What Makes the Wonder Girls 'So Hot'?

Leave it to the Wonder Girls to make lightning strike twice. Not long ago the pop group sparked a national craze with their hit song and dance "Tell Me". Now it looks as if they've done it again, with their latest track "So Hot" growing as popular as the "Tell Me" phenomenon. Netizens' home-made versions of the "So Hot" dance routine are flooding the web, and the track has topped Internet music charts ever since its release in early May.

◆ Easy to follow

The number one reason behind the enormous success of "Tell Me" was the easy-to-follow song and dance. The moderate pitch range and the clear-cut refrain made for a perfect karaoke number. The choreography, with big hand moves, was simple to learn -- so much so that even a group of soldiers managed to pull off their own version. It was the fruit of reverse thinking as the Wonder Girls are the opposite of those idol groups whose acrobatic performances are coordinated to the most minute detail. Music critic Kim Zakka says, "The Wonder Girls' charm is their intentional clumsiness, a contrast with idol groups under SM Entertainment who are so refined as to appear artificial."



"So Hot" takes a page from the same playbook. The melody, with its extensive use of synthesizer, is in line with the 1980s pop dance style. Some have even suggested the first part of the song was borrowed from the 80s hit "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics. As for "Tell Me", a sample from '80s pop artist Stacey Q's "Two of Hearts" held a sonic appeal for the middle-aged. The dance moves of "So Hot" are smaller and more detailed than "Tell Me" but are still easy to follow. And this time again, there's a leading dance move, like the "bracelet dance" in "Tell Me", where the forearms move like window wipers -- the "v-line dance", in which the five girls wrap their faces in a v-shape with their palms and the backs of their hands.

◆ Increasing sexuality

In just six months time, the girls became ladies. They cry out "I'm so hot", enjoying men's attention in the music video, reminiscent of Lee Hyo-lee's 2003 hit "Ten Minutes", in which the sex icon declared she could make any man hers in just that amount of time. The Wonder Girls sport skimpy leopard-print outfits and sultry looks in "So Hot", far more provocative than the girly, Lolita-esque "Tell Me" costumes. Stylist Kim Hyo-sung says JYP Entertainment asked for the tight-fitting leopard-print look. The agency, known for successfully making stars of not only founder Park Jin-young himself but also Rain and Park Ji-yoon, set out to bring out the true colors and strengths of the Wonder Girls. Considering that the girls wore school uniforms in their debut number "Irony", the sexuality is expected to intensify by the year.

◆ This time it's the music, not the dance

For "Tell Me", the dance routine ended up being more popular than the song. It looks like it's the other way around for "So Hot." Choreographer Hong Young-joo says, "The 'So Hot' dance is a little trickier than the 'Tell Me' routine but still easier than dances of other songs."