Girls’ Generation, the legendary girl group of K-Pop, are making their first comeback in five years this month. Despite knowing of them previously, I have never really listened to them much. But to prepare for the comeback, I’m going through all of their title tracks.
I got my list from the SMTown Fandom Wiki using digital and album singles. I opted not to use their Japan releases, subunits, or specialty singles like SM Stations.
Into The New World
I have a feeling that for the majority of these, my thoughts are going to consist of “it is a product of its time”. This is very 2000s and that really is my full thoughts. The song is pretty good and I can see why they became so popular. The only thing I found strange and ill-fitting was the random hip-hop dance break. Overall I like it, but it is hard to get past the 2000s-ness of it.
Girls Generation
Continuing our “very 2000s” with this one. Like with Into The New World, it is a good songbut oh so 2000s. I’d say I like this song better, but Into The New World’s video more.
Kissing You
It’s cute, which is not my favorite concept. I don’t think I would have liked it much at the time it was released either since I was 13 and listened to Britney Spears and the like. It isn’t bad, just not my taste then or now.
Baby Baby
The behind-the-scenes music video is quite wholesome and the song lends itself to that good-natured vibe they really committed to at the start of their career.
Gee
Gee is arguably their most iconic song and I don’t think it is possible to get into K-Pop and not hear Gee early on. It’s the song I most associate with Girls’ Generation. And I’ll admit that, because of my association, I never took much further interest in the group since cute concepts aren’t my thing and I assumed the extent of their discography would be similar. Anyway, my thoughts on Gee are that the song is more timeless and doesn’t feel so heavily 2000s like its predecessors. It isn’t my personal taste, but it is irrefutably iconic.
Genie
The video is a little all over the place for me with the male POV portions. I wish it was just the dance portions because I enjoyed that. As for the song, I’m actually kind of surprised I liked it because I have heard snippets before and didn’t really find any interest in them. But the song is actually good.
Oh!
Not really a fan to be honest. It was kind of exhausting to listen to and the overexaggerated acting was too goofy for me. It isn’t awful, but I definitely don’t like it.
Run Devil Run
This is the first Girls’ Generation song I’ve had on my playlist and listened to multiple times, but I hadn’t watched the video before. I appreciate the maturity of this song and concept and it is a refreshing change from the back-to-back cute concepts that proceeded it. I also like how simple the video is, but I don’t like the hooded outfits since it looks like poorly faked bodysuits. But that is a small detail that doesn’t actually affect the song.
Hoot
I spent most of my viewing time debating whether I liked the 60’s concept or not. It did remind me of early James Bond, mainly because of the spy storyline they had happening for some reason. And the song does have a 60’s vibe so I guess it does fit. Overall opinion is: it’s fine and I don’t dislike it, but I don’t love it either.
The Boys
Are they really an SM group if they don’t have some sort of futuristic concept? This definitely gives me early Britney Spears vibes. Also, they come across more like women than girls, which I like because it shows growth. And we officially got rap for the first time, which admittedly I don’t think they could have pulled off before this song.
Dancing Queen
I about lost my mind because this is a remake of Mercy by Duffy. SM has done this a lot, where they buy the rights to a song and reworks it into something new for their artists. Next Level by aespa is a modern example of this. But suddenly hearing Mercy when expecting something else sent my mind for a loop. I was not ready for that, so I’m admittedly stuck on that. I am fully gobsmacked by this.
I Got A Boy
Much like with futuristic concepts, can they really be an SM group without an experimental track? And I don’t mind, even enjoy, experimental songs. But this one leans too far into being completely different songs pieced together. The individual sounds could make interesting songs, but mashed together like this doesn’t work in my opinion.
Mr. Mr.
This wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. I think I was anticipating something more cute or elegant based on the thumbnail for the video, but that is definitely not what this is. This edgier concept was a pleasant surprise and I could see this song and concept being done today even.
Catch Me If You Can
I didn’t expect the growth and transformation that this group has had. This definitely reminds me of the wave of EDM that took over in the early 2010s and it was right in the middle of that. So it has an oddly nostalgic feeling for me even though I hadn’t heard it before.
PARTY
Every group has a summer song, sometimes multiple. So even though this isn’t specifically listed as a title track, it felt fitting to watch and write on. It is definitely the quintessential summer song that many groups now emulate in one way or another. In general, I think it is an okay song, inoffensive and fun, but not one I’d listen to very often.
Lion Heart
I’m not a fan of the genre of music so I didn’t really enjoy this. Plus the acting is cheesy so it all comes across as too silly for me.
You Think
This came out 7 years ago, but it could have been released yesterday for all I know. If it wasn’t already clear that I prefer the more mature concepts, then me liking yet another SNSD mature concept should be proof because I do enjoy this one.
Holiday
Another bright, summery song. I don’t dislike it but like Party, I don’t see myself listening to this very often.
All Night
When doing retro concepts, I find I enjoy it when it is 70’s or later. And I like how this is influenced by the 70s but is also clearly modern. The chorus is my favorite part and it is fun without being too cute or overexaggerated.
Are you an SNSD fan? Tell me your favorite song in the comments or tell me what group you’d want me to do a quick takes for next.
