I Need U (BTS song)


"I Need U" is a song recorded by South Korean boy group BTS as the lead single for their third extended play, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1. The original Korean version was released by Big Hit Entertainment on April 29, 2015 in South Korea. The Japanese single version was released on December 8, 2015 in Japan under the Pony Canyon label.

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.

Music video

The teaser for the Korean version of the song was released in South Korea on YouTube by Big Hit on April 23, 2015. The actual music video, in which the members of BTS portrayed "discomforted youths...running away from the past", was released on April 29, 2015. 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's rating standards. Upon its release, "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, "I Need U" crossed 100 million views on YouTube; it was BTS' tenth music video to do so. As of June 2020, it has over 200 million views.
On May 10, the original, uncut 19+ version of the music video, entitled "I Need U ", was released. It included almost two minutes of extended scenes containing darker themes and more graphic imagery than the previous video. Both versions of the music video 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 trilogy and continues in music videos, “concept videos”, and the multiform, open-ended narrative that’s been serialized in album liner notes and Twitter and Instagram posts.”
The teaser for the Japanese version of the song was released in Japan on YouTube on November 21, 2015. The actual music video was released on December 1, 2015. It was directed by Yoojung Ko of Lumpens. As of June 2020, it has over 39 million views.

Reception

Tamar Herman from Billboard praised how the song was a "milestone of sonic development" characterizing a "tonal shift for the act's musicality" towards "more of an ambient electronic-pop sound" from previously explored classically hip-hop-oriented singles." "I Need U" was included in Billboards list of "The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List".

Editions

The Korean version of the song was not released as a separate single. Two official remixes of the track were later released in May 2016 on compilation album.
The Japanese version of the track was released as an individual single and 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:
Credits adapted from the CD liner notes of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1.
Credits adapted from the CD liner notes of.
Credits adapted from the CD liner notes of "I Need U".

Promotions

Korea

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’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 swears and brand names, such as Converse, Chanel, and Alexander McQueen. The latter track was also deemed unfit for broadcast by MBC. However, the group went on to successfully promote across multiple channels and various programs, including on KBS, MBC, SBS, and Arirang TV. BTS wrapped up promotions for "I Need U" with the last performance held on the May 31 broadcast of SBS Inkigayo.

Japan

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. Three hi-touch events carded for 2016 were announced in November and December. They were held in Osaka, Tokyo, and Sapporo.

Commercial performance

Immediately after release, "I Need U" became the top trending search term on Korean portal sites and ranked number one on various real-time music charts, including Soribada, Genie, and Daum Music. The song also managed to crack the top 10 on Melon, Bugs, and Naver Music's real-time music charts. It debuted at number five on both the Gaon Weekly Digital Chart and the Gaon Download Chart with 93,790 digital units sold in its first week. The single went on to accumulate over 850,000 digital downloads.
On May 5, 2015, "I Need U" won number one on the South Korean music program SBS MTV's The Show. This marked BTS' first music show win since their debut in 2013. The group went on to win an additional award on The Show, one on MBC's Show Champion, one on Mnet's M Countdown, and one on KBS's Music Bank, for a total of five music show awards.
"I Need U" also charted at number 4 on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart, ranking the highest out of the six tracks from its parent EP that entered the chart.

Live performances

In addition to comeback promotions on various music programs in Korea, "I Need U" was performed live at several of the largest K-pop concerts and festivals in South Korea, including the 2015 Dream Concert, KBS1's 열린음악회, 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.

Credits and personnel

The Japanese version credits are adapted from the CD liner notes of I Need U.
;Recording and Management
Recorded at Dogg Bounce and Carrot Express, South Korea. Management at Asia Content Center Inc., Japan.
;Staff / Korea
Visual and Video Credits
;Staff / Japan
Video Credits
Chart Peak
position
Japan Billboard Japan Hot 1004
Japan Oricon Daily CD Single Chart1
Japan Oricon Weekly CD Single Chart3
Japan Oricon Yearly CD Single Chart67

Sales

Awards and nominations

Music program awards

Year-end lists

PublicationAccoladeRank / Year
BillboardThe 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s80

Release history