"Catch Me" (stylized as "Catch Me -If you wanna-" in Japan) is a song by South Korean pop duo

TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!; , ), known as Tohoshinki in Japan, is a South Korean pop duo formed by SM Entertainment, composed of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. Originally a five-member boy band which also consisted of members Kim Jae-joong, Hero ...

, also known as Tohoshinki in Japan. Written and produced by

Yoo Young-jin Yoo Young-jin is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and vocal trainer formerly under SM Entertainment. He has produced and written songs for H.O.T., S.E.S, BoA, Shinhwa, TVXQ, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Girls' Generatio ...

, two versions of "Catch Me" exist: the original

Korean-language Korean is the native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the national language of both South Korea and North Korea. In the south, the language is known as () and in the north, it is known as (). Since the tur ...

version, which served as the

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 ...

for the duo's sixth Korean studio album '' Catch Me'' (2012), and a

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, which was released as the fourth and last single for their sixth Japanese studio album, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' (2013). The Korean version of "Catch Me" was made available for download on September 24, 2012, the same date as the full album's digital release. The Japanese version of "Catch Me" was released by

Avex Trax is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1990, and was the first label by the Group. History Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from othe ...

in Japan as TVXQ's 36th Japanese CD single on January 16, 2013. A mix of

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...

, "Catch Me" was met with acclaim, with critics praising the back track's orchestral riffs and the duo's vocal harmony. The song was mildly successful in South Korea, peaking at number sixteen on the ''Gaon'' Singles Chart and number twenty-five on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Korea K-Pop Hot 100 The K-pop Hot 100 was a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multim ...

. In Japan, "Catch Me" debuted at number one on the ''Oricon'' Singles Chart and peaked atop the ''

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...

. Selling over 137,000 copies on its first week of release, "Catch Me" was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

(RIAJ) for shipments of over 100,000.

Background and release

Written and produced by

, "Catch Me" is an

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

song with

orchestral An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...

melodies,

sounds,

beats, and powerful vocal belting. The lyrics are about a self-respected man who says good-bye to his lover but actually wants to hold onto her. The song was recorded in mid-2012 at the SM Booming System in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. The Korean version of "Catch Me" was announced on September 18, 2012, and a teaser clip of the song's accompanying music video was released on their official YouTube channel on September 21, 2012. The full music video was unveiled on September 24, the same day as the album's digital release. "I Know", the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

pop ballad track from the "Catch Me" Japanese single, is composed by T-SK, Tesung Kim and Andrew Choi, with the arrangement by T-SK and the lyrics written by Shinjiro Inoue. First released as a promotional single, the music video for "I Know" premiered on December 6, 2012. The short version of the "Catch Me" Japanese music video was released on January 6, 2014, and the full Japanese single was released on January 16, 2013. The song also served as the theme song for the

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

drama ''Saki''.

Commercial and critical reception

"Catch Me" achieved moderate success in its native South Korea. It debuted at number sixteen on the

Gaon Single Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

for the week ending September 29, 2012. With over 161,666 downloads in its first week, it peaked to number ten on the Gaon Download chart and thirty-four on the Streaming chart. The song attained a peak at number twenty-five on the

K-Pop Hot 100 The K-pop Hot 100 was a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multim ...

. The Japanese released was more well-received, debuting at number-one on ''Oricon's'' Daily Singles Charts, selling 84,666 copies. It maintained its number one position the following day and sold an additional 25,349 copies, bringing its total sales to 110,015. The number-one single of the week, "Catch Me" finished off as the fourth best-selling single of January 2013 in Japan. The single also peaked atop the ''

, number fifteen on the ''

'' Japan Adult Contemporary Airplay and number thirty-two on the ''

'' Japan Hot Top Airplay. Critics described the song as "nostalgic", as the duo's vocal high-note belting performances are highly evocative of their older music. The

bass line loop in the song, though met with mixed reviews initially, was later praised for being a good "fit" for the song. Writing for

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protec ...

, Jeff Benjamin noted the song's choreography with "craft gravity-defying leans, quick jumps from ground to floor and splash through a water-infused video set." He included it on Fuse's list of "13 K-Pop Videos With the Most eye-Popping Choreography."

Performances

Music video and choreography

The music video for "Catch Me" was directed by Jang Jae-huk.''Catch Me – Production Note'' (released December 27, 2013) The dance choreography, noted for its intricacy and artistic imagery, is created by Tony Testa, who said the dance was inspired by the characters in the superhero film ''

The Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

'', specifically the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

. In the choreography, Testa used the back-up dancers in a way that could show members

U-Know Yunho Jung Yunho (; born February 6, 1986), better known by his stage name U-Know Yunho () or simply U-Know, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, Yunho started his musi ...

and

Max Changmin Shim Chang-min (; born February 18, 1988), better known by his stage name Max Changmin (), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Changmin was scouted by an SM Ente ...

doing "superhuman" moves, such as extended arms and waves. Testa remarked that the back-up dancers in the piece were just "an emotion that represented anger". Testa came up with four different versions for the choreography, but all four versions were ultimately put into one performance. In an interview with South Korea's ''Asia Economy'' in October 2012, Yunho discussed about the choreography:

"The final choreography has a story like a musical and features what we call a 'Mirror dance' and 'Hulk dance.' While Changmin and I face each other and move in the same direction as if I'm facing a mirror, our back-up dancers connect our emotions through their separate moves."

Filming for the music video took place in August 2012 at the Ilsan Art House. On September 20, 2012, a teaser for the music video was released on their official YouTube channel. It opened with a shot of a

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life * Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network * Clandestine cell, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization * Electrochemical cell, a de ...

, and showed solo shots of the duo. Yunho says "catch me if you wanna" and its electronic music picks up, inter cuts with shots of TVXQ dancing in water and mirrored sets. The full music video premiered on September 24, 2012. The dance choreography received critical acclaim. The dance was complimented for being innovative, epic and iconic. The video and dance were described to be "highly stylized" and progressive, affirming that the duo are trend-setters for K-pop. A dance practice video for "Catch Me" was released on September 28, which also received praises from critics and netizens.

Live performances

Critics called "Catch Me" a spectacle with flashing lights. Their live performances of "Catch Me" were received with widespread critical acclaim. Viewers were impressed with TVXQ's vocal endurance, as they have managed to perform raw live performances despite having to do such taxing choreography. TVXQ debuted their first performance of "Catch Me" on ''

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 ...

'' in South Korea on October 5, 2012. They performed the song at their Catch Me World Tour and the Japanese version at their Japan-wide Time Tour throughout 2013.

Formats and track listings

*Korean digital download # "Catch Me" – 4:38 *Japanese digital download EP # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" – 4:38 # "I Know" – 4:24 # "I Know -unplugged version-" – 3:56 # "Catch Me -If you wanna" (Less Vocal) – 4:38 # "I Know" (Less Vocal) – 4:24 *Japanese CD+DVD single AVCK-79119 :Disc 1 (CD) # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" – 4:38 # "I Know" – 4:24 # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" (Less Vocal) – 4:38 # "I Know" (Less Vocal) – 3:24 :Disc 2 (DVD) # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" (

Video Clip Video clip may refer to: *Short videos, especially short-form content ** Video clip (online media), a short snippet of a video uploaded on the internet *A music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that ...

) # "I Know" (Video Clip) # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" (Off Shot Movie) (First Press Limited Edition only) *Japanese CD single AVCK-79120 # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" – 4:38 # "I Know" – 4:24 # "I Know -unplugged version-" – 3:56 # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" (Less Vocal) – 4:38 # "I Know" (Less Vocal) – 3:24 #

CD EXTRA The Blue Book is a compact disc standard developed in 1995 by Philips and Sony. It defines the Enhanced Music CD format (E-CD, also known as CD-Extra, CD-Plus and CD+), which combines audio tracks and data tracks on the same disc. The format was ...

: "MAXIMUM" ( a-nation Summer Fest performance) *Japanese CD single (''Bigeast'' limited edition) AVC1-79121 # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" – 4:38 # "I Know" – 4:24 # "Catch Me -If you wanna-" (Less Vocal) – 4:38 # "I Know" (Less Vocal) – 3:24 #

: Jacket Making Movie

Credits

Credits adapted from album's liner notes. Studio * SM Booming System –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

, mixing * Studio-T – strings recording * Sonic Korea – mastering Personnel *

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

–

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

Lee Soo-man Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred to as the "p ...

– producer * Kim Young-min – executive supervisor *

– vocals, background vocals * H.U.B – Japanese lyrics *

– producer, Korean 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 ...

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 ...

, vocal directing,

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

, recording, mixing * Yoo Han-jin – arrangement * Shim Sang-won – strings arrangement, strings conducting * Yung –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

* Oh Seong-geun – strings recording * Song Joo-yong – strings recording assistant * Jeon Hoon – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

References

External links

* * * {{authority control TVXQ songs 2012 singles 2013 singles Songs written by Yoo Young-jin Electro house songs Songs in Korean Songs in Japanese Dubstep songs Japanese television drama theme songs Oricon Weekly number-one singles Billboard Japan Hot 100 number-one singles 2012 songs SM Entertainment singles