"Can't Nobody" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group 2NE1. It was released as one of the three title tracks from the group's debut studio album To Anyone on September 9, 2010, by YG Entertainment. The song was written and produced by Teddy Park and is musically a dance-pop number with the lyrics revolving around the themes of self-confidence and empowerment. Commercially, it peaked at number 2 on both the weekly and monthly Gaon Digital Charts and sold more than 2.3 million digital units by the end of the year.
Background
The song was written and produced by Teddy Park, who has worked on 2NE1's previous extended play in 2009 and their single "Try to Follow Me" in February 2010.[1] It was promoted as part of the triple “title tracks”, or lead promotional singles for the album To Anyone, along with "Clap Your Hands" and "Go Away".[2] The music video for "Can't Nobody" was released on September 12,[3] and the first live stage for the song was broadcast later that night on Inkigayo.[4] The song would go on to win seven first place awards on several music programs, including their first two "Triple Crowns" on Inkigayo and M! Countdown. The song was promoted alongside "Go Away" and would last for a month and half before ceasing for "It Hurts (Slow)".[5]
The English version of "Can't Nobody" was released on Recochoku, a popular Japanese ringtones website, on January 19, 2011.[6] It also coincided with the release of the music video for the English version.[7] On February 23, 2010, it was announced that it would be packaged with the Japanese version of "Go Away" as 2NE1's debut single in Japan.[8]
Reception
Lee Jong-min of IZM gave "Can't Nobody" an unfavorable review, where he felt that the "unity of the arrangement was a bit unnatural" and more effort was put into trying to make it a hit than originality. Lee remarked that even though it was popular upon release, he was "already worried about rapid aging."[9] Following the album's release, the song debuted at number four on the Gaon Digital Chart and was the highest-charting song out of all the album's tracks. The following week, "Can't Nobody" rose two positions and peaked at number 2, just below the album's other title track "Go Away".[10] By the end of 2010, the song was downloaded over 2,300,000 times, making it the 13th best-selling single of the year in South Korea.[11]
Music video
A promotional shoot for the music video, showing the group sporting colorful and futuristic outfits inside a spacecraft.
Background
The music video was filmed in August 2010. Two different versions of the video were filmed: a Korean version and an English version—and were both directed by Seo Hyun-seung, who has also directed 2NE1's previous videos such as "Fire" and "Try to Follow Me". Filming for the music video lasted about 4 days for both the Korean and English versions. The original Korean video was uploaded to 2NE1's official YouTube channel on September 12, 2010, while the English version was uploaded on April 7, 2011.[12]
Synopsis
The Korean music video begins with CL singing the intro under a curtain as she pulls the zipper down to reveal her nose and mouth. The scene changes with her wearing black attire, rising up in an elevator. As her verse begins, she is seen driving a black Lamborghini around the city of Seoul. As her verse continues, the video shows CL coming out of a pink van with "2NE1" labeled on the side. She continues to sing as Minzy, Dara and Bom are dancing behind her wearing pink space-like suits. In Minzy's verse, she dances provocatively along an isolated corridor. For the chorus, the scene shows all the members dancing as Bom and Dara sing the main vocals. In the second verse, the girls are wearing masks that resemble 1TYM's Teddy Park, Yang Hyun-suk and G-Dragon. The next scene shows CL in a room with large stereo/robotic-type machines in the background as she performs in a yellow chair. In Minzy's verse, the scene moves back and forth from her wearing a studded hoodie and tattoos on her torso while sitting on a boombox, and her in a business suit standing next to a large black dog. The next scene shows Bom wearing a black karate suit sitting in a meditation room with her eyes closed, and another scene that shows her performing in front of lights. In Dara's scene, she's seen wearing a long and elegant gown as wind blows through the fabrics of the dress. Afterwards, the girls are all seen in a spaceship as it begins to malfunction. The space craft overturns, and the girls then go down a slide. The last scene shows the girls dancing and having fun in a large white room with flashing lights. The video concludes with Dara head-butting the camera and the girls looking through it.
^Kim Gwan-myeong (October 1, 2010). 9월 음원차트, ★작곡가 이름값 '제대로' 했다 [September music charts, popular composers dominant]. Star News (in Korean). MoneyToday. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
^"2NE1 9월9일 '트리플타이틀'로 출격" [2NE1 to come back with triple title track on September 9th]. Newsen (in Korean). Newsen. August 17, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
^"2NE1 - Can't Nobody 뮤직 비디오" [2NE1 - Can't Nobody music video]. YG Life (in Korean). YG Entertainment. September 12, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
^"2NE1 0912 SBS인기가요 Can't Nobody" [SBS The Music Trend on September 12: 2NE1 - "Can't Nobody"]. YG Life (in Korean). YG Entertainment. September 23, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
^"2NE1 파격 변신… '아파' 뮤비 공개 인기가요 첫무대" [2NE1 unprecedented transformation... "It Hurts" MV released and Inkigayo stage]. Nate News (in Korean). SK Communications. November 1, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
^"CAN'T NOBODY (ENG VER) レコチョクにて独占先行配信開始! "Can't Nobody (Eng Ver)", exclusive downloads on Recochoku!". Avex Official Website - 2NE1 (in Japanese). Avex Group. January 19, 2011. Archived from the original on March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
^"CAN'T NOBODY (ENG VER) 着うたフル® / ビデオクリップレコチョクにて独占先行配信開始" [Can't Nobody (Eng Ver) full music video / download available on sites other than Recochoku]. Avex Official Website - 2NE1 (in Japanese). Avex Group. January 26, 2011. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
^"最後の大物"2NE1、今春日本デビュー [2NE1 to debut in Japan this Spring]. Sankei Sports (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun Digital Inc. February 23, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
^Lee, Jong-min (September 2010). "Can't Nobody Single Review". IZM (in Korean). Retrieved April 4, 2023.
^ abc"Gaon Chart Search: 2NE1". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
^ ab"2010년 가온차트 부문별 Top 100위" [2010 Gaon Chart Top 100 Charts]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. February 8, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
^"2NE1 unveils official MV for "Can't Nobody (English Version)"". Allkpop. April 7, 2011.
^"벅스, '뮤직 어워드' 개최" [Bugs to hold 'Music Awards']. iNews24 (in Korean). November 23, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Naver.
^"'제8회 한국대중음악상' 노미니즈 음반을 드립니다" ['The 8th Korean Popular Music Awards' Nominees]. Pressian (in Korean). Naver. February 17, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
^"2NE1 Wins Major Awards at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards". ABS-CBN. December 2, 2010. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^미쓰에이 '베드걸 굿걸', '2010 MAMA' 올해의 노래상 수상 [Miss A's 'Bad Girl Good Girl' wins the Song of the Year award at '2010 MAMA']. Asia Business Daily (in Korean). November 28, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
^"MAMA 16개 부문 후보 공개, 2NE1 4개부문 후보 등극" [16 nominations revealed for MAMA, 2NE1 nominated in 4 categories]. Asia Economy (in Korean). Naver. October 28, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
^2NE1, '뮤뱅' 또 1위..3주째 가요프로 '올킬'. Naver News (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park, Young-woong (October 3, 2010). "2NE1, 25일만에 1위 8번..'가요계평정' 의미는?" [2NE1, 1st place 8 times in 25 days... What does 'Music Industry Ranking' mean?]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved February 9, 2024 – via Naver.
^Son, Nam-won (October 8, 2010). "2NE1 4주연속 1위, 누가 막을까" [2NE1 ranked 1st for 4 weeks in a row, who will stop it?]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via Naver.
^"World Digital Songs: 2NE1". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2017.[permanent dead link]
^"'올킬' 2NE1, 50만 벨소리 비결은?" ['All Kill' 2NE1, what is the secret to 500,000 ringtones?]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). October 3, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2023.