I Got a Boy

I Got a Boy
Studio album by Girls' Generation
Released	January 1, 2013
Recorded	August – December 2012
Genre	K-pop, pop, R&B
Length	35:34
Language	Korean
Label	S.M. Entertainment, KT Music
Producer	Lee Soo Man (executive), Yoo Young-jin, Steve Booker, Stereotypes, Will Simms, Kenzie, Charlie Mason, Mitch Hansen, Joseph Belmaati, Park Chang-hyun, Trinity, Victoria Horn, Hyuk Shin, Jordan Kyle
Girls' Generation chronology
Girls & Peace (2012) I Got a Boy (2013) Best Selection Non Stop Mix (2013)
Singles from I Got A Boy
"Dancing Queen" Released: December 21, 2012 "I Got a Boy" Released: January 1, 2013

I Got a Boy is the fourth Korean studio album and the sixth overall by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. It was released for digital download on January 1, 2013 by S.M. Entertainment, and was made available for physical sales the following day by KT Music. Musically, the album is characterized as combining elements from a wide range of genres including R&B, new wave, and EDM.

I Got a Boy received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its eclectic musical styles. It was a commercial success domestically, peaking atop the South Korean Gaon Album Chart and became the second best-selling album of 2013 in the country. The album additionally charted at number seven on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, number three on the Taiwanese G-Music chart, and number one on the Billboard World Albums.

To promote the album, Girls' Generation appeared and performed on several music programs including Music Bank and Show! Music Core in early 2013. The album's lead single was "Dancing Queen", a remake of Duffy'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 inaugural YouTube Music Awards.

Promotion

Release

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.

—Seohyun, talks about the group's album.^[1]

After the group's label S.M. 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.

Live performance

The first of the group's comeback performances began on January 3, 2013, on Mnet's M! Countdown.^[3] Seven members appeared on Mnet's Wide Open Studio program prior to their comeback performance, Yuri and Hyoyeon were not present as they were preparing to emcee M! Countdown.^[4] The group continued their first week of performances for the album on KBS' Music Bank, MBC's Music Core and SBS's Inkigayo on January 4, 5 and 6, respectively.^[5] 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".^[6] The group also performed five songs from the album on their MBC comeback special; Girls' Generation's Romantic Fantasy on January 1, 2013.^[7] The group also performed on KBS Hope Concert.^[8] The group performed "I Got a Boy" and "Dancing Queen" in Dream K-Pop Fantasy concert held in Manila, Philippines on January 19, 2013, making it their first overseas performance of both songs.^[9] On KBS Yoo Hee-Yeol's Sketchbook, the group performed "I Got a Boy", "Dancing Queen", and "Lost in Love".^[10] They performed their single "I Got a Boy" as part of the setlist on their Second Japan Arena Tour.

The album was officially tour promoted on Girls' Generation World Tour Girls & Peace, began on June 8th 2013 in Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea, finished on February 15th, 2014 in Cotai Arena, Macau. The tour also promotes their third studio album, The Boys, officially.

Composition

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 the what to expect on the album on Harper's Bazaar.^[11][12]

	"I Got A Boy" Sample of "I Got a Boy", an eclectic mix of various genres
Problems playing this file? See media help.

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 in the 2nd full-length album released in Japan, and the Korean lyric tells 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-tempo soul 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.^[13] "Express 999" is retro pop combining various genres. "Look at Me" combines organic beats, a playful melody, and easy-to-sing-along chorus. "Romantic St." is a swing jazz style song.

Singles

"Dancing Queen" was released as a pre-release single on December 21, 2012.^[14] "Dancing Queen", a remake of Welsh singer Duffy'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".^[15][16]

"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.^[17] 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 with Sunny's hat having the words "WELCOME MOTHERF★CKERS" printed on it.^[18]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic[19]
Billboard[20]	70/100
Neo Music Community[21]

I Got a Boy received generally positive reviews from music critics. David Jeffries from AllMusic 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."^[19] Jeff Benjamin writing for Billboard 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.^[20] Hwang Seon-eop from Korean web portal Neo Music Community, 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.^[21]

A week after the release of "Dancing Queen," the song was number one on the Gaon Single chart.^[22] I Got a Boy debuted at the number two spot of Billboard's World Album Chart. They also placed 2nd on the Heatseekers Albums Chart and 23rd on the Independent Albums Chart.^[23]

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 in Taiwan for two weeks in a row.^[24]

Track listing

I Got a Boy – Standard edition[25]
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"I Got a Boy"	Yoo Young Jin	Will Simms, Anne Judith Wik, Sarah Lundbäck Bell, Yoo Young Jin	4:31
2.	"Dancing Queen"	Yoon Hyo-sang, Jessica Jung, Tiffany Hwang	Stephen Andrew Booker, Aimee Ann Duffy, Kenzie	3:35
3.	"Baby Maybe"	Choi Soo-young, Kwon Yuri, Seo Joo-hyun	Mich Hansen, Jonas Jeberg, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Victoria Lott	3:43
4.	"Talk Talk" (말해봐)	Kim Tae-sung	Mason Charlie, Oscar Michael G. Rres, Danny Saucedo	2:46
5.	"Promise"	Mo-ul	Joseph Belmaati	3:15
6.	"Express 999"	Kim Jung-bae	Kenzie	3:27
7.	"Lost In Love (유리아이)" (Taeyeon and Tiffany duet)	Park Chang-hyun	Park Chang-hyun	4:00
8.	"Look at Me"	Jun Gan-di	Johan Gustafson, Fredrik Häggstam, Sebastian Lundberg, Louis Schoorl	3:01
9.	"XYZ"	Kwon Yuri, Seo Joo-hyun	Jonathan Yip, Jeremy L. Reeves, Ray Romulus, Victoria Horn	3:15
10.	"Romantic St." (낭만길)	Lee Shin-sung, Lee Chan-mi, Sumi	Matthew Heath, Hailey Collier, DK, Jordan Kyle, Hyuk Shin, Jee Yoon Yoo	4:00
Total length:				35:34

Taiwan Edition – DVD bonus tracks[26]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Got a Boy" (Music Video)
2.	"Dancing Queen" (Music Video)
3.	"I Got a Boy" (Music Video Making Film)

Notes

• "Dancing Queen" (recorded in 2008) is a remake of the song, "Mercy", by Welsh singer Duffy.
• "Baby Maybe" was originally co-written as a demo in English by English singer-songwriter Pixie Lott under the title as "What You Do." The song was later given to Girls' Generation with Seohyun, Yuri and Sooyoung re-writing the lyrics in Korean.
• "Talk Talk" (previously titled Boomerang) was recorded in 2008. A Japanese version was included in their second Japanese studio album, Girls & Peace (2012).
• "Lost in Love" is a duet song sung by Taeyeon and Tiffany.
• "Express 999" is a reference to the Anime Galaxy Express 999.

Personnel

Credits for I Got a Boy adapted are from album liner notes.^[27]

Girls' Generation – vocals Taeyeon – main vocal, background vocal Jessica Jung – main vocal, background vocal Sunny – lead vocal, background vocal Tiffany – lead vocal, background vocal Hyoyeon – vocal, rapper, main dancer Yuri – vocal, rapper, main dancer, songwriter Sooyoung – vocal, main rapper, songwriter Yoona – vocal, main rapper, dancer, visual Seohyun – main vocal, background vocal, songwriter Yoo Young-jin – producer, songwriter, translator, audio mixing, recording Will Simms – songwriting, producer Yang Geunyeong – background vocals Anne Judith Wik – songwriter Sarah Lundback Bell – songwriter Kim Jungbae – guitar Yoong – strings Park Chang-hyun – songwriting, background vocal, producer, piano, keyboard, programming Shim Sangwon – string arrangement, conductor Choi Wonhyuk – bass guitar Moul – songwriter Joseph Belmaati – songwriter, producer Stephen Andrew Booker – songwriter, producer Aimee Ann Duffy – songwriter

Nam Goongjin – recording, mixing Im Kwangwook – arrangement Mich Hansen – songwriter, producer Jonas Jeberg – songwriter Ruth-Anne Cunningham – songwriter Jung Eunkyung – recording Jung Euisuk – recording, mixing Kim Jung-bae – songwriter Goo Jongpil – mixing Kim Tae-sung – songwriter, translator Im Yoonjae – vocal director Charlie Mason – songwriter, producer Oscar Gorres – songwriter, songwriter Danny Saucedo – songwriter Choi Yeongkyung – vocal director Lee Sungho – recording Lee Joohyung – recording Kim Jung-bae – songwriting Shinmin – string arrangement, conductor Hong Junho – guitar Lee Sanghoon – drums Kenzie – organ, producer, recording, vocal director Jun Gandi – songwriter Johan Gustafson – songwriter, producer Jee Yoon Yoo – songwriter Lee Shinsung – songwriter

Fredrik Häggstam – songwriter, producer Sebastian Lundberg – songwriter, producer Pixie Lott – songwriter Louis Schoorl – songwriter Hwang Hyun – vocal director, recording Lee Joohyung – vocal director Choi Yeongkyung – background vocals Jonathan Yip – producer Ray Romulus – producer Reremy Reeves – producer Kim Taesung – arrangement Kim Yongshin – arrangement Nam Goongjin – mixing Kim Jiyeon – background vocal Lee Joohyung – recording Hyuk Shin – songwriter, producer Matthew Heath – songwriter Hailey Collier – songwriter DK – songwriter Jordan Kyle – songwriter, producer Lee Yoonji – guitar Lee Chanmi – songwriter Sumi – songwriter Lee Soo Man – executive producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
China (Sino Chart)[28]	13
Japan (Oricon)[29]	7
South Korea (Gaon)[30]	1
Taiwan (G-Music)[31]	3
U.S. World Albums (Billboard)[32]	1
U.S. Top Heatseekers (Billboard)[33]	2
U.S. Independent Albums (Billboard)[34]	23

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)	Position
South Korea (Gaon)[35]	2

Release history

Region	Release date	Format	Distributor
Worldwide[36]	January 1, 2013	Digital download	S.M. Entertainment
South Korea[37]	January 2, 2013	CD	S. M. Entertainment, KMP Holdings
Singapore[38]	January 7, 2013		Universal Music
Thailand[39]	January 8, 2013		S.M. Entertainment
Hong Kong[40]	January 14, 2013		Universal Music
Japan[41]	February 13, 2013		Nayutawave Records
Indonesia[42]	June 4, 2013		Universal Music Indonesia
Taiwan[43]	July 17, 2013	CD + DVD	Universal Music Taiwan

References

1. "Seohyun and TVXQ! Featured in November Issue of ‘CeCi’ Magazine". Soshified. October 19, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
2. 기사입력 (December 11, 2012). 소녀시대, 내년 새 앨범 컴백 "시기 미정, 韓日활동 병행" (in Korean). tvreport.co.k. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
3. 소녀시대, '아이 갓 어 보이' 댄스 버전 티저 영상 공개 (in Korean). media.daum.net. December 28, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
4. "Hyoyeon and Yuri to Be Special MCs on Mnet’s ‘M! Countdown’". soshified.com. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
5. "‘뱀띠 스타’ 소녀시대 효연·유리, ‘엠카’ 스페셜 MC 나선다" (in Korean). bntnews.com. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
6. "[T포토 l 소녀시대] '국민 걸그룹의 인기'(V 콘서트)" (in Korean). news.nate.com. January 5, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
7. "Girls’ Generation’s ‘Romantic Fantasy’ Comeback Program Airs on MBC". soshified.com. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
8. "Check out Girls' Generation's 'I got a Boy' performance from KBS' Hope Concert". WonderfulGeneration. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
9. "Watch Girls' Generation's full FanCams from 'Dream K-Pop Fantasy Concert' in the Philippines". Wonderful Generation. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
10. "Watch Girls' Generation's performances from Yoo Hee-Yeol's Sketchbook + English Subbed Cuts". Wonderful Generation. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
11. 2013.1월호 하퍼스 바자 수영 스캔본 by deselim – 수영 갤러리
12. Sooyoung Appears in ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ Magazine for a Photoshoot and Interview
13. "I Got A Boy - 4th album by Girls' Generation" (in Korean). Naver Music. January 1, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
14. "Dancing Queen – Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. December 21, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
15. "소시, 컴백 신곡은 英가수 더피 'Mercy' 리메이크" (in Korean). star.mt.co.kr. December 21, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
16. carolicity (December 19, 2012). "Updated Girls’ Generation to pre-release a song off their upcoming 4th album in January + another English album in store?". allkpop.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
17. "Girls’ Generation Releases ‘I Got A Boy’ Album and Music Video". allkpop.com. January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
18. 소녀시대 뮤비수정 한다 '써니모자 논란에 결국…' (in Korean). news.nate.com. January 3, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
19. Jeffries, David. "I Got a Boy – Girls' Generation | Songs, Reviews, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
20. Jeff, Benjamin. "Girls' Generation, 'I Got a Boy': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard (Prometheus Global Media). Archived from the original on May 29, 2013.
21. Hwang Seon-eop (January 2013). "I Got a Boy – Review" (in Korean). IZM. Neo Music Community. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
22. "South Korean Gaon Single Chart 2012.12.23~2012.12.29". Gaon Chart. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
23. "SNSD's 'I got a Boy' debuts at the top spot of Billboard's World Albums Chart". Wonderful Generation. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
24. "Charts". Girls' Generation's Facebook. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
25. "4th Album I Got a Boy" (in Korean). Naver. Naver Corporation. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
26. "I Got a Boy" (in Chinese). Universal Music Taiwan. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
27. I Got a Boy (liner notes) (in Korean). Girls' Generation. S.M. Entertainment. 2013.
28. "Sino Album Chart: 2013/09/24" (in Chinese). Sino Chart. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013.
29. "Weekly CD Rankings". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. January 21, 2013. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014.
30. "Gaon Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. December 30, 2012. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014.
31. "G-Music Albums Chart" (in Chinese). G-Music. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013.
32. "World Music: Top Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. January 19, 2013. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016.
33. "Billboard's Heatseeker Album – Week of January 19, 2013". Billboard. Promehtheus Global Media. January 19, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
34. "Independent Album – Week of January 19, 2013". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. January 19, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
35. "Gaon Album Chart: 2013 (Year-End)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
36. "The 4th Album 'I Got a Boy' by Girls' Generation". iTunes Store (HK). Apple Inc. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
37. "소녀시대 – 정규 4집 I Got a Boy [10종 중 랜덤]" (in Korean). Aladin Music. January 1, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
38. "Girls' Generation – I Got a Boy". HMV Singapore. HMV Group. Archived from the original on August 10, 2013.
39. "Girls' Generation: I Got a Boy CD" (in Thai). Boomerang Shop. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
40. "I Got A Boy" (in Chinese). Universal Music Hong Kong. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
41. "少女時代 / I Got a Boy【輸入盤】【CD】【2013年2月6日発売】" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
42. "Girls' Generation – I Got a Boy". Yes24.com Indonesia. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
43. "I Got a Boy (CD+DVD)" (in Chinese). Universal Music Taiwan. Retrieved April 30, 2016.

External links

• Girls' Generation official website