| I Got a Boy | ||||
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 Digital cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | August–December 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:34 | |||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Girls' Generation chronology | ||||
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| Singles from I Got A Boy | ||||
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| Physical cover | ||||
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I Got a Boy (stylized inall caps) is the fourth Korean studio album (sixth overall) by South Korean girl groupGirls' Generation. It was released for digital download on January 1, 2013, bySM Entertainment, and was made available forphysical sales the following day byKT Music. Musically, the album is characterized as combining elements from a wide range ofgenres includingR&B,new wave, andEDM. This is the last studio album and Korean studio album with their founding memberJessica before her dismissal from the group in 2014 and subsequent departure from SM Entertainment in 2015.
I Got a Boy received mixed reviews from music critics; it was praised for its eclectic musical styles, however others were favorable towards only a few songs on the album. Commercially, it was a success domestically, peaking atop the South KoreanGaon Album Chart and became the second best-selling album of 2013 in the country. The album additionally charted at number seven on the JapaneseOricon Albums Chart, number three on the TaiwaneseG-Music chart, and number one on theBillboard World Albums.
To promote the album, Girls' Generation appeared and performed on severalmusic programs includingMusic Bank andShow! Music Core in early 2013. The album'slead single was "Dancing Queen", a remake ofDuffy's 2008 single "Mercy", released on December 21, 2012. The second single, "I Got a Boy", was released on January 1, 2013, and was subjected to major attention from Western media outlets following its winning Video of the Year at the inauguralYouTube Music Awards.
After the group's label SM Entertainment revealed the group intended to return in January 2013,MBC announced on December 11, 2012, that the group would be receiving a separate broadcast depicting the album process in preparation of the album's release in January 2013.[2] The single track, "Dancing Queen", was released on December 21, 2012. The title track, "I Got a Boy", was released digitally on January 1, 2013. The full album was released on January 2, 2013. Prior to the release in October, member Seohyun said: "This album is really different from our usual ones. It’s like challenging a person's limits. I'm looking forward to what the fans will think, and because it’s still a secret amongst us, I just feel nervous."[3]
Dsign Music, the group of famous composers that composed the hit song, "Genie", as well as the top composers of Europe including Will Simms and Sarah Lundback, and the composer from Korea, Young-Jin Yoo participated in the making of the album. "I Got a Boy" is an electronic dance song that mixes pop, retro, and urban genres. "Talk Talk" is the Korean version of Boomerang which was included in their second Japanese studio albumGirls & Peace, and the Korean lyrics tell a guy who does not understand a girl's heart should try to talk to his girl that it gives the feeling different from Japanese version while it has the same melody and arrangement.
"Baby Maybe", mixes lyrics written by Girls' Generation members Sooyoung, Yuri, and Seohyun that expresses the fluttering heart of a girl in love. "XYZ" with a powerful synthesizer pattern is also written by Yuri and Seohyun. The album also contains "Lost in Love (유리아이)", a duet by Taeyeon and Tiffany expresses the changes of heart that accepts the breakup with a lover as time passes. The track "Promise" is a mid-temposoul ballad composed and arranged by British songwriter Joseph Belmaati in his debut collaboration with the group. The lyrics were penned by Mo-ul and contain a message for the fans.[4] "Express 999" is retro pop combining 1980s new wave[5] influences, and various genres. "Look at Me" combines organic beats, a playful melody, and easy-to-sing-along chorus. "Romantic St." is aswing jazz style song.
The next album is really going to be something new. Because we were thinking of testing the limits with the genre and music color. When we first heard the song and saw the choreography, we had doubts as to whether or not we could do it. It's a dance we’ve never danced before, so it could be something the person doing it would fear. It could also be a new attempt for the company, but my heart also beats that much more.
— Sooyoung talks about what to expect on the album onHarper's Bazaar.[6]
"Dancing Queen" was released as a pre-release single on December 21, 2012.[7] "Dancing Queen", a remake of Welsh singerDuffy's song "Mercy" was recorded in 2008 as a comeback song after a nine-month hiatus, however plans were scrapped due to copyright issues and the group went with "Gee".[8][9]
"I Got a Boy" was released digitally on January 1, 2013. The "I Got A Boy" music video and album were released simultaneously at 5 p.m.KST.[10] The video, as well as the teaser in the "Dancing Queen" video, became the center of public scrutiny after several screenshots from the video circulated on the internet withSunny's hat having the words "WELCOME MOTHERF★CKERS" printed on it.[11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [12] |
| Billboard | 70/100[5] |
| IZM | [13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| Weiv | 4.5/10[15] |
I Got a Boy received mixed reviews from music critics. David Jeffries fromAllMusic called the album an "explosion," writing: "Fans will embrace it with open arms, while mega-fans should also clear some shelf space since the physical edition of the album was made available with ten different covers, one for each member of the group and then one with the whole crew."[12] Jeff Benjamin writing forBillboard wrote that the album's musical styles "satisfy not only K-pop fans but also listeners of all types of popular music" with elements of "forward-thinking" genres such as EDM, R&B, and new wave.[5]
Hwang Seon-eop from South Korean online magazineIZM, however, was less enthusiastic towards the album's "experimental" styles and singled out "Baby Maybe" and "Romantic St." as the two better songs on the album.[13] Music critics from webzineWeiv were generally unfavorable of the album; critic Choi Min-woo wrote that "in the end, the only thing that stands out is 'I Got a Boy'".Idology's Mimryo likewise complimented the musicality of the title track, although he expressed boredom with the remainder of the record.[15]
A week after the release of "Dancing Queen," the song was number one on the Gaon Single chart.[16]I Got a Boy debuted at the number two spot ofBillboard's World Album Chart. They also placed 2nd on the Heatseekers Albums Chart and 23rd on the Independent Albums Chart.[17] The album ranked 7th on Oricon Weekly Chart and ranked 22nd on Oricon Monthly Chart. "I Got a Boy" also rank first on Five Music Korean-Japanese Chart inTaiwan for two weeks in a row.[18]
The first of the group's comeback performances began on January 3, 2013, onMnet'sM! Countdown.[19] Seven members appeared on Mnet'sWide Open Studio program prior to their comeback performance,Yuri andHyoyeon were not present as they were preparing to emceeM! Countdown.[20] The group continued their first week of performances for the album onKBS'Music Bank, MBC'sMusic Core andSBS'sInkigayo on January 4, 5 and 6, respectively.[21] Girls' Generation held an hour-long "Virtual Concert" broadcast live via Naver Music on January 5, 2013, where they perform "I Got a Boy", "Talk Talk" and "Dancing Queen".[22] The group also performed five songs from the album on their MBC comeback special;Girls' Generation's Romantic Fantasy on January 1, 2013.[23] The group also performed onKBS Hope Concert.[24] The group performed "I Got a Boy" and "Dancing Queen" in Dream K-Pop Fantasy concert held inManila,Philippines on January 19, 2013, making it their first overseas performance of both songs.[25] OnKBS Yoo Hee-Yeol's Sketchbook, the group performed "I Got a Boy", "Dancing Queen", and "Lost in Love".[26] They performed their single "I Got a Boy" as part of the setlist on theirSecond Japan Arena Tour.
The album was officially tour promoted onGirls' Generation World Tour Girls & Peace, began on June 8, 2013, inOlympic Gymnastics Arena,Seoul,South Korea, finished on February 15, 2014, inCotai Arena, Macau. The tour also promotes their third studio album,The Boys (2011), officially, and promoted their second Japanese studio album,Girls & Peace (2012), outside Japan.
Credits adapted fromNaver
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Got a Boy" |
|
| 4:31 | |
| 2. | "Dancing Queen" | 3:35 | |||
| 3. | "Baby Maybe" | 3:43 | |||
| 4. | "Talk Talk" (말해봐;Malhaebwa) |
|
|
| 2:46 |
| 5. | "Promise" | Mo-ul | Joseph Belmaati | Joseph Belmaati | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Express 999" | 3:27 | |||
| 7. | "Lost in Love" (유리아이;Yuria-i;lit. Glass Child) (Taeyeon andTiffany duet) |
|
| 4:00 | |
| 8. | "Look at Me" |
|
|
| 3:01 |
| 9. | "XYZ" |
| 3:15 | ||
| 10. | "Romantic St." (낭만길;Namman-gil) |
|
| 4:00 | |
| Total length: | 35:40 | ||||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Got a Boy" (Music Video) | |
| 2. | "Dancing Queen" (Music Video) | |
| 3. | "I Got a Boy" (Music Video Making Film) |
Credits forI Got a Boy adapted are from album liner notes.[29]
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Weekly charts[edit]
Monthly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Sales amount |
|---|---|
| Japan | 54,000[38] |
| South Korea | 318,886[39] |
| United States | 3,000[40] |
| Region | Release date | Format | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide[41] | January 1, 2013 | Digital download | SM Entertainment |
| South Korea[42] | January 2, 2013 | CD | SM Entertainment,KMP Holdings |
| Singapore[43] | January 7, 2013 | Universal Music | |
| Thailand[44] | January 8, 2013 | SM Entertainment | |
| Hong Kong[45] | January 14, 2013 | Universal Music | |
| Japan[46] | February 13, 2013 | Nayutawave Records | |
| Indonesia[47] | June 4, 2013 | Universal Music Indonesia | |
| Taiwan[48] | July 17, 2013 | CD + DVD | Universal Music Taiwan |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| Subgroups | |||||
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Girls' Generation songs | |
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