"Let's Not Fall in Love" () is a song recorded by South Korean boy band
Big Bang
The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
. It was released through
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...
on August 5, 2015, alongside the single "
Zutter"; both tracks make up the single album ''
E'' as part of the group's ''
Made
Made or MADE may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom
* ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music
* ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016
* ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013
* ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007
*'' M.A.D.E. ...
'' series. The recording was written and produced by long-time group collaborator
Teddy Park
Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978), is a Korean–American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. When he was 17 years old, P ...
and band member
G-Dragon
Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), also known by his stage name G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, known as the " King of K-pop". G-Dragon is the recipi ...
. Musically, the
pop-rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and ...
infused
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
track features a variety of vocal samplings, acoustic melodies, and hazy synths, while the lyrical content explores the subtle insecurities that come along with teenage love.
Following the release of "Let's Not Fall in Love", it was met with positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, many of whom highlighted the track's unique and sentimental composition, and further praised the band's versatility with emotional and complex themes that are seldom seen in K-pop. A commercial success, the track topped both the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
as well as the US
World Digital Songs
The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—with the issue dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-specific ...
and garnered nearly 1,400,000 downloads in South Korea by the end of 2016. The song's pastel-colored
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
was released simultaneously with the release of ''E'' and depicts the band members in a hazily-lit school courtyard, each taking on the role of a boyfriend. Promotions for the single featured BigBang performing the song live on the music program ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...
'' along with their ongoing
Made World Tour
The Made World Tour (stylized as MADE World Tour) was the second worldwide concert tour and ninth overall by South Korean boy band Big Bang, in support of their third Korean-language studio album ''Made'' (2016). The tour began on April 25, 2015, ...
(2015–16).
Composition and lyrical interpretation
Written and composed by member G-Dragon and
Teddy Park
Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978), is a Korean–American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. When he was 17 years old, P ...
, "Let's Not Fall in Love" is a pop-rock tune with a classic sentimental dance sound, that was compared to the group's early single "
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
".
The track also features "a variety of vocal samplings, acoustic melodies, and hazy synths."
The song was described as gentle and sweet unlike the previous releases from the band, having a solemn tone with a mid-tempo and gentle vocals with a sad mode.
The lyrics speak of a young, hesitant romance that is ultimately more self-centered and defensive than caring, capturing the subtle insecurities of teenage love.
''Billboard'' felt that the lyrical content of "Let's Not Fall in Love" encompasses "the scary moments that accompany the start of a relationship", depicting "the pressures and worries of starting a new relationship and committing to a person, and the potential pain that accompanies the risk of opening up to someone." The magazine concluded that the song gives a message "that if you like someone you still will want them to stay despite the fears."
Critical reception
This song was well received by both the public and critics. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' said that "Let's Not Fall in Love" "showcases the boy band at their most sentimental", and has a classic BigBang song feel but with a unique sound because of the "lack of a definitive chorus and T.O.P and G-Dragon showing off new vocal colors instead of their usual personality-driven raps." The magazine chose the track as BigBang's fourth best song,
praising the group versatility after nearly a decade on top.
Korean website ''Osen'' complimented "Let's Not Fall in Love" for being "filled with joyful and fluttering emotions with a young and fresh beauty that was expressed based on a sorrowful emotion."
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
called the song "a gem" and praised its "lush production that evokes a range of emotions." ''
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...
'' admired the group, stating "while most K-pop boy groups safely opt for either the sweet, forever-giving boyfriend role or the dangerously attractive bad boy image, Big Bang continues to explore more complex themes while still maintaining popular appeal" and commented that BigBang "has struck a genuine and elusive emotional chord" with "Let's Not Fall in Love".
Commercial performance
"Let's Not Fall in Love" sold 314,944 digital copies in its first week on the
Gaon Chart
Gaon may refer to
* Gaon (Hebrew), a non-formal title given to certain Jewish Rabbis
** Geonim, presidents of the two great Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita
** Vilna Gaon, known as ''the'' Gaon of Vilnius.
* Gaon Music Chart, record chart ...
, the fourth highest first week sales of 2015, and peaked at number one in both the
Digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
and Download charts. The song debuted at the third position on the Streaming Chart with over 4.797 million streams, the fourth on Mobile Chart and eleventh on BGM Chart.
By the end of 2016, the song received nearly 1,400,000 digital downloads in South Korea.
The single charted first on ''Billboard's World Digital Songs'' chart, being it the group's third number one on the chart which made them the Korean act with the most songs that topped the World Digital Songs, along with
Psy
Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage per ...
.
In Taiwan, the song ranked fifth on the most popular Korean singles list of 2015 by music streaming service
KKBOX
KKBox, stylized as KKBOX is a music streaming service developed in 2005 by KKBox Inc., a software company in Taipei, Taiwan. It is a part of Japanese Telecom Group, KDDI. The service mainly targets the music markets of East and Southeast Asia, fo ...
.
Music video
Acting as a complement of the lyrics, the music video highlights the happiness of falling in love through the use of bright colours, and fun and innocent depictions of dates, which is contradicted by the close up shots that emphasise the member's worried faces. While the under exposed and dreamy tone reflects the video as fragments of a memory.
The pastel-colored, dreamlike video features the five members running around a hazily-lit school courtyard, each taking on the role of boyfriend to five different models.
Ha Yeon-soo
Ha Yeon-soo (born Yoo Yeon-soo on October 10, 1990) is a South Korean actress.
Personal life
On May 10, 2022, Ha's contract with the former agency has expired. and she traveled to Japan to study.
Filmography
Television series
Film
Varie ...
, Lauren Tse,
Kim Yoon-hye,
Seo Yea-ji
Seo Ye-ji () is a South Korean actress. She began her acting career in the sitcom '' Potato Star 2013QR3'' (2013–2014). This was followed by major roles in period drama ''Diary of a Night Watchman'' (2014), thriller ''Last'' (2015), and fanta ...
, and
Lee Ho-jung (actress)
Lee Ho-jung (; born 20 January 1997) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for her roles in dramas '' Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'', '' Nevertheless'', ''Let Me Introduce Her'' and ''Night Light''. She also appeared in movie ...
played the girlfriends of
T.O.P
Choi Seung-hyun (; born November 4, 1987), better known by his stage name T.O.P, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He performed as an underground rapper before joining the record label YG Entertainment and ...
,
Taeyang
Dong Young-bae (; born May 18, 1988), better known by his stage names Taeyang (meaning "sun" in Korean) and SOL (when performing in Japan), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. After appearing in Jinusean's music video "A-yo", Taey ...
,
Daesung,
G-Dragon
Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), also known by his stage name G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, known as the " King of K-pop". G-Dragon is the recipi ...
, and
Seungri
Lee Seung-hyun (; born December 12, 1990), better known by his stage names Seungri (Hangul: ) and V.I (when performing in Japan), is a former South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, businessman and sex offender convicted of facilitating prosti ...
, respectively.
Accolades
BigBang received the Song of the Year – August award at the 5th
Gaon Chart Music Awards
The Circle Chart Music Awards (), formerly known as the Gaon Chart Music Awards, are a major music awards ceremony that is presented annually in South Korea by the Korea Music Content Association primarily based on the commercial performance of t ...
for its success on digital platforms.
It additionally achieved the top positions on several South Korean
music programs during its promotion, including on ''Show! Music Core'', ''Inkigayo'', and ''Music Bank''.
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
External links
*
{{authority control
BigBang (South Korean band) songs
2015 singles
2015 songs
Korean-language songs
YG Entertainment singles
Songs written by Teddy Park
Songs written by G-Dragon
Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles
Electropop ballads
Torch songs
2010s ballads