"Earth, Wind & Fire" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band

BoyNextDoor BoyNextDoor (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KOZ Entertainment in 2023. The group consists of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan, and Woonhak. Characterized by its eponymous 'wikt:boy next door, boy ...

for their second extended play (EP) '' How?'' (2024). It was released on April 15, 2024, through

KOZ Entertainment Hybe Co., Ltd. (; stylized as Hybe Corporation; commonly known as simply Hybe) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The compan ...

as the EP's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

. Members Jaehyun, Taesan, and Woonhak wrote the song alongside producers Zico and Kako. Described as a

hyperpop Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on p ...

song, the lyrics narrate on a love story compared to the

classical element The classical elements typically refer to Earth (classical element), earth, Water (classical element), water, Air (classical element), air, Fire (classical element), fire, and (later) Aether (classical element), aether which were proposed to ...

s. A Japanese version of the song was released on June 19, 2024, through

Universal Music Japan , often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in Japan regarding music distribution. The company is responsible ...

as part of the group's debut Japanese

maxi single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...

"And,".

Background and release

On March 19, 2024, KOZ Entertainment announced

's second

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) '' How?'', marking their first release in seven months and forming the final part of their trilogy of releases narrating a story of a "first love". On March 29, the track list for the EP was released, with "Earth, Wind & Fire" marked as the

". A snippet of the track was released on April 8, as part of a "track spoiler" preview for the EP. A 23-second teaser for the single's music video was released on April 12, three days before the EP's release.

Composition

"Earth, Wind & Fire" has a runtime of two minutes and 59 seconds. The song was written by members Jaehyun, Taesan, and Woonhak, alongside producers Zico and Kako. A

song, the track discusses a "love that does not go as planned". Member Sungho remarked that the song's lyrics narrates a plot that "develops and changes constantly". Lyrically, the song likens love to the "unpredictable nature" of the

s. Member Jaehyun drew inspiration from the British film franchise ''

Kingsman Kingsman or King's man may refer to: * Kingsman (rank), a British Army rank Arts and media * Kingsman (franchise), ''Kingsman'' (franchise) ** Kingsman (comic book), ''Kingsman'' (comic book), the basis for the franchise ** ''Kingsman: The Secre ...

'' in writing the song. Envisioning a character "exuding confidence and charm yet revealing vulnerability in intimate moments", Jaehyun aimed to "infuse a sense of gentleness" into the song. Member Riwoo stated that the song expresses the "frustration that runs through your mind when you're in love but nothing goes as planned". The track features a " sped-up" section that delivers the lines in a fast-pace. At a media showcase, the members clarified that the song's title bears no relation to the American band

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

. An English version of the track is featured on the EP, and serves as its closing track.

Music video

The music video for "Earth, Wind & Fire" was released in conjunction with the single and the EP. Themed after the kitschcore aesthetic of ''How?'', the music video conveys the "unpredictable twists and turns of first love" and visualizes the song in constantly shifting landscapes set in Earth and outer space. Member Riwoo was credited for contributing to the choreography for the song.

Accolades

On South Korean music programs, "Earth, Wind & Fire" achieved first place wins on the April 23 episode of '' The Show'', April 24 episode of ''

Show Champion ''Show Champion'' () is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan. Hosts * Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012) * Hahm Eun-jung (January 30, 2013 – ...

'', and April 26 episode of ''

Music Bank ''Music Bank'' () is a South Korean music program which airs every Friday at 17:15 KST on KBS2. the show is also broadcast in more than a hundred countries through KBS World. Episodes are filmed at the KBS New Wing Open Hall in Yeouido-dong, Ye ...

''.

Credits and personnel

* Daily –

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

* Kako – lyrics,

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

* Likey – arrangement * Myung Jae-hyun – lyrics, composition * Pop Time – composition, arrangement * Taesan – lyrics, composition * Woonhak – lyrics * Zico – lyrics, composition

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Japanese version

Japanese-language is the principal language of the Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide. ...

version of "Earth, Wind & Fire" was recorded for BoyNextDoor's debut Japanese

"And,". It was released on June 19, 2024, through

, with the full single being released on July 10. Japanese songwriter

Kanata Okajima is a multi-platinum songwriter raised in Tokyo. Kanata is a multi-platinum songwriter, top-liner & vocal producer. She has accrued more than 170 No. #1 hits, and got the Japanese Grammy on 2017. She co ...

provided lyrics for the translated version of the song, with members Jaehyun, Taesan, and Woonhak, and producers Kako and Zico also credited for writing.

Background and release

The "First love trilogy" of ''Who!'', ''Why..'', and ''How?'' earned BoyNextDoor steady commercial success in Japan, culminating with ''How?'' debuting at number one at the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

. On May 6, 2024, KOZ Entertainment announced that BoyNextDoor will debut in Japan with the release of their debut Japanese

"And,". The maxi single release included Japanese re-recordings of select tracks from the trilogy as well as the Japanese-language song "Good Day". The Japanese version of "Earth, Wind & Fire" fronted the single and was released on June 19, ahead of the single's release. The full single was released on July 10, alongside an alternate music video for the Japanese version of "Earth, Wind & Fire".

Promotion

BoyNextDoor began promotional activities for "And," on June 19, with a surprise appearance at a listening party held at the Club Quattro in

Shibuya, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,609 in 142,443 households ...

, where the song "Good Day" was announced and the Japanese version of "Earth, Wind & Fire" was performed. The band previously opened a photo exhibit on June 14 in collaboration with the retail chain Parco while pre-orders for the physical single began on May 8. BoyNextDoor accompanied the single's release with a showcase held at the Roppongi Hills Arena in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. The band appeared in several Japanese programs to promote the single, including the TBS late-night music television program '' CDTV Live! Live!'' on July 9; the NTV news program ''DayDay'' on July 13 and the TBS music program ''Music Day'' the same day. Concept photos were released in the run-up to the single's release. For the "syouyo" concept, the images depict the members aimlessly wandering the streets of Japan as they share personal stories. In the "yakou" concept photos, the members are depicted running around in a Japanese train station and entering a convenience store.

Commercial performance

"And," entered the Daily Single Ranking for the

Oricon Chart , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...

dated July 10, marking the band's third number one single in the chart. The single cumulatively sold 163,482 copies in two days, double the number sold by ''How?'' in 2024.

Track listing

# "One and Only" (Japanese version) – 2:48 # "Earth, Wind & Fire" (Japanese version) – 2:59 # "But Sometimes" (Japanese version) – 2:54 # "Good Day" – 2:52

Credits and personnel

* Daily –

(track 2),

(track 2–3) * Jaehyun – lyrics (track 2–3), composition (track 2–3) * Kako – lyrics (track 2–3), composition (track 2–3), arrangement (track 3) * Kentz – lyrics (track 4), music (track 4), arrangement (track 4) * Likey – composition (track 2), arrangement (track 2–3) * Noizewave – composition (track 4) *

– lyrics (track 2) * Pop Time – composition (track 2–3), arrangement (track 1–3) * Roho – composition (track 3) * Taesan – lyrics (track 2–3), music (track 2–3) * Woonhak – lyrics (track 2–3), music (track 2–3) * Zico – lyrics (track 1–3), composition (track 1–2)

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{BoyNextDoor 2024 singles 2024 songs Hybe Corporation singles Songs in Korean BoyNextDoor songs Songs written by Zico (rapper)