Staying within SM Entertainment, this Western Wednesdays will focus on Girl’s Generation’s The Boys.
The song was a huge hit in Korea, reaching the number 1 spot on some music sites such as Naver, Melon, Daum and more. It was the first song from Girl’s Generation where one of the members has taken part in writing it. Tiffany has written the English rap and the final chorus of the song.
The song was released in Japanese, Korean and English but despite the fact that there was an English version, it didn’t reach the top 100 on Billboard in the US. Nevertheless, it’s still a great song! Girl’s Generation are made up of nine girls, with only two of them (Jessica and Tiffany) fluent in English. Taking into consideration that only two of nine girls have a good grasp of the English language, the lyrics and pronunciation all of the members in this song is pretty impressive! You can hear the Korean accents, but you can still understand what they are saying. It’s always difficult to take on a new language, let alone sing it in front of an American audience with as much confidence as they did. I’m seriously impressed by that.
Rapping is something that is new to Girl’s Generation, and it didn’t appeal to everyone. I think it was a nice change to see them taking on a new style and show off a ‘stronger’ image, but on the other hand, the song itself isn’t something you can easily sing along too. It’s more of a catchy chant which doesn’t fit well with the song. Throughout the verses, the girls show off their talent in singing…and then in comparison, the chant sounds a little bit out of place.
Usually, when a song has gone through a language change there are some awkward moments where the language doesn’t quite fit. However, this doesn’t occur in The Boys. The song sounds great in both languages, which is why I’m surprised that the song didn’t do as well in the US. I would be interested to hear some more English songs from them!
Check it out below!
What did you think of The Boys?
