Songs from 20 Years Ago Top Music Charts Again as the “Reverse Chart Trend” Spreads

The phenomenon of “reverse chart trend,” where songs released 20 years ago dominate the top positions on music charts, is growing more widespread. On the 7th, past releases by groups such as Epik High, Im Hyun-jung, and Cader Garden are driving performance on digital music platforms.

As of the previous afternoon, Cader Garden’s 2021 song “Geudeae Naeui Jakkeun Seesang-i Doeo-eo” ranked first on Melon Top 100. Im Hyun-jung’s 2003 track “Sarang-eun Bombi-cheoreom… Ibbyeol-eun Geoulbi-cheoreom” came in at 32nd, while Epik High’s 2007 song “Love Love Love” occupied 34th place. On Apple Music’s “Today’s TOP 100: South Korea” chart, these three songs also reached 2nd, 4th, and 8th positions respectively.

The reasons behind the popularity of each song vary. “Love Love Love” quickly rose to the top due to a viral online challenge where fans danced while drawing hearts with their hands to the song’s rhythm. Not only K-pop groups like NCT Wish and BOYNEXTDOOR participated in this challenge but also the original artists, Epik High.

Im Hyun-jung’s song saw a surge in listenership after being used as the soundtrack for the recently released film “Man-appeo-e Uri.” Cader Garden’s track reached the peak of Melon charts after being featured in the TVING romance show “Hwanseung Yeonae 4.”

The singers themselves are surprised by this trend. Tablo said, “My daughter told me that the ‘Love Love Love’ challenge is popular at school. After achieving such sudden success, I feel glad that I worked hard back then.” Im Hyun-jung added, “It’s a miracle-like event that’s hard to experience in life, so I’m grateful to my long-time fans who have waited for me.”

Experts have analyzed the reasons behind the increasing frequency of reverse chart trends. Kim Jinu, a data journalist at Circle Chart, explained, “As traditional reverse chart songs and newer ones appear together, listeners may feel that more songs are experiencing this trend.” He noted that this phenomenon results from both the traditional practice of using such songs as movie or drama OSTs and a new trend driven by social media trends.

This trend is also linked to a decline in demand for new songs in the music industry. As of December last year, among the top 400 digital songs on Circle Chart, only 45.9% were new releases within 18 months of release—less than half. Data journalist Kim stated, “As the risks associated with making new songs successful increase, it becomes a safer option for producers to boost the popularity of existing tracks through marketing. There is a need to find new channels to continuously supply new music to the domestic market.”