Let’s face it, IGAB is probably the most experimental song in Soshi’s discography. Let’s forget the fact that many people are crying about this song because it sounds weird, people cried about Gee as well because it was too poppy and trying to be overly cute.
I’ve put this song on repeat for a few days straight now and I actually really enjoy it. However, I can understand how people don’t, it’s not really pop…it’s an experimental variation of pop elements. My musical tastes start with rock and metal, and it evolved into Progressive Metal/rock, and I feel that IGAB has links to progressive music. I’ll be analysing why people who LOVE kpop seem to be afraid of this song so much, and why people seem to find it difficult to listen to.
THIS IS A LONG READ, but it might give a very good insight as to why the song is done the way it is, and hopefully will garner more appreciation.
Here’s an example, if pop music was on one side of the see-saw, progressive would be on the other side. It is music that is supposed to be difficult to play. Progressive songs have always changing time signatures and rhythm’s, drum beats are chaotic and all over the place and every instrument is playing to it’s own beat most of the time, it all culminates into a product that is very hard to listen to. However, progressive music is an art form where you have to listen to each part individually to see the end product and to see how subtly all the instruments meld into together, it takes work, and most people don’t want tot hink when theya re lsitening to music, and I understand that, it all comes down to taste.
Although IGAB does NOT classify as progressive music, it can surely be attributed to having elements of it. the time signatures change and overlays of vocals are repeated during different parts. this is where the “it sounds like 4 songs into one” motif comes from, however to a more basic form since the music actually stops completely before it changes beat, progressive music is much more crazy as they change mid riff or play to a different time signature, but you can see it there. This is number 1 reason why it can be so hard to listen to. Jessica’s “Don’t stop! Let’s bring it back to 140” could mean the mark at 1 minute and 40 seconds… but it could also mean 140 bpm (beats per minute), which is the chorus part onwards. The first part only goes at 100bpm, which is why it seems slower. This is a rhythm change, which can also be a time stamp.
It takes time to warm up to this music, and if you aren’t in it for the deeper things, then that’s probably why you prefer pop music over any sort of progressive music, that’s not wrong, it’s just different. Just think about when the chorus comes in, change the perspective but not the goal which leads into the lyrics and also the choreography.
I’m a man who like his music, but I advocate that lyrics aren’t the most important thing. IGAB breaks that for me, the lyrics and the choreography go hand in hand to tell a story
I recommend watching the live performace to get a better idea of what I’m about to explain so lets look at the Mnet countdown one.
IGAB STARTS AT 4:18
Lets start by looking at the lyrics translated to english, follow the link but I’ll be taking excerpts with time stamps.
http://www.kpoplyrics.net/snsd-i-got-a-boy-lyrics-english-romanized.html
If you look at the lyrics, it’s really confusing, but lets try to make it easier. It hit me as soon as I read the lyrics that there is a story inside this song, and it’s told from multiple girls perspectives, and the dancing actually adds to the story as well, it has story context choreography.
The ENTIRE first part up until Tiffany’s “LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF” notes the following from 4:18 to 4:47
Ayo! GG! Yeah Yeah, shall we start?
Gosh! Look at her, look
What happened to her that she cut her hair? huh?
Gosh! Again look at her, look!
From head to toe, her style has changed
Why did she do that? I’m curious to death
why did she do that? Tell me
Lets look at the choreography, it’s Sooyoung and Yuri talking while the rest of the girls are saying “OMO”. They are talking about a particular girl and gossiping about how she is acting, standard highschool clique. This opens up the scene already that the subject is a particular girl who is going through change, evidently we already should know based on the title that the girl “gots a boy”.
From 4:47 to 6:00 up to the SICK beat change.
Who is she? Ridiculous
Do you know you’re too self-assertive? She thinks I’m average
Yeah, I guess she really liked him!
No way! No way!
She became so pretty and sexy, it’s because of him, right?
I almost asked her what her new makeup was
Truthfully, I’ve seen it for the first time
The deep eyes, like a scarred beast
I was dizzy by just talking to him!
You really are something else! You really are something else!
Oh ohh eh oh
(Here’s come trouble, hey girl listen!)
Oh ohh eh oh
You really are something else! (something!)
Oh ohh eh oh (Hey!)
Oh ohh eh oh (Na na na na hey!)
You really are something else!
The reason is revealed, OMO it’s a boy! she’s got a boy and she’s changing herself, the only noticeable difference is that the group is in sync, and that might be just an openness that everyone knows about the boy now.
Now come the part where everything changes
Ayo! Stop! Let me put it down another way.
This line…this line changes everything. it encompasses an extra reason for the beat change to 140bpm and the sudden stoppage of the music. To understand this we just need to read the chorus.
6:00 to 7:00
I got a boy, a handsome one! I got a boy, a kind one!
I got a boy handsome boy, who took all my heart
I got a boy, a handsome one! I got a boy, a kind one!
I got a boy awesome boy, I must have really fallen for him
Ah, my prince! When are you gonna come save me?
Will you lift me in your arms and fly, like a white dream?
I’m like, surprised, mental collapse!
He wants to see my face without makeup.
I really like him, would it be okay to show it to him?
Oh! Never! Right? Right?
Let’s keep what needs to be kept, right! right!
Don’t ever forget this until you take all of his heart!
Oh ohh eh oh, Oh ohh eh oh
Even if I stay up all night, it’s not enough, everything everything
Oh ohh eh oh, Oh ohh eh oh
Our biggest interest, everything everything
This part is a complete monologue, it is the girl that everyone is talking about. “let me put it down another way” shows that the perspective is changing, and that perspective is of the main girl who has the boy. What follows is a monologue inside her own head about her own worries and doubts, hopes and dreams.
7:00 to 7:15 is what made me really sit down and think about doing this in the first place.. everything..seems to work too well with the lyrics.
Lets do and ultra breakdown because this is just..beautiful…
Seohyuns lines come in twofold. Start with
7:00 to 7:05
Listen to me, you all know him, right?
You notice all the girls are turning to each other? this is the gossip train, the whole school is finding out about her telling everyone about her boyfriend.
He’s a bit young but he’s full inside
This part where the last 3 big beats, and the girls turn at seohyun. This is the part where the girls are at an “OMG” stage and are looking at her like she has gone completely insane and weird and are all taken by surprise. The sudden turn with the beat coincides with the looks of the girls looking at seohyun.
Tiffany’s part hasn’t got anything extra so lets just pass by that. It’s just the girl spazzing over him.
As of normal till that Spotlight at
7:30
I’m really angry, my boy doesn’t look at me as a girl
What should I do when I feel hopeless?
Should I make him feel jealous? I’m so upset! What do I do?
No way! No way!
This is the girl at a crossroad. She is feeling the push and pull part of the relationship and is stressing over everything. She needs and wants to be answered and thus the spotlight comes in.
Don’t stop! Let’s bring it back to 140
it could be the time stamp or the beats per minute. I personally prefer the beats per minute aspect.
Jesssica and Seohyun’s parts at 8:10
Always next to me, it’s you, who’s on my side and listens to me
You oh oh oh oh~ you oh oh oh oh~
I’m happy as it is right now, cause everything will work
The change in beat and the suddenness of the pitch change signifies a big revelation, near the end of the story it is getting wrapped up. She’s found a good spot in the relationship and believes that everything is right.
Before we end this..there’s one last thing. I’ll add this as an asterisk cause it might be me looking into it too much, but
The last chorus where taeyeon and Sunny are re-singing their parts at 6:20 while the chorus is going.
I feel it fits well and maybe it’s a call back that the girl has found what she wanted in these lyrics, she has found her prince and is currently living her dream.
Look…if all of this is too much and you feel that a song is trying way too hard. Then that’s fine. But understand that music works in layers and styles depict where the layers lie, whether it be all laid out for you on the table, or nestled away in the centre like an onion. Most progressive music is a notch above this, and it’s not like a pop song. To me, it’s got all the elements of pop, the catchy chorus, the harmony and the almost streamlined beat. It’s just arranged in a not so clean way. There’s always a reason for a beat change, a drop in music, a sudden loudness or big riff of music that never turns up the rest of the song.
Give it another listen, just sit back, shut the curtains and watch the live performance or sit down close your eyes and listen to the beats and the changes in the music.
Credits:
http://www.kpoplyrics.net/snsd-i-got-a-boy-lyrics-english-romanized.html
SNSD Korean 
yes this is indeed very interesting, i also found other article that could help us understand more thoroughly about the music behind IGAB:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-girls-generation-i-got-a-boy-20130105,0,3423565.story
wait, u dont mind posting it here rite? 😀
yah……that’s how i felt about it listening about 10 times repeatedly simultaneously……but hey look i’m proud of GIRLS GENERATION…SNSD…..valiant effort..they themselves have doubt about this IGAB…but they did amazingly…..if you guys mind……there’s an article in LA TIMES about IGAB….”IGAB sends a scattered anthem of GIRLS GENERATION” something like that sorry i lost the link……however kudos to Soo Man Lee and the writers…..music critics will be more critical about you guys and I.G.A.B…….still my unending and undying support for GG….right now and forever……..SONYEO-SHIDAE …..
oh here is the link…..please…
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-girls-generation-i-got-a-boy-20130105,0,3423565.story
‘I Got a Boy’ delivers a scattered anthem of the Girls’ Generation
By Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times Pop Music Critic
Thanks for that link. That’s a very positive review. Can be misled by the use of the word “scattered” in the title of the article, but if you read it, you can see the critic is impressed and wants more of this.
i’ve always enjoyed posts from dreadtech, this is no exception. great analysis, echoes my thoughts too.
not too worry..its true..its not kpop..its something else..as i listen to it again..i wonder how am i going to listen to gee the same way again…or even flower power..but its still snsd..they always try to be better..to be different..they have never said, now we will churn out the same old tune, again,,again,, and again. and sica said they dont want to be still waving lollipops in kissing you as they are over their teens..snsd.. the rest of us..keep up..
So True..
The FIRST TIME I listen to this song from the MV right when it released(with huge anticipation of 14 months waiting).. and after listen to it, I shock, confuse, upset….
I barely can accept The Boys, but,.. what is it? Ok, perhaps the choreography is cool, but.. for the song, I though something like “is it all you got for 14 months?” 😦
I was upset at that time..
But then, I started to keep listening to this song NONSTOP for like 2 days.. and… I actually start to LIKE IT 😀
Moreover when I read the translation of the lyric and the story behind all its lyric, the choreography, the tempo, etc. Just like the explanation above, I think that THIS SONG IS GENIUS! 😀 I never know any KPOP song like this one..
GG has come to a new level of a song.. A song which is require the understanding of its lyric and all, in order to be able to enjoy and love the song.
It’s totaly different compare to Gee or Genie.. Those are kind of songs which make you fall in love to them the first time you listen and watching the MV. It’s easy to enjoy and listen.
But IGAB is at totaly different level.. and I thing THIS SONG IS GENIUS.. 😀
So suitable for their 14 months long awaited comeback..
GG JJANG! 😀
Sorry for my pronunciation and grammar 😀
-Indonesian SONE :D-
It’s not a new level, but it’s not run of the mill, they are definitely experimenting which they have the power to do.
@dreadtech Whoa, totally changed my view of the song. I already was starting to like this song a lot, but this analysis and breakdown has made me like this song so much more 🙂
It makes SENSE! And about the last part where Sunny and Taeyeon go over their same lines again, I very much agree. I feel like the girl in the story is ending the song with reassurance and closure that she has found her “prince” and all is very well in the relationship, despite her doubts.
Wowwwwwwwww. That was great, Dread. Not like the people on youtube offering their spastic interpretations. You really took the lyrics and the choreography and did a real, well thought-out analysis of the song that coheres with the changes in the track and explains the different perspectives in the lyrics. My mind has just been BLOWN. ^^
Wow, I already liked the song to begin with, but I think it just went up like 10 notches in my book because I think I actually GET IT now!
youtube comments make me lol, once in a blue moon you’ll find a smart one, but they have better things to do with their time.
Good analysis. Professional indeed.
Funny thing about me is that, moreso than Kpop, I like classical music, which often features dramatic tempo changes, known as “rubato” here. Just listen to Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, Chopin’s Ballade No. 2, or Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata’s first movement.
Granted, here there are no lyrics, but it’s a similar technique nevertheless: tempo is a means of expression, and IGAB uses it thus, as dreadtech has pointed out. The fact that it comes suddenly can seem a bit jarring at first; I still sometimes prefer a gradual switch of tempo, so the music flows.
But I find in IGAB, everything fits together perfectly, especially taking the lyrics into account, as dreadtech explains. The thought and effort that’s gone into this song is quite applaudable, and simply the fact that the girls can sing it AND pull off that exhausting dance at the same time is incredible.
In all honesty, the song is pure genius!
And it requires that you pay attention and think about it a bit more, which in this day and age is surely a good thing.
Yes Classical comes in hand with these elements too, these things as we know aren’t easy to listen to, but they have deep layers
Nice read thx 🙂
Love IGAB !
thanks for translating the lyrics and taking your time writing this
seems like this song is inspired by theater or more likely a musical
a world that jessica and sunny knows a lot about by now
despite the dramatical changes in beats and music or perhaps because of them this song is constantly ringing in my head 😆
Thanks but I didn’t translate the lyrics, I put the source in the credits, I merely interpreted them
Taeyeon first part, i don’t think she is talking about this particular girl, lyrics doesn’t exactly say she or he but i think she is telling a story about the boy, how he thinks she’s average bla bla bla so the girls reply “ah, you must really like him” then taeyeon reply “no way no way”
so in this song i think they’re not gossiping about other girl, but they’re having a girl talk, sharing story about the boy they like.
that’s just my opinion about the lyrics
sorry for my bad english 🙂
your opinion is the same as mine, read it again, the girls thoughts don’t start till Tiffany and the chorus
Really, really good analysis. Always really good with this, Dread. 😛 Loved reading every bit of this article.
You still hang around? 😛
Yep! I’m on SK almost everyday if I’m not busy. I’m more up to date with soshi news these days 😛
i notice about sica’s part mention 140..i also thought it was about time stamp which is really creative to me..but, then again after listening to this song over n over again, i think 140 means both time stamps n changing in beats 🙂 my girls are awesome!! btw, i wonder where they hide the cap…
Yeah, when I first heard the complete song, I was rather confused and didnt like it that much. But now that I’ve heard it a couple of times I quite like it. The more detailed explanation you give here helps me to understand it better, thanks =)
Reblogged this on iammempineda.
There was never any need to explain this song to me. SoShi could stand there and sceam absolute nonsense for 4 minutes and I’d still think it was the best song ever.
…and by sceam I mean scream. Sorry for the poor spelling checks. lol
Ah finally… Someone that has read my thoughts on this sobg after listening to it on repeat for the past couple of days.
The first time I heard this song.. I was reall.confused about what to make out of it. But like any other SNSD song.. Listening to it on repeat made it grow on me.. And eventually I came to appreiciate it for what it is.
I completey agree with the progressive and experimental side of this review and I strongly suggest sones who disliked this song to give it another try and analyze it for
Because it doesn’t follow the same song formula as every other song, it took me a few listens to really love it. Had it been rearranged differently, it would’ve been more pleasing to the ear, but it wouldn’t make sense. This wasn’t the only style of song with randomness that came out this month so I’m guessing this will be a new trend in kpop. It’s creative and I’m looking forward to it!
Awesome analysis, my friend 😀 !
Thanks for making the effort to do this ;).
Cheers !
Kenneth.
Reblogged this on cheratomo.
When I first listened to it, I liked it. Maybe because I’m in a performing music group that changes the beat and rhythm a lot. There’s another analysis of “I Got A Boy”. Whoever wants to see more detail to the song. http://hallyu8.com/topic/30-the-official-snsd-thread-a-yo-welcome-motherfckers/page__st__43600#entry2463942
Wait…I’m sure I’m wrong, but are you YaNa from friendz.net? there’s no way….
Excellent review, Dreadtech. Like many other people, this song took me me several listens before the layers started to all fold together into a cohesive concept. At first I was turned off, but now I realize that it is a very good song, almost epic. I agree with Michael Sternestedt above in that this song, to me, feels a bit like a song from a stage musical. SNSD really outdid themselves on this one!
Ah dreadtech, thanks for writing this. Your analyses are always incredibly detailed and well thought out and because of this I’ll give IGAB another chance.
Anyways, while the tempo/bpm shifts are cool and now I understand the reasoning and the story behind it, do you think that there could’ve been a better way to go about it?
If we look at another song with shifting tempo, Bohemian Rhapsody (yeah ik,its already been compared but that the first thing I thought of, the transitions are gradual as the tempo gradually builds along with an accompanied shift between piano (slow tempo sections, ie. intro and closing) and guitar (fast tempo, the two middle sections) and both are combined in the who “opera-ish” middle part of the song. Basically this makes the song coherent.
Meanwhile in IGAB, it seems like whoever the songwriter was felt like leaving a huge void in the music every time there was a tempo change making it very jarring to listen to. There is no such thing as smooth transitioning between sections with different tempos which I feel is the main reason why people were thrown off. Additionally things like the random dubstep inserted into the song further contribute to the chaotic feeling. So, basically would the song have the same effect with better, smoothed out transitions?
TL;DR: If IGAB was more coherent musically with a progression from slow to fast tempo and better work on transitions, would it have been a better song or would it have lost its effect?
I think there was a reason for the stops. Due to the more hip-hop nature the song lends better to a drastic change, admit it, that beat drop is SICK!
Bohemian rhapsody is very good but it’s sort of a different thing (although I find it having more layers definitely).The slow to fast tempo thing is something that might sound good for an easier to listen song but ultimately think they purposely strayed from the pop formula to experiment. Making it easier and catchy might be good for the mainstream mass, but it has to follow a formula that has been done over and over again, honestly if they tried to make it easier to listen to, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, I wouldn’t bother, it’d just be the same fan’s spazzing over the song with no real depth tot he song itself.
SM can afford to take this risk, Soshi is so big that all they need to do is release a crowd pleaser in 6 months if this doesn’t work, which is a sad thing if it happens really, because this song is by far one of their best.
Ok fair enough, I can see where you’re coming from. Obviously the nature of the song doesn’t lend to gradual build ups as much, idk, I still feel like this is a flaw in song writing.
With alot of snsd’s new title tracks, ie. The Boys, Paparazzi, Flower Power, and now IGAB, they have been trying to stray away from the generic pop formula, which I definitely applaud the effort for. But, the question you have to ask is has it actually been successful and to be totally fair my own opinion is really mixed over this issue. Just because you have the goal to try new things and experimenting with new sounds doesn’t have to mean a complete a complete rework of basic music principles. I could name a bunch of songs that introduced new ideas/styles that still were pleasant musically. Sorry if I’m sounding critical, just trying to offer a different viewpoint.
It’s not a flaw in song writing mate, it’s just not in your taste, There’s a plethora of music that you don’t listen to so saying it’s flawed is kind of blind. The formula that catches your interest just isn’t there in this song, progressive music always has this problem, you’re going to hate some of the stuff that comes up that is in the same subject as songs you love, that’s progressive music, it’s completely left field. I don’t like some some progressive bands but others I can listen to days on end, they still categorize into the same genre.
“doesn’t have to mean a complete a complete rework of basic music principles”
basic music principles aren’t dictated by music teachings or board, it’s an art form, and yes there is “bad” art out there but this is far from it. bad art form is lazy and doesn’t put any effort into what it’s trying to achieve, I don’t feel that any of these songs that you mentioned are “lazy” they just either suit your taste, or not., basic music principle don’t apply because pop is not the basic music principle, it’s just a different market.
Alright, flawed was not the best word, and I see the point you’re making about progressive style music like this and I completely agree. Anyways, thanks again for writing all of this, really interesting conversation. Plus, you got me to appreciate IGAB alot more, and I’m really digging the song right now (still feel like the dubstep was out of place but each to their own). I guess we can just agree to having different tastes in music. Also, I’m really bad with writing things clearly and I never meant to come across like saying any of those were bad songs/music/art, just not necessarily like anything groundbreaking musically.
Hope you find some more time to write more analyses like this, your analysis of The Boys live perf was great as well. Keep it up!
no offence taken at all mate, I understand where you were coming from.
I like this songs from beginning anyway. Kind of fresh for me, lol..
Woah that’s a really good analysis and good read as well. I was pretty taken aback when IGAB first came out and can’t deny that I was slightly disappointed as I expected a more ‘complete’ song. But this song just slowly grew onto me and there is just something addictive about it that makes me listen to it repeatedly.
Thanks a lot for explaining the story with the lyrics and dance choreography. I’m definitely looking at this song from a whole new perceptive and growing to love it so much more! It is definitely experimental but I must say, they really succeeded in pulling it off ! WAY TO GO SOSHI! 😀
I’m also loving the fan chants at the start of Dancing Queen! Haha almost sounded like part of the song! Feel so proud to be a soshi fan ^^
It may be difficult to accept/appreciate first time listening to it (whatmore with the music being in a genre that is out of the norm of kpop), but personally I liked it the moment I listened 2nd time (coupled with understanding that the lyrics includes perspective changes). It is quality music easy for me to appreciate (which explains the current hit on IGAB in Korean charts), unlike “flower power” which took me like 10 times to just LEARN to appreciate and still didn’t find it very very good.
Ever heard Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day?
I Got A Boy is like Pop-Opera song and it made them sound really unique from other groups and that’s what they need to do now. It has a catchy melody. I guess taking risks is what you need to do in the music industry.
So far the best single I’ve heard from them.
Reblogged this on .
At first, i think dancing queen more better…..but when go at time, i feel igab much better cause now i feel dancing queen a little old song maybe cause it should out at 2008…so i feel igab the best from soshi…
Woow~ Deeply meaning. Thanks for the explaining 😉
IGAB is the grande work of Girls’ Generation and the whole team behind it. I’m happy that someone finally explains the song in a understandable way (I hope people that critic IGAB un-logically can read this). I can see that SM works hard for this comeback and maybe at first this doesn’t sound really good, but seriously, it’ll grow on you. It may not be lovable at first because many expect the song to be arranged traditionally, but please, everyone should give this song a chance. I am sure IGAB required a high level of creativity in the making, and I am sure it needs to be appreciated.
And I’m also woken up when you mentioned about push and pull part, I was like, “Man ! That’s why Sooyoung talked about ‘mildang’ aka push-pull in relationship in Romantic Fantasy !” I didn’t understand why she suddenly brought up pushing and pulling in the conversation, but yeah I know now. Thanks for this, SONEs and non-SONEs will not regret by reading this. Spare 5 minutes out of 24 hours to try to understand something really beautiful.
IGAB is the grande work of Girls’ Generation and the whole team behind it. I’m happy that someone finally explains the song in a understandable way (I hope people that critic IGAB un-logically can read this). I can see that SM works hard for this comeback and maybe at first this doesn’t sound really good, but seriously, it’ll grow on you. It may not be lovable at first because many expect the song to be arranged traditionally, but please, everyone should give this song a chance. I am sure IGAB required a high level of creativity in the making, and I am sure it needs to be appreciated.
And I’m also woken up when you mentioned about push and pull part, I was like, “Man ! That’s why Sooyoung talked about ‘mildang’ aka push-pull in relationship in Romantic Fantasy !” I didn’t understand why she suddenly brought up pushing and pulling in the conversation, but yeah I know now. Thanks for this, SONEs and non-SONEs will not regret by reading this. Spare 5 minutes out of 24 hours to try to understand something really beautiful.
i am big fans of Dream Theater, and i’ve been a SONE for 3 years now
i know almost all of DT songs, that’s why i can accept IGAB quickly
I agree with you, this song is very experimental and also progressive (not as much as DT songs of course)
But even for dream theater songs, some songs cannot be digested by just listen to it once or twice. However in the end, i like them all.
So i guess some people are used to listen this kind of experimental and progressive songs, while others are not.
But SONE is just awesome, whatever SNSD songs thrown at them, they tried hard to digest it and like it. Since the song is proved genius and even better in live performance, i have to congratulate SONE for this amazing comeback, especially those who are not used to hear this kind of music but trying to digest the song even more.
I like the article 🙂
Scenes from a Memory is my favourite complete album. I can listen to that from start to finish without a break. DAMN YOU! I’M gonna go on a dream theater bender now!
If only more people would read this analysis and others like it, they’d realise how much thought was put into this entire comeback.
I agree with what you said at the beginning, about how people don’t like to think when they listen to music. Most Kpop songs are straightforward in both structure and meaning, so people get it on the first listen.
I actually read someone else’s analysis, and that person had similar opinion on the song. However, that person went a step further to say that SNSD is actually singing about themselves, and the “boy” that changed them is actually SONEs. At first I thought that was a little far-fetched, but then I noticed some of the little things that seem to support that theory. For example, there is Seohyun’s first line:
“She became so pretty and sexy, it’s because of him, right?
I almost asked her what her new makeup was”
Whenever Seohyun sings this, she’s doing the “Run Devil Run” dance move. RDR was the first time SNSD did a really sexy concept, wearing heavy makeup and such.
And then there’s Jessica’s line:
“Always next to me, it’s you, who’s on my side and listens to me
You oh oh oh oh~ you oh oh oh oh~
I’m happy as it is right now, cause everything will work”
For the whole song, the boy was reffered to in the third person. Now the boy is refferd to as “you,” the listener.
I believe the song is meant to show SNSD’s changes and developmets as a group, in more ways than one.
I don’t know if I’m looking to far into it, but I think that may be the reason why they chose “Dancing Queen,” a song from 2008, as the lead-in single. It shows Soshi as they once were, and Soshi as they are now.
ehhh.I feel that dancing queen is there to cut costs, it feels like a cheap move by SM that capitalizes the nostalgia of gee. But the SONE thing is intriguing.
Cheap move …. I think that’s a bit harsh, but honestly, I’ve just realized it after you said that.
‘Dancing Queen” and ‘IGAB’ are just two different extremes of the spectrum.
I prefer the ‘Time Machine” notion that ‘Dancing Queen’ are reminiscent of their past and ‘IGAB’ are what they are now. They want to highlight their transformation during these years. For new SONEs, the girls want to show off their ability to tackle different styles and genres.
Anyway, I love your analysis. So clear and pretty sums up my thoughts about the song
I don’t think it’s harsh, SM took a product 5 years old and decided to run with it to save costs. They didn’t want to lose money they spent on remaking Mercy sung by Duffy. If they wanted to really take us back to Gee, they’d put in the effort to make a new song. This just screams lazy to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the costumes, the nostalgia, the cuteness…but I needed a new song. Time machine was original, it was well done. It wasn’t recycled.
This author totally just wrote everything I thought after I watched the MV and listened to the song for the first time. Well, actually starting when I read the translated lyrics. BECAUSE IT MADE SO MUCH SENSE. And what’s funny? It’s like the first time that a k-pop song would go with a choreography in a story telling-based phase. So, I’m actually proud on this album for our girls because it’s not just catchy, it’s same as meaningful in it’s own way (Let’s be true, some MV or dances totally do not go well with the song.)
I HOPE THIS AUTHOR DO A WHOLE REVIEW ABOUT THE ALBUM BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE JUST AWESOME!
i think what’s missing is a great dance…
Gee quickly went up because of the crab dance..
gangnam became world wide popular, also because of the horse dance..
our girls need to be very creative in creating new awesome dance to maintain their position to general people… but unfortunately, last time I heard, gradually they want to shift focus from dancing to vocal only, which I think it’s a wrong move …
IGAB is probably their most powerful dance to date, it’s fierce with strong hip-hip elements and is probably one of their harder songs to perform. They are always going hard every performance. There’s so many things happening at once.
for the first time hear the new song, truthfully i’m shock, that’s a really2 new side form the girls that i’ve never expected to come, but after hear song again and again, it’s so addicted and makes me want to hear more and more, especially when yoona and hyoyeon respon each other rap, it’s interesting and i appreciate high the girls for this achievement..
let me add what the author has written above, i’ve watched the news about future of kpop, why now kpop looks like more dominated just by idol group, whereas still much more of kpop can be explore, like band or something like that..
the experts says if kpop music still like this (in genre, marketing, and etc) the era of K’wave will be end soon, because people start to fed-up about the same music and genre…
so i think the girls made a very brave step to begin a change and explore the other genre of music, and as we now, peoples have different music taste, so we can’t force them to like just one or two music genre, i think this’s a wise way to make people love the Girls with this different kind of music..
just like their Japanese 2nd album, because japanese people prefer rock song, the add that genre on their 2nd japanese album, and it gave a good response to japanese people..
i want you think like this, conside this new kind of music as a way for girls to spread their wing wider, and consider this as a new side of girl who we love so much (you know when you love a girl u will love her as is)…
Keep support girls who we love…
SoNE Indonesia..
“just like their Japanese 2nd album, because japanese people prefer rock song, the add that genre on their 2nd japanese album, and it gave a good response to japanese people..”
Man … that’s explained why the Korean release tends to be so poppish and the japanese one tends to be rockin’-electronic. Different market just has a different taste… that’s inevitable. Introducing different styles and elements is always acceptable, as long as it holds to the basic taste of the market
SONE Indonesia too
I don’t care what anyone else says – I LOVE IGAB!!!!! Been playing it on repeat since it came out! I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT and not just because I am a sone. I honestly love the song as a song! Yes, when I first heard it, it was nothing like anything that SNSD did before but as a song, it was layered and I love both the beat and the very attractive beat. I even liked whatever I heard from the teaser already. It’s a GREAT SONG!!!!
Great analysis by the way. Totally explained it totally clearly and expansively!
I HATED this song when I first heard it. I liked the hook but thought the opening of the song was terribly boring. It sounded like a Beyonce song, I can’t stand her. But then the song changes and I dug that part. But the opening just leaves me cold. Couldn’t even sit through the video. Then I got sick, rolling around in bed all day, half awake half asleep…this song running through my head. I read this review last night before I went to sleep. I went to bed thinking I’ll never like this song. Here I am 24 hours later…the opening still leaves me cold. But I dig the rest of the song. Great article.
@dreadtech well said….well said…because I like progressive metal/rock, when I first watched/listened IGAB MV,….damned their doing progressive on pop music….this is great…..and in second I love IGAB song instantly…..maybe because I used to listened to progressive music
It took me a while to like the song, but I eventually did get around the oddity of its structure. Here’s my review: http://mithunonthe.net/2013/01/02/girls-generation-i-got-a-boy-album-review/
Thanks for the excellent article. Like many, I was confused by the song when I 1st heard it, but with subsequent plays (and the help of English subs) began to understand and appreciate the blend and meanings of the different beats and types of music within the song. One thing I don’t understand, however, is why SME decided to release “IGAB” so soon after releasing “Girls and Peace” in November, 2012. Can anyone explain this decision?
I know that they have the Girls and Peace Arena tour in Japan in Feb.. Perhaps SME decided that Jan would be the only opportunity for them to release IGAB before heading off Japan for a few months…?
thank you for the great article! You made some really good points, especially about the perspective changes in the lyrics… it all makes sense now! I’m enjoying the song a more now that it has all clicked together. I have to admit, the song was a bit hard to digest at first, but I love the ‘I got a Boy’ part.
I actually really enjoy the song in the first try and I really love the first part especially, reaching the middle. Your analysis made it even better, thanks!
Hi there! Quick question that’s entirely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My weblog looks weird when browsing from my apple iphone. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to correct this problem.
If you have any recommendations, please share. Thank you!
you use the wordpress app? 😀
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an very long
comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again.
Anyways, just wanted to say superb blog!
D: sorry, wordpress can be caca sometimes!! thanks for checking us out!
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For those saying that the “Let’s bring it back to 140” is at 1 minute 40 seconds, it’s not. It’s at 3 minutes 31 seconds. At 1 minute 40 seconds, they say “I got a boy meotjin”.
The 140 is referring to the number of beats during the faster parts. Like Jessica’s saying “Let’s speed it back up”.