# Bo Peep Bo Peep

"Bo Peep Bo Peep" is a song by South Korean girl group T-ara. It is the lead track from the album Absolute First Album. The song won 5 weekly number one awards on KBS Music Bank and SBS Inkigayo. It was later re-recorded in Japanese for the group's debut single, which was released on September 28, 2011. They are the first Korean group to debut at the number one spot in both Oricon's weekly chart and Billboard Japan Hot 100. The single has sold a total of more than 91,343 copies to date and was certified Gold for a shipment of over 100,000 paid downloads by the RIAJ.

## History

For the group's comeback, T-ara released music video teasers for the songs "Bo Peep Bo Peep" and "Like the First Time". Around 9,000 netizens from over 9 music portal sites voted in a poll determining which song will become the album's title track, but despite "Like the First Time" being the winning song and lead track to the album, the group promoted "Bo Peep Bo Peep" on music programs after it was well received by critics who felt that it would be the group's first hit. The group held their comeback stage on KBS's Music Bank on December 4. The group performed a Christmas version of the song on Music Bank on December 20, 2009 and on SBS's Inkigayo on December 25. New outfits, hair, and accessories were prepared for the special stages. To celebrate the new year, a traditional version of the song was performed Music Bank on January 1st, 2010, on Show! Music Core on January 2nd, 2010, and on Inkigayo on January 3rd, 2010.
On August 4, 2011, it was announced that T-ara would be debuting in Japan with a Japanese version of "Bo Peep Bo Peep". The single was released on September 28 as two limited editions and a regular edition, with a Japanese version of their song "I Go Crazy Because of You" as the accompanying b-side. The music video was released on September 1 on the Japanese cable television network Space Shower TV.

## Commercial performance

"Bo Peep Bo Peep" debuted at 4 in its 3rd of release on the newly established Gaon Chart. The song won 5 weekly number one awards on KBS Music Bank and SBS Inkigayo. It sold more than 1,600,000 copies in 2010 in South Korea. Upon release, the music video debuted at No. 1 on GOMTV's Weekly chart and spent 4 weeks on the top spot. On January 4, 2010, It was reported that "Bo Peep Bo Peep" entered the platform's "Hall of Fame" making T-ara only the 6th group the achieve the feat.
The Japanese version debuted on Oricon's Daily Chart at No. 1 with 20,068 copies sold on the first day making them the first Korean girl group to achieve the number one spot and the third Korean group to reach the top three of the charts after MBLAQ's "Your Luv" and SHINee's "Replay". The single debuted at number one on Oricon's Weekly Chart with 49,712 copies sold and number one on Billboard Japan Hot 100, making them the first foreign group and also the first Korean girl group to debut at number one. It ended up at 97 on Oricon Yearly singles ranking and at 86 on Billboard Japan End-year chart. The single later received 3 certification from RIAJ, a shipment of over 100,000 copies in paid downloads and Full-length ringtone as well as shipments of over 100,000 physical copies. It also ended up on "2011 iTunes (Japan) Rewind" Top 100 singles of the year at 86.

## Cover versions

In 2010, Taiwanese entertainer Lotus Wang [zh] (王彩樺) did a cover of the song under the title "Bobee 保庇". It became a dance craze and was picked by CNN's Phil Han for the "Best Viral Video of the Week", which led to controversy from Korean netizens complaining that the song 'wasn't original' and that they failed to mention the original title or T-ara's name at all.

## In popular culture

In 2012, Captain Kim Hang-ah (Played by Ha Ji-won) danced to "Bo Peep Bo Peep" on the 7th episode of the drama The King 2 Hearts. On April 12, 2012, Ha Ji-Won revealed she was the choreography personally by the song's choreographer Jeon Hong-bok. The actress was praised for her dancing skills, However, on screen she had to give off the image that her character cannot dance well, and "that made it even more difficult". In 2016, the Japanese version of the song was added to Just Dance Wii 2's playlist.

## Accolades

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked "Bo Peep Bo Peep" number 45 in their list of the 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music, while Rhian Daly of The Forty-Five ranked it number 32 in her list of the 45 best K-pop songs of all time. In 2024, NME ranked the sing at No. 5 on its list of best T-ARA songs to date describing how took Asia by storm for its playful nature and an easy to follow choreography.
Awards and nominations :
| Organization | Year | Award | Result |
| Annual Home Shopping Awards | 2010 | Top 10 Songs | Won |
| Bugs Music Awards | 2010 | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Bugs Music Awards | 2010 | Music Video of the Year | Nominated |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2010 | Best Female Dance Performance | Nominated |
| Tower Records Awards | 2011 | Single of the Year | Nominated |
Music program awards :
| Program | Date |
| Music Bank | January 1, 2010 |
| Music Bank | January 8, 2010 |
| Inkigayo | January 3, 2010 |
| Inkigayo | January 10, 2010 |
| Inkigayo | January 17, 2010 |

## Sales and certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Japan (RIAJ) Physical | Gold | 100,000$^^$ |
| Japan (RIAJ) Digital | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| Japan (RIAJ) Full-length ringtone | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| South Korea (Gaon) | — | 1,609,000 |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

| Country | Date | Format | Label |
| South Korea | November 27, 2009 | Digital download | Core Contents Media |
| Japan | September 28, 2011 | CD single | EMI Music Japan |
| Japan | October 5, 2011 | Digital download | EMI Music Japan |