference in translation. Huh. Oh, I actually do really like this. I'm going to sit in this version a little bit later because I need to take another look at this. And, like with the SHINee World IV performance, those are definitely live vocals. Thank you, Key and Minho, for making that explicitly obvious.

I really love that the Japanese Shawols are doing the fanchant and are so loud about it.

I just found the most incredible thing. Hands down. I cannot express to you how wide I started smiling while watching this video. So, I know you haven't gotten the dance practice yet, but I've given you a few different clips of live performances, so you know what the song is supposed to look like. I just found out they did this at 2x speed. This was hard enough that Key tried and almost succeeded at fleeing the studio, Onew almost made a mistake and was just grinning during another part, Minho was screaming a little bit, and Taemin was having a good, fun time. 

Given when this was, there are two things that caught my attention. First, I think Taemin defaulted to the original choreography, because there was a very obvious gap between him and Onew. Second, at 1:24, Minho had two cups, one for Jonghyun.

But you know what I like the best? Dance practice videos. Do I like the ones showing the actual practice best? Yes. But there's something very special about the polished choreography versions because unlike in normal live performances, there's nothing to distract from the choreograph itself. And in the case of Everybody, this choreography is a work of art itself, and there are so many incredible key points to the choreography. Taemin and Onew aren't wrong. The other members throwing Taemin onto his feet and then the whole group immediately dancing is so impressive. The motorcycle choreography with Onew aggressively spinning his arms is both super cool (please read that in a French accent) and a little funny, like Vernon of Seventeen doing Lilli Yabbay. But the mechanical restarting choreography? The little finger wiggle under their chins? The jumping? The frequent sequential movements that just look so unbelievably smooth, especially when they're changing formations? The synchronization? This choreography goes so hard and is just so mesmerizing to watch, especially when we get to simply focus on the choreography.

That's a lot about the choreography, but the song itself is incredibly catchy, the vocalists get to unleash what they've got, and there are strategic sections where they aren't singing, which allows them all a moment to breathe a little more. That's a total of six high notes in the song, sung by four of the five members, which is about six more than some releases in the last year have gotten, but those notes also don't linger excessively for the most part and the song isn't that high on the whole, which makes those notes stand out more. Usually, they're also just an extension of the regularly established tune while the other members continue going. Vocal kings, and we wouldn't have had that without their hard work, so they deserve much praise and gratitude for it. 

Also, bring back the EDM dance break. Amazing.

Thanks for reading, everyone! For the Reddit user who suggested this, I really appreciate the faith. Also, thank you for picking one of my favorite K-Pop songs to do.

If anyone would like to suggest other songs (another SHINee song or otherwise), feel free to drop a comment, or a message if you found this somewhere on social media, or you can always use The Form to give me something completely anonymous if that's more your speed.

Thanks again! See you later!

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