Bo Peep Bo Peep

"Bo Peep Bo Peep" is a song by South Korean girl group T-ara. It is the first lead track (of two) from the album Absolute First Album, the other being "Like The First Time" (Korean: 처음처럼). The song won 5 weekly number one awards on KBS Music Bank and SBS Inkigayo. It was later re-recorded in Japanese for the group's debut single, which was released on September 28, 2011. They are the first Korean group to debut at the number one spot in both Oricon's weekly chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100. The single has sold a total of more than 91,343 copies to date and was certified Gold for a shipment of over 100,000 paid downloads by the RIAJ.^[2]

"Bo Peep Bo Peep"
Japanese single cover
Single by T-ara
from the album Absolute First Album and Jewelry Box
B-side	"Love Me! ~Anata no Sei de Kurisou~" (JP)
Released	November 27, 2009 September 28, 2011 (JP)
Genre	K-pop dance-pop electropop
Length	3:46
Label	CJ E&M Core Contents Media EMI[1]
Songwriter(s)	Shinsadong Tiger Choi Kyu-sung Zoop (JP)
Producer(s)	Shinsadong Tiger Choi Kyu-sung
T-ara singles chronology
"TTL (Time to Love)" (2009) "Bo Peep Bo Peep" (2009) "You Drive Me Crazy" (2010)

History

For the group's comeback, T-ara released music video teasers for the songs "Bo Peep Bo Peep" and "Like the First Time". Around 9,000 netizens from over 9 music portal sites voted in a poll determining which song will become the album's title track, but despite "Like the First Time" being the winning song and lead track to the album, the group promoted "Bo Peep Bo Peep" on music programs after it was well received by critics who felt that it would be the group's first hit. The group held their comeback stage on KBS's Music Bank on December 4. The group performed a Christmas version of the song on Music Bank on December 20, 2009 and on SBS's Inkigayo on December 25. New outfits, hair, and accessories were prepared for the special stages.^[3] To celebrate the new year, a traditional version of the song was performed Music Bank on January 1st, 2010, on Show! Music Core on January 2nd, 2010, and on Inkigayo on January 3rd, 2010.^[4]

Japanese version

On August 4, 2011, it was announced that T-ara would be debuting in Japan with a Japanese version of "Bo Peep Bo Peep". The single was released on September 28 as two limited editions and a regular edition, with a Japanese version of their song "I Go Crazy Because of You" as the accompanying b-side.^[5] The music video was released on September 1 on the Japanese cable television network Space Shower TV.

Reception

"Bo Peep Bo Peep" debuted at 4 in its 3rd of release on the newly established Gaon Chart. The song won 5 weekly number one awards on KBS Music Bank and SBS Inkigayo. It sold more than 1,600,000 copies in 2010 in South Korea. Upon release, the music video debuted at No. 1 on GOMTV's Weekly chart and spent 4 weeks on the top spot. On January 4, 2010, It was reported that "Bo Peep Bo Peep" entered the platform's "Hall of Fame" making T-ara only the 6th group the achieve the feat.^[6]

The Japanese version debuted on Oricon's Daily Chart at No. 1 with 20,068 copies sold on the first day making them the first Korean girl group to achieve the number one spot and the third Korean group to reach the top three of the charts after MBLAQ's "Your Luv" and SHINee's "Replay".^[7] The single debuted at number one on Oricon's Weekly Chart with 49,712 copies sold and number one on Billboard Japan Hot 100, making them the first foreign group and also the first Korean girl group to debut at number one.^[8] It ended up at 97 on Oricon Yearly singles ranking and at 86 on Billboard Japan End-year chart. The single later received 3 certification from RIAJ, a shipment of over 100,000 copies in paid downloads and Full-length ringtone as well as shipments of over 100,000 physical copies.^[2] It also ended up on "2011 iTunes (Japan) Rewind" Top 100 singles of the year at 86.^[9]

Cover versions

In 2010, Taiwanese entertainer Lotus Wang [zh] (王彩樺) did a cover of the song under the title "Bobee 保庇". It became a dance craze and was picked by CNN's Phil Han for the "Best Viral Video of the Week", which led to controversy from Korean netizens complaining that the song 'wasn't original' and that they failed to mention the original title or T-ara's name at all.^[10]

In popular culture

In 2012, Captain Kim Hang-ah (Played by Ha Ji-won) danced to "Bo Peep Bo Peep" on the 7th episode of the drama The King 2 Hearts. On April 12, 2012, Ha Ji-Won revealed she was the choreography personally by the song's choreographer Jeon Hong-bok. The actress was praised for her dancing skills, However, on screen she had to give off the image that her character cannot dance well, and "that made it even more difficult".^[11]

Accolades

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked "Bo Peep Bo Peep" number 45 in their list of the 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music,^[12] while Rhian Daly of The Forty-Five ranked it number 32 in her list of the 45 best K-pop songs of all time.^[13] In 2024, NME ranked the sing at No. 5 on its list of best T-ARA songs to date describing how took Asia by storm for its playful nature and an easy to follow choreography.^[14]

Awards and nominations

Year	Organization	Award	Result	Ref.
2010	Annual Home Shopping Awards	Top 10 Songs	4th place	[15]
	Bugs Music Awards	Song of the Year	Nominated	[16]
		Music Video of the Year	Nominated
	Mnet Asian Music Awards	Best Female Dance Performance	Nominated	[17]
2011	Tower Records Awards	Single of the Year	Nominated	[18]

Music program awards

Program	Date	Ref.
Music Bank	January 1, 2010	[19]
	January 8, 2010
Inkigayo	January 3, 2010	[20]
	January 10, 2010
	January 17, 2010

Track listing

Japanese single^[21]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Bo Peep Bo Peep" (Japanese version)	Zoop	Shinsadong Tiger, Choi Kyu-sung	3:49
2.	"Love Me!" (あなたのせいで狂いそう; You Drive Me Crazy Japanese Ver.)		Cho Young Soo, Kim Tae Hyun	3:17
3.	"Bo Peep Bo Peep" (Inst.)			3:49
4.	"LOVE ME!" (Inst.)			3:15
Total length:				14:08

DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bo Peep Bo Peep (Japan Original ver.)"	7:06

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010–11) Peak position Japan Singles Chart (Oricon)[8] 1 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[22] 1 Japan (RIAJ Digital Track Chart)[23] 3 Japan (RIAJ Digital Track Chart)[24] ("Love Me! ~Anata no Sei de Kurisou~") 91 South Korea (Gaon)[25] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2010–11) Position Japan Yearly Singles (Oricon) 97 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[26] 86 South Korea (Gaon)[27] 152

Sales and certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[28] Physical	Gold	100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[2] Digital	Gold	100,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[29] Full-length ringtone	Gold	100,000*
South Korea (Gaon)	—	1,609,000[30]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
South Korea	November 27, 2009	Digital download	Core Contents Media
Japan	September 28, 2011	CD single	EMI Music Japan
	October 5, 2011	Digital download[31]

References

1. "티아라, 50억 근접 역대 최고가 전속계약..일본 J-ROCK과 47억" (in Korean). Newsen. July 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
2. "Japanese digital single certifications" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2012年4月 on the drop-down menu
3. "티아라, 크리스마스버전 '보핍보핍' 선보인다" [T-ara to Present Christmas Version of 'Bo Peep Bo Peep']. Chosun (in Korean).
4. "티아라 '보핍보핍' 국악버전 공개..어떤느낌?" [T-ara's 'Bo Peep Bo Peep' Korean Traditional Music Version Released... How Does It Feel?]. 다음 - 매일경제. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
5. "T-ARA、日本デビュー・シングル"Bo Peep Bo Peep"の発売日が決定" (in Japanese). Tower Records. August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
6. "'티아라', '보핍보핍'으로 곰TV '명예의 전당' 입성!" ['Tiara' and 'Bo Peep Bo Peep' enter GomTV's 'Hall of Fame'!]. tvdaily.co.kr. January 4, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
7. "T-ARA、日本デビュー作が初日首位 韓国グループ初のデビューシングル週間1位なるか" (in Japanese). Oricon. September 29, 2011. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
8. "【オリコン】史上初！韓国勢新作が同時首位…シングルT-ARA＆アルバム東方神起" (in Japanese). Oricon. October 4, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
9. "iTunesが年間ランキングを発表、1位はガガ「Born This Way」 | Musicman". 音楽業界総合情報サイト | Musicman (in Japanese). December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
10. ""원조가 묻혔네"..CNN, '보핍' 리메이크곡 열풍소개" (in Korean). Nate. January 1, 2011. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
11. "'더킹투하츠' 하지원, 티아라 빙의 항아표 '보핍보핍' 댄스 공개". 스타투데이 (in Korean). April 12, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
12. "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone. July 20, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
13. Daly, Rhian (May 11, 2023). "The 45 best K-pop songs of all-time". The Forty-Five. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
14. Chin, Carmen (July 29, 2024). "The 10 best T-ARA songs". NME. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
15. "'소녀시대 노래가 나오면 지갑이 열린다?'" ['Does your wallet open when a Girls' Generation song is released?']. Edaily (in Korean). December 29, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
16. "벅스, '뮤직 어워드' 개최 [Bugs to hold 'Music Awards']". Naver News (in Korean). November 23, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
17. "Controversial Mnet Asian Music Awards bares nominees | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online". Manila Bulletin. October 29, 2010. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
18. "タワレコ K-POP LOVERS! AWARDS 2011 （シングル部門） - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE [Tower Records K-POP LOVERS! AWARDS 2011 (Single Category)]". tower.jp. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
19. 티아라, '뮤직뱅크' 2주 연속 1위..지상파 석권 [T-ara wins 1st place for 2 weeks in a row on 'Music Bank']. Star News (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
20. "티아라 '보핍보핍', '인기가요' 3주 연속 1위" [T-ara's 'Bo Peep Bo Peep' wins 1st place on 'Inkigayo' for 3 weeks in a row]. Asia Economy (in Korean). Naver. January 17, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
21. "T-ara Official Japanese Website" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
22. "Billboard Japan Hot 100" (in Japanese). Billboard. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
23. "RIAJ Digital Track Chart: Chart issue October 11, 2011" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
24. "RIAJ Digital Track Chart: Chart issue October 4, 2011" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
25. "2010년 02주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
26. "Japan Hot 100 Music Chart / Billboard.com". Billboard. December 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
27. "2010년 Digital Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
28. "Japanese single certifications" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2011年12月 on the drop-down menu
29. "Japanese ringtone certifications" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2011年12月 on the drop-down menu
30. "Gaon Download Chart – 2010" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014.
31. "iTunes - ミュージック - T-ARA「Bo Peep Bo Peep - EP」" (in Japanese). iTunes. October 5, 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2017.