On October 12, 2017, SF9 released their third mini-album Knights of the Sun and the music video for the title track “오솔레미오 (O Sole Mio).” The album features six songs, including “Poetry; 00:00,” “나랑 놀자 (Let’s Hang Out),” and “불호령 (Scold).” Each of the six tracks vary in genre, from pure pop to hip-hop and even some minor EDM influences, but it was the Latin-inspired “O Sole Mio” that left a lasting impact on the K-Pop scene.

The Music Video

The music video for “O Sole Mio” was filmed in California and features clips of the boys dancing interspersed with scenes of them wandering through what appears to be a deserted town. The choreography is sharp yet manages to still seem soft and flowing at times. Choreography shots take place in two settings, an airfield and the desert, and main dancer Taeyang even performs solo choreography in a beautiful hotel lobby as well. As the members go about protecting the sun, they gather different items, including an apple and a rose, as they walk through a beautiful church, the previously mentioned airfield, and a city square. 

The Comeback Performances

The comeback stage was on October 13, 2017 on Music Bank. For the performance of “O Sole Mio,” the members donned cowboy-esque outfits featuring lots of fringe. Each member had on a white t-shirt under a denim blue open button-up shirt with fringe detailing and black jeans. Inseong and Taeyang’s denim blue shirts also featured white shoulders while Dawon, Zuho, and Hwiyoung had lace patterns on theirs. The background set featured multiple panel screens coming together to feature a desert background. The screens then extended upwards to create an arch pattern, similar to rays from the sun.

They also performed a shortened version of “Let’s Hang Out” (sometimes also translated as “Play With Me”). For a fun track like this, the boys all wore skinny jeans with brown boots and different white tops, like Chani’s white moto jacket with pins, Youngbin and Rowoon both in white long sleeve shirts, and Jaeyoon’s white graphic tee. The choreography is looser and goofier than the choreography seen in “O Sole Mio,” like the boys want you to come hang out and dance with them.

The Legacy

Knights of the Sun peaked at No. 6 on the Gaon Weekly Albums Chart and at No. 7 on the Billboard U.S. World Albums Chart while “O Sole Mio” charted on the Billboard U.S. World Digital Song Sales Chart, peaking at No. 7. Unfortunately, SF9 did not receive any music show wins or end-of-year awards for this comeback.

However, prior to their breakout early this year with track “Good Guy” off of their first full-length album FIRST COLLECTION followed by “Summer Breeze” off of 9loryUS, “O Sole Mio” was by far SF9’s most popular comeback in terms of music video views. If you combine the views from their official videos posted on FNC Entertainment’s YouTube channel and 1theK’s YouTube channel, most of their pre-2020 comebacks are currently at under 10 million views (“Fanfare,” “ROAR,” “Easy Love,” “Enough,” and “RPM”).

That means that between their debut in 2016 and now, only three SF9 music videos were able to amass over 10 million views before their rise in popularity this year. As of writing, the music videos for “MAMMA MIA” and “Now or Never” have roughly 15 million views each while “O Sole Mio” is currently sitting at just above 24 million views. In comparison, the music videos for “Good Guy” and “Summer Breeze” are at roughly 41 million and 45 million views respectively, showing just how powerful these comebacks were for the group and helping them to gain even more popularity in the K-Pop scene.

We can only hope that as more and more people find out about SF9 that prior comebacks can be just as loved and appreciated as “O Sole Mio,” “Good Guy,” and “Summer Breeze.”