Looking Back: The Best of Super Junior's Non-Title Tracks

On November 6th, 2015 legendary boy band Super Junior celebrated their 10th anniversary. Although there are now many K-pop groups popular around the globe, Super Junior has been one of the most influential groups in the industry. From their debut song to their most recent release, the talented group has cranked out one hit after another. Since we already know their greatest hits, let’s celebrate their ten, amazing years in the music industry by looking back at some of the group’s best non-title tracks ever!

Coming off their debut album “Twins,” this song was recorded when Super Junior had only 12 members. With the original name of “Super Junior 05,” almost all of the members had previous experience in acting, radio, modeling, etc. SM Entertainment chose these members with the intent of raising them to be well-rounded entertainers, not just singers. With time, Super Junior became so successful in various entertainment fields that other companies soon followed suit and began training their artists to be actors and MCs as well. From day one however, the group showed that they weren’t going to be just a dance group, but that they had serious vocal skills as well.

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After the addition of the group’s final member, Cho Kyuhyun, Super Junior dropped the “05” from their name and released their second studio album. Although the lead track off “Don’t Don” involved an edgier concept, the album and subsequent repackage were actually full of a variety of genres, including multiple ballads. Most of these slower songs like “Marry U” and “Hate U, Love U” became fan favorites and are still performed at their concerts today.

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Super Junior’s third studio album “Sorry, Sorry” proved to be the release which launched the group to international stardom, bringing them both critical and commercial success. It also proved to be an important hit for K-pop as well, going viral and therefore setting the stage for other artists to follow. Although the lead track featured an upbeat tempo and easy-to-follow lyrics, the group also found success with the non-title tracks which leaned towards contemporary dance and R&B sounds. Super Junior went on to win their first Grand Prize Award (Disk Daesang) at the 2009 Golden Disk Awards.

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Although Super Junior soon experienced major changes with the departure of two members, their next album became an even bigger success, selling even more copies than they had of “Sorry, Sorry.” SM Entertainment said that “Bonamana,” the group’s fourth studio album, was the “completion of the SJ Funky genre” and that the group would continue to pursue this genre for their future recordings. The title track was another huge hit, staying at the No. 1 position on one music chart for an astonishing 61 consecutive weeks! Similar to their past releases though, they enjoyed playing with a variety of genres on non-title tracks. They ranged from  beautiful ballads such as “Coagulation” to fun, medium tempo pop songs like “Shake It Up.”

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“Mr. Simple,” Super Junior’s fifth studio album, was released in 2011 and went on to become their best-selling album of all-time. Their previous hit “Bonamana” was still holding the No. 1 position on several charts, so with the release of “Mr. Simple,” they soon pushed their own album to second place as they ranked No. 1 yet again. The album went on to win Album of the Year at the Seoul Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards, as well as the Popularity Award, MSN Japan Award and their second Grand Prize award at the 26th Golden Disk Awards in Japan. Perhaps the most memorable non-title track from the album, “Superman” and its lyrics became something of a theme song for Super Junior.

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The next year, Super Junior released their sixth studio album entitled “Sexy, Free & Single.” The lead track featured a dance routine by Devin Jamieson, a choreographer who has worked with Michael Jackson and Britney Spears. The song and music video once more brought them great commercial success, with the video reaching 1 million views in less than 12 hours. Although there are several great non-title tracks on this album, the one most popular with fans is “Rockstar,” due in part to their lively performances of this song at concerts. This album also went on to win Album of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and the Grand Prize at the Golden Disk Awards, making them the only SM group to ever win three prestigious Grand Prize Awards from the Golden Disk Awards. This also means they are tied for the most Grand Prize Awards ever won, alongside legendary singers Jo Sung Mo and Kim Gun Mo.

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After a long-awaited comeback, Super Junior released their seventh studio album “Mamacita” in the fall of 2014. Perhaps as a response to their huge popularity in Latin and South American countries (where they were also the first K-pop artists to perform in many of those countries), the lead track and album  presented a very Latin-influenced concept. The music video, complete with bandits, bull-fighters, sheriffs, and more, presented Super Junior’s off-beat humor and adorable, dorky ways for which fans love them. With only three days of sales, the album took the No. 1 position on Billboard’s World Albums Chart. Billboard, among many others, released articles praising the album’s various musical styles and predicting it would take home Album of the Year. It went on to become the best-selling full album of 2014, out-selling their competitors by far.

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In honor of Super Junior’s 10th Anniversary, the group released a special album entitled “Devil.” In this album and subsequent repackage, all of Super Junior’s sub-units (with the exception of Super Junior- H) participated as well. Although my personal favorite non-title tracks are “Love At First Sight” and “You Got It,” I chose to highlight a song that shows exactly what has made Super Junior so popular throughout the years.

They are extremely talented artists, they have released one amazing song after another, they are very hard workers, and they truly love each other and work well together. As a result, they have wracked up an astonishing 176 Music Awards and 57 music show wins! However, part of their greatest secret for success lies in their genuine humility as artists and their sincere gratitude towards their fans. Numerous times they have stated that they feel so undeserving of the love and support from fans and often become so overwhelmed with gratitude onstage that they can’t hold back their tears. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the video below to see what most fans lovingly refer to as “typical SJ” behavior. Without a doubt, there is a special bond between Super Junior and their fans.

Whether it was as a rookie group winning the Best Newcomer Award back in 2005 or as legendary K-pop artists becoming the first Koreans to win a Teen Choice Award in 2015, these amazingly talented (and insanely gorgeous) guys have become one of the most influential and best-selling K-pop artists of all times. When their hit songs like “Sorry, Sorry” went viral, it helped to usher in the era of the Hallyu Wave around the globe.  It is because of artists like Super Junior, TVXQ, H.O.T and others that junior groups can now achieve international fame with much more ease. With the advent of hit songs like “Mr. Simple” and “Bonamana,” the doors opened up beyond Asia, and K-pop officially became the international craze that we know and love today.

We hope you enjoyed this look back at Super Junior’s career as we highlighted some of their best non-title tracks! What was your favorite Super Junior era? Were there other non-title tracks that should have been listed here instead? Have you ever seen Super Junior live? Did they perform any of these songs? Let us know in the comment section below!

lee1086 is a Soompi writer who admits her extremely biased opinion when it comes to Suju. If you’re ever curious (and in the mood for a super long story), ask her why she credits them with saving her life! Apart from her overboard love of Suju however, she is also a fan of 3rd Wave Music, BIGBANG, EXO, SHINEE, BTS, and more. When she is not watching the latest K-Drama or obsessing over the perfection of Lee Donghae, she is busy at church or hanging out with her family and friends.