According to South Korean music portal site Naver, the song is "a blend of Irish whistle and a 50-piece orchestra" and the lyrics describe the feelings of a woman trying to grab hold of her lover who is breaking up with her, confessing her deep love for him in the process.

Two accompanying music videos for "I Love You" were released, though neither was filmed specifically for that purpose and contained only a compilation of various scenes from the television drama series Athena: Goddess of War.

[7] Due to the unexpected popularity that the series and the song itself enjoyed after debut, a second special music video, subtitled "Highlight of SBS 'ATHENA: Goddess of War'", was aired and uploaded on the same channel on December 16, 2010.

Taeyeon performed "I Love You" live in front of a combined audience of around 50,000 during concerts at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo and Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka on January 5 and 9, 2011 respectively.

[15] Although her fellow Girls' Generation members were unable to attend due to busy schedules, her label-mates BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior and Shinee as well as the cast and crew of the series were present.