IU - A Flower Bookmark - allkpop forums

I. Introduction

A Flower Bookmark (Korean: 꽃갈피; RR: Kkotgalpi) is the first cover extended play by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It is also her fourth Korean-language extended play. The EP was released on May 16, 2014, the singer's birthday, by LOEN Entertainment under its imprint LOEN Tree. Unlike her previous works, A Flower Bookmark features cover versions of nostalgic K-pop songs popularized from the 1980s to the 1990s.

The EP was successful both commercially and critically. It spawned two hit singles; the lead single "My Old Story" and "The Meaning of You". The former topped Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100, while the latter was ranked at the top of Gallup Korea's "Song of the Year" in 2014. In particular, the latter has gone to sell more than two million digital copies since release, even outselling the album's lead track. The EP also earned IU a MelOn Music Award for Artist of the Year, and a nomination for Album of the Year and was also listed at number three on Billboard's list of "Best K-Pop Albums of 2014".

A limited LP edition, featuring a bonus track "Eoheoya Dunggidunggi", was available for sale. As of April 2021, the album has sold over 50,000 physical copies and six million digital singles in the singer's native country.

II. Critical Reception

The album received critical acclaim upon release. The Korea Herald complimented the album for providing "a pleasant, calming respite from the mainstream music of today's times", and praised IU for her reinterpretations: "For every track, IU keeps a careful balance between preserving the song's original sentiments and altering the original with her own color and arrangements." Billboard highlighted the track, "Pierrot Smiles at Us", as the "most ambitious tune she tackled" and one that proved her diversity as a singer and called the album a "soothing mix of classic K-pop melodies". Furthermore, A Flower Bookmark was listed at number three on Billboard's Best K-Pop Albums of 2014.

III. Track Listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1	My Old Story	Jo Deok-bae	Jo Deok-bae	Kim Je-hwi	3:33
2	Flower	Moon Dae-hyun	Moon Dae-hyun	G.Gorilla	2:59
3	Pierrot Smiles at Us	Lee Seung-ho	Son Mu-hyun	Lee Jong-hoon	3:53
4	When Love Passes By	Lee Young-hoon	Lee Young-hoon	G.Gorilla	4:00
5	The Meaning of You (feat. Kim Chang-wan)	Kim Han-young	Kim Chang-wan	Go Tae-young	3:15
6	Dreams in Summer Night	Yoon Sang	Yoon Sang	-	3:56
7	Boom Ladi Dadi (feat. CLON)	Kim Chang-wan	Kim Chang-wan	Lee Jong-min	3:48
8	Uhuya Doongi Doongi (LP only)	Eom Ki-won	Geum Soo-hyun	-	2:34