# Run Devil Run (Girls' Generation song)

"Run Devil Run" is a song by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. The original Korean version was released on March 17, 2010, as a single from Run Devil Run (2010), the reissue of their 2010 studio album Oh!. A Japanese version was released digitally on January 25, 2011, by Nayutawave Records, and was later released as a double A-side single with "Mr. Taxi" on April 23, 2011, as the third single from their Japanese self-titled debut studio album.

## Background and release

"Run Devil Run" was written by Alex James, Busbee, and Kalle Engström. In 2008, American singer Kesha provided the vocals for the demo of the song which has been leaked online. The song was pitched to SM Entertainment for Girls' Generation. The song is an electro pop song, with horn synths in the background, and strong harmonies. It is a strong conical departure from the group's usual musical style until that point. It has been noted to use the schaffel beat. In 2011, Girls' Generation recorded a Japanese version of "Run Devil Run", which was released as a double A-side with "Mr. Taxi".

## Reception

Seong Won-ho of IZM gave the song 1 stars out of 5, where he felt that the translated lyrical content and the group's vocal performance were a downgrade from the original version by Kesha. Commercially, "Run Devil Run" peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart for two weeks. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in ringtone downloads in May 2011.

## Music videos

The music video for "Run Devil Run" was released on March 18. They also released a story version on March 31, 2010. The original video contains two settings: a white room and a black room. Throughout the video, there are scenes of the girls dancing in these rooms, and there are individual close-ups of their own unique Black SoShi looks. At the end of the video, the girls are shown in the black room, after which the video ends similar to a TV shutting off.

### Story version

The story version is similar to the original version, with the two rooms where the girls are dancing, and there individual close-ups in their Black SoShi looks, but the overall video is different, with a tie-in with the video of the group's song "Oh!". In the beginning of the video, it shows the mishandled helmet spill a cup, which damages a computer monitor, causing the Black SoShi to emerge from the monitor and into the girls' room and begin making a mess of it. Soon, the girls meet the Black SoShi, and after an encounter with them, Yuri pulls the plug from the monitor to its outlet, turning off the monitor and causing the Black SoShi to disappear. When the girls are cleaning up the room, one of them touches the monitor, and it shows the Black SoShi.

### Japanese version videos

On April 8, 2011, the teaser video for a Japanese version of "Run Devil Run" was released and the full video the following day. On April 25, 2011, a dance version was released. Lisette Bustamante provided choreography for the videos. The video is similar to the Korean version, except for altered dance moves and outfits. The music video begins with a blue room, after, it was changed to white, with the members dancing, in white outfits, like the Korean version, Then, changes the scenes, to a blue room what shows the girls dancing in blue outfits, the girls can be shown wearing different "Black SoShi" outfits. The first of two settings used in the music video is a white room with the members in white outfits. At the first chorus, glimpses of the second setting, a dark room with the members in fitting outfits, are shown. During the second chorus full scenes in this setting are shown.

## Promotion

On March 11, 2010, photos of the members were started being released online showcasing a dark concept, the so-called Black SoShi. In the run of promotions for the song, an official iPhone application was released, available in free and paid versions. The free version has 30-second previews for all the songs on the album, a music video for "Run Devil Run" and a few photographs. The paid version has full tracks for all the songs on the album, music videos for "Run Devil Run", "Gee", "Oh!" and "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)", and a photo gallery. They concluded their song promotions by May 2, 2010, in SBS's Inkigayo. In Japan, "Run Devil Run" was first performed on Music Station on January 28, 2011.

## Accolades

Its first number one on network television was on KBS's Music Bank, where it won over Kara's "Lupin" and 2AM's "I Was Wrong".
Music program awards :
| Program | Date |
| Music Bank | April 2, 2010 |
| Music Bank | April 9, 2010 |
| Inkigayo | April 4, 2010 |
| Inkigayo | April 11, 2010 |

## Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from Run Devil Run liner notes. The Japanese version credits are adapted from "Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run" liner notes.

## Certifications and sales

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Japan (RIAJ) Full-length ringtone | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| South Korea Korean ver. | — | 2,171,755 |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

| Country | Release date | Format | Distributor |
| South Korea | March 17, 2010 | Digital download | S.M. Entertainment |
| Japan | January 25, 2011 | Digital download | Nayutawave Records, Universal Music Japan |
| Japan | April 27, 2011 | CD + DVD (double A-side single with "Mr. Taxi") | Nayutawave Records, Universal Music Japan |

## Footnotes
### Notes

* 1 2 Credited as "Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run"

### References

* ↑ Herman, Tamar (August 11, 2017). "Every Girls' Generation Single Ranked From Worst to Best". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
* 1 2 Yang, Ji-won (March 17, 2010). "Girls' Generation released 'Run Devil Run' immediately after topping music charts". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
* ↑ Pini, Gary (January 11, 2011). "Girls' Generation's 'Run Devil Run' is Our Music Video of the Day". Paper. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
* ↑ Martin, Ian (June 30, 2011). "Every day we're schaffeling: What Girls Generation are doing right". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
* ↑ "Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run by Girls' Generation" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
* ↑ Seong, Won-ho (March 2010). "Run Devil Run Single Review". IZM (in Korean). Retrieved April 2, 2023.
* ↑ "Gaon Digital Singles Chart" (in Korean). Gaon. March 14–20, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
* ↑ "Gaon Digital Singles Chart" (in Korean). Gaon. March 21–27, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
* ↑ Baek, Ki-hye (March 17, 2010). "블랙 소시' 베일 벗은 소녀시대, 신곡 음원 공개 (Veil is Removed from "Black Girls' Generation", New Single Released)". Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Hankyung.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
* ↑ Lucia Hong: Girls' Generation to release story version of "Run Devil Run" Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine 10asia.co.kr. March 30, 2010.
* ↑ (in Korean) [하이컷 엿보기] 소녀시대 가슴에 새겨진 숫자의 뜻? ([Hayikeot glance] Girls' engraved on the chest of the number mean?). The Chosun Ilbo Archived August 26, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. February 23, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
* ↑ "블랙 소시 태연-서현, 도도-시크 매력 물씬 (Black SNSD Taeyeon-Seohyun "Glamorous and Elegant" look)" (in Korean). Osen. March 12, 2010. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
* ↑ Hong, Lucia (March 30, 2010). "Girls' Generation's album released as smart phone app". Asiae.co.kr (in Korean). 아시아경제. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
* ↑ Kim, Kyeong-min (April 5, 2010). "소시 '런데빌런', 결방 '뮤뱅'서 카라 꺾고 1위 등극 (Girls' Generation's "Run Devil Run" Beats Out Kara for Belated #1 on Music Bank)" (in Korean). MyDaily. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
* ↑ 소녀시대, 지상파 음악 프로 2주 연속 1위 [Girls' Generation wins 1st place on music programs for 2 weeks in a row]. Osen (in Korean). Naver. April 13, 2010. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
* ↑ Run Devil Run (CD liner notes). Girls' Generation. S.M. Entertainment. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
* ↑ "Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run" (CD liner notes). Girls' Generation. Nayutawave Records. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
* ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart: Week 14, 2010" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015.
* ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart: 2010" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013.
* ↑ "Oricon Weekly Singles Chart: May 9, 2011". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
* ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
* ↑ "Digital Chart: February 1, 2011" (in Japanese). RIAJ Digital Track Chart. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012.
* ↑ "Gaon Album Chart: Week 22 of 2011" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
* ↑ "Japanese ringtone certifications – Girls' Generation – Run Devil Run" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved September 14, 2021. Select 2011年5月 on the drop-down menu
* ↑ "Gaon Download Chart: 2010" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014.
* ↑ "Run Devil Run – Single". iTunes Store Japan. Apple Inc. January 25, 2011. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015.
* ↑ "Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run – Single by Girls' Generation" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.