"The Boys" is a song performed by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation

Girls' Generation

Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...

, taken from their third Korean studio album, The Boys

The Boys (Girls' Generation album)

The Boys is the third studio album by the South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. It was released on October 19, 2011 in South Korea...

. The song was written by Yoo Youngjin, Teddy Riley, Taesung Kim, DOM and Richard Garcia. Two versions of the song were released simultaneously: a Korean version and an English version.

Critical reception

Katherine St Asaph from Popdust awarded the "The Boys" 3.5/5 stars, and noted that while the song has 'military drum breakdown on the bridge' and 'lots of chant-rapping and trading off vocals', it lacks a memorable chorus. Jen Erenza from Ryan Seacrest's official blog complimented it, calling it a 'foot-stomping, head-crackin’, and girl-powered track sung by nine girls that everyone needs to hear'.

Promotions

Starting from September 26, 2011, photos of the members were released online showcasing a fairytale concept.

Girls' Generation had their first live performance of "The Boys" on October 21, 2011 with the song "Mr. Taxi

Mr. Taxi

"Mr. Taxi" is a song by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. The song is the first single from their first full-length Japanese album, Girls' Generation. It is their comeback single alongside Run Devil Run.- Release :...

" on Music Bank

Music Bank (TV series)

Music Bank is a South Korean music television program broadcast by Korean Broadcasting System, KBS. It airs live every Friday at 6:10 PM KST. It is currently hosted by guest MCs...

. It was also performed on Show! Music Core

Show! Music Core

Show! Music Core is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 4:20PM KST. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage...

, Inkigayo

The Music Trend

The Music Trend is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday at 3:50 PM KST. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. It is currently hosted by Goo Ha-ra, IU and Nicole.- History :...

, and M! Countdown

M! Countdown

M! Countdown is a South Korean music television program broadcast by M.net. It airs live every Thursday at 6:00PM KST. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. It is hosted by Tony An and Girls' Generation's Sooyoung...

.

Girls' Generation also had their first live performance of the English version of "The Boys" at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 at the SMTown Live '10 World Tour

SMTown Live '10 World Tour

SM Town Live 2010 is the 2010-2011 world-wide live concert tour by SM Town. The tour kicks off from South Korea and will expand its route to USA, Japan, China, France etc.- History :...

 on October 23, 2011.

Synopsis

The video begins with Yoona picking up a black crystal. The camera zooms into the stone and shows the other members walking around in the area with rose petals falling in slow motion, along with Jessica releasing a white dove. The song begins and the girls start the dance routine in a black and white fashioned room. It also shows them dancing in a misty atmosphere with sand on the ground. The dance break in the middle of the song features a rap performed by Yuri, Yoona, Hyoyeon, and Sooyoung. Towards the end of the music video, the camera focuses on a slow-motioned flying dove. The video ends with the girls posing inside the black crystal while the rose petals continue to fall.

Reception

The music video for "The Boys" choregraphed by Rino Nakasone Razalan

Rino Nakasone Razalan

Rino Nakasone Razalan born on June 11, 1979 is a dancer, choreographer from Okinawa, Japan. Rino participated in America's Best Dance Crew Season 3, alongside the crew Beat Freaks....

, was met with mostly positive reception among the public. Fans noted that the 'choreography is more polished than their previous works' and praised its stunning visuals along with the girl's natural beauty. Both the English and Korean music videos combined managed to garner 10 million views on popular video-sharing site Youtube in 3 days, a new feat for K-Pop music videos. The Korean version of the music video uploaded by SM Entertainment

SM Entertainment

S.M. Entertainment is an independent Korean record label, talent agency, producer, and publisher of pop music, founded by Lee Soo-man in South Korea...

currently has a 82% approval rating, based on the number of likes and dislikes.

The Korean version of “The Boys” music video was the third most viewed video on Youtube's music category for the week of October 25, 2011.

Chart performance

“The Boys” debuted at #1 in the first day of release on major music sites such as Bugs, Melon, Dosirak, Naver and Daum.
On a few particular music charts, a total of ten songs charted within the top ten on the Gaon Chart, such as “Telepathy“, “Top Secret“, “Vitamin", “How Great Is Your Love“, “Mr Taxi“ and others. In the US, "The Boys" entered the Top 100 on the iTunes 200 Top Songs, and later broke in the top 30 songs for a record-breaking 7 minutes on its first day of release. It dropped off the chart three days later. The single also debuted number 1 on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100.

Track listing

• Digital download

1. "The Boys" - 3:46
2. "The Boys" (Instrumental Version) - 3:46