Yes or Yes (song)

"Yes or Yes" (stylized as "YES or YES") is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Twice. It was released by JYP Entertainment on November 5, 2018, as the lead single from the group's sixth extended play, Yes or Yes.

"Yes or Yes"
Single by Twice
from the EP Yes or Yes
Language	Korean
Released	November 5, 2018 (2018-11-05)
Genre	Pop[1][2] electropop[2]
Length	3:57
Label	JYP
Composer(s)	David Amber Andy Love
Lyricist(s)	Sim Eun-jee
Twice single singles chronology
"BDZ" (2018) "Yes or Yes" (2018) "The Best Thing I Ever Did" (2018)
Music video
"Yes or Yes" on YouTube

Background

In early October 2018, advertisements with the phrase "Do you like Twice? Yes or Yes" (Korean: "트와이스 좋아하세요? YES or YES") were put up on subway billboards, drawing attention online.^[1] On October 11, JYP Entertainment confirmed that Twice planned to release their third Korean album of the year on November 5.^[3] The lead single's name, "Yes or Yes", along with the identical album name, was revealed on October 20 in a short clip which was part of a special video commemorating Twice's third anniversary.^[4]

To promote the song, JYP Entertainment released a set of three teasers, composed of three versions "Y", "E" and "S", on October 28, 29 and 30, respectively. The teasers feature connected content, introducing the viewers to a creepy forest where Jeongyeon drives a car toward "TWICE Square". Then Mina appears, saying "Hey boy! Look, I'm gonna make this simple for you. You got two choices: Yes, or yes", and the members perform the song's dance. On November 3, another video was released previewing all tracks from the album, including the song "Yes or Yes".^[5]

Composition

"Yes or Yes" was composed by David Amber and Andy Love, with lyrics by Sim Eun-jee. David Amber previously co-composed "Heart Shaker" and Sim Eun-jee co-wrote lyrics for "Knock Knock". "Yes or Yes" was described as a bright and lively "color pop" song with influences from Motown, reggae and arena pop.^[1][6] Lyrically, it is about only being able to reply "yes" to a confession of love.^[7]

Music video

The music video for the song was made by Naive, the team that had already produced a number of music videos for Twice at the time.^[8] According to YouTube's official report, the video achieved 31.4 million views on this platform within the first 24 hours of release, becoming the seventh biggest 24-hour YouTube debut of all time.^[9] Moreover, Twice became the fastest K-pop girl group to reach 10 million views on YouTube, in only six hours and two minutes.^[10][11] The video reached 100 million views on December 14, achieving the group's milestone of ten consecutive music videos surpassing 100 million views.^[12] On April 12, 2021, the video hit 300 million views on YouTube. It reached 400 million views on January 7, 2024.^[13]

The video features strong choreography, showing nine girls facing their feelings by means of a fortune-telling crystal ball after the ride driven by Jeongyeon appears on the scene, with the girls dancing at the "TWICE Square" fairground. Twice's members are dressed in '90s-inspired outfits, abundant with plaid, argyle, and leather.^[14]

Japanese version

On January 9, 2019, JYP Entertainment announced Twice's release of their second compilation album named #Twice2 for March 6. The album, containing ten tracks with both Korean and Japanese versions of five songs, also includes "Yes or Yes".^[15][16] The lyrics were written by Yuka Matsumoto, and the songwriter of the Korean version of the song, Sim Eun-jee.^[17]

Commercial performance

"Yes or Yes" debuted on top of the Gaon Digital Chart and at number 2 on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100.^[18][19] The song also peaked at number 5 both on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales and Japan Hot 100 charts, and at number 14 on the Oricon Digital Singles chart.^{[20][21][22][23]}

The song surpassed 100 million streams in August 2019, becoming Twice's second single to be certified Platinum for streaming by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) since certifications were introduced in April 2018.^[24] "Yes or Yes" was certified Silver for streaming by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) after they introduced streaming certifications in April 2020. The song was subsequently certified Gold in November 2020 and Platinum in July 2022.^[25]

Accolades

Year-end lists

Critic/Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Paper Magazine	Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2018	11	[26]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2019	8th Gaon Chart Music Awards	Artist of the Year – Digital Music (November)	Nominated	[27]
2020	34th Golden Disc Awards	Digital Daesang	Nominated	[28]
		Digital Bonsang	Won

Music program awards

Program	Date	Ref.
Show Champion	November 14, 2018	[29]
	November 21, 2018	[30]
M Countdown	November 15, 2018	[31]
Inkigayo	November 19, 2018	[32]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Yes or Yes" Chart (2018) Peak position Japan (Japan Hot 100)[22] 5 Japan Digital Singles Chart (Oricon)[23] 14 Malaysia (RIM)[33] 17 South Korea (Gaon)[18] 1 South Korea (K-pop Hot 100)[19] 2 US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[20] 5

Year-end charts 2018 year-end chart performance for "Yes or Yes" Chart (2018) Position South Korean (Gaon)[34] 91 2019 year-end chart performance for "Yes or Yes" Chart (2019) Position Japan (Japan Hot 100)[35] 35 South Korea (Gaon)[36] 47

Certifications

Certifications for "Yes or Yes"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
South Korea (KMCA)[37]	Platinum	2,500,000*
Streaming
Japan (RIAJ)[25]	Platinum	100,000,000†
South Korea (KMCA)[24]	Platinum	100,000,000†
* Sales figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of certified songs in South Korea
• List of Gaon Digital Chart number ones of 2018
• List of M Countdown Chart winners (2018)

References

1. Jeong Ji-won (October 24, 2018). 트와이스, 지하철역 홍보→아형·아이돌룸 출격…11월 올킬예고 [Twice, subway promotions → Knowing Bros, Idol Room... a notice for their November "all kill"]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
2. Herman, Tamar. "TWICE Don't Take 'No' For an Answer in 'Yes Or Yes' Video: Watch". Billboard. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
3. Choi, Ji-won (October 24, 2018). "Twice to release third album of the year Nov. 5". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
4. Yim Hyun-su. "Twice signals winter hit with new single 'Yes or Yes'". Kpop Herald. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
5. "[V Report] Twice previews new songs in highlight medley of 'Yes or Yes'". Kpop Herald. The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
6. Shim Sun-ah (November 5, 2018). "TWICE aims for another home run with sixth EP 'Yes or Yes'". Yonhap News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
7. Yeo Dong-eun (October 20, 2018). 트와이스, 11월 5일 오후 6시 미니 6집 'YES or YES' 발매 '10번째 히트 예감' [Twice's 6th mini album 'Yes or Yes' released November 5 at 6pm 'Expected to be a 10th hit']. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
8. "TWICE(트와이스) "YES or YES" M/V". Studio Naive. December 3, 2018. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
9. "트와이스 'YES or YES' 음원 차트 1위…포브스 "뮤직비디오 세계 7위 기록"". Hakyung (in Korean). Korea Economic Daily. November 10, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
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21. Jeff, Benjamin. "TWICE Hit New Peak on YouTube Songs Chart With 'Yes or Yes'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
22. "Billboard Japan Hot 100 (2018/11/19 付け)". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
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26. Jeff, Benjamin (December 21, 2018). "Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2018". Paper. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
27. "올해의 가수 (음원) 후보자" [Artist of the Year (Song) nominees]. 8th Gaon Chart Music Awards 2018 (in Korean). KMCA. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
28. "방탄소년단, 디지털 음원 대상…마마무‧ITZY 2관왕 (종합) [2020 골든디스크]". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). January 4, 2020. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
29. "트와이스 'YES OR YES로 첫 챔피언송~' [포토엔HD]". Newsen (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
30. "TWICE Scores 4th Win For 'Yes Or Yes' On 'Show Champion'". Soompi. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
31. "'엠카' 트와이스, 2관왕 "원스 사랑해"..비투비 컴백[★밤TView]". Star News. Star News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
32. "트와이스, 엑소·폴킴 꺾고 '인기가요' 1위…'YES or YES' 3관왕 [공식]". Naver. Naver TV Cast. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
33. "RIM Charts" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
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