HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls' Generation in My Playlists: Title Tracks

This is the first half of a post (in honor of their new album!!!) where I'll be discussing every SNSD song that I've added to my Spotify playlists, playlists which I've been avidly creating since 2020. You can listen to a playlist with all the songs from both posts using this link. Enjoy, and I hope you're reminded of old favorites or find some new ones here--I think it's easy to forget just how interesting their music is, and hopefully these posts provide a pretty good sampling!

All Night: "All Night" is just good dance music--a little bit tropical house, a little bit sparkling synthpop--that stays true to the style of their older, cutesy hits. I find this one too sweet not to love, appealing to my need for something cheery but not excitable to leave on repeat when I'm anxious, something to ease my breathing and make me smile. In fact, I'd bet this is my most-played SNSD song for that reason, though it helps that the track fits so well in many different types of playlists, too.

Gee: This one is on my playlist for neon lights and dancing in grocery stores at midnight, and I can only describe it as incessant. Somehow, it leans completely into youthful, cheesy romance while also making full use of the members' evocative vocals (the ad-libs in the last chorus, overlaying a childishly chanted melody, stand out beautifully!), and this combination just adds to the song's energy.

Genie: Do I really just like "Genie" because its chorus is a giant wall of harmonies? Yes, probably--I have my biases, I can't help it! They really are wonderful, though, and the members sound beautifully confident during the verses, maybe even a little smug, like the superstars they are. "Genie" is luxurious without being unapproachable--believe you me, this is one for sleepover karaoke sessions.

I Got A Boy: I'm glad that “I Got A Boy” seems to be universally admired at this point, because I imagine that it wasn't super well-received at first (like a "Next Level" type of thing, where everyone was complaining but then all of a sudden I was hearing "I'm on the next *pause* le-vel" EVERYWHERE *laughs*). This is one of the times where I'm actually inclined to say if you hate this, you just hate fun, because every moment of the track is so perfectly catchy, to the point where I subconsciously sing along with even its least intuitive structure changes. “I Got A Boy” goes in a playlist with my other obnoxious sparkly songs, like "Trick It" by Twice, "Lalalilala" by April, and "Butterfly" by WJSN. It's cute, okay?

Lion Heart: This is my favorite SNSD song--I can't tell you how many times I've watched the live performances for this one. "Lion Heart" is soft and comforting, almost celebratory with its brass instrumental and polished, glitzy concept, but then SNSD’s vocals get me again and, by the time we reach the second chorus, there's no way I'm dancing--I feel like my heart will burst, like I'm nestled in a pile of blankets post-breakup, watching an old favorite TV show and eating ice cream straight out of the container. In the outro, when the members trade lines accompanied by chanting, there's a lovely kind of camaraderie between the members that really brings the whole song together. "Lion Heart" is comfort food, and, like "All Night", it casts a spell when left on repeat.

Mr. Mr.: In sharp contrast to the last entry, "Mr. Mr." is a song that thrives off of creating unease. It takes the technological influences of Britney Spears, with uncomfortably gritty bass made prominent in the verses and a willingness to play with robotic vocal effects in the prechorus and bridge, and builds all of this up to a heavenly chorus. Listening to it after becoming a fan of Spears' "Stronger", I can't help but notice the formula of her big hits repeated in "Mr. Mr.", but Girls' Generation's angelic vocal blend over the crystal-clear production of the chorus (and again, those ad-libs!!!) make this a welcome addition to the canon.

Oh!: This is the first SNSD song I heard, and I loved it: I even tried to learn the dance! The chorus is a wave--soft, then suddenly exploding with EDM, then going soft again--and I think that's how "Oh!" builds tension so well. I often find myself craving the buildup from the first "oh"'s of the chorus, which are almost whisper-sung, to the burst of harmony at the halfway point, making this one quite the veteran on my playlists.

Run Devil Run: Another one from my neon lights playlist! "Run Devil Run" is a simple song, but its charms are all in the performance, which is given with absolute confidence. My favorite part is the second half of the chorus--especially during the first chorus, when Taeyeon's voice rises, blazing, over the icy, disdainful half-spoken lines of the first half. With its bare production, "Run Devil Run" really does feel dark, and that makes it a compelling addition to SNSD’s discography!

You Think: I understand how this could be seen as Girls' Generation's equivalent of Red Velvet's "Rookie", with just a little bit too much weird stuff going on to really allow it to stick with the fans, but I actually see "You Think" as more of a "Red Flavor"-- yeah, I forgot how much I enjoy this song, but I really like it. "Red Flavor" has a downright odd, verging on unpleasant, background sample, but it becomes just a small bit of texture nestled within a larger pop confection. "You Think", in my opinion, has the same thing going for it--whatever is going on with those samples is definitely odd, but it ends up building to the catharsis of the high notes in the chorus, and any doubts of mine are washed away. "You Think" has a really strong mood that is almost instantly set, despite having the exact opposite energy one would expect from the cute-concept icons themselves, and I love this one for the shot of ego it provides me.