Imma steal your car~
Warning: This is an extremely long post on my thoughts about Run Devil Run (RDR) the song and the MV.
The song
On my initial disappointment
I think why I was so disappointed with the song release was because the teaser had been so misleading. It'd had a completely different set of instrumentals (guitar!!!) and the beat was also different - hard hitting, yes, but not the same rhythm. If they'd used given a teaser using - gasp! - the actual song, I don't think I'd have been so disappointed initially. I say "initially" because after throwing the song on in my car (which for me, is my ultimate test as to whether or not I will like a song), I've found that the song isn't that bad*. The beat (once I'd accepted that it wasn't the beat from the teaser *sigh*) is good, melodically it's weak, but there are parts that I did like, namely Taeyeon's lines.
*In saying that, however, I have to take a moment to express my frustration in *having* to say that, "it's not that bad." We shouldn't have to keep our expectations low, not when they've done things like TMYW or when they give us a fierce looking teaser, or when they have the damn potential to pull off something fierce. They're gonna work whatever they get, yes, but dangnamit, they deserve to get something awesome, not just 'okay.' But we all have our own opinions on the differences between 'awesome' and 'okay' which is, well, okay XD
On the composition and vocals
(I have to premise this with two of my "it could have been worse" thoughts: At least there wasn't a ridiculous amount of repetition of the word "run" or "devil" and at least they didn't go too crazy with the autotune.)
The beginning and ending of the song were odd to me because there wasn't much of an intro or outro - it's pretty plain in the beginning and quite abrupt in ending. It's surprisingly scant on the instruments but at least there's more of a difference between the chorus and verses than Oh! where everything just seemed to flood into each other. I liked the harmonizing in the verses - I wonder if that'll be live like it was in TMYW. However, I don't like the leading into the high portion of the chorus ("deo meotjin...") - I don't like how it sounds, going up. Once it's up there at that note, I'm okay. I thought maybe it was just Sica's tone that was grating on my ears, but I didn't like Taeyeon and Seohyun's voice going into it either. Still not sure why, hrmm - it might just be something personal than any dissonance in the actual song ^^;
The chorus itself is okay though, mostly because I like the horns XD Those backing vocals, also present leading into the chorus (behind the "you're no fun, you have no manners" line), are nice - I doubt those will be live however *shakes fist* (All I want is live multiple harmony, dangnamit!) I simply can't stand the valley girl lilt, especially during the faux-rap. Taeyeon is on the girls who manages to deliver her lines without any twisting of her voice at the end and I love it - it was kinda like how I loved her parts in Show x3, the girl channels HBIC so well with just her *voice*~ On the faux-rap: unnecessary Engrish is something I can't stand, but I'd rather horrible Engrish rapping than this valley girl faux-rapping. It does not say HBIC to me at all.
In the end, the song is okay. It's going to take a while to shake off my disappointment of what it could have been, but I like the beat and my third "it could be worse thought" - at least they aren't singing in some ridiculously high tone!
Some thoughts about the lyrics
Quite a number of people were laughing about how it's still about a boy, but they never gave the impression that it *wouldn't* be about a boy. They said it'd appeal to the unnis as well (I think they just meant lyrically, notably the ending lines), so of everything that can be ranted about, I'm not really irked about that ^^; Anyway, not much to say about the lyrics, really. "Bad boy" always makes me think of SHINee's "Ring Ding Dong." I was amused about the "perfume" line (was that in the original?) and was almost looking forward to them having the "steal your car" line, but they didn't have it XD (They could've carried over the car from TMYW!!) I was surprised at the ending lyrics though - such a turn around from the lyrics of their past songs ("Half of the world are men, it makes no difference if you're gone / I'm going to wait by myself for a guy who will only look at me") - it's probably the most 'empowerment' type of lyrics they've had so far.
The MV
I was actually expecting a dance only MV and lo and behold, I got it~ I've no problem with dance only MVs because they can sometimes be more exciting than storyline driven MVs if done right (i.e. having an MV when all everyone in it does is cry can be just as pointless -_-). I thought SM did quite a good job doing a dance only MV and I'm amused that they're pulling out a drama version of it as well. They did quite a good job keeping that under wraps (unlike with SuJu's "It's You" MV) and I have to smirk because the other companies must be going "Goddammit, SM, stop f-ing with us already!!" Btw, I must say this regarding the next MV: I really hope it shows them taking proper revenge 8D (and I am very curious as to how they'll incorporate their other selves into this, especially since from the Oh! MV, it was implied that they were created out of the accident with the computer ... Will they be vanquished again? Or will SNSD learn to control their dark side~~?)
Some general thoughts
I really liked the transitions in the beginning, that cool switching between girls, particularly the transition from Sica to Yuri - girl was walkin' that walk! There were some great angles (i.e. the end, some shots of the diagonal line) and though I wanted to see more of the choreo, the cuts weren't ridiculously crazy like in TMYW. The light flare was a bit annoying and some of the 'oh-so-dramatic-look-at-the-camera-ZOOM-IN-now!' close ups were cheesy, but I did like how the backgrounds were snazzy enough to accentuate the girls but not so busy that they detracted from the girls. Actually, now it makes me wonder if they'll have a third version, an MV that incorporates this dance only MV and the drama MV (again, like "It's You). Hmm~ Oh, and "futuristic"? Wasn't feeling it. The only thing that could possibly give a "futuristic" feel is the white costumes, only because of that little tab in the front and maybe the black hoods. All in all, I'm just happy it didn't make me feel horrified like the sim dating game that was TMYW -_-
On the choreography
Like the song itself, there are parts of choreo I liked, but a frustrating amount of parts I didn't like. The choreo seemed to be a combination of moves similar to other 'trademark' choreo (i.e. in addition to the "run" choreo - which I actually like! XD - the opening jerky body movements at around 0:13 are very reminiscent of 2PM's "Heartbeat"), way too literal translations of the lyrics (i.e. the hand phone) and just straight up wtf (i.e. nearly all the choreo in the chorus, even the chest popping). I did like the different formations and the overall attitude. Also, there's quite a bit of choreo that accent a lot of ass, especially in those black leotard-ish costumes. Just sayin~ (Random: the choreo at 0:43 makes me think they should've had capes 8DDD)
On the individual girls
Taeyeon: Leader definitely stole the whole MV for me. She was channelling HBIC and super hotness all around. Though I didn't like the pointy shoulder pads of her black outfit and I was a bit sad that she didn't have any prominent adlibs, I loved the attitude she had throughout the MV (all her close-ups were wonderful and she kept throwing those awesome smirks in the group shots) and her lines were great - even though I thought the "handphone" choreo was a too literal, the way she totally owned it made it okay and it's her line during the faux-rapping that makes me keep listening through that section (as opposed to the fail!sexy JeTi English in Show x3, which I always wish I could skip past). Basically, Taeyeon was totally HBIC and I loved it.
Jessica: After a couple of watches, my thought about her was that she was surprisingly not prominent here - surprising because she was *everywhere* in Oh! I liked her outfit, but again, wtf is up with the pointy shoulders?? I'm glad her hair is darker though, but not feeling the Key-esque streak. I liked the solo shot she had at 1:43 (over the shoulder yumminess) and also her ending shot, but I think I liked it because it was that diagonal line shot XD Sica was working it, but not enough to be memorable.
Sunny: I think I described Sunny as a sex kitten during one of my TMYW commentaries because of her penchant for feeling herself up during lives and that phrase is so true here. Sunny's just as good giving us sexy eyes as she is giving us aegyo and she's not shy to do any of it. Girl knows exactly how to use her eyes, her lips, her hands to lure you in. I just wish she'd get rid of that cap -_-; Sunny's definitely someone who's comfortable playing sexy and it shows.
Tiffany: *heavy sigh* I hate to say this, but Tiffany was definitely the most disappointing in this MV (and the girl had quite a number of lines in this song!) Girl had a half dead expression throughout the whole thing; even Seohyun owned her in terms of facial expressions. I did like her voice during her lines, but her lack of emotion during her close up shots just frustrate the hell out of me. It was only near the faux-rapping that she actually showed something more than blank eyes (~2:19), when she's pointing to her head - I was like, "Yes! Finally! Thank you!" but then she returned to her dead eyes and I nearly headdesked. Her styling was nice though - I rather liked her hair and she was rocking her outfit. I'm just hope that for lives she either realizes that dead face is not sexyor she channels some kind of ultimate!bitch persona.
Hyoyeon: Mm, you know, I can readily forgive those bangs when this girl's working it like this~ I mean, she even makes some of that fail choreo work! Her solo shot during the transition from chorus to the second verse was so awesome - loved that HBIC face and how she was working that move. Girl works the choreo and the attitude like nobody's business. I'm a bit on the fence about that vest she's wearing, but man, when she moves like that and channels HBIC so good, it almost doesn't matter. Though I wish she had rapped like she had during their cover of Tell Me, Hyoyeon's the only one I can stand to listen to during that faux-rap. (Let the girl rap! We all know Hyoyeon's a ghetto superstar XD)
Yuri: Ah, yes, the other girl who stole my attention during this MV. Yuri has been pushed since TMYW as SNSD's "family friendly" girl and she does not disappoint in this MV. Her styling is great (lovelovelove her hair~) and she sounds good during her lines as well, especially "you're no fun, you have no manners." I also really liked the whole 'brush yo'self off' move around 2:51. Like Hyoyeon, she's one that really owns the choreography - she's actually the only one who pulls off that awkward hopping move during the chorus. And let's face it, Yuri's got some of the best body waves ever~
Sooyoung: I kinda felt like Sooyoung got shafted here. I didn't like that jacket thing she had on - the shoulders kinda reminded me of a matador's cape XD I did love the winks she was throwing out during her lines though. And that's the thing that I like about her - she works everything she's given. She made the best of her lines, even the faux-rapping and worked that jacket as much as she could. (I just noticed that she's rocking only one sleeve in their white costumes, huh). I loved her close up shots, but unfortunately, TaeYulHyo kept stealing my time during group shots. I'm hoping she channels a more overt HBIC attitude during lives and steals my attention back to her XD
Yoona: Unfortunately, Yoona was forgettable to me. Part of it was the hair, the other part was that she was back to her incongruous facial expressions (but at least she didn't keep giving me blank stares like Tiffany - I'll take that neutral tight-lipped look she has over blank doll stare any day -_-). There's a hint of a smirk during the group shot of her solo line in the beginning (~0:30) but we never see much of any attitude after that - well actually, there's a shot of her right before Seohyun opens the second verse that's rather good (~ 1:28). Girl has great lines, she just doesn't have the *right* emotion on her face. So whereas Sooyoung I felt was shafted, I feel like YoonFany just don't know what emotion they're trying to convey.
Seohyun: I actually liked Seohyun more than Yoona in this MV. I thought her styling was great - it was reminiscent of the straight hair, dark eyes look popular among girl groups in the early 2000s and she really pulled it off. I really loved how she opened her line in the second verse, that look up and the raised chin - so awesome. Unfortunately, most of her close ups are a bit awkward, like she was thinking too much about her lines. (I can just imagine her sighing again when she saw the lyrics XD) Maknae has a lot of moments when you can tell she's trying to channel HBIC, but the few times she succeeds, it's f-ing awesome. Those moments are slowly becoming more prominent, but she still has a ways to go. But it's because of that progress (unlike YoonFany) that makes me check in on maknae every now and then to see if she'll surprise me; I know I'll be doing that again during their lives.
Girls who stole the show: Taeyeon, Yuri, Hyoyeon.
Girls who need more help: Tiffany, Yoona, Sooyoung.
It's all relative...
Thoughts on RDR in relation to other songs SNSD has done
In terms of songs that they've put out*, TMYW and Chocolate Love are the two songs that are closest to RDR's concept in terms of sensuality but it's the most "bad girl" concept they've had - actually, it's the first time they've had a bad girl concept. I mean, the lyrics talk about taking revenge, whereas TMYW was all about doing what they could to grant their guy's wishes. RDR sets itself apart through it's 'not going to take this shit' attitude.
However, I still think TMYW and CL are stronger songs - take overall construction. Even just the opening and ending of those songs are better than RDR. RDR does have the hard-hitting beat going for it, but one could argue that CL does as well. (And TMYW has that great bass that was sadly not in RDR - curse you misleading teaser!). In terms of vocal quality, I would also rank RDR below TMYW and CL. All three songs have the girls singing in a pretty comfortable range (CL has that wonderful 'break down' portion where they're singing wonderfully low~), but what puts RDR third for me are those valley girl lilts and the fact that most of the lines are half-spoken.
In terms of choreography, I still think TMYW's choreo tops the three because although RDR has great attitude, the choreo makes me wince at certain times. I admit having a bit of a LULZ moment with the hand-waving in TMYW, but damn, I loved that choreography so much, especially when the girls started taking liberties with it. Chocolate Love, though sensual, is pretty simple choreo (though I'd have taken simple choreo over the awkward hopping in RDR -_-). I'll rank RDR second among these three.
*In terms of songs they've covered, I thought their cover of Womanizer was great and if they had a version where all 9 of the girls performed it, I think I might like that over RDR. The two songs are pretty much the same concept but though I like the beats in RDR better, the fact that Womanizer has them singing so low and without any of that damn valley girl lilt makes me think that I'd prefer Womanizer over RDR
Overall, RDR's an okay song, but it's not the best they've done, imo. (But also imo, TMYW is one of their best songs XD)
Thoughts on RDR in relation to other songs by other girl groups now
--- KARA's Lupin. The thing that irks me about this song is the key change and that change near the end of the song. I do I like the beat and that riff and yes, I'll take Nicole's rapping over the faux-rapping in RDR. However, RDR tops Lupin in terms of sheer attitude; I'm not sure in terms of vocal quality because of that damn lilt and the half-spoken lines. Also, I think Lupin's chest popping might pwn RDR's chest popping XD I'm still leaning towards RDR though - the beat and attitude for me is the tipping point (plus, their running move is better than KARA's XDD)
--- T-ara's I Go Crazy Because of You. This is probably the closest rival to RDR in terms of overall concept and sound (though I swear to f-ing god, it sounds like the card theme from Final Fantasy VIII mixed with Britney Spears). IGCBOY is more more electronic and autotuned than RDR, but it's still got that prominent beat and that HBIC attitude. And though they have that breathy delivery of their lines, I'll take that over the valley girl lilt. Hmm, I'm actually on the fence between OGCBOY and RDR, because even in terms of choreo, IGCBOY isn't bad - I'm rather fond of choreo during their chorus. Actually, when you add in IGCBOY's rap, I just might favor CBOY over RDR~
--- 2NE1's Try to Follow Me. 2NE1 has consistently been a strong rival to SNSD and though they're not actively promoting this song, it's been very popular - with good reason. I for some reason had this song mixed up with something completely different and once I listened to the song, I liked it a lot. The beat is sick and the MV's great. I think if they were to perform this live, they'd give SNSD a run for their money. It's a concept they all fully own and though it's not sensual like RDR, it's much more HBIC than RDR and sometimes, fierce owns sexy (re: Taeyeon in this MV).
--- But I just have to say, Hyori is probably going to blow everyone out of the water simply because she's Lee fucking Hyori. She could come out with a second Oh! concept but it would still be better than SNSD. We all know it's the truth!!
TL; DR summary: Pretty good MV, girls are working it, am both exasperated and curious about how SM keeps dangling things in front of us. (Let's hope none of them pass out from these promotions O_O!)
The song
On my initial disappointment
I think why I was so disappointed with the song release was because the teaser had been so misleading. It'd had a completely different set of instrumentals (guitar!!!) and the beat was also different - hard hitting, yes, but not the same rhythm. If they'd used given a teaser using - gasp! - the actual song, I don't think I'd have been so disappointed initially. I say "initially" because after throwing the song on in my car (which for me, is my ultimate test as to whether or not I will like a song), I've found that the song isn't that bad*. The beat (once I'd accepted that it wasn't the beat from the teaser *sigh*) is good, melodically it's weak, but there are parts that I did like, namely Taeyeon's lines.
*In saying that, however, I have to take a moment to express my frustration in *having* to say that, "it's not that bad." We shouldn't have to keep our expectations low, not when they've done things like TMYW or when they give us a fierce looking teaser, or when they have the damn potential to pull off something fierce. They're gonna work whatever they get, yes, but dangnamit, they deserve to get something awesome, not just 'okay.' But we all have our own opinions on the differences between 'awesome' and 'okay' which is, well, okay XD
On the composition and vocals
(I have to premise this with two of my "it could have been worse" thoughts: At least there wasn't a ridiculous amount of repetition of the word "run" or "devil" and at least they didn't go too crazy with the autotune.)
The beginning and ending of the song were odd to me because there wasn't much of an intro or outro - it's pretty plain in the beginning and quite abrupt in ending. It's surprisingly scant on the instruments but at least there's more of a difference between the chorus and verses than Oh! where everything just seemed to flood into each other. I liked the harmonizing in the verses - I wonder if that'll be live like it was in TMYW. However, I don't like the leading into the high portion of the chorus ("deo meotjin...") - I don't like how it sounds, going up. Once it's up there at that note, I'm okay. I thought maybe it was just Sica's tone that was grating on my ears, but I didn't like Taeyeon and Seohyun's voice going into it either. Still not sure why, hrmm - it might just be something personal than any dissonance in the actual song ^^;
The chorus itself is okay though, mostly because I like the horns XD Those backing vocals, also present leading into the chorus (behind the "you're no fun, you have no manners" line), are nice - I doubt those will be live however *shakes fist* (All I want is live multiple harmony, dangnamit!) I simply can't stand the valley girl lilt, especially during the faux-rap. Taeyeon is on the girls who manages to deliver her lines without any twisting of her voice at the end and I love it - it was kinda like how I loved her parts in Show x3, the girl channels HBIC so well with just her *voice*~ On the faux-rap: unnecessary Engrish is something I can't stand, but I'd rather horrible Engrish rapping than this valley girl faux-rapping. It does not say HBIC to me at all.
In the end, the song is okay. It's going to take a while to shake off my disappointment of what it could have been, but I like the beat and my third "it could be worse thought" - at least they aren't singing in some ridiculously high tone!
Some thoughts about the lyrics
Quite a number of people were laughing about how it's still about a boy, but they never gave the impression that it *wouldn't* be about a boy. They said it'd appeal to the unnis as well (I think they just meant lyrically, notably the ending lines), so of everything that can be ranted about, I'm not really irked about that ^^; Anyway, not much to say about the lyrics, really. "Bad boy" always makes me think of SHINee's "Ring Ding Dong." I was amused about the "perfume" line (was that in the original?) and was almost looking forward to them having the "steal your car" line, but they didn't have it XD (They could've carried over the car from TMYW!!) I was surprised at the ending lyrics though - such a turn around from the lyrics of their past songs ("Half of the world are men, it makes no difference if you're gone / I'm going to wait by myself for a guy who will only look at me") - it's probably the most 'empowerment' type of lyrics they've had so far.
The MV
I was actually expecting a dance only MV and lo and behold, I got it~ I've no problem with dance only MVs because they can sometimes be more exciting than storyline driven MVs if done right (i.e. having an MV when all everyone in it does is cry can be just as pointless -_-). I thought SM did quite a good job doing a dance only MV and I'm amused that they're pulling out a drama version of it as well. They did quite a good job keeping that under wraps (unlike with SuJu's "It's You" MV) and I have to smirk because the other companies must be going "Goddammit, SM, stop f-ing with us already!!" Btw, I must say this regarding the next MV: I really hope it shows them taking proper revenge 8D (and I am very curious as to how they'll incorporate their other selves into this, especially since from the Oh! MV, it was implied that they were created out of the accident with the computer ... Will they be vanquished again? Or will SNSD learn to control their dark side~~?)
Some general thoughts
I really liked the transitions in the beginning, that cool switching between girls, particularly the transition from Sica to Yuri - girl was walkin' that walk! There were some great angles (i.e. the end, some shots of the diagonal line) and though I wanted to see more of the choreo, the cuts weren't ridiculously crazy like in TMYW. The light flare was a bit annoying and some of the 'oh-so-dramatic-look-at-the-camera-ZOOM-IN-now!' close ups were cheesy, but I did like how the backgrounds were snazzy enough to accentuate the girls but not so busy that they detracted from the girls. Actually, now it makes me wonder if they'll have a third version, an MV that incorporates this dance only MV and the drama MV (again, like "It's You). Hmm~ Oh, and "futuristic"? Wasn't feeling it. The only thing that could possibly give a "futuristic" feel is the white costumes, only because of that little tab in the front and maybe the black hoods. All in all, I'm just happy it didn't make me feel horrified like the sim dating game that was TMYW -_-
On the choreography
Like the song itself, there are parts of choreo I liked, but a frustrating amount of parts I didn't like. The choreo seemed to be a combination of moves similar to other 'trademark' choreo (i.e. in addition to the "run" choreo - which I actually like! XD - the opening jerky body movements at around 0:13 are very reminiscent of 2PM's "Heartbeat"), way too literal translations of the lyrics (i.e. the hand phone) and just straight up wtf (i.e. nearly all the choreo in the chorus, even the chest popping). I did like the different formations and the overall attitude. Also, there's quite a bit of choreo that accent a lot of ass, especially in those black leotard-ish costumes. Just sayin~ (Random: the choreo at 0:43 makes me think they should've had capes 8DDD)
On the individual girls
Taeyeon: Leader definitely stole the whole MV for me. She was channelling HBIC and super hotness all around. Though I didn't like the pointy shoulder pads of her black outfit and I was a bit sad that she didn't have any prominent adlibs, I loved the attitude she had throughout the MV (all her close-ups were wonderful and she kept throwing those awesome smirks in the group shots) and her lines were great - even though I thought the "handphone" choreo was a too literal, the way she totally owned it made it okay and it's her line during the faux-rapping that makes me keep listening through that section (as opposed to the fail!sexy JeTi English in Show x3, which I always wish I could skip past). Basically, Taeyeon was totally HBIC and I loved it.
Jessica: After a couple of watches, my thought about her was that she was surprisingly not prominent here - surprising because she was *everywhere* in Oh! I liked her outfit, but again, wtf is up with the pointy shoulders?? I'm glad her hair is darker though, but not feeling the Key-esque streak. I liked the solo shot she had at 1:43 (over the shoulder yumminess) and also her ending shot, but I think I liked it because it was that diagonal line shot XD Sica was working it, but not enough to be memorable.
Sunny: I think I described Sunny as a sex kitten during one of my TMYW commentaries because of her penchant for feeling herself up during lives and that phrase is so true here. Sunny's just as good giving us sexy eyes as she is giving us aegyo and she's not shy to do any of it. Girl knows exactly how to use her eyes, her lips, her hands to lure you in. I just wish she'd get rid of that cap -_-; Sunny's definitely someone who's comfortable playing sexy and it shows.
Tiffany: *heavy sigh* I hate to say this, but Tiffany was definitely the most disappointing in this MV (and the girl had quite a number of lines in this song!) Girl had a half dead expression throughout the whole thing; even Seohyun owned her in terms of facial expressions. I did like her voice during her lines, but her lack of emotion during her close up shots just frustrate the hell out of me. It was only near the faux-rapping that she actually showed something more than blank eyes (~2:19), when she's pointing to her head - I was like, "Yes! Finally! Thank you!" but then she returned to her dead eyes and I nearly headdesked. Her styling was nice though - I rather liked her hair and she was rocking her outfit. I'm just hope that for lives she either realizes that dead face is not sexyor she channels some kind of ultimate!bitch persona.
Hyoyeon: Mm, you know, I can readily forgive those bangs when this girl's working it like this~ I mean, she even makes some of that fail choreo work! Her solo shot during the transition from chorus to the second verse was so awesome - loved that HBIC face and how she was working that move. Girl works the choreo and the attitude like nobody's business. I'm a bit on the fence about that vest she's wearing, but man, when she moves like that and channels HBIC so good, it almost doesn't matter. Though I wish she had rapped like she had during their cover of Tell Me, Hyoyeon's the only one I can stand to listen to during that faux-rap. (Let the girl rap! We all know Hyoyeon's a ghetto superstar XD)
Yuri: Ah, yes, the other girl who stole my attention during this MV. Yuri has been pushed since TMYW as SNSD's "family friendly" girl and she does not disappoint in this MV. Her styling is great (lovelovelove her hair~) and she sounds good during her lines as well, especially "you're no fun, you have no manners." I also really liked the whole 'brush yo'self off' move around 2:51. Like Hyoyeon, she's one that really owns the choreography - she's actually the only one who pulls off that awkward hopping move during the chorus. And let's face it, Yuri's got some of the best body waves ever~
Sooyoung: I kinda felt like Sooyoung got shafted here. I didn't like that jacket thing she had on - the shoulders kinda reminded me of a matador's cape XD I did love the winks she was throwing out during her lines though. And that's the thing that I like about her - she works everything she's given. She made the best of her lines, even the faux-rapping and worked that jacket as much as she could. (I just noticed that she's rocking only one sleeve in their white costumes, huh). I loved her close up shots, but unfortunately, TaeYulHyo kept stealing my time during group shots. I'm hoping she channels a more overt HBIC attitude during lives and steals my attention back to her XD
Yoona: Unfortunately, Yoona was forgettable to me. Part of it was the hair, the other part was that she was back to her incongruous facial expressions (but at least she didn't keep giving me blank stares like Tiffany - I'll take that neutral tight-lipped look she has over blank doll stare any day -_-). There's a hint of a smirk during the group shot of her solo line in the beginning (~0:30) but we never see much of any attitude after that - well actually, there's a shot of her right before Seohyun opens the second verse that's rather good (~ 1:28). Girl has great lines, she just doesn't have the *right* emotion on her face. So whereas Sooyoung I felt was shafted, I feel like YoonFany just don't know what emotion they're trying to convey.
Seohyun: I actually liked Seohyun more than Yoona in this MV. I thought her styling was great - it was reminiscent of the straight hair, dark eyes look popular among girl groups in the early 2000s and she really pulled it off. I really loved how she opened her line in the second verse, that look up and the raised chin - so awesome. Unfortunately, most of her close ups are a bit awkward, like she was thinking too much about her lines. (I can just imagine her sighing again when she saw the lyrics XD) Maknae has a lot of moments when you can tell she's trying to channel HBIC, but the few times she succeeds, it's f-ing awesome. Those moments are slowly becoming more prominent, but she still has a ways to go. But it's because of that progress (unlike YoonFany) that makes me check in on maknae every now and then to see if she'll surprise me; I know I'll be doing that again during their lives.
Girls who stole the show: Taeyeon, Yuri, Hyoyeon.
Girls who need more help: Tiffany, Yoona, Sooyoung.
It's all relative...
Thoughts on RDR in relation to other songs SNSD has done
In terms of songs that they've put out*, TMYW and Chocolate Love are the two songs that are closest to RDR's concept in terms of sensuality but it's the most "bad girl" concept they've had - actually, it's the first time they've had a bad girl concept. I mean, the lyrics talk about taking revenge, whereas TMYW was all about doing what they could to grant their guy's wishes. RDR sets itself apart through it's 'not going to take this shit' attitude.
However, I still think TMYW and CL are stronger songs - take overall construction. Even just the opening and ending of those songs are better than RDR. RDR does have the hard-hitting beat going for it, but one could argue that CL does as well. (And TMYW has that great bass that was sadly not in RDR - curse you misleading teaser!). In terms of vocal quality, I would also rank RDR below TMYW and CL. All three songs have the girls singing in a pretty comfortable range (CL has that wonderful 'break down' portion where they're singing wonderfully low~), but what puts RDR third for me are those valley girl lilts and the fact that most of the lines are half-spoken.
In terms of choreography, I still think TMYW's choreo tops the three because although RDR has great attitude, the choreo makes me wince at certain times. I admit having a bit of a LULZ moment with the hand-waving in TMYW, but damn, I loved that choreography so much, especially when the girls started taking liberties with it. Chocolate Love, though sensual, is pretty simple choreo (though I'd have taken simple choreo over the awkward hopping in RDR -_-). I'll rank RDR second among these three.
*In terms of songs they've covered, I thought their cover of Womanizer was great and if they had a version where all 9 of the girls performed it, I think I might like that over RDR. The two songs are pretty much the same concept but though I like the beats in RDR better, the fact that Womanizer has them singing so low and without any of that damn valley girl lilt makes me think that I'd prefer Womanizer over RDR
Overall, RDR's an okay song, but it's not the best they've done, imo. (But also imo, TMYW is one of their best songs XD)
Thoughts on RDR in relation to other songs by other girl groups now
--- KARA's Lupin. The thing that irks me about this song is the key change and that change near the end of the song. I do I like the beat and that riff and yes, I'll take Nicole's rapping over the faux-rapping in RDR. However, RDR tops Lupin in terms of sheer attitude; I'm not sure in terms of vocal quality because of that damn lilt and the half-spoken lines. Also, I think Lupin's chest popping might pwn RDR's chest popping XD I'm still leaning towards RDR though - the beat and attitude for me is the tipping point (plus, their running move is better than KARA's XDD)
--- T-ara's I Go Crazy Because of You. This is probably the closest rival to RDR in terms of overall concept and sound (though I swear to f-ing god, it sounds like the card theme from Final Fantasy VIII mixed with Britney Spears). IGCBOY is more more electronic and autotuned than RDR, but it's still got that prominent beat and that HBIC attitude. And though they have that breathy delivery of their lines, I'll take that over the valley girl lilt. Hmm, I'm actually on the fence between OGCBOY and RDR, because even in terms of choreo, IGCBOY isn't bad - I'm rather fond of choreo during their chorus. Actually, when you add in IGCBOY's rap, I just might favor CBOY over RDR~
--- 2NE1's Try to Follow Me. 2NE1 has consistently been a strong rival to SNSD and though they're not actively promoting this song, it's been very popular - with good reason. I for some reason had this song mixed up with something completely different and once I listened to the song, I liked it a lot. The beat is sick and the MV's great. I think if they were to perform this live, they'd give SNSD a run for their money. It's a concept they all fully own and though it's not sensual like RDR, it's much more HBIC than RDR and sometimes, fierce owns sexy (re: Taeyeon in this MV).
--- But I just have to say, Hyori is probably going to blow everyone out of the water simply because she's Lee fucking Hyori. She could come out with a second Oh! concept but it would still be better than SNSD. We all know it's the truth!!
TL; DR summary: Pretty good MV, girls are working it, am both exasperated and curious about how SM keeps dangling things in front of us. (Let's hope none of them pass out from these promotions O_O!)