Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Twice Dominates Summer Playlists Amid 'Exhausting Nothingness'

9/2/2025

42 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Twice's "Dance The Night Away" led Melon's summer playlists in South Korea, featured in 1,698 playlists and streamed 1.65 million times from July to August 2025.
Retro songs like Cool's "Woman on the Beach" and Turtles' "Airplane" also received millions of streams.
Summer 2025 was noted for its lack of a defining cultural theme, described as "the exhausting summer of nothing."

History

Historical Context

The disco era peaked in 1977 with the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," which sold over 10 million copies and defined a cultural moment in music. In contrast, Summer 2025 saw Twice's "Dance The Night Away" lead South Korea's charts, yet the season lacked a unifying theme, indicating a shift in music's cultural significance and raising questions about future artistic directions.

1 of 2

Story summary

Twice's "Dance The Night Away" led Melon's summer playlists in South Korea, featured in 1,698 playlists and streamed 1.65 million times from July to August 2025.
Retro songs like Cool's "Woman on the Beach" and Turtles' "Airplane" also received millions of streams.
Summer 2025 was noted for its lack of a defining cultural theme, described as "the exhausting summer of nothing."

1 / 2