Red Velvet’s most controversial music video is for their debut single “Happiness.” This video was released in August 2014 and quickly became the center of attention due to some of its imagery. The controversy arose because the video included scenes that resembled the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the September 11 attacks in New York. These images were used in the background of the video, and they caused a lot of upset among viewers and media outlets.
The music video initially gained over two million views before it was taken down and re-released with the controversial scenes removed. SM Entertainment, Red Velvet’s management company, explained that the director had used a collage technique without intending to cause offense. They apologized for the misunderstanding and promised to be more careful in the future.
Despite the controversy, “Happiness” was a significant debut for Red Velvet, marking their first appearance as a group and introducing the members Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy to the public. The song itself is an upbeat Euro-pop track that encourages listeners to appreciate the small joys in life. It performed moderately well on music charts, reaching the top five on South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart and number four on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart. Over time, the edited version of the music video has become very popular, eventually reaching over 100 million views on YouTube.