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TWICE - I CAN'T STOP ME


I CAN'T STOP ME is TWICE's return to form, especially because I consider their previous title track MORE & MORE to be one of the strangest songs that they've released. I CAN'T STOP ME is TWICE's title track from their 2nd album "Eyes wide open" and invokes a strong retro sound. This is a concept that I don't think TWICE has embarked on before but they execute it so beautifully. 

Meaning: I CAN'T STOP ME seems to be about TWICE's uncertainty of going ahead with this retro concept and how they perceive ONCE's (which to the uninitiated is TWICE's fandom name) reaction to this. Why I say this is because for the longest time TWICE generally followed brighter/cuter concepts but have been experimenting with different styles recently. The darker FANCY or the more dance-pop-like MORE & MORE are examples of such but I CAN'T STOP ME is TWICE's first shot at a retro K-Pop title, melded with once again a darker or sexier sound.

MV: The MV brings this across by depicting two versions of TWICE sitting across each other on a long table separated by a TRON-like red line. One side is dressed more conservatively in brighter colours (representing their current selves) while the other is decked out in black, with more provocative clothing (representing the concept they're going with). The red line, of course, is the boundary between both styles. Throughout the MV, we do see juxtapositions of both concepts, both in the group's styling as well as the MV's setting. I think the MV does a good job of showing both sides and the girls' struggle to embrace both the brighter side as well as the sexier/darker concept. Overall, the MV's set designs are beautiful and serve their purpose of showing off TWICE's dancing as well as the girls' visuals. Camerawork is good too. 

Styling: In their solo shots or just the group's still shots in general the girls look stunning, especially Mina, I was so attacked by her visual. The MV displays three of the dance sequences in the chorus and the girls are dressed differently every time. The first style is darker, in line with the darker concept. The second is definitely retro (and I just want to add that the set they're dancing in in this scene is very reminiscent of the train platform in the MV for BLACKPINK's As If It's Your Last) and also brighter, what I would consider their take on brighter imagery. The final styling is merging the two worlds together, where we see them dressed in brighter blue denim but yet still fairly provocatively. Personally, I really liked the first and third styles, the second style was a little too bright for me and I just think the girls didn't look as flattering in those outfits. 

Song: I'm generally not super big on retro songs but this is fine. I CAN'T STOP ME doesn't feel bogged down by the retro concept and its own fire shines through. Usually retro songs are so focused on being retro I think they lose sight of a lot of other things but I don't see this problem here. The rap also flows really well. The transition from the 2nd chorus straight into the rap is really smooth and doesn't take me out of the song. It was also nice to hear Momo rap again, she's rapped a little in the past but haven't heard that in a while. 

Line distribution: I like that main vocal Jihyo, and lead vocals Nayeon and Jeongyeon share the choruses (yes Jeongyeon gets less but overall still a fair bit of lines). It's been a while since I've seen Jeongyeon get a chorus so I'm liking this. It's a little sad that Momo and Mina have so few lines. Momo gets two short rap parts and maybe two instances of her going "I can't stop me, can't stop me", and Mina gets some lines in the first verse and the same repeating lines as Momo. Unfortunately, it's a matter of circumstance, a large portion of the song is the two-part chorus which is quite long and only split amongst the vocal line so they're bound to have the majority of the lines, while the rest is split between the remaining six members.

All things considered, this comeback for me is great. After MORE & MORE gave me like an acid trip after I watched it, I CAN'T STOP ME was really refreshing. The styling and overall feel of the song is just so much better. It's sad that Jeongyeon won't be participating in comeback performances due to health reasons but I'm sure the girls will cover her lines with justice and when she returns, the nine of them will come back even stronger than before. 

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Comments

  1. 전서준October 28, 2020 at 9:15 PM

    Plot twist: Jeongyeon's neck injury was from riding the motorcycle in the MV 🤯

    ReplyDelete

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