"I Love You" (사랑해; Saranghae) is a song by the South Korean boy band Treasure. It is part of their second single album, The First Step: Chapter Two. The song was released on September 18, 2020, by YG Entertainment, the group's agency. YG Plus, a company owned by YG Entertainment, helped distribute the song.
The original version of the song was released in Korean. A Japanese version of the song was included in the Japanese edition of their first studio album the following year.
The song was created by R.Tee, a producer from YG Entertainment. R.Tee worked with members Choi Hyun-suk, Haruto, and Yoshi to write the music and lyrics. For the Japanese version, the production team Zero (Yves & Adams) and Ta-Trow also helped write the song.
After its release, "I Love You" appeared on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales and Global 200 charts.
Background
After the release of Treasure's debut single album, The First Step: Chapter One, YG Entertainment stated that the group would release additional single albums for the rest of the year before launching a full studio album.
Plans for the second single album were shared after a clue in a behind-the-scenes video showed that the group had finished filming for their second single. The release date for this single was reported as September 18. It was described as more intense than their first single, "Boy." On September 9, the name of the second single album, The First Step: Chapter Two, was confirmed. The lead single for the album is titled "I Love You," and the B-side track is "B.L.T. (Bling Like This)."
The song "I Love You" was released with the single album and its music video on September 18.
Composition
"I Love You" is a type of dance-pop song created by YG Entertainment's in-house producers, R.Tee. R.Tee composed the song alone, and Yena arranged it in the key of A-flat major with a tempo of 130 beats per minute. The lyrics were written by R.Tee along with members Choi Hyun-suk, Yoshi, and Haruto. The song talks about loving someone. In an exclusive interview with Cosmpolitan Indonesia, the group described "I Love You" as showing a "fresher" and a "more carefree" side of the group.
Music video
The music video for "I Love You" was released on September 18. It shows the group members dancing to the exciting choreography of the song. The background features an ocean-blue sky that transitions into a sunset.
Promotion and live performances
The song "I Love You" was first performed on Show! Music Core on September 19, the day after it was released. On September 20, the group performed the song on Inkigayo. The group returned to Show! Music Core on September 26. The group performed the song again on Inkigayo the next month on October 11. "I Love You" is a regular part of the group's concerts and has been performed during their main concerts "Hello" and "Reboot."
Commercial performance
The song first appeared and reached its highest position at number 9 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart and number 170 on the Global 200 chart.