On March 30, 2015, EXO released their second full-length album, EXODUS. While they released the title track “CALL ME BABY” digitally three days earlier, the music videos dropped on the same day as the album’s physical release. Before the album’s release, teaser videos dropped for each of the members; entitled “Pathcode,” these teasers were filmed in various locations, with the first letter of each location ultimately spelling out “CALL ME BABY.” The album features pop, dance, and R&B tracks and even includes “Playboy,” a track written, arranged, and produced by labelmate Jonghyun from SHINee. This was the final release featuring Tao, who left due to an injury shortly after promotions began, though it is speculated he also left for similar reasons as former members Luhan and Kris. The repackage album LOVE ME RIGHT was released on June 3, 2015.

The Music Videos

Much like the album, “CALL ME BABY” received a Korean and a Chinese music video. Both videos are essentially the same, with a member rolling up in an expensive car and parking in the middle of a service bay before the boys dance in what appears to be the waiting area of a car dealership. Other than the language the song is sung in, one of the main differences right from the beginning is exactly who pulls up. In the Korean version, we get Kai pulling up in a sleek baby blue convertible while the Chinese version has Tao pulling up in a red Ferrari. There are also differences in who is sitting in which seat in certain spots, but for the most part, the videos are the same. When the boys aren’t performing the choreography in the dealership setting, they’re dancing in an empty warehouse with large windows providing lighting or just an empty, white room. There’s no real plot to digest, which isn’t a bad thing; sometimes it’s nice to not have to dissect every little thing and just enjoy the music and dancing.

The Comeback Performances

EXO had their EXODUS comeback show on April 2, 2015 on M!COUNTDOWN, where they performed “MY ANSWER” and “CALL ME BABY.” For the performance of “MY ANSWER,” members Baekhyun, D.O., and leader Suho stood on a circular platform in the middle of the crowd. Surrounding the boys on the platform was a circle of flowers while petals fell from above them. Each of the three members wore pink suit jackets over white turtlenecks, paired with white suit pants. It was an up close and personal performance for the boys as the fans in the crowd were given the chance to stare straight up at their idols.

The comeback performance for “CALL ME BABY” is very similar to the music video; the performance opens up with a dance solo by Kai (no car this time) before the camera begins to follow them to different sections of the stage rather than the members being positioned in a central spot. The members are seen in outfits from the music video, like Sehun and Lay in their jerseys and Kai’s white ensemble with blue turtleneck, and the stage setup is rather intricate compared to other comeback performances. It’s a fun experience from beginning to end.

The Legacy

“CALL ME BABY” is the EXO track with the most music show wins as of 2020, pulling in an astounding 18 trophies. The group won three awards on Inkigayo (April 5, April 12, and April 19), three from Show Champion (April 8, April 15, and April 22), three from M!COUNTDOWN (April 9, April 17, and April 30), four on Music Bank (April 10, April 17, April 24, and May 1), four from Show! Music Core (April 11, April 18, April 25, and May 2), and one from The Show on April 28.

The track peaked at No. 98 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart, the second Korean track to do so after PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” and at No. 2 on the Gaon Weekly Charts and the Billboard U.S. World Digital Songs Chart. On the Gaon Year-End Charts, “CALL ME BABY” peaked at No. 7. The track made Billboard’s “The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015” and “The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s,” coming in at No. 9 and No. 12 respectively.

The Korean and Chinese versions of EXODUS peaked at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively on the Gaon Weekly Albums Chart and also on the Gaon Monthly Albums Chart. On the Gaon 2015 Yearly Albums Chart, the Korean version of EXODUS peaked at No. 1 while the Chinese version peaked at No. 4. The combined version of EXODUS peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard 200 Chart, No. 15 on the Billboard Independent Albums Chart, No. 70 on the Billboard Top Album Sales Chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard World Albums Chart.

At the year-end awards, EXODUS won the “Disk Bonsang” and “Disk Daesang” at the Golst Quarterden Disk Awards, “Album of the Year” at MelOn Music Awards, “UnionPay Album of the Year” at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, “Artist of the Year (Album) - 1st Quarter” at the Gaon Chart Awards. “CALL ME BABY” was nominated for “Digital Bonsang” at the Golden Disk Awards, “Song of the Year” at the MelOn Music Awards, and “UnionPay Song of the Year” at the Mnet Asian Music Awards but did not win. The track did, however, win “Best Champion Songs of 2015” at the MBC Music Show Champion Awards.

With so much accomplished, it’s no surprise that this track is still regarded by fans as one of the best EXO songs. The track has an infectious chorus and incredible choreography; it’s safe to say that “CALL ME BABY” will continue to leave its mark for years to come.