('Cause) I'm Your Girl

"('Cause) I'm Your Girl" is the debut single by South Korean girl group S.E.S., released via SM Entertainment on November 1, 1997, as part of the group's debut studio album I'm Your Girl. An R&B K-pop track, it was both written and produced by SM in-house producer Yoo Young-jin. A remix single of "('Cause) I'm Your Girl" was released in Japan on December 10, 1998, through VAP.

"('Cause) I'm Your Girl"
Japanese remix single cover
Single by S.E.S. featuring Eric and Andy of Shinhwa
from the album I'm Your Girl
Released	November 1, 1997
Recorded	1997
Studio	SM Studios, Seoul
Genre	K-pop R&B
Length	3:45
Label	SM VAP
Composer(s)	Yoo Young-jin
Lyricist(s)	Yoo Young-jin
S.E.S. singles chronology
"('Cause) I'm Your Girl" (1997) "Oh, My Love" (1997)
Music video (remastered)
"I'm Your Girl" on YouTube

Background

"('Cause) I'm Your Girl" features rapping by Eric and Andy prior to their debut with Shinhwa.^[1][2] The music video remained one of the most requested ones on popular music shows of the time for 13 to 14 weeks.^[3] A Japanese version of the song was included in the 12cm release of their Japanese debut single "Meguri Au Sekai", released on October 21, 1998. A remixed version of the song, featuring Japanese rapper Kreva (then a member of Kick the Can Crew) was released as part of a remix single on December 10.^[4]

In 2001, the song was included on SM Entertainment's greatest hits album, SM Best Album 2.^[5] The song was additionally included on S.E.S.'s 2003 Japanese compilation album of Korean songs, Beautiful Songs. In 2014, a remake music video featuring D.O. of Exo was released.

Reception

17 years after its release, the song re-charted on the Gaon Digital Chart at number 25 in the chart issue dated December 28, 2014 – January 3, 2015.^[6] In a survey involving 30 experts and 2,000 people published by The Dong-a Ilbo in September 2016, "('Cause) I'm Your Girl" was voted the third best female idol song by music experts and the seventh best female idol song among the public in the past 20 years.^[7]

Music program awards

Program	Date	Ref.
MBC's Live Young Times	February 21, 1998	^[8]
	February 28, 1998	^[9]
SBS's Inkigayo	February 22, 1998
	March 1, 1998

Legacy

In 2014, webzine Music Y included "('Cause) I'm Your Girl" in their list of 120 Best Korean Dance Tracks of All Time at number 45, with critic Hong Hyuk-soo noting the song's "melodic simplicity and completeness" as well as the "neat arrangement and chorus, well-ordered characters and choreography" having been passed down to future generations as a textbook girl group song.^[10] In Melon and Seoul Shinmun's 2021 ranking of the Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time, "('Cause) I'm Your Girl" placed at number 17, where music expert Lee Kyu-tak wrote that it "occupies a very important part in the history of K-pop, both in terms of the impact it had on the music world at the time of its release and the influence it had on future generations." Lee commented that along with H.O.T's "Descent of Warriors" and "Candy" (1996), "this song marked the beginning of K-pop and an important turning point that put SM Entertainment, the agency, in its current position."^[11]

Critic lists and polls

Publisher	Year	List	Rank	Ref.
The Dong-a Ilbo	2016	Best female songs according to experts	3	^[7]
		Best female songs according to the public	7
Melon	2021	Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time	14	^[12]
Music Y	2014	120 Best Dance Tracks of All Time	45	^[10]
Mnet	2014	Legend 100 Songs	N/A	^[13]
Rolling Stone	2023	100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music	27	^[14]

Track listing

Japanese remix single

1. "Meguri Au Sekai" (Miami DJ Mix) (めぐりあう世界)
2. "Believe in Love" (Jon Robinson Groove Mix)
3. "('Cause) I'm Your Girl" (Kreva Mix)
4. "Oh, My Love" (Cyber Soul Mix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Japanese remix single

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Japan Singles Chart (Oricon)^[15]	82

Korean version

Chart (2015)	Peak position
South Korea (Gaon)^[6]	25

Release history

Release history and formats for "('Cause) I'm Your Girl"

Region	Date	Version	Label
South Korea	November 1, 1997	Korean version	SM Entertainment
Japan	December 10, 1998	Japanese remix CD single	VAP

References

1. Lee, Minji (December 28, 2014). "무한도전-토토가, SES 바다 여고시절과 똑같은 미모" (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
2. Lee, Hyerin (December 12, 2014). "'무도' SES 영어랩은 유재석-하하.. 유진 대신 서현" (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
3. Cho, Hyun-jin (May 16, 1998). "The Next Sounds You'll Hear...New Asian Talent". Billboard. Google Books: Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
4. Amith, Dennis. "[World Groove] [Classics] S.E.S. – I'm your Girl CD single". J!Ent Online. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
5. "SM Best Album 2". Naver Vibe. May 1, 2001. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
6. "2015년 02주차 Digital Chart" [Week 2 of 2015 Digital Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
7. . SBS PopAsia. September 2, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022.
8. (in Korean). Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. February 21, 1998. Archived from the original on December 16, 2000. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
9. (in Korean). Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. February 28, 1998. Archived from the original on November 8, 1999. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
10. Hong, Hyuk-soo (July 21, 2014). "Dance Track 120 45위 – 에스이에스 (S.E.S.)『('Cause) I'm Your Girl』". Music Y (in Korean). Retrieved January 3, 2022.
11. "K-pop 명곡 100: 14위 ('Cause) I'm Your Girl – S.E.S." (in Korean). Melon. August 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
12. Hicap, Jonathan (August 29, 2021). "Top 100 K-pop songs of all time revealed". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
13. Kim, Soo-jung (February 3, 2014). "'동백아가씨'부터 '강남스타일'까지, 대중 사로잡은 명곡은?" [From 'Camellia Lady' to 'Gangnam Style', which famous songs have captured the public?]. MediaUS. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
14. "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
15. "「s.e.s.」の芸能人名検索結果" [S.E.S. Japanese Discography on ORICON STYLE] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved February 22, 2018.