The First Snow

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"The First Snow"
Song by Exo
from the album Miracles in December
ReleasedDecember 9, 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length3:28
LabelSM
Songwriter(s)Kenzie
Producer(s)Kenzie

"The First Snow" (Korean: 첫 눈; RR: Cheot Nun; Chinese: 初雪; pinyin: Chūxuě) is a song by South Korean–Chinese boy band Exo. It was released on December 9, 2013, as a B-side track from their second extended play Miracles in December. It was released in both Korean and Chinese versions by their label SM Entertainment. The track is a pop-ballad with heartfelt lyrics reminiscing about a former lover.

"The First Snow" has seen a significant rise in popularity each December since it was released. It initially debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart in South Korea in 2013. Since then, it has returned to the charts in the holiday season following the arrival of the first snowfall. In 2023, a viral dance challenge helped propel "The First Snow" to the top of the Circle Digital Chart, ten years after the song's release.

Release and promotion[edit]

On December 9, 2013, Exo released their second extended play Miracles in December with the lead single of the same name, which was promoted as a "special winter album".[1] "The First Snow" was the fifth track on the extended play and was written and produced by Kenzie. Exo-K, Exo's Korean-language sub-group, recorded the track in Korean while Exo-M, the Mandarin-language sub-group, performed the same song in Mandarin.[2]

"The First Snow" became a beloved seasonal favorite in South Korea, played often after the first snowfall. In 2023, Hwang Sehun uploaded a video of himself dancing to the song with snowflakes gently falling around him. His choreography quickly gained viral popularity, leading to a wave of participation in the dance challenge by K-pop idols and fans.[3] The challenge became a global phenomenon, with members of K-pop groups NCT, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, Riize, Red Velvet, Aespa, NCT New Team, Stray Kids, Purple Kiss, Kep1er, M.O.N.T, BoyNextDoor, Blackswan, Ateez, Itzy, Twice, Enhypen, Tomorrow X Together, and Ive joining in on the trend.[4] The members of Exo themselves took part in the dance challenge as well. Lay was the first to join the trend, assuring fans of his participation in group activities despite his departure from SM Entertainment. Sehun posted his take as a gift to fans before his military enlistment on December 21, while Chanyeol added a twist by including his dog in the challenge.[5] Baekhyun posted a video of him and fellow members Xiumin and Chen dancing to the song with snow falling on the road. Group leader Suho joined the challenge and posted it on Exo's's official TikTok account.[6]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

"The First Snow" has been described as a pop-ballad with an "acoustic R&B instrumental" and a holiday back-track featuring jingle bells.[7][8] Lyrically, the song is centered around the theme of reminiscing about a past love, with the members wondering how their lover is doing as the first snow of the season falls.[8] It delves into bittersweet emotions of nostalgia and regret associated with the onset of winter. The first snowfall evokes a sense of profound longing and melancholy, but also optimism and the promise of better days ahead, which can also be witnessed in the song's uplifting production.[4]

Commercial performance[edit]

"The First Snow" debuted at number two on Gaon Digital Chart on the chart dated December 8–14, 2013, while the Chinese version debuted at number 61 on the Gaon Digital Chart and number two on the Gaon Foreign Digital Chart on the same week.[9] Aditionally, "The First Snow" debuted at number 29 on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 and peaked at number 12 the following week.[10]

In 2020, "The First Snow" re-entered the Gaon Digital Chart for the first time and reached number 134 on the chart dated December 20–26, 2020.[11] The following year, it reached number 50 on the chart dated December 19–25, 2021.[12] In 2022, "The First Time" peaked at number 29 on the chart (now renamed the Circle Digital Chart) that was dated to December 18–24, 2022.[13] Following the viral dance challenge, the song re-entered the top-ten for the first time since 2013, reaching number four on the chart dated December 10–16, 2023.[14] It simultaneously topped all the real-time Korean charts, making it the first boy group song to achieve a "real-time all kill" in 2023 as well as Exo's eighth song to do so.[15] The following week dated December 17-23, the song topped the Circle Digital Chart for the first time ten years after release, becoming Exo's fifth number-one single and their first chart-topper in six years since "Ko Ko Bop" (2017).[16]

Accolades[edit]

On South Korea music programs, "The First Snow" achieved a first place win on the December 29 episode of Music Bank in 2023, ten years after its initial release.[17][18]

Charts[edit]

Sales[edit]

Region Sales
South Korea (Gaon)[24] 355,698
South Korea (Gaon)[25]
Chinese version 		27,830

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "EXO to comeback with special winter album". Mwave. 29 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  2. ^ "Winter Special Album 'December Miracles (Miracles in December)'". Naver (in Korean). 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  3. ^ Ramirez, Sebastian (December 18, 2023). "EXO's holiday song, "First Snow" is emerging as a challenge in social media". Music Mundial. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Dash, Pratyusha (December 19, 2023). "EXO's First Snow trends decade after release; ATEEZ, BOYNEXTDOOR, ITZY and more participate". Pinkvilla. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Dash, Pratyusha (December 20, 2023). "EXO's First Snow hits No.1 on Melon's Top 100 one decade later; members Chanyeol, Suho, more join viral trend". Pinkvilla. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Cruz, Hazel Jane (December 21, 2023). "EXO members finally join viral 'First Snow Challenge'". GMA Network. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Lindsay (14 December 2013). "EXO's Holiday EP Is A Miracle In December". Seoul Beats. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  8. ^ a b Frances, Lai (December 5, 2022). "The Best K-Pop Christmas Songs". Uproxx. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "2013 Gaon Digital Chart – Week 51". Gaon Music Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Korea K-Pop Hot 100 – December 28, 2013". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  11. ^ "Digital Chart – Week 52 of 2020" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  12. ^ 2021년 52주차 Digital Chart [Digital Chart – Week 52 of 2021] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  13. ^ "Digital Chart 2022 Week 52" (in Korean). Circle Chart. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "Digital Chart 2023 Week 50" (in Korean). Circle Chart. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  15. ^ Nurfadilah, Inayah (December 21, 2023). "Lagu 'The First Snow' EXO Sukses Tempati Posisi Puncak di Melon dan Raih 'Real-time All Kill'". Sragen Update (in Indonesian). Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Digital Chart – Week 51 of 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  17. ^ 12월 5주 순위 [Music Bank ranking for the fifth week of December]. KBS Music Bank (in Korean). December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Park, Seo-hyun (December 29, 2023). [팝업뮤직]"우릳도 역주행곡 생겼다"..엑소 '첫눈' 발매 10년만 '뮤직뱅크' 1위 [[Pop-up Music]"We also have a reverse song"..EXO's 'The First Snow' Wins No. 1 on 'Music Bank' for the first time in 10 years] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Retrieved December 29, 2023 – via Naver.
  19. ^ "Exo Chart History (Global Excl. US)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  20. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 52 (22 - 28 Dec 2023)". RIAS. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  21. ^ "Gaon Digital Chart – December, 2013". Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  22. ^ "Digital Chart – December 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  23. ^ "Digital Chart 2023". Circle Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  24. ^ Cumulative sales for "The First Snow":
  25. ^ Cumulative sales for "The First Snow" (Chinese version):
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