Korea's Sad Song Party Anthem: Lee Moon Se's "Red Sunset Glow"

What do you do when you hear a song that has a good beat and a catchy melody? You probably want to tap your foot, sing along, or maybe even get up and dance, don't you? Of course you do! You're only human! (no disrespect intended to anyone who is mute or lacks the use of their legs)

Korean singer Lee Moon Se (이문세) has a popular song that fits into that category, and it's been covered by many artists over the years. The title is "붉은 노을," which translates into "Red Sunset Glow." Give it a listen here before reading any further:

Pretty good song, right? If you don't understand the lyrics, perhaps you felt it seemed pretty upbeat. Well, why don't we take a look at those lyrics:

(Verse 1)
붉게 물든 노을 바라보면
When I look at the red-colored sunset glow
슬픈 그대 얼굴 생각이 나
Thoughts of your sad face arise
고개 숙이네 눈물 흘러
I bow my head, tears flow
아무 말할 수가 없지만
I can’t say anything at all, but

(Chorus)
난 너를 사랑하네 이 세상 너 뿐이야
I love you, you’re the only one in this world
소리쳐 부르지만 저 대답 없는 노을만 붉게 타는데
I cry out, but only the unresponsive sunset glow burns red…

(Bridge)
그 세월 속에 잊어야할 기억들이 다시 생각나면
In times like that, when memories I ought to forget come back to me
눈감아요 소리없이 그 이름 불러요
I close my eyes, I silently call your name
아름다웠던 그대 모습 다시 볼 수 없는 걸 알아요
I know I can’t see your beautiful image again
후회 없어 저 타는 노을 붉은 노을처럼
I have no regrets, like that burning sunset glow, that red sunset glow

(Chorus)

(Verse 2)
어디로 갔을까
Where have you gone?
사랑하던 슬픈 그대 얼굴 보고싶어
I miss the sad face of you who I loved
깊은 사랑 후회 없어
I have no regret for my deep love
저 타는 붉은 노을처럼
Like that burning red sunset glow

(Chorus)

(Bridge)

(Chorus 2X)

I'm not going to try to do some analysis of the symbolism of the sunset and all that, but you can see that this song is actually kind of sad. The narrator is a man lamenting a lost love as he watches the sun set, and he cries out futilely, only for the sunset to give him no response. He does say he has no regrets about his love, so it would seem he's torn between pleasure and pain, but overall, these aren't exactly happy-go-lucky lyrics.

I think the original recording does the best job of making the sad lyrics work against the upbeat music. The bridge has a slightly somber tone, and even though the chorus sounds like a burst of happiness, that descending bass against the keyboard riff gives you a sinking feeling that keeps you grounded in reality. They did their best to give it some gravitas.

However,as I mentioned earlier, this song has been covered many times over the years, as it's a Korean pop classic. As a person who knows what the lyrics are saying, I can only find the treatments of them...surprising.

Let's check out the first cover I can recall hearing of it: Boy band Big Bang covered it and even made a video:

Well, wasn't that just...joyous? You'd never realize they were singing about missing someone they loved.

This song was also used in a famous scene in the TV drama Dream High:

[Dream High] Hye Mi and Sam Dong singing in Japan and dance battle from Key Kibum on Vimeo.

That seemed to be quite the crowd-pleaser, didn't it? They smiled through the whole thing and made it into a party rock anthem before a dance battle broke out.

I also heard it in the drama 49 Days, where a character was singing it in the shower, but I couldn't find a video of that to share here.

I saw some YouTube comments mentioning a version by the girl group Mamamoo, so you can see theirs here, pyro, belly buttons and all:

My favorite part is the girl maintaining a smile while motioning toward the tears that are flowing from her eyes.

If that weren't enough, even Lee Moon Se, the guy who originally recorded the song, has turned it into a big crowd participation number when he performs it live:

In fairness, he did try to retain some of the gravitas during the bridge, but overall it seems odd to me that this song of longing has become downright celebratory over time.

Perhaps this is just one of those pop culture absurdities, like the way "Every Breath You Take" is often misinterpreted as a song of love and devotion, or "Born in the USA" is often misinterpreted as a patriotic anthem. Perhaps the singalong chorus is so ingrained in many people's minds that they've begun to tune out the words. Maybe they hear the first half ("I love you, you're the only one in this world") and it sounds so uplifting that they've already made up their mind that it makes them feel happy before the chorus reaches its conclusion. It happens.

As someone who can strongly relate to the emotions of the lyrics, I almost feel like it's a shame they were "wasted" on music that's so upbeat.  The late, great Lee Young Hoon, who wrote this song, as well as many of Lee Moon Se's other iconic hits, probably should've saved them for a song that had a more appropriate feel musically.

Of course, if this relates to some aspect of Korean culture that I'm not familiar with, I'm willing to be set straight. Maybe this song is supposed to have some irony attached to it, or I'm misunderstanding the meaning of the lyrics in some way. Until then, I'll just enjoy the song and be amused at the way it's often performed.