| "The Boys" | |||||||||||||
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| Single by Girls' Generation | |||||||||||||
| from the album The Boys | |||||||||||||
| Released | October 18, 2011 | ||||||||||||
| Format | Digital download, maxi-single | ||||||||||||
| Recorded | 2011 | ||||||||||||
| Genre | Electropop | ||||||||||||
| Length | 3:48 | ||||||||||||
| Label | SM Entertainment, Universal, Interscope | ||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Yoo Youngjin, Teddy Riley, Taesung Kim, DOM, Richard Garcia | ||||||||||||
| Producer | Lee Soo Man | ||||||||||||
| Girls' Generation Korean singles chronology | |||||||||||||
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"The Boys" is a song by the South Korean girl group Girls' Generation, taken from their third Korean studio album, The Boys. The song was written by Yoo Youngjin, Teddy Riley, Taesung Kim, DOM and Richard Garcia. Two versions of the song were released simultaneously: a Korean version and an English version. Later, a Japanese version was recorded as the title track of the group's repackage of their debut Japanese album, Girls' Generation, released on December 28, 2011.[1]
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The single was released worldwide via iTunes on October 19, 2011. In an interview with MTV K, Girls' Generation fellow rapper and vocalists, Tiffany and Jessica mentioned that the recording of both English and Korean versions took a week to finish.
Katherine St Asaph from Popdust awarded the "The Boys" 3.5/5 stars, and noted that while the song has 'military drum breakdown on the bridge' and 'lots of chant-rapping and trading off vocals', it lacks a memorable chorus.[2] Jen Erenza from Ryan Seacrest's official blog complimented it, calling it a 'foot-stomping, head-crackin’, and girl-powered track sung by nine girls that everyone needs to hear'.[3]
Starting from September 26, 2011, photos of the members were released online showcasing a fairytale concept.
Girls' Generation had their first live performance of "The Boys" on October 21, 2011 with the song "Mr. Taxi" on Music Bank. It was also performed on Show! Music Core, Inkigayo, and M! Countdown. Girls' Generation also had their first live performance of the English version of "The Boys" at Madison Square Garden in New York City at the SMTown Live '10 World Tour on October 23, 2011. The group performed the Japanese version of "The Boys" for the first time in Fuji TV's Hey Hey Hey! X-Mas Special on December 19, 2011. [4]
The video begins with Yoona picking up a black crystal. The camera zooms into the stone and shows the other members walking around in the area with rose petals falling in slow motion, along with Jessica releasing a white dove. The song begins and the girls start the dance routine in a black and white fashioned room. It also shows them dancing in a misty atmosphere with sand on the ground. The dance break in the middle of the song features a rap performed by Yuri, Yoona, Hyoyeon, and Sooyoung. Towards the end of the music video, the camera focuses on a slow-motioned flying dove. The video ends with the girls posing inside the black crystal while the rose petals continue to fall.
The music video for "The Boys" choreographed by Rino Nakasone Razalan, was met with mostly positive reception among the public. Fans noted that the 'choreography is more polished than their previous works' and praised its stunning visuals along with the girls' beauty. Both the English and Korean music videos combined managed to garner 10 million views on popular video-sharing site YouTube in 3 days, a new feat for K-Pop music videos. The Korean version of the music video uploaded by SM Entertainment currently has an 82% approval rating, based on the number of likes and dislikes.[5]
The Korean version of “The Boys” music video was the third most viewed video on YouTube's music category for the week of October 25, 2011.[6]
“The Boys” debuted at #1 in the first day of release on major music sites such as Bugs, Melon, Dosirak, Naver and Daum. On a few particular music charts, a total of ten songs charted within the top ten on the Gaon Chart, such as “Telepathy“, “Top Secret“, “Vitamin", “How Great Is Your Love“, “Mr Taxi“ and others.[7] In the US, "The Boys" entered the Top 100 on the iTunes 200 Top Songs, and later reached the Top 30 for a moment on its first day of release. It dropped off the chart three days later. The single also debuted number 1 on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100.
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | October 18, 2011 | Digital download |
| Worldwide | December 20, 2011 | Maxi single |
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