Greatest Hits:: BB Girls: Rollin'

Edit: So. Um. I don't know what happened to this, because I have the rest of the post saved in the doc I use to store the actual text. But that meant I had to reformat the entire thing. So, if a link doesn't work or if it sounds like there should have been a link, do let me know so I can fix it.

 After a January filled with big profiled names (three of which were from the same Big 4 company), I wanted to settle a little back into the smaller companies. And after the last few posts, I wanted to shift back to something a lot brighter both lyrically and compositionally. So, while I wait for some more submissions, you're going to get this one. You know I love those underdog recovery stories, so let's talk about a well-known one.

Technically, they're going by BB Girls now, but since this was what they were called when this song was released, that's how we're going to refer to them in this post. Brave Girls originally debuted in 2011 under Brave Entertainment as a five-member group. They've had extensive line-up changes over the years, and Rollin' was their first single without any of the original members.

This makes the second such song I've done in the last few weeks like that, which feels like a pattern except I'm not doing it on purpose. This is also the second song I've done that's ended up saving the group from disbandment after it was released. That one is a little bit more on purpose.

Rollin' was the first track of their eponymous 2017 mini album, Rollin'. 2Champ (Teen Top, DIA, Samuel, T-ARA, Park Bom, mimiirose, Stellar, Romeo, OnlyOneOf, AOA, and GIRLKIND) is the only one of the composers that wasn't also a lyricist. The other two are Chakun (AOA, The KingDom, HELLO VENUS, TRENDZ, Samuel, Teen Top, Weki Meki, Boyfriend, T-ARA, Sistar, DreamNote, INI, DKB, Candy Shop and BAE173) and Brave Brothers (4Minute, After School, Park Bom, Sunmi, Samuel, BIGBANG, AOA, Sistar, HyunA, Boyfriend, T-ARA, Lee Seung Gi, HELLO VENUS, DKB, BTOB, Uni. T, Dal Shabet, ZE:A, and UKISS). In 2021, it got a triple crown on Inkigayo, as well as narrowly missing out on a grand slam (Lim Young Woong won on Show! Music Core, and that was his first win since debut). It was the first song to achieve a perfect all-kill by a group in 2021, and topped the charts for a total of 198 hours, which broke the previous record held by TWICE. It also took the record for the longest time for a song to climb to number one after release. First win for the group after ten years. What a story.

• Group: Brave Girls
• Debut Date: 2011 April 07
• Company: Brave Entertainment
• Status: Active
• Album: Rollin'
• Song: Rollin'
• Release Date: 2017 March 07

So, the original music video is age restricted for being too provocative. This is the clean version, which basically means that the scenes which were found to be a problem were removed and replaced with the choreography. If you've been around here for a bit, you'll remember that this is very similar to what happened with VOODOO DOLL by VIXX. So, I'm giving you the clean version in case you're not 19+.

Lyrically, it was also deemed unfit for broadcast by KBS, for a too vulgar slang term, but that got fixed. 

It's just one of those funny things, you know?

So, what's the whole issue with one of the best K-Pop summer songs of all time? Well, for a start, it's not a summery music video. That is a vampire and apocalypse music video, which, I'm not going to lie, is a bit of an interesting choice and definitely gives an edge to the song just by virtue of association. I also find it a little amusing how summery the album artwork is and then the music video is like that. 

I'm going to come back to the music video in a moment, but I want us to do something. I'd be willing to bet you've at least heard of this song before, if not outright heard it before, but humor me for a moment. Now, I did share the music video so you can use that or you can use your favorite streaming service. Your choice, but I want you to take a minute and not watch the music video and just listen to it. 

This song is just brimming with wonderful confidence. There's a very settled stability to it, which is impressive because of how high it can be in spots, but at the same time that height is compensated by the fact that most of the song is not. That balance right there speaks loads to the fine craft of the song, as does the way the song does soften, but not enough to actually lose energy, because we get some gorgeous ad-libs immediately after it. That timing is great.

There's a little bit of a latin music rhythm to some of the English lines, which is doubled up a little bit with the instrumental, but neither is the dominate feeling here, which instead is a strong flirt of a song in an established and long-lasting relationship.

I also love it when groups say their name in their song, and in this case, that's a statement because this is this lineup from the group's first release. 

Okay, now that we've gotten some time with the song, let's go back to the music video. It immediately turns that flirtation into a dark seduction, which makes sense given the vampire concept. But at the same time, you can't go into the comments without finding (once you get past the comments from back in 2021 about their meteoric rise from near-disbandment) agreement that the concept does not match the song. The difference between the concept, which is dark and thundery, and the song, which is bright and summery, is kind of wild. I honestly can't wait to see what the promotion stages from 2017 looked like. Are we going to get the music video concept? Are we going to get something that better matches the song? I don't know, and we'll find out! 

And while I've found the original music video, I'm not going to embed it here because I have a feeling something will break somewhere if I try considering I couldn't even get the link to share it until after I'd agreed that I was over 19. I will add the link, however, so if you're of an appropriate age (not that I could stop you anyway, so you do you), feel free to watch.

The scenes that were removed were because they were too suggestive and sensual. You know how one of the big motifs of vampires is the seduction aspect? They're laying on each other on the floor. It's an interesting choice for the song.

Before we start moving into all the stages I've been collecting, I'm going to leave you all with a comment that I'm pretty sure encapsulates the feelings of many of the fans in 2021. And yes, that's more or less cited correctly because I'm still an English major even if I've got the degree, but because I can just give you the clickable link with it, it's not a perfect citation. AKA, I'm not being graded and I'm not planning on submitting this to a publication.

I am the publication.

"4 years later and Rollin and Brave Girls are going viral in Korea. They deserve the success coming their way!! Hard work has payed off!! Update they are now charting again in music charts omg, they about to pull a second EXID. Update 2: OMG they got NO.1 on bugs music chart and are back in melon top 100. Their success is coming Update 3: NO.1 in genie also, in top 10 of flo and rising in melon. PAK IS COMING!!!" (@Kpopsegye, Brave Girls - Rollin' (Clean ver.), YouTube, 2021).

I think we're going to go in age order for organization this post. The song itself has a strong story for the group, and I don't know how much I want to mess with that story by telling it out of order.

Actually. No. I know how I'm going to do this.

We're going to start with something encapsulates this song and this group. This was the most recent performance of this song I could find, and there are a couple of points of note. First, this particular concert was being performed for the police officers, which is why we have the adorable mascots in the uniforms. I smile basically every time the mascots are on camera because of how adorable and cute they are. Second, this is after they've re-debuted as BB Girls, which is why there's only the three of them. Third, the fanchant is so loud. And there are quite a few men in the audience who are old enough that they may have been part of that driving push that eventually got the group their first win with this song. Even the younger men and women are all smiles and doing the fanchant. A lot of the officers in the audience also know and love the choreography enough that they're doing it too.

And their stage costumes for this performance remind me of USO performances, but the white stands out so well against the stage in color and the dancers in black.

Going back in time to Show Champion in 2017, we've got heavy doses of the concept's seduction, rather than the song's flirt. I actually really like the fact that they're dressed the same way because it harkens back to a particular era of second gen, which the group is from even if this lineup isn't, and I'm also not just saying that because it's the inverse of my favorite costume from the music video.

Also, in case you were wondering, the smiley one is Yujeong. She winks so cutely at 2:40. Eunji got to wink at 1:16. It's kind of like the cute was trying to break through even though the concept was a lot more serious.

And you know that I'm going to talk about the choreography later, but as we're watching these stages, can we appreciate the amount of thigh and core strength it takes to do some of the moves while wearing heels like they do? And balance. Can't forget about their balance.

One more from 2017, this time from Music Bank. I really like this one, because there was an oops on stage. at 0:31, Hayun (who is no longer with the group), flips her shoe completely off her foot. I love it. I feel so bad for her because she had almost a full minute to perform with only one shoe before it's gone at about 1:21 (which you can barely see her pulling it off). She looks like she may have had to modify the choreography a little bit, but massive kudos to her for staying calm and professional. And for thinking on her feet.

Was that pun too much?

And this one also proves that the mics are live and hot, because at 1:18, you hear those stools clank on the floor when they're set down. You can also just barely hear the fanchant.

Oh! But here's the new version of the music video and the song itself! It's the wildest thing, you know? The company gave them the darker concept to start with, which a lot of people questioned that decision. Then, a year later, the company redid the song to be even brighter and with a cute, summery, slice of life music video to match. The difference is literally night and day, which is funny considering part of this was in fact done at night, and it's still brighter in tone than the original. The timing is also interesting because this wasn't done after they suddenly made it big. This was done a year after the original and was released for the fans.

Now, before we move on to the next section, picture this: you're a member of a group. You got added to the group five years earlier, but the group itself is ten years old. Never had a win. Never much recognition. You have ten people in your fan club and maybe twenty people watching your lives.

You're seriously talking about disbandment because that's the next logical step, even though you don't want to. The group is moving out of the dorms, getting part time jobs in some cases.

But there is one thing you've been doing that will change your life.

You showed up.

Doing performances and shows for the military doesn't pay very well, which is why a lot of groups tend not to very often. Brave Girls performed regularly, and it won them fans because of their dedication.

Then, just like with EXID, a fan video was uploaded and the group went viral. Within three weeks of this video being posted, they got their first win ever. It's a compilation of their military performances, with comments. The ones that I find the most touching are the ones talking about the seniors teaching it to their juniors and that's how everyone knows this song and the choreography, and the ones talking about how this song saved them during their service. It's worth watching a couple of times, first to actually watch the video and see them performing and interacting with the ROK army, and then to read the comments, one of which is from Yujeong herself, so how's that for recognition?

"안녕하세요!!브레이브걸스 유정이입니다!! 하두 연락들을 해주셔서 자세히봤더니 저희네요.. 많은 관심에 정말 저희가 맞나 긴가민가하게만드는.. 😋😋 케케 감사합니다! 작년에 컴백할 때 저희에게 "얘들아 포기하지마라 고맙다" 해주셨던 댓글이 제일 인상깊었는데 아직 많은 분들이 이렇게 응원해주셔서 몸둘바를 모르겠네요^.^ 또다른 시작을 기약하게해주셔서 감사합니다👍🏻 우리모두 화이팅🙌🏻😭"

"Hello!! This is Brave Girls' Yujeong!! You guys contacted us so much that I took a closer look and it's us.. I'm starting to wonder if it's really us because of all the interest.. 😋😋 Keke Thank you! When we made a comeback last year, the comment that left the deepest impression on us was "Guys, don't give up, thank you", but I don't know what to do with all the support I get from so many people^.^ Thank you for making us look forward to another start👍🏻 Let's all fight🙌🏻😭" (@Youalla, Brave Girls - Rollin' (with comments), YouTube, 2021)

Thank you, VIDITOR!

So, that was a compilation. Here's one of those performances. Watching it in full, there's definitely this sense of how much they're enjoying performing for them. They're looking at the crowd probably eighty percent of the time, or more. I've never seen an idol group so not perform for the cameras as this, and those soldiers are so loud. I can't decide if it's fanchant, or if they're simply singing along, but at the end of the day, I don't think it really matters. Everyone is having a good time.

Actually, it's really funny. If you look down at the bottom left of the shot at about 2:18, you'll see two of the soldiers sitting there, almost stroking their chins and looking very thoughtful. I wish I could know which artists and producers and dancers were actively serving at the time who could have been at that performance, because I'd be willing to bet that they're in the industry somewhere, or they were at some point.

And then, if you decide to feel sentimental and have almost two hours to watch, this is thirty-three of their performances (though they did over a hundred), at least one of which was on Yeonpyeong and another on Baeknyeong. I don't know the significance of either island because alas, South Korean military history is not somewhere my rabbit holes have led me to yet extensively, but apparently that's a big deal. No pressure to watch this one. I just thought it was really cool that someone took the time to hunt down all thirty-three, and now I can share that fan and group effort with you.

KCON does this cool thing where they let fans go on stage and perform with the artists. KCon Japan 2022 had Brave Girls as their artist for that.

I may have teared up a tiny bit. I'm just... I'm really happy for them and for the opportunities they've gotten when all hope literally seemed lost.

Now, for my introduction to Brave Girls. When I was a much newer Fangirl to K-Pop, and as is still the case because I absolutely love the stages that get put out, I loved survival shows because they acted as strong introductions to groups. The first time I heard of Brave Girls was on Queendom 2, so while I didn't understand the larger context, I understood that they'd nearly disbanded but almost everyone else on there knew at least Rollin'.

MNET apparently doesn't have the good version available, only the full version without the reactions. And that won't do. One of the comments on the MNET full version was something to the effect of "Apparently the company has learned nothing, because why are they dressed like After School and cyber warriors for such a refreshing song?" (This did in fact lead my down a rabbit hole where I found out that After School performed bang in 2021 and they never lost it (yet another example of a company...anyway.).)

So here. Have it with the subtitles in Thai, because this is where I found that clip. You're specifically looking for 3:28. Have a little bit of a lead-up.

It is a bit of a return to that original darkness, though I will absolutely never deny how cool they look, especially because I think that's Minyoung at the beginning with the drums, and she's got that pink dust or chalk all over her shoes and I laugh a little every time I see this stage. It's the tiny imperfections, you know?

But the reason why I like the reactions part is because Kep1er almost seems to forget that they're idols now too and go straight into concert fangirling mode. It is a flipped switch.

And Brave Girls are having so much fun that two of the dancers had a hard time getting them their mics back, because they were in full party mode for this song. WJSN, Hyolyn, Kep1er, they were doing the choreography with them in their own green rooms to varying enthusiasm, but the fact that so many of them knew it? I love that. And if you're curious, the rehearsal and practice for this stage can be found here.

This has gone on a really long time so thank you for making it this far, but there are two more videos I want to show before the choreography. Ironically, this first one is choreography, because it's a relay dance!

It's also quietly, wonderfully chaotic.

They also did a live band version, and it hit me right in the feels because they're in army green and uniform. They're not forgetting who gave them their second wind, and it's another thing I love about so many of these later performances (which is why you're getting so many). They're kind of doing the choreography.

Also, shout out to yet another tiny oops. Yujeong over on the right messes up the timing a bit at 2:09, and Eunji over on the left laughs at her. You can also hear Eunji laughing at the end when Yujeong starts strutting around like a chicken. I'd also laugh because it's funny and adorable.

Before we get to the actual dance practice, look what I found! I found more hilarity! This is a special choreography video and basically, this is them doing musical chairs to figure out what stool-like object they'll be performing with, and then doing the dance practice.

I did spend the actual choreography bit being concerned for Minyoung every time she got up on it because that thing did not look stable. And she nearly fell like twice. But the awkward positions and heights were actually really cool because of the way they adjusted the choreography. Also, I really liked that you could hear the foot stomps and such. I appreciate those details.

And now it is time for the dance practice. The feet are even more audible in this one because they're in their heels, and it's one of the most satisfying things because they're really synchronized, even when they're getting on and off the stools. But they're not even just stepping off the stools; they're spinning off them several times.I also really appreciate seeing the flexed thigh muscles on some of them. Not that I think only those three have leg muscles like that, but they're the only ones that are visible at the moment.

They've got several moments where the choreography has the members sort of playing peekaboo with each other, and they spend probably a quarter of the song rotating around each other. Maybe an eighth. I'm not going to time it although that would be more accurate because I don't have time for that. But they do it a lot and it creates a lot of visual movement because they're moving in both space and orientation.

I also really like the part at the very end, starting with four of them facing with their backs to the camera as one pops out from where she'd been hiding. We get the rotations, and then they spin into something that with slightly different and more aggressively energetic footwork would remind me a lot of Riverdance. Then they each have a different pose at the end, which is perfect for the ending fairy.

And now, because I like frame narratives, I'm going to leave you with that first performance again, because the fact that they were even able to perform it in 2025 is a miracle. Some people might be upset that they continue to perform a nine-year-old song, but the song helped them survive disbandment and name changes, and it is so clearly still beloved that not performing it, especially in a situation like this that so clearly mimics the army performances, would be an insult to the very people who helped them not just survive, but thrive as a ten-year-old group that had never before gotten a win.

That sounds a lot like the closing paragraph on a paper, but I'm not going to complain overmuch because I struggle enough with conclusions.

Thank you for reading, everyone! If you got to the end, thank you so much! I know that this was really long, but I'm a sucker for this kind of story. It also just goes to show that a single fan can literally change their group's life, maybe not always this drastically, but it does happen.




If you've got a song you'd like for me to cover, or just to write a regular review for, you can leave a comment here, or wherever you found this, or you can always use The Form for completely anonymous submissions. I'd love to see what songs you love!”

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