[3] With the release of their first EP Always (2007), BigBang began to incorporate a range of different genre into their music, moving away from their original hip hop roots.
"[6] Tamar Herman of Billboard wrote about the track's composition: The song begins simply enough with a piano tune and breathy vocals until T.O.P's deep bass rap explodes to transform it into a hip-hop ballad like none other.
G-Dragon and T.O.P's contrasting rap tones play off one another to offer a sharp change from the passionate vocals of Daesung, Taeyang, and Seungri, while the orchestral accompaniment draws the whole thing to a symphonic peak.
[7] Spinditty felt that the track "has a nostalgic feeling, which conveys the tragic, sad, and deep story behind the song.
"[9] E. Alex Jung from Vulture called "Haru Haru" "the undisputed song of the decade", commenting on the single's influence, he wrote that the song presented a sound that "was once innovative" but it "has since been copied and standardized to the point where almost every boy band now has a charismatic rapper with a booming voice."
[10] The song was released prior to the creation of the Gaon Music Chart, which began tracking sales in 2010.
By the end of the video, it's revealed that Park Min-young and T.O.P were only pretending to cheat because she was with a deadly disease and wanted to spare the one she loved the pain of knowing she was going to die.