Do or Not

"Do or Not" (stylized as DO or NOT) is a song recorded by South Korean boy group Pentagon, released on March 15, 2021, by Cube Entertainment as the second track and lead single of the group's eleventh extended play, Love or Take written and produced by members Hui and Wooseok, alongside Nathan. The song is a refreshing Pentagon-style song that follows the footsteps of their other songs like "Shine", "Spring Snow" and "Daisy".[1]

"Do or Not"
Digital single cover
Single by Pentagon
from the album LOVE or TAKE
ReleasedMarch 15, 2021 (2021-03-15)
StudioCube Studio
Genre
Length3:08
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Hui
  • Wooseok
  • 네이슨 (NATHAN)
Pentagon singles chronology
"Eternal Flame"
(2020)		 "Do or Not"
(2021)		 "Feelin' Like"
(2022)
Music video
"DO or NOT" on YouTube

English and Chinese versions of the song were released together as a digital single on April 9, 2021.[2] A Japanese version of "Do or Not" was released as the lead single of their EP of the same name on June 14, 2021.[3]

Composition and lyrics

The song is composed in the key of C major, 130 beats per minute with a running time of 3:08 minutes.[4] "Do or Not" has a genre of pop rock that shows Pentagon's own unique musical and narrative style where 8 members become main characters of a romantic comic. The lyrics "Say you like it or not', 'Just make up your mind now' illustrate one's cautious inner side and genuine feelings of being desperate while waiting for other person's answer, but at the same time looking witty and nonchalant.

With the male lead of a TV show as the motif, 'Do or Not' portrays a chill attitude with phrases like just be with me or not', expressing Pentagon's very own simple and straightforward, 'just do it or not' kind of love in this complex and challenging society.

— Cube Entertainment on "Do or Not", [5]

Critical reception

Puah Ziwei of NME praised that the group's "sub-vocalists Shinwon, Yeo One and Yanan for stepping up" and "be satisfactory singers in their own right" as the group's "vocal powerhouses" Jinho and Hui were absent. She also describes the song "undoubtedly catchy", though she felt "the song starts off with a misplaced '60s-inspired doo-wop intro that sets an entirely wrong tone for the song. It soon takes an abrupt shift to an early-2000s pop rock sound, which seems like a precarious middle ground between the harder sound of the group’s recent releases (‘Daisy’ and ‘Dr. BeBe’) and the brighter pop sound of their earlier hits ("Shine" and "Naughty Boy"), and only then does the song finally find its footing, and concluded that "sing-along chorus is just enough to save the song".[6]

Commercial performance

The song debuted at number 60 on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart with Gaon index of 7,119,656, and number 5 on Gaon Download Chart on the chart issue dated March 14–20, 2021.[7][8]

Track listing
  1. "Do or Not" – 3:08
  1. "Do or Not (English Ver.)" – 3:08
  2. "Do or Not (Chinese Ver.)" – 3:08
  1. "Do or Not (Japanese Ver.)" – 3:08

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from Cube Entertainment,[5] NetEase Music,[12] and Melon.[9][13][14]

Song credits
  • Pentagon – Vocals
    • Hui – Composer, songwriter, background vocal
    • Wooseok – Composer, songwriter
    • Yan An - Vocal guide (Chinese version)
  • NATHAN – Composer, audio engineer, bass, drum, piano, synthesizer
  • Gabriel Brandes – English translation (English version)
  • Arys Chien – Chinese translation (Chinese version)
  • Shoko Fujibayashi – Japanese translation (Japanese version)
  • Soulman – Background vocal
  • Kim Dong-min – Guitar
  • Shin Jae-bin (Cube Studio) – Record engineering
  • Choi Ye-ji (Cube Studio) – Record engineering
  • Jeon Bu-yeon – Digital editing
  • Mr. Cho (JoeLab) – Audio mixing
  • Kwon Nam-woo (821 Sound mastering) – Audio mastering
  • Jang Seung-ho (821 Sound mastering) – Assistant audio mastering

Visual credits

Promotion

To promote "Do or Not", Pentagon appeared and performed on several South Korean music programs including Mnet's M! Countdown, KBS's Music Bank, MBC's Show! Music Core, SBS's Inkigayo and SBS MTV's The Show.

Music video

The music video for "Do or Not" was directed by Digipedi, and was uploaded to Pentagon's official YouTube channel on March 15, 2021.[16] The music video garnered 1.3 million views, two days after its released,[17] and exceeded 5 million views, four days later.[18] The video sees the members of Pentagon all competing to try to win the love of the same girl. As they all try various adorable ways of impressing her like sharing the same headphones, dancing, and magic tricks, they come to realize that their friendships are what's most important. Emlyn Travis from BuzzFeed noted that the music video "not only the perfect fit for the song's upbeat melody and cheeky lyrics, but it also features the group's leader Hui who recently enlisted in the military last month, so it's especially sweet for fans."[19]

Accolades
Year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Dazed The best K-pop tracks of 2021 33 [20]

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format Version Distributor
Various March 15, 2021
Korean
Various April 9, 2021 English
Chinese
Various June 13, 2021 Japanese

References
  1. Shahrul (March 21, 2021). "Interview: PENTAGON On "Love Or Take" Comeback & How Hui's Absence Has Affected Them". hype.my. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  2. Oh, Yoo-joon (April 9, 2021). 펜타곤, 'Do or Not' 글로벌 버전 발매…옌안 참여 [Pentagon releases global version of 'Do or Not'... Yan'an participation]. MyDaily.
  3. "PENTAGON、日本作品「DO or NOT」リリース前に全曲世界先行配信". Natalie (in Japanese). June 11, 2021. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  4. "Key and BPM of DO or NOT by Pentagon". musicstax.com.
  5. "PENTAGON - LOVE or TAKE album information". Cube Entertainment. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  6. Ziwei, Puah (March 18, 2021). "PENTAGON – 'LOVE Or TAKE' EP review: a catchy if uninspired collection of tunes about springtime romance". NME. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  7. "2021년 12주차 Digital Chart – 데이지". Gaon Chart (in Korean). March 14–20, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  8. "2021년 12주차 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart. March 14–20, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  9. 곡 정보 DO or NOT 펜타곤. Melon. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  10. "DO or NOT - Single PENTAGON". Apple Music. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  11. DO or NOT - EP (Japanese Version) by PENTAGON, retrieved June 13, 2021
  12. DO or NOT PENTAGON. music.163.com. NetEase Music. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  13. [싱글] DO or NOT 펜타곤. Melon. April 9, 2021.
  14. "DO or NOT - 펜타곤". Melon (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  15. 펜타곤(PENTAGON) - 'DO or NOT' Official Music Video. PENTAGON 펜타곤 (Official YouTube Channel). March 15, 2021.
  16. 펜타곤(PENTAGON) - 'DO or NOT' Official Music Video. PENTAGON 펜타곤 (Official YouTube Channel). March 15, 2021.
  17. Hicap, Jonathan (March 17, 2021). "K-pop band Pentagon talks about new album 'Love or Take,' promoting with 7 members". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  18. Lee, Ji-sun (March 19, 2021). 펜타곤, 'DO or NOT' MV 500만 돌파…뜨거운 글로벌 인기ing [Pentagon,'DO or NOT' MV exceeded 5 million... Hot global popularity]. HeraldPop. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  19. Travis, Emlyn (March 19, 2021). "Blackpink's Rosé Performs On "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," And 5 Other K-Pop Headlines You Need To Know". BuzzFeed. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  20. Glasby, Taylor (December 20, 2021). "The best K-pop tracks of 2021". Dazed. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  21. "2021년 03월 Digital Chart (see #152)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  22. "2021년 03월 Download Chart (see #11)". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 9, 2021.
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