#10. What Is Love
It's not about how you finish, it's how you start. At least in Kpop that holds more weight. Both versions of "What Is Love" showcased solid vocals from Baekhyun, Chen, D.O, and Luhan. It was but a brief introduction of the powerful vocals to come from them. Baekhyun's line at 0:47 is one of my favorites to sing along to in any EXO song (and any song in general). The final minute is also marvelousFunny fact when I first watched this video I thought Luhan was Chen because he looked more Korean. Shows what I knew back then.
#9. Black Pearl
Man, the XOXO album had so many goodies in it. There's no honorable mentions but if there were, it'd be littered with XOXO tracks: "My Lady," "Peter Pan," etc. What I love most about "Black Pearl" is that the verses and chorus are two distinct entities but both sound in sync with the other. Baekhyun has like a three second window and everything just goes. Boom. Right into the strong chorus. This is "that escalated quickly" to a T. And as far as short bursts of rapping go for this has one of their better sequences, too.
#8. Don't Go
Continuing with the XOXO love, "Don't Go" is a guilty pleasure for me. It's that sweet lullaby-esque song that I generally dislike, but for whatever reason works wonders here. Maybe it's because of the voices of the rappers. Across both languages, the voices of Tao, Chanyeol, etc. are refreshing and this was the first song that made me go "you know what give the rappers some more singing lines I enjoyed that." You don't always need the main vocalists to steal the show and "Don't Go" proved a you can give singing lines to everyone! ...well, almost everyone. The fuck happened to Sehun, did they forget about him or what.
#7. History
Some diversity wouldn't hurt. Since practically all their songs have Chinese versions it's time to start linking some. That and I do think the Mandarin flows better in the slightly jumpy nature of "History." "What Is Love" used beautiful vocals to lure us in before hitting us with that sweet dance number. Since this was their debut, many people drew traces to labelmates SHINee, Super Junior, etc. "History" brought us a taste of what EXO's bread and butter would be moving forward. This song also started the trend(?) of EXO songs possessing really great bridges. That buildup into the rap was magnificent - mostly thanks to Chen haha.
#6. Thunder
That opening is some spooky shit y'all. I picked the Korean / D.O's version because of his lower voice but both get the tone across. "Thunder" can't hold all the R&B vibes it's carrying. It's so smooth and suave, which is contrast to what thunder is usually like. Perhaps that was intentional. While the rapping segment is forgettable, Chanyeol does his best (that voice oh my). But I didn't rank "Thunder" for the rap, those melodies and "ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh" repeats carry themselves.
#5. Monster
Despite being a trigger song for me (I've performed this too many times to count) the quality of "Monster" is inarguable. You'll notice I've expertly avoided talking about the actual dances but I can't ignore that anymore as someone who has practiced the dance. There's a lot that happens in the choreography and formations yet everything flows seamlessly. EXO once again blesses with a beauty of a bridge (however brief) before diving into a solid rap sequence. These two often go hand-in-hand and are a trademark of EXO's highest quality songs. No surprise to see them here.
#4. Love Me Right
At some point it gets really difficult to ignore title tracks. Something about this song screams "awesome." I could always jam out to this song rain or shine. Love the instrumentals and D.O's opening - that sets the mood right there. It was also nice to be treated to a rap break so early, something rather uncommon in EXO title track lore. Another great bridge that keeps pace with the song and voila! Another strong release. Unlike "History," the Mandarin version is too choppy this time around so the Korean one is much preferred.
#3. Growl
Ahh, "Growl." EXO in their element and finest hour. This was a sensational release and with it came the breakthrough EXO was looking for. When they put all the members together is when the magic happens.Funnily enough I think "Growl" has one of the weaker bridges (didn't feel Luhan's voice in the Korean version) in their music but that doesn't stop the song from being masterful in its craft. It's a potentially small if, but I wonder how EXO's trajectory would've panned out had Kris, Luhan, and Tao stayed in town. Maybe a topic for a Wild Kpop episode but for now the world will never know.
#2. Baby Don't Cry
I've raved poetry about this song and will continue to do so until the end of time. This is EXO's best ballad and it's not even close. Feels slightly bad to have a song this high that excludes so many but hey this is a beautiful masterpiece so it's deserving of the silver medal. Both language versions are so neck and neck it's difficult to pick a favorite. This song also houses Chanyeol's best rap break bar none. He's so damn good it's mind-blowing how average he appears to be everywhere else. Tao's rap is just as good. Grass is green, "Baby Don't Cry" is gorgeous.
#1. Call Me Baby
Of course it wouldn't be a top EXO banger if it wasn't something upbeat. To nobody's surprise, "Call Me Baby" lands at the #1 spot. I labelled it the best song of 2015 during revisions and that point still stands: "Call Me Baby" is the closest EXO has gotten to a perfect song. Choreography is lit, vocals are divine (especially during that bridge), and rap break good enough and EXO earns high marks in every category. Not much more needs to be said, "Call Me Baby" is dope.
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