"Heartbeat" is a song by South Korean boy band2PM. It was released on November 10, 2009 via JYP Entertainment as the lead single for 01:59PM, the group's first studio album and first release since the departure of the group's leader Jaebeom. "Heartbeat" is often considered 2PM's signature song within South Korea due to the popularity of the group's performances, the choreography of which often being parodied on television.
"Heartbeat" is an experimental song composed and written by Park Jin-young. The song utilizes stringed instrumentation and a pulsing electronic drumbeat that emulates the sound of a heartbeat.[1][2] The lyrics of the song center around the experience of heartbreak.
Prior to the release of "Heartbeat", 2PM had withdrawn from appearances on television shows for several weeks due to the controversy surrounding the group's leader Jaebeom and his subsequent departure.[3] Starting from November 6, 2009, six teaser videos, each featuring one of the band members, were released on YouTube in the days leading up to the album's release. The videos featured various close-up shots of the band members hooked up to medical equipment and speaking, before panning to a heartbeat monitor, playing a short clip of the song, and displaying the text "What is your Heartbeating for?"[4]Taecyeon's teaser video mentioned the inclusion of seven members in the band, the seventh member referring to Jaebeom.[4]
Music video
The song's music video was directed by Jang Jae-hyuk released on November 11, 2009, the day after the song's release.[5][6] The music video features the members acting as zombies, styled identically in dark makeup and black-and-white outfits. It is the band's first music video to exclude Jaebeom, who left the band a few months before the video's release.[1]
The video begins with reversed sequences of the members falling in sand accompanied by stringed instruments, before transitioning to a sequence of close-up shots of the members expressing anguish accompanied by the sounds of a heart rate monitor eventually flatlining. The rest of the music video showcases the choreography of the song, set in either a dark, sandy set with minimal beams of light to accentuate the members' shadows or a well-lit room with curved white walls. At the end of the music video, the members all lie on the ground, with their souls leaving their bodies.
Reception and legacy
"Heartbeat" initially saw mixed critical reception due to its experimental sound and "zombie" concept, with responses ranging from "novel" and "refreshing" to "strange" and "difficult to understand".[1][7] However, the song quickly grew popular due to its choreography featuring multiple "point dances" and physical stunts that have often been covered or parodied on TV music programs and variety shows such as Running Man and Family Outing.[8][9][10] Examples include the opening sequence of Taecyeon pantomiming a pulsating heart in his hand, only to have his head pushed away by Chansung; the point dance of emphasizing a heartbeat with a hand to the chest; and the human pyramid formation at the end of the song.[11] "Heartbeat" was also known for having different choreographed endings focused on a different member each performance, such as 2PM's hallmark acrobatic flips or ripping shirts open.[12][13] The latter was an uncommon practice for K-pop idols at the time and solidified 2PM's image of masculinity and sex appeal.[14]
"Heartbeat" is often considered 2PM's signature song for its impact in South Korean pop culture.[15] In 2010, the song won a Bonsang Award at the Cyworld Digital Music Awards.[16] In 2016, "Heartbeat" was voted as the eleventh best K-pop boy group song in the past 20 years in a poll involving 2,000 people by South Korean magazine Dong-a Ilbo, web magazine Idology and research company M Brain.[17][18] In 2021, Melon and Seoul Shinmun placed "Heartbeat" at number 35 on their list of the Top 100 K-pop Masterpieces as determined by thirty-five music critics and industry experts.[19][20]
Japanese version
2PM performed the Korean version of "Heartbeat" when making their first appearances on Japanese television: Fuji TV's morning news program Tokudane! on December 9, 2010 and NHK's music program Music Japan on December 19, 2010, the latter being the first instance of an act performing a song in the Korean language on Music Japan.[21][22] A Japanese version of "Heartbeat" was included as a B-side track in 2PM's debut Japanese single "Take Off", released on May 18, 2011.[23] The track was also included in 2PM's first Japanese studio album, Republic of 2PM, released on November 30, 2011.[24]
Charts
Despite the Gaon Digital Chart launching in 2010, two months after the release of "Heartbeat," "Heartbeat" charted at number 14 in its very first issue and remained on the chart for 11 cumulative weeks.[25] "Heartbeat" also topped other domestic charts including the Melon Weekly Chart and charted at number 58 in the 2009 Melon Yearly Chart.[26]
↑ 박, 세연 (December 27, 2009). "소녀시대-브아걸, 걸그룹도 '하트비트'에 푹 빠졌다! 패러디안무 '눈길'"[Girls' Generation and Brown Eyed Girls, Even Girl Groups Are Falling for "Heartbeat"! Parody Choreography Draws Attention]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved September 11, 2025.
↑ 김, 지윤 (January 17, 2010). "브아걸, 2PM '하트비트' 코믹댄스 패러디 포복절도"[Brown Eyed Girls' comical dance parody of 2PM's "Heartbeat" will have you rolling on the floor.]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved September 20, 2025.
↑ 김, 소연 (March 29, 2015). "'런닝맨' 이광수·준호의 '하트비트', 심장이 아픈 무대"[Lee Kwang-soo and Junho's "Heartbeat" on "Running Man": A Heartbreaking Performance]. 스타뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved September 20, 2025.
↑ 함, 태수 (December 13, 2010). "2PM 가슴 근육에 홀딱 반한 日 여자 아나운서 '화제': 네이트 연예"[A Japanese female announcer is a hot topic after being smitten with 2PM's pectoral muscles.]. 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved August 27, 2025.
↑ 2PM, 4주 연속 '뮤직뱅크' 정상 '기염'[2PM tops 'Music Bank' for 4 weeks in a row]. Star News (in Korean). December 18, 2009. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021– via Naver.
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