As you can see by the title though, this post isn't all about me. It's about the music I've had fun discovering in Korea! Most of you readers know I've gotten into cheesy Korean pop music, because, well, it's so darn catchy. Catchiness is mainly what I look for in music, and when you can't understand the lyrics, it's easy to overlook their probable vapidity.
While I've found lots of good stuff in the pop culture archives, this post is going to focus only on my favorite songs and videos that were released in 2011. Sound good? This isn't meant to be a "best of 2011" list, as I don't have nearly enough time to listen to every new song that gets released, it's just meant to be my favorites of the things I've come across. If you're the type of person who might potentially enjoy corny bubblegum (is that a mixed metaphor?), you might potentially find something you like here! Come on, give it a chance! It's better than most of the garbage being released in the U.S.!
First things first. There's my "bias group" (that's what Korean fans seem to call their favorites, at least on English-speaking forums), Secret. They were the group that got me hooked on K-Pop, and all the videos they released this year were great.
Secret - Shy Boy
Charming, anachronistic (what's with those Super Bowl pennants on the bedroom walls?), and clearly not representing a version of Korea that ever existed, this one as of right now is my all-time favorite K-Pop video. Secret is simply awesome, and it's nice to imagine a world where we shy boys actually attract the interest of girls like them.
Secret - Starlight Moonlight
Here's the retro-styled follow-up to "Shy Boy," released a few days after I arrived. This video was popular for its beautiful scenery. There's also a small in-joke at 1:54, as Ji Eun seems to recognize the porter in the station but can't quite place his face. This is a reference to the fact that the actor is the rapper who'd previously appeared in the video for her solo track, "Going Crazy."
Secret - Oh! Honey
This "video" was actually the teaser clip for the "Starlight Moonlight" mini-album, so it doesn't include the second verse of the song. It should count though, as I've actually seen it on the music channel here. Like the "Shy Boy" video, I'm not sure if these fashions they're wearing are representative of any actual period in Korean history, but then, a lot of K-Pop's style choices are based on whatever fits the musical concept. Entertainers are just people playing dress-up most of the time.
Secret - Love is MOVE
I've already given my thoughts on this song. In short, it's a thumbs-up. It doesn't have the most distinctive video; for the concept they did it's pretty much par for the course. Since it's Secret though, I'm basically required to include it here.
T-ara - Roly Poly
I'm sure this one will make my mother nostalgic for her disco days. This video is actually sort of a mini-movie, so it might feel a bit draggy if you don't speak the language (as is probably the case for most people reading this). If you want to skip ahead to the actual full song, you can jump to the 8:00 mark. If it wasn't completely obvious, the concept for this song and video were inspired by Saturday Night Fever.
Jewelry - Back it Up
This was another song that triggered my interest in K-Pop. I saw the video on the local foreigner station in Chicago before I left, and I thought it was pretty darn infectious. Jewelry is famous for being one of the longest-running pop groups in Korea, but the distinction doesn't impress me all that much considering none of these four girls are original members. I've decided the short, slightly-chubby girl is my favorite. She's cute. Their rapper looks like the Korean version of Leah Remini too, if that's of any interest to anyone anywhere.
I later learned that this song was co-written by Chris Golightly, a guy who tried out for American Idol in Season 9 and made it to the Top 24, only to be disqualified before the voting stage because it was discovered he had a previous record deal. He's been working as a songwriter in this country for the past two years or so, apparently, and he appeared on the current season of Superstar K.
Clinah - Come on Boy
I was withdrawing money from the ATM at the local convenience store when I heard this song over the speaker system. There was something different about it I couldn't put my finger on, so I went home and looked up the lyrics to find out who it was. It turns out this K-Pop group is actually a band! They have a singer, two guitarists and a drummer! After seeing their live showcases though, I have to question whether they played the instruments on this track.
This video is all animated, and it's cute enough. I think I missed some references due to the fact that I'm not an anime fan. For the record, I have no idea what the name "Clinah" means, and neither does anyone else, apparently.
Jang Gi Ha and the Faces - Another Relationship
OK, give me some credit. I did actually enjoy a song/video from a male artist this year. Of course, this guy's more of an indie rocker than a mainstream pop artist, so it's...different, you know? Whatever the case, this is a fun video, and the song is infinitely hummable. Give it a whirl.
Girl's Day - Twinkle Twinkle
A fine combination of aegyo and slapstick comedy. The "hajima, hajima, ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma" part gained a notable place in my classroom repertoire. The word "ajumma" is generally used to refer to middle-aged women, so I teased a girl in one of my classes by chanting "ajumma, ajumma, ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma," at her (complete with the arm move). I was proud of what I'd created when I later heard those kids chanting variations on it to each other.
2PM - Hands Up
Here's an actual boy group, if you were wondering what one looked and sounded like. I generally don't like the boy groups, as they seem to focus more on beats than melody, and I'm a melody listener. The only reason I'm including this song is because like "Twinkle Twinkle," it's given me a joke to use in class. The chorus is "put your hands up, put your hands up..." and my version occurs whenever I'd prefer my students to be listening rather than entreating me to call on them. Yep, you guessed it. My version is "put your hands down, put your hands down..." I'm so clever, aren't I?
KARA - Step
One of the fascinating things about K-Pop is that it makes me feel like I'm in a time warp sometimes. Many songs harken back to earlier eras, but sometimes they seem to do it unintentionally. This song, for instance, sounds to me like it could've been produced in the late 1980's. Everyone knows my weakness for that decade, as it reminds me of my innocent childhood, so it goes without saying that I can appreciate "Step." It may be 2011, but in South Korea, a song like this can be one of the year's biggest hits.
A Pink - My My
On the subject of time warps, this one sounds like late 1990's/early 2000's American pop to me. I can't really describe why I get that vibe from it, but for some reason it makes me think of my high school/community college years.
After writing the above passage, I looked up A Pink on Wikipedia and saw the following note about their latest album:
The lead single "My My" was particularly noted for having a sound reminiscent of girl groups of the early 2000s, such as S.E.S and FinKL.I see my ears are not deceiving me!
SpinEL - Chu Chu
This video takes place in some sort of cutesy computer-animated bluescreen world, but the song is atypical of K-Pop, in that it's got prominent acoustic guitars and sounds more organic than a lot of the digitally-produced dance stuff that's prominent these days. This was also memorable to me for being released shortly after I arrived in Korea. I don't think it became much of a hit, but what the heck, I rather like it. These girls are young, so they'll hopefully continue to develop as artists.
After this sampling of K-Pop in 2011 from an overworked foreign teacher who doesn't always have time to check everything out, you've probably either:
a) found it interesting
b) run away screaming
c) become a lifelong fan
d) wondered when I turned into a giant cheeseball
or
e) some combination of the above
I'll admit that listening to this music doesn't make me the coolest guy in the world, but it's helped me make small connections with students and given me some good ear candy, so I don't regret it at all. Lest you think I'm obsessed with K-Pop for its own sake, I should probably note that there are many songs I don't like, and plenty that inspire nothing but indifference. As with any style, it has its share of good and bad, and these songs are among the good.
If you find this music interesting, but not enough to follow it on your own, fear not! I plan to be here to sift out the worthwhile stuff so you don't have to!
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