"I Love You" is a song recorded in two languages (Korean and Japanese) by South Korean girl group 2NE1. The Korean version was released on July 5, 2012, through YG Entertainment, while the Japanese version was released on September 19 by YGEX as the group's third Japanese single. The song was produced by 2NE1's long-time collaborator Teddy Park. Musically, "I Love You" is described as an affectionate, lush, and "moody synth" dance-pop track that infuses elements of electronic and traditional Korean trot music to create a "different sound" and "new genre of music", whilst still showing the beauty of Korean culture.
Upon release, "I Love You" garnered generally positive reviews from music critics, with them complimenting the song's production and composition along with the unique musical styles. It was ranked within the top five on Billboard magazine's list of Best K-Pop Songs of 2012 and was further included on their list of 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s in November 2019.
The song was a commercial success in South Korea, topping both the Gaon Digital Chart and the Billboard K-pop Hot 100. It went on to sell more than 2.7 million digital units by the end of the year, standing as one of the best-selling singles in the country in 2012. In Japan, the song peaked at number five on the Oricon Singles Chart and sold 15,700 physical copies. It was included on the set list of the group's first worldwide concert tour, the New Evolution Global Tour (2012), where the group embarked on in late July.
Background and release
In a StarNews article published on May 21, 2012, an official from YG Entertainment revealed that 2NE1 had recorded seven new songs produced by Teddy Park and planned to release a new Korean album in mid-June. After a month with no news, however, YG announced via YG Life on June 29 that 2NE1 would make a comeback with a new single titled "I Love You" on July 5, 2012, marking their first Korean language single since "Ugly" in a year. The agency also announced initial plans for the release of a new single every three weeks, leading up to a new album. "I Love You" was subsequently released for digital download and streaming as a single on July 5. The song was produced by Teddy Park, who had worked on many of 2NE1's previous material—including "Fire" (2009), "Go Away" (2010) and "I Am the Best" (2011)—and was co-written by Park and Lydia Paek.
The Japanese version of the single was first made available digitally on August 29, 2012 in Japan and was subsequently released as the group's third Japanese CD single on September 19 through YGEX—a joint venture between YG Entertainment and Avex. The Japanese lyrics were co-written by Keisuke, Tatsuji Ueda, Sunny Boy and Izumi Soratani. It was physically distributed in two formats: a CD-only regular edition and a CD + DVD limited edition bundle. "I Love You" was later included on the Japanese edition of 2NE1's third studio album titled Crush, which was released nearly two years later on June 25, 2014.
Composition and lyrics
Musically, "I Love You" was described as an affectionate, lush, and "moody synth" dance-pop number that combines elements of electronic and traditional Korean trot music instrumentals to create a "different sound" and a "new genre of music" contrasting with the styles the group has explored in the past. The song is composed in the key of C minor with a tempo of 125 beats per minute, and has a length of 3:57. In a press release, YG Entertainment stated that, "Since their debut, they have always done hip-hop, electronic, reggae and R&B. It was time for them to challenge themselves and try something new." The incorporation of oriental trot instrumentation in the song is a reference to the genre being considered the earliest form of Korean popular music—dating back to the era of Korea under Japanese rule, and became the defining element of the Korean music scene throughout the 1900s. Lyrically, "I Love You" is a confession song, with the songwriting depicting the emotions and confusion of a strong and independent, yet inexperienced, woman falling in love; as the members sing: "Don't get obsessed / Don't make me jealous / I'm still afraid of love / Give me faith like this." In an interview with Star News, CL elaborated on the song's musical direction, saying: