"Only One" is the 32nd Japanese single from South Korean singer BoA. The song was released in both Korean and Japanese. It is the lead single of BoA's 2012 Korean album of the same name, Only One. The track was released on February 27, 2013. The B-side of the Japanese single is a Japanese version of the Korean song "The Shadow". On August 7, 2012, BoA stated in a fan meeting that she would be releasing the Japanese version of "Only One" in the winter of 2012–2013. She also announced that she would be translating the lyrics from Korean to Japanese herself, as she had written the original in Korean and composed the track herself. Official confirmation came on December 10, 2012, via Avex, that BoA would be releasing a new Japanese single. Reports also alluded to a new music video for the Japanese version of "Only One". A month later, the jackets for both the CD and CD+DVD versions were revealed via her official website.
Music video
The Japanese version of "Only One" has a different music video from the original Korean version, although the choreography is the same. It also includes a scene with BoA singing on the set featured on the cover.
Versions
There are five different versions of this release:
CD only
CD+DVD
USB Version A
USB Version B
iTunes
The CD+DVD version comes in a larger package and includes music videos and a "making of" video for both songs. The USB versions use two different designs, and are limited to SOUL. The USB contains the audio track in 48 kHz 24bit.wav file format and has 4GB capacity.
Additional products
There were additional products available:
"Only One: Dance Version" DVD: Available for those who purchased both the first edition of the CD and the CD+DVD in one purchase.
"Only One" letter set: Available to SOUL members who bought the CD+DVD, USB version A, and USB version B in one purchase. The letter set included clear files, writing paper, and a ball-point pen.
Clear file: Available to SOUL members who bought one of four available formats.
Promotion
On the day of the jacket release, a preview of the Japanese version of "Only One" was released via QR code. The code was distributed floating on the surface of a coffee or a cocktail, redirecting the scanner to BoA featuring the Only One Cocktail website. Incorporating a QR code onto a drink's surface was an international first. The QR code was made of natural food. The website also hosted astrological predictions and a contest. According to Oricon, the campaign commenced in November 2012 with trials in five Tokyo cafes, but only the instrumental version of the song was available prior to January 2013. Two more cafes later ran the promotion in February 2013. The seven cafes were:
ライオンのいるサーカス
ビッフィ カフェ
cafe LUCE
76CAFE omotesando
knot
Sign 代官山
Sign 外苑前
BoA also left a promotional message video on the Only One Cocktail website: "Hi everyone I'm BoA. The song that's streaming on this site is actually my new song 'Only One.' This song is a song about separation, as though you are visualizing scenes of separation in more as the lyrics progress. As I think people who have experienced such separation even only for once before will certainly be able to sympathize with the contents of the lyrics and the tune is really easy to remember, everybody please listen to it repeatedly." "Only One" was used as the ending theme song for the TV program Takeshi no Nippon no Mikata and as the commercial song for music.jp.
