Only One is the title track from BoA’s 7th album “Only One”.
POINTS
- Refreshing. I like this kind of comeback for the Queen of Kpop.
- Her voice is still strong after all this time…
- AMAZING choreography.
- The music video review is based on the dance version video, as it is the only video released so far besides the teaser.
OPINIONATED REVIEW BELOW
It’s another one of those sad goodbye songs. Even though they have realized their differences, and even though they aren’t together, he’s still the “only one”. Simple, right? Let’s dive in.
VOCALS: It’s BoA!
Her voice was nice and clear. I loved her long notes, especially her long “ooh” at the end. Whoa! I can’t say there was much range in the song though. BoA’s singing voice is pretty high pitched to begin with, any higher would make birds explode and any lower would make her sound awkward. Her pitch is fine just the way it is. My only complaint isn’t about the actual quality of her vocals, but her feeling. I sort of wish she put more soul into the song. Ignoring the feel of the song however, BoA’s vocals stand well on its own.
RAP: No rapping here.
LYRICS: The lyrics were very sweet, but nothing out of the ordinary. I’m glad this song isn’t as angsty and clingy as most typical songs though. The lyrics describe a simple situation where a relationship went wrong. No one knows what exactly split the two apart, and naturally one cannot accept that the two are no longer together. However, unlike most clingy songs of this genre that want to go back and change everything or force the loveless to love the unloved, Only One just says “even though it hurts, you’re the only one”. The lyrics express how it’s natural to feel unhappy and awkward after a break up, but there are no regrets in the song. The lyrics describe a sad, simple break up. Although it’s nothing new, it’s expressed in a realistic, honest way.
MUSIC VIDEO: As of 7/22/2012, the only music video released was the dance version of the song. When the full music video is uploaded, I will update the review. For now, I will review what I can of the dance music video.
The video is set in various alleyways of a fictional place. Every now and then, it shows BoA lip syncing in these various places. As a dance video, however it mainly displays the choreography, which will be reviewed below.
DANCE: WHOA.
This choreography makes all the other dances I’ve seen look like babies trying to stand on their own two feet (… and failing). Every move was precise and meaningful. BoA practically KILLED it; she was just WAY TOO POWERFUL. It was stunning, just stunning to watch this performance. The backup dancers were really good as well. I could go on and on… But I will say one more thing. The duet was FANTASTIC, I’m sure many fans will agree. It looked incredibly difficult, yet they pulled off each step strongly, without tripping over one another. Whoever planned the choreography deserves a toast in his or her name.
OVERALL: It’s a sweet but catchy listen. Although the song is relatively simple in composition, it does not fail to impress. This ballad pop song will please BoA’s old fans, as well as introduce her to many of the newer fans (which will in turn have both fans listening back to all of her old music, from her Korean songs to her Japanese and even her American songs). It’s a good song to welcome back the Queen of Kpop.
(English Subs, Romanization, and Hangeul, credit LoveKpopSubs)
(images credit Izzy)
KrayPop Reviews 
Out of curiousity, how can you tell if she/s lip-syncing?
Hmm… This is a toughie, haha. In every Kpop making of the music videos I’ve seen, they lip sync, so I just assumed the same here. I know Wong Fu Productions likes the singers they make videos for the actually sing… But I’m pretty sure that at least in the dance, she is most likely lip syncing (sometimes she does not even lip sync in the choreography, she is so deeply into the dance! Amazing). You see in many Kpop music videos that they do the whole choreography and move their lips, but when you see them perform live, whenever it’s a part that one member really has to sing, they tend to pose and sing live, but not do the choreography as strongly as they do in the music video. This isn’t always true but it’s a general trend. Kpop idols are good multitaskers aren’t they? I guess I can’t really prove her lip syncing in the music video until I can’t see the making, but I’m pretty sure it’s what she’s doing since all of the other Kpop video makings they usually lip sync. I apologize for this late, long and relatively vague answer!