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"I Need U" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by South Korean boy band
BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...
as the lead single from their third
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
, ''
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1 ''The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1'' () is the third extended play by South Korean boy band BTS. The album was released on April 29, 2015 by Big Hit Entertainment. It is available in two versions and contains nine tracks, with " I Need ...
'' (2015). The single was released by
Big Hit Entertainment Big Hit Music (; formerly Big Hit Entertainment) is a South Korean music label established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk. It was re-branded and re-structured into an independent label under Hybe Corporation (formerly Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. ...
on April 29, 2015 in South Korea. It was the first of BTS' career to garner them a win on a South Korean television music show. Two remix versions of the song were subsequently released on the band's first compilation album '' The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever'' in 2016. By September 2016, the song had sold over 800,000 digital downloads domestically. In December 2019, its music video became BTS' 14th to surpass 200 million views. A Japanese version of the song was released digitally and in physical format on December 8, 2015 through
Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...
in Japan. The physical single was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...
(RIAJ) that same month for selling over 100,000 copies. The digital single received silver certification in June 2021 for surpassing 30 million streams. In 2019, ''Billboard'' ranked "I Need U" as the 80th greatest K-pop song on its list of the 100 Greatest K-pop Songs of the 2010s.
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
named it one of the songs that truly defined the 2010s, referring to it as the starting point where BTS would become worldwide sensations.


Composition

"I Need U" is "an expressive dance track that soars with BTS’ emotive vocals as whistling synths, reverberating hi-hats, and R&B-inspired riffs build upon one another to create a sense of melodic despondency." The song serves as “the start of one’s young adulthood, in which beauty coexists with uncertainty, and focuses on the uncertain future more than the glamour of youth.” The original version of the song is in the key of F minor and 158 beats per minute.


Background and release

The Korean version of the song was not released as a separate single. In Japan, a physical release of the single was announced on November 12, 2015. On December 8, the single was released in Japan through
Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...
. The tracklist included two B-side songs that were also Japanese versions of songs from the original Korean EP. Four editions of the single were made available for purchase: a CD-only regular edition that included one of eight collectible photocards (first press albums only); a CD+DVD limited edition that contained album jacket making-of footage; a
Loppi Loppi (; Swedish also ) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region, located about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) south of the city of Hämeenlinna. Loppi was founded ...
/
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
CD+DVD limited edition that included music video making-of footage and an exclusive photo gallery; and a special Pony Canyon BTS SHOP CD-only edition that included one of eight special limited production photocards with a Christmas message on it. Two official remixes of the track were later released on May 2, 2016 on '' The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever'' compilation album.


Critical reception

"I Need U" was met with positive reviews from critics, several of whom noted BTS' partial auditory shift away from their classically hip-hop oriented singles and exploration of other genres "towards a more diverse, pop sound" as a turning point in the band's career that laid the groundwork for their future rise to international superstardom and propelled their "momentum further than ever before, with both local and international audiences taking note". Writing for '' Billboard'', Tamar Herman felt the track was "less of a song and more of a revolution", calling it a "milestone of sonic development", and praised the tonal shift in the band's musicality towards a more " ambient electronic-pop sound" as a "representation of their stylistic maturing". Tassia Assis of '' Clash'' labelled it a "vital BTS track" that "thrives on a wistful atmosphere of electronic synths and emotional hooks" and "take the listener on a journey that is both exhilarating and moving".
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
's Rhian Daly highlighted BTS' ability to pour emotion into everything as one of the band's "greatest strengths", commenting that listeners can hear the "desperation", "ambivalence" and "vulnerability" ripe in the band's voices "as they call out: "I need you, girl / Why do I love alone and say goodbye alone" and "try to cling onto a relationship that has already died". She ranked it as the fifth greatest BTS song released. In a joint review for ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'', Youngdae Kim and T.K. Park wrote that the "romantic chords in the intro" create a "fierce and tragic atmosphere" when they meet the "desperation-laden refrain" but, "despite the intense trap beat" and the "tense development in the rap and chord progression of the verse", it "leaves the listener with tender softness"—they called it "one of the defining tracks of BTS' career".


Accolades

BTS received the Best Male Dance award for "I Need U" at the 2015 Melon Music Awards. In 2019, ''Billboard'' ranked "I Need U" as the 80th greatest K-pop song of the 2010s, writing that it "shot BTS to new heights in South Korea and rewrote the fortunes of today's biggest boy band".


Commercial performance

Immediately after release, "I Need U" became the top trending search term on South-Korean portal sites and ranked number one on various real-time music charts, including
Soribada Soribada ( ko, 소리바다) was the first Korean peer-to-peer file-sharing service, launched in 2000 by Sean Yang. The name 'Soribada' means "Ocean of Sound" or "Receiving (downloading) Sound". It was closed in 2002 by court order but continued t ...
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, and Daum Music. The song also managed to crack the top 10 on
Melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". Th ...
, Bugs, and Naver Music's real-time music charts. It debuted at number five on Gaons Weekly Digital and Weekly Download charts, with 93,790 digital units sold in its first week. The single went on to accumulate over 850,000 digital downloads. In Japan, the single sold over 43,000 copies on its opening day and debuted at number one on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart. By the end of its first tracking week, it sold an accumulated 95,668 copies for the period dated December 7–13, and entered the weekly chart at number three. In the US, "I Need U" debuted at number 4 on the ''Billboard'' World Digital Songs Chart, ranking the highest of the six tracks from its parent EP that entered the chart. As of September 2019, the song has sold 98,000 downloads.


Music video

The music video's release was preceded by a teaser clip uploaded to Big Hit's official
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel on April 23, 2015. The full music video, in which the members of BTS portrayed "discomforted youths...running away from the past", was released on April 29. It was later revealed that the video had been edited to lower its rating from 19+ to 15+ in order to meet the
Korea Media Rating Board The Korea Media Rating Board (; KMRB) is a public organization that classifies films, videos, and other motion pictures into age-based ratings and recommends domestic performances of foreign artists. Through these rating systems, the Korea Media ...
's rating standards. The uncut 19+ version, titled "I Need U (Original ver.)", was released on May 10. It included almost two minutes of extended scenes containing darker themes and more graphic imagery than the previous video. Both the original and extended versions were produced and directed by Lumpens. Through the music video, BTS brought their long-standing creative narrative, typically known as the "BU" or "BTS Universe", to the forefront. Speaking to ''Billboard'', Michelle Cho, an assistant professor of East Asian Popular Cultures at the University of Toronto, said: "As an audio-visual experience, "I Need U" inaugurated the Bangtan Universe—the coming-of-age storyline that brilliantly integrates the Most Beautiful Moment in Life lbumtrilogy and continues in music videos, "concept videos" (mini-films), and the multiform, open-ended narrative that's been serialized in album liner notes and Twitter and Instagram posts". A music video for the Japanese version of "I Need U" was also produced; a teaser for the video was posted to BTS' official Japanese YouTube channel on November 21, 2015. Directed by Yoo-jung Ko of Lumpens, the full music video was released on December 1, 2015.


Reception

"I Need U" reached one million views in 16 hours—the fastest record for any BTS music video at the time. On November 20, 2017, the music video crossed 100 million views, becoming the band's tenth video to do so. It surpassed 200 million views on December 24, 2019—the band's 14th music video to do so, making them the Korean artist with the most music videos exceeding that many views. Additionally, "I Need U (Original ver.)" was the group's 30th to surpass 100 million views—doing so on March 16, 2021—and further extended their record among Korean singers as the act with the most music videos exceeding that many views.


Promotion and live performances


Promotion

On April 29, 2015, prior to the release of the "I Need U" music video at midnight, BTS broadcast a live comeback preview show on the Naver V Live broadcasting app. This was the first time the group collaborated with Naver for comeback promotions. On April 30, BTS held their first comeback stage performance on
Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
’s '' M Countdown''. Two tracks from the album, "Boyz with Fun" and "Converse High", were deemed unfit for broadcast by KBS due to lyrics containing swear words and brand names, such as
Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...
, Chanel, and
Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashio ...
. The latter track was also deemed unfit for broadcast by MBC. However, the group went on to successfully promote across multiple channels on various South Korean television music programs, including on KBS, MBC, SBS, and
Arirang TV Arirang International Broadcasting is a South Korean-based broadcasting company operated by the International Broadcasting Exchange Foundation. It began as a cable TV service in South Korea on February 3, 1997, and opened Korea's first overseas ...
. BTS garnered their first music show win since debut on the May 5 episode of SBS MTVs '' The Show''. The song also took first place on MBC's '' Show Champion'', Mnet's '' M Countdown'', and KBS' ''
Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
'', with a second win on ''The Show'' the following week, for a total of five number one awards. BTS wrapped up promotions for "I Need U" with a final performance held on the May 31 broadcast of SBS Inkigayo. To commemorate the release of the Japanese single and generate further interest, a special pop-up shop in collaboration with Shibuya Marui was announced on November 18, 2015. The store ran from November 28 to December 20 and sold limited edition "I Need U" themed BTS goods. Hi-touch (high-five) and handshake events carded for 2016 were announced in November and December. They were held in Osaka on January 30, Tokyo on January 31, and Sapporo on February 7.


Live performances

In addition to comeback promotions on various television music programs in South Korea, BTS performed "I Need U" at several of the largest K-pop concerts and festivals in South Korea, including the 2015 Dream Concert, ''
KBS1 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...
's'' 열린음악회 (Open Concert), Asia Song Festival in Busan, and the 2015 Super Seoul Concert in Sky Dome. A special remixed version of the song was presented for the first and only time at the 2015 Melon Music Awards on November 7. The song was also performed at major overseas events such as the 17th Korea & China Song Festival in Beijing, China, and the 2015 Kpop Concert Live In Yangon Myanmar held to mark the 40th anniversary of Korea-Myanmar diplomatic relations. "I Need U" was subsequently included as a permanent part of every BTS tour setlist since its release. In 2020, BTS performed "I Need U" as part of their three-song set for the 10th annual KBS Song Festival held on December 18. Presented as a special throwback tribute to their first music show number-one, the band dressed in black and white outfits reminiscent of the ones they wore for their performance of the song on ''Music Bank'' in May 2015 (when they won their fourth first-place trophy).


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from "I Need U" regular edition
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...
. *
Pdogg Kang Hyo-won ( Korean: 강효원; born September 19, 1983), known professionally as Pdogg (Korean: 피독), is a South Korean record producer, composer, and lyricist for Big Hit Music. He has produced and composed for artists such as 8Eight, ...
– production, keyboard (Tracks 1–3), synthesizer (Tracks 1, 2), rap arrangement (Tracks 1–3), vocal arrangement (Tracks 1–3), record engineering (@ Dogg Bounce, South Korea) * "hitman" bang – co-production *
Suga Suga may refer to: * Suga, Iran, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran * Suga language, a language of Cameroon * Suga (rapper) (born 1993), South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer * ''Suga'' (EP), 2020 EP by Megan Thee Stallion * ''Sug ...
– keyboard (Track 3), synthesizer (Track 3), rap arrangement (Track 3), vocal arrangement (Track 3) *
Jungkook Jeon Jung-kook (; born September 1, 1997), known mononymously as Jungkook (stylized as Jung Kook), is a South Korean singer. He is the youngest member and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS. Jungkook has released three solo tracks as ...
– chorus (Tracks 1–3) * V – chorus (Track 2) * Slow Rabbit – audio, vocal arrangement (Track 3), record engineering (@ Carrot Express, South Korea) * Changwon Yang – music engineering * Bosung Kim – music engineering * James F. Reynolds – mix engineering (@ Schmuzik Studios,
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
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England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
) (Tracks 1 & 2) * Bob Horn – mix engineering (@ Echo Bar Studio,
North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
) (Track 3) * Alex DeYoung – mastering (@ DeYoung Mastering,
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California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
) * KM-MARKIT – song writing (Japanese lyrics)


Track listing


Charts


Weekly charts


Monthly charts


Year-end charts


Sales and certifications


Release history


References


External links

* {{authority control 2015 singles 2016 singles Japanese-language songs 2015 songs 2016 songs Korean-language songs BTS songs Songs written by Bang Si-hyuk Music videos directed by Lumpens Songs written by RM (rapper) Songs written by J-Hope Songs written by Suga (rapper) Songs written by Pdogg Hybe Corporation singles