Wikipedia

If I Say, I Love You

"If I Say, I Love You" (Korean: 오늘만 I Love You; lit. Just for today I love you) is a song recorded by South Korean boy band BoyNextDoor. KOZ Entertainment released the song as the group's first digital single on January 6, 2025. Members Taesan and Woonhak wrote the song with co-writer Kako. Described as a dance-pop song, "If I Say, I Love You" revolves around the emotion of "patheticness", narrating the aftermath of a breakup in a self-deprecating fashion. The single was accompanied with a winter-themed music video with elements of a slice of life plot.

"If I Say, I Love You"
Korean release digital cover
Single by BoyNextDoor
from the EP No Genre
LanguageKorean
ReleasedJanuary 6, 2025 (2025-01-06)
GenreDance-pop
Length2:41
LabelKOZ
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Kako
  • Woonhak
BoyNextDoor singles chronology
"Nice Guy"
(2024) 		"If I Say, I Love You"
(2025) 		"I Feel Good"
(2025)
Music video
"If I Say, I Love You" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Japanese release digital cover

Although critical reception was lukewarm, "If I Say, I Love You" received awards during its promotion in the music programs of South Korea. A Japanese version of the song was released as a digital single on January 31, 2025, through Universal Music Japan.

Background

edit

BoyNextDoor released their third extended play (EP) 19.99 in September 2024, which focused on self-expression and introspection, drawing from the group's experiences in their transition to adulthood.[1][2] The EP was fronted by the singles "Dangerous" and "Nice Guy", which presented themes of rebellion and self-confidence respectively.[3] In support of 19.99 and its preceding releases, BoyNextDoor embarked on their debut world tour, Knock On Vol.1 Tour. During their first show at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, the group announced their first digital single "If I Say, I Love You".[4][5]

Composition

edit

Although the theme is about breakups, since it has a cheerful aspect, we focused on vocally expressing a middle ground — not too excited but not too depressed either.

— Riwoo, discussing the song's development

"If I Say, I Love You" is an upbeat dance-pop song with a runtime of two minutes and 41 seconds. Taesan and Woonhak wrote the song's lyrics, with Kako and Woonhak credited as co-writers. Frequent collaborators Pop Time, Kako, Ryo, and Zico composed the track with Pop Time, Daily, and Likely assisting with the song's arrangement.[6]

Aiming for a "fresh new narrative" after the "confident and bold" themes of 19.99, the members explored the emotion of "patheticness" in the track.[6][7] The lyrics narrate the aftermath of a breakup in a self-deprecating light from the perspective of the "younger generation".[7] Member Riwoo noted that given the lyrical themes, the upbeat production commanded a vocal performance that balanced excitement and depression.[6][7]

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
IZM     [8]

Writing a 1.5-star review for the online magazine IZM, So Seung-geun opined that the track shares similarities with Choi Ye-na's 2024 single "Nemonemo".[8] So added that KOZ's characteristic production styles and the track's "contrived melodies and unreasonable progressions" erode the members' vocals, describing the end product as a "slump".[8]

Music video

edit

The music video for "If I Say, I Love You" follows a narrative structure, depicting the six members as different personalities of the same boy dealing with the aftermath of a rejection.[9] With a length of four minutes and eight seconds, the video follows a slice of life plot set in the backdrop of winter.[7][9]

Accolades

edit

"If I Say, I Love You" won its first music program win in the January 16, 2025, episode of M Countdown.[10]

Release and promotion

edit

"If I Say, I Love You", alongside its music video, was released on January 6, 2025.[6] The single was promoted with a winter concept, with accompanying promotional images released on December 27 and 28.[4] The band collaborated with the department store franchise Shinsegae to screen the release of the music video on the landmark digital billboard of its flagship store in the Myeong-dong neighborhood in Seoul.[11] A Japanese version of the song followed as a digital single on January 31.[12]

Lyric changes

edit

The inclusion of the Japanese phrase for "I love you" (愛してる, aishiteru) in the chorus prompted KOZ to change the line in English to "I want you" in some promotions for terrestrial television.[13] A broadcasting official interviewed by The Dong-a Ilbo noted that while the blanket ban on Japanese pop culture instituted by former President Kim Dae-jung was lifted in January 2004, regulations on the use of the Japanese language in Korean songs remains ambiguous, being left to producers who "take into account anti-Japanese sentiment".[13]

Charts

edit

Release history

edit
Release history for "If I Say, I Love You"
Region Date Format Version Label
Various January 6, 2025
Original KOZ
January 31, 2025 Japanese

References

edit
  1. ^ Mi-kyung, Seon (August 15, 2024). 보이넥스트도어, 9월 2일 컴백 선공개 곡 발표한다 [BoyNextDoor to release pre-released song for comeback on September 2nd]. Osen [ko]. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  2. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (October 18, 2024). "BOYNEXTDOOR Wants to Redefine Who the Boy Next Door Represents: 'You Never Know Who's Living Next Door'". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 11, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  3. ^ Lee, Jung-youn (September 11, 2024). "True to its name, BoyNextDoor presents cheeky, relatable teen stories". Korea Herald. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Seon, Mi-kyung (December 29, 2024). 보이넥스트도어의 특별한 겨울 감성..'오늘만 I LOVE YOU' [BoyNextDoor's special winter emotion.."If I Say, I Love You"] (in Korean). Osen [ko]. Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Naver.
  5. ^ Hahn, Jane (December 17, 2024). "BoyNextDoor to release first digital single 'If I say, I love you'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Lee, Gyu-lee (January 6, 2025). "BOYNEXTDOOR says 'If I Say, I Love You' is gift for fans". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Bernardo, Jaehwa (January 6, 2025). "WATCH: BOYNEXTDOOR in winter-themed MV for 'If I Say, I Love You'". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c So, Seung-geun (January 13, 2025). "Neo Music Communication IZM". IZM. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Hicap, Jonathan (January 6, 2025). "BOYNEXTDOOR drops 1st digital single 'If I Say, I Love You'". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  10. ^ Han, Yu-mi (January 17, 2025). "BOYNEXTDOOR Wins First Music Show Trophy with on M Countdown". Hankook Ilbo. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  11. ^ Sohn, Paul (January 7, 2025). 보이넥스트도어 신곡 '오늘만 I LOVE YOU' 뮤직비디오, 서울 한복판 점령 [BoyNextDoor's new song "If I Say, I Love You" music video takes over the centre of Seoul] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Naver.
  12. ^ Ha, Yu-mi (January 14, 2025). "BOYNEXTDOOR Releases Japanese Version of 'One and Only' Amid Overseas Popularity". HankookI (in Korean). Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Sa, Ji-won (February 21, 2025). "Why did BOYNEXTDOOR change the Japanese lyrics to English?". The Dong-a Ilbo. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  14. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of January 25, 2025". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  15. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 – Week of January 22, 2025". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  16. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Combined Singles: 2025-01-27" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  17. ^ "Digital Chart – Week 7 of 2025" (in Korean). Circle Chart. Archived from the original on February 20, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  18. ^ "Taiwan Songs: Week of January 25, 2025". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  19. ^ "Digital Chart – February 2025". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved March 8, 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_I_Say,_I_Love_You&oldid=1286695865"