"I Can't Stop Me" (stylized inall caps) is a song recorded by South Korean girl groupTwice, for their secondKorean-language studio album,Eyes Wide Open (2020). It was released on October 26, 2020, throughJYP Entertainment andRepublic Records, as the album'slead single. As the opening track of the album, the song's lyrics were written byPark Jin-young and Shim Eun-ji. The song was also composed byMelanie Joy Fontana, Michel "Lindgren" Schulz, and A Wright. "I Can't Stop Me" is asynthwave anddisco-infusedpop song with'80s-influences and rich instrumental sound exuding aretro style. The track's lyrics describe the boundaries of the good and bad of intractable desires.
The accompanyingmusic video, directed by Lee Gi-baek, premiered simultaneously with the release of the single. Sporting a retro atmosphere, the colorful video depicts Twice performing non-stop choreography to the song in multiple settings. To promote "I Can't Stop Me", the group appeared and performed on several South Koreanmusic programs includingM! Countdown,Music Bank, andShow! Music Core.
Twice released their ninthKorean-language EPMore & More in June 2020.[1] The EP was a commercial success in South Korea, selling over 550,000 copies and becoming the group's best-selling album.[2][3] Following the success ofMore & More,JYP Entertainment announced that Twice would be releasing their second Korean studio album,Eyes Wide Open in October 2020, to commemorate the group's fifth anniversary.[4][5] On October 11, the group shared the track-listing ofEyes Wide Open, where "I Can't Stop Me" was revealed to be the album opener.[6]
"I Can't Stop Me" was released as thelead single fromEyes Wide Open on October 26, 2020, by JYP Entertainment andRepublic Records.[10][11] It was choreographed byJonte' Moaning, who had worked withBeyoncé for "Single Ladies", as well as Kiel Tutin and Leejung Lee, who previously collaborated for "More & More". The English version of "I Can't Stop Me" was released on November 30, 2020, as a digital single,[12] and a Japanese version was included in the group's fourth compilation album#Twice4 on March 16, 2022. The Japanese lyrics were written by Natsumi Watanabe.[13] A remixed version featuringBoys Like Girls was released on November 22, 2023, as part of Twice'sThe Remixes album.[14]
"I Can't Stop Me" has been described as an'80ssynthwave andpop song with elements ofdisco, with inspiration pulled fromDua Lipa's "Physical".[9][15][16] It is the group's first attempt at theretro-synth genre that has inspired the musical direction of their entire album.[16][17] The song draws from Europeanelectronic and Americansynth-pop sound, supported by an arrangement ofdrum machines, "intoxicating"Latin beats, and "strong" instrumental sound.[15][18][19]
Lyrically, "I Can't Stop Me" talks about the conflict and duality of the good and bad of uncontrollable desires.[15][19] Elaborating on the lyrics, memberDahyun stated, "It portrays the danger and anxiety that come from standing on the boundary between the good and bad. It also captures a provocative ambience that boldly crosses the line, which I feel that a lot of people will be surprised by seeing a new Twice that they've never seen before."[19] She added that the track illustrates the group's "musical growth" the most amongst all tracks on the album.[17] Justin Moran ofPaper noted that the track is about "seduction and the ways we're constantly attracted to things we know we shouldn't want — things that are bad for us," through lines like, "I see the end, I know it's not right, I can't stop me, can't stop me."[16] The song is composed in the key ofA♯ minor, with a fast tempo of 150 beats per minute and runs for 3:25.[20]
In the lead-up to the release of "I Can't Stop Me", the group released photo and video teasers for the track, which served as a promotional tool for their return.[19] An accompanyingmusic video was uploaded to JYP Entertainment'sYouTube channel on October 26, 2020.[21] The video was directed by Lee Gi-baek of the production company Tiger-Cave Studio, who had previously worked with several Korean artists, includingGot7,Beenzino andZico, among others.[22] Portrayed inretro, the visual features Twice performing "non-stop" choreography in a white subway station, a rainbow-colored canyon, and a large lotus flower, as they don color-coordinated looks. In one scene, the members are seated at a long table, facing their mirror images. Towards its conclusion, they are seen boarding a train wearing "high-fashion black-and-yellow" outfits similar to the plaid separates worn byAlicia Silverstone in the teen comedy film,Clueless (1995).[10]
Discussing the fashion styles used in the music video,Chaeyoung said, "We also wanted to showcase our new sides visually, such as our widely beloved suit outfits from our teasers. We have many other kinds of outfits in store, some of them are featured in the song's music video."[15] Moran wrote that the video showcases "Twice's star power, as the girls dance — perfectly in-sync, of course — throughout different environments, both on earth and somewhere in space."[16] A choreography version was released on November 1, 2020.[23] Its dance was choreographed by Kiel Tutin and Jonte Moaning.[24] After 77 days of release, the music video surpassed 200 million views on YouTube.[25]
Hours after the song and the album's release, on October 26, 2020, Twice held a live meeting called "Twice 'I Can't Stop Me' Special Live" onNaver'sV app andYouTube, introducing songs from the album and communicating with their fans.[15] To promote the song andEyes Wide Open, the group appeared and performed on several South Koreanmusic programs, starting with Mnet'sM! Countdown on October 29, where they performed "I Can't Stop Me" and "Up No More".[26] They also appeared onKBS2'sMusic Bank,MBC'sShow! Music Core,MBC M'sShow Champion, andSBS'Inkigayo, to perform the song.[27][28][29][30] In the second week of promotion, "I Can't Stop Me" won the top spot onShow Champion on November 4.[31] A clip featuring group membersNayeon,Sana,Momo, and Chaeyoung, performing relay dance to the song, was posted toTikTok the same day.[32] Twice performed the song for their US television debut with their appearance on the "#PlayAtHome" series ofThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert on November 30.[33]Jeongyeon, who was on hiatus due toanxiety, did not participate in any promotional activities.[34] She resumed activities with the group on January 31, 2021, at the30th Seoul Music Awards, where they performed "I Can't Stop Me" as a full group for the first time.[35]
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^Kim, Ye-na (September 25, 2020)."[단독] 'K팝 원톱 걸그룹' 트와이스, 10월 26일 컴백 확정" [[Exclusive] 'K-pop number-one girl group' Twice confirmed their comeback on October 26th].Xports News (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. RetrievedOctober 23, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Lee Seung-mi (October 1, 2020).[공식]트와이스, 10월 26일 정규 2집 발매…꽉찬 콘텐츠 新앨범 일정 공개 [[Official] Twice' 2nd regular album to be released on October 26th… Full content release of new album schedule].Sports Chosun (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. RetrievedOctober 12, 2020.
^abKim, Soo-young (October 12, 2020)."꽃보다 트와이스…정규 2집 단체 이미지 공개" [Twice over flowers... 2nd regular group image released].Hankyung (in Korean).Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. RetrievedNovember 2, 2020.
^Lee, Min-ji (May 3, 2021).트와이스, 6월 새 앨범 발매 확정…8개월만 컴백(공식) [TWICE, new album to be released in June... Comeback after 8 months [Official]] (in Korean). Newsen.Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. RetrievedMay 3, 2021 – viaNaver.
^Park, Panseok (October 29, 2020)."'엠카' 트와이스 'I Can't Stop Me' 무대 최초 공개..TXT·CIX 컴백 무대" ['M-Countdown' Twice 'I Can't Stop Me' stage for the first time released..TXT·CIX comeback stage].Osen (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. RetrievedOctober 29, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Yoon, Seong-yeol (October 30, 2020)."'뮤뱅' 트와이스, 멈출 수 없는 매력..돌아온 '트둥이들'" ['Music Bank' Twice, an unstoppable charm...'Tdongi' who have returned].Star News (in Korean).Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. RetrievedOctober 31, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Kang, Min-kyung (October 31, 2020)."'음악중심' 트와이스, 'I Can't Stop Me'로 강림한 레트로 요정들 [별별TV]" ['Music Core' Twice, Retro Fairies Advent with 'I Can't Stop Me' [Byeolbyul TV]].Star News (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. RetrievedOctober 31, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Park, Seo-yeon (November 4, 2020)."'정연아 사랑해' '쇼챔' 트와이스, 컴백하자마자 1위..투모로우바이투게더 컴백[종합]" ['I love you Jung Yuna' 'Show Champion' Twice, 1st place at the same time as comeback..Tomorrow X Together Comeback [Comprehensive]] (in Korean).Herald Corporation.Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. RetrievedNovember 4, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Hwang, Hye-jin (November 8, 2020)."'인기가요' 트와이스 1위, 마마무·몬스타엑스·트레저 컴백(종합)" [Twice's 1st place on 'Inkigayo', Mamamoo, Monsta X, Treasure comeback (Comprehensive)].Newsen (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. RetrievedNovember 8, 2020 – viaNaver.
^abHwang, Hye-jin (November 4, 2020).'쇼챔피언' 트와이스, 컴백 후 첫 1위 '정연아 사랑해'(종합) ['Show Champion' Twice, first place after comeback 'I love you Jung Yuna' (Total)].Newsen (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. RetrievedNovember 4, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Lee, Seung-Hyun (November 4, 2020)."트와이스 나연·모모·사나·채영 '반할수 밖에 없어'[움짤]" [Twice Nayeon, Momo, Sana, Chaeyoung,'I have no choice but to fall in love' [gif]].Ten Asia (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. RetrievedNovember 4, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Lee, Soo-min (October 17, 2020).트와이스 정연, 정규 2집 모든 일정 불참..."절대 안정·휴식 필요" [Twice's Jeongyeon, absent from all schedules for the 2nd regular album...'Need absolute rest and relaxation'].Newsis (in Korean). RetrievedMarch 24, 2024.
^Woo, Bin (February 1, 2021)."아팠던 트와이스 정연, 복귀 무대 어땠나…컨디션 난조에도 '완벽'" [Twice's Jeongyeon, who was sick, how was the comeback stage? 'Perfect' despite poor condition].TenAsia (in Korean). RetrievedMarch 24, 2024.
^Lee, Seul (November 5, 2020).'엠카' 트와이스 1위…마마무·몬스타엑스·AB6IX·박지훈 치열한 컴백 대전 [종합] ['M-Countdown' Twice 1st place... Mamamoo·Monsta X·AB6IX·Park Ji-hoon Fierce Comeback Battle [Comprehensive]].Xports News (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. RetrievedNovember 5, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Soo-hyung (November 12, 2020).트와이스, '엠카' 2주 연속 1위 질주 '활동 종료에도 감사, 원스♥덕분' [종합] ['M-Countdown' Twice runs 1st place for 2 weeks in a row 'Thank you for the end of the activity, Once ♥ Thanks' [Comprehensive]].Osen (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. RetrievedNovember 12, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Mi-ri (November 6, 2020).'뮤직뱅크' 트와이스 1위, '원스 고맙다' 소감…마마무→박지훈 컴백 [종합] ['Music Bank' Twice 1st place, 'Thank you for once' impact... Mamamoo → Park Ji-hoon comeback [Comprehensive]].My Daily (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. RetrievedNovember 6, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Yujin (November 8, 2020).'인기가요' 트와이스 1위 '원스 고마워'…몬스타엑스·마마무 컴백 [종합] ['Inkigayo' Twice No.1 'Thank you once'... Monsta X Mamamoo comeback].Xports News (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. RetrievedNovember 8, 2020 – viaNaver.
^Kim, Ye-na (November 15, 2020).트와이스, 임창정·마마무 꺾고 1위…스테이씨 '핫데뷔' (인기가요)[종합] [Twice placed first beating Lim Chang-jung and Mamamoo … StayC 'Hot Debut' (Inkigayo) [Comprehensive]].Xports News (in Korean).Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. RetrievedNovember 15, 2020 – viaNaver.
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