Only One (BoA song)
"Only One" is a song recorded by South Korean singer-songwriter BoA for her 2012's eponymous seventh studio album. Written and composed by BoA herself with additional arrangement by Kim Yong-shin and Kim Tae-seong, the pop and R&B track was released as the second single from Only One on July 22, 2012, to coincide with its parental album release. It was later re-recorded in Japanese, and released on February 27, 2013, as her 32nd Japanese single, before eventually included in Who's Back? (2014), her first Japanese full-length release in over four years.
"Only One" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by BoA | ||||
from the album Only One and Who's Back? | ||||
B-side | "The Shadow (JPN ver.)" | |||
Released | July 22, 2012 (KR) February 20, 2013 (JP) | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Studio | SM Studios, Seoul, South Korea | |||
Genre |
| |||
Length | 3:39 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | BoA | |||
Producer(s) | BoA | |||
BoA singles chronology | ||||
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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[1]
- iTunes
The CD+DVD version comes in a larger package (25 by 13 cm (9.8 by 5.1 in))[2] and includes music videos and a "making of" video for both songs.
The USB versions use two different designs, and are limited to SOUL (BoA's fanbase in Japan). The USB contains the audio track in 48 kHz 24bit .wav file format and has 4GB capacity.
Additional products
There were additional products available:[3]
- "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 (all 3 types), writing paper, and a ball-point pen.
- Clear file: Available to SOUL members who bought one of four available formats (excluding the iTunes version).
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.[4] The website also hosted astrological predictions and a contest.[5] 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.[6]
The seven cafes were:[6]
- ライオンのいるサーカス (Ebisu)
- ビッフィ カフェ (Shibuya)
- café LUCE (Azabujuban)
- 76CAFE omotesando (Omotesando)
- knot (Omotesando)
- Sign 代官山 (Daikanyama)
- Sign 外苑前 (Gaienmae)
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 detailed 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."[7]
"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.
Accolades
Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Female Artist | Nominated | [8] |
Best Dance Performance-Solo | Nominated | |||
Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Program | Date |
---|---|
Show Champion (MBC) | August 14, 2012 |
Media promotions
TV appearances
- February 15, 2013: Space Shower TV: Space Shower Countdown[9]
- February 24: NHK: Music Japan
- February 27: NTV: No.1 Song Show
- February 27: NTV: Hirunan!
- March 1: NTV: Happy Music
- March 1: NTV: Hot@Asia
- March 1: Fuji TV: Mezamashi TV
Radio
- February 26: J-Wave: Groove Line Z[10]
- March 3: J Wave: Happiness
Websites
- February 27: Natalie
- February 27: Excite Women
- February 27: Model Press
- February 28: Model Press
- February 28: Oricon Style
- February 28: Excite
Track listing
CD
- Only One (Japanese Version)
- The Shadow (Japanese version)
- Only One (Instrumental)
- The Shadow (Instrumental)
DVD
- Only One
- The Shadow
- Only One (making)
- The Shadow (making)
Chart performance
Release | Chart | Peak position | Sales total |
---|---|---|---|
February 27, 2013 | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 6 | |
Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 10 | 11,082 | |
Billboard Japan Hot 100 | 8 |
References
- http://www.avexnet.or.jp/boa/news/20121221.html
- http://www.avexnet.or.jp/boa/news/20121210.html
- "Triangle Wheel". trianglewheel.blogspot.com.
- "Pertama di Dunia Mendowload Lagu di Cangkir Cappucino". jepanghariini.com.
- "Tokyo stores with QR Codes floating on coffee and cocktails". qrcodetracking.net.
- http://onlyone-meets-you.com/cocktail/outline/
- "[JP] BoA releases Jap. ver of Only One via Cappuccino today!". BoAjjang Forums.
- "MAMA Nominees for the 2012 MAMA Announced". 2012 Mnet Asian Music Award. Mnet Media Corp. October 23, 2012. Archived from the original on December 11, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
- http://www.avexnet.or.jp/boa/media/
- http://www.avexnet.or.jp/boa/media/radio.html
- http://www.avexnet.or.jp/boa/media/magazine.html