Tell Me (What Is Love)

"Tell Me (What Is Love)"
Single by D.O. and Yoo Young-jin
from the album SM Station Season 1
LanguageKorean
ReleasedFebruary 19, 2016 (2016-02-19)
Recorded2015
StudioSM Booming System (Seoul)
GenreR&B
Length4:42
Label
Composer(s)Yoo Young-jin
Lyricist(s)Yoo Young-jin
Producer(s)Yoo Young-jin
D.O. singles chronology
"Scream"
(2014) 		"Tell Me (What Is Love)"
(2016) 		"Don't Worry"
(2016)
SM Station singles chronology
"Rain"
(2016) 		"Tell Me (What Is Love)"
(2016) 		"Because of You"
(2016)
Music video
"Tell Me (What Is Love) (Epilogue)" on YouTube

"Tell Me (What Is Love)" is a song recorded by South Korean singer D.O. from boy band Exo and SM Entertainment's in-house record producer, Yoo Young-jin. It was released on February 19, 2016, by SM Entertainment and KT Music, as the second song of the SM Station digital project.

It would later be featured in the compilation album, SM Station Season 1 which was released the following year.

Background

On January 27, 2016, SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man established the SM Station digital music project. The project is scheduled to run for 52 weeks a year and features collaborations between SM artists with various artists, producers, and other composers.[1] On February 3, Girls' Generation's Taeyeon was the first to debut on this digital project through her release of jazz song, "Rain".[2]

On February 17, SM announced that D.O. will be the second artist in line to release an SM Station material alongside SM's in-house record producer, Yoo Young-jin for "Tell Me (What Is Love)".[3]

The song was released digitally through streaming platforms on the midnight of February 19.[4]

Composition

D.O. (pictured in 2016) became the second artist to release an SM Station single

"Tell Me (What Is Love)" is an emotional R&B song.[5] The lyrics was written entirely by Yoo and narrates a monologue from a stupid man who had just realized his love after his lover left him.[6] The song is considered as the follow-up to Exo's pre-debut single "What Is Love" which was originally released in 2012 and featured on their debut EP.[7]

Yoo composed and arranged the song in the key of C Minor, with the tempo of 120 beats per minute.[8]

Commercial performance

The song achieved success domestically by placing at No. 12 in the Gaon Chart and in the United States where it ranked second in the World Digital Song Sales chart.[9][10]

Charts

Chart performance for "Tell Me (What Is Love)"
Chart (2016) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon)[9] 12
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[10] 2

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

Studio

Personnel

Release history

Release history for "Tell Me (What Is Love)"
Region Date Format Label
Various February 19, 2016

References

  1. ^ "SM 'STATION' 프로젝트, 태연 첫 주자…기습 티저 공개 '기대감↑'" [SM 'STATION' project, Taeyeon's first runner... Surprise teaser released 'Expectations↑']. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). January 27, 2016. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  2. ^ Han, Hye-won (February 3, 2016). "SM '52주 연속 신곡' 첫 주자 태연, 음원차트 1위 휩쓸어" [SM's '52 Consecutive Weeks of New Songs' First Runner Taeyeon Sweeps No. 1 on Music Charts]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Seoul. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  3. ^ "EXO's D.O is the next artist up for SM Entertainment's "STATION"". Asia Today. February 17, 2016. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  4. ^ "Tell Me What Is Love...유영진·디오, 통했다" [Tell Me What Is Love... Yoo Young-jin Dio, I was through]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  5. ^ Cho, Yoon-kyung (February 19, 2016). "유영진X엑소 디오 'Tell Me What Is Love' 음원 차트 1위 석권" [YOO YOUNGJIN X EXO DIO 'Tell Me What Is Love' tops the music chart]. The Dong-A Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  6. ^ Jung, An-ji (February 19, 2016). ""이번에도 통했다" 유영진&디오, 'Tell Me' 음원 차트 올킬" ["It Worked This Time Again" Yoo Youngjin & Dio, 'Tell Me' All Kill Music Chart]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  7. ^ Kim, Young-jin (February 19, 2016). "유영진X엑소 디오, 'Tell Me' 공개…8개 음원차트 올킬 성공" [Yoo Young Jin x EXO Dio Releases 'Tell Me'... Succeeded in 8 music charts]. Asia Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  8. ^ "Key & BPM for "Tell Me (What Is Love)" by D.O. and Yoo Young-jin". February 19, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "2016년 08주차 Digital Chart" [Week 8 of 2016 Digital Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). February 20, 2016. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. March 12, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  11. ^ SM Station (2016). SM Station Season 1 (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment and KT Music. Credits.