Kpop is, for the unaware, Korean pop music. It's exactly what that label sounds like: pop music performed in Korean, originating from South Korea. However, it's not the same as western pop music and has its own facets that make it different from the pop we usually know. Kpop is known for being very strict, training its performers (called idols) for years in order to achieve perfection. Most often, these trainees are put into groups, with different positions including vocalists, dancers, rappers, and a visual. Kpop takes influence from a plethora of genres, including electronic, rock, hip-hop, and R&B. This genre is known for having eye-catching visuals and highly choreographed dance routines. While it is mostly sung in Korean (although many kpop groups eventually release music for a Japanese market), kpop is famous for incorporating trademark English phrases in its songs.
Although kpop is so much more than just this song, let's look at "Gangnam Style" by PSY, the most famous song of its genre. Although it has a sillier tone than your average kpop song and is sung by a solo artist, which isn't as common as groups in kpop, it still is a good benchmark for you if you don't know much about the genre. It has:
-Influences from other genres, namely electronic and hip-hop
-Eye-catching visuals (the reason why the video was so popular is because of its memorable visuals, from the guy air-humping PSY in the elevator to the dance-off with the guy in the yellow suit to PSY sitting on the toilet for no apparent reason.)
-Highly choreographed dance routine (C'mon, everybody knows the "Gangnam Style" dance.)
-Trademark English phrases (Ayyyy, sexy lady!)
Another thing unique to kpop is how absolutely die-hard its fans are. Just one look on Twitter and you'll probably find more than your fair share of kpop fans. Some elements of kpop fandom that are unique include:
-Fancams. A fancam is a fan-taken video of a group performing, usually with a focus on a sole member.
-Fan chants. To quote Wikipedia: "A unique feature of K-pop fandom is the "fan chant". When an idol group releases a new song, chants, usually consisting of group members' names, are performed by live concert audiences during non-singing parts of songs."
-The concept of biases. In kpop, your "bias" is your favorite member of a certain group. They can be your bias for many reasons, including you like their singing, their dancing, their style, their personality, or anything, really. There's also something called a "bias-wrecker", which is the term for any member who does something to make you reconsider your favorites. Maybe this "bias-wrecker" may end up being your new favorite!
-Fan names. We sort of have this in Western culture, with Beliebers, Directioners, and the like. But in recent years, I feel like these have become replaced with the term "stans". (For example, Ariana Grande fans used to be called "Arianators", but now they're just known as "Ariana stans". The term "stan", for those who don't know, comes from the Eminem song "Stan", which is about a crazed fan of Eminem named Stan.) This is absolutely not the case in kpop, where every group has a unique name for their fandom. Twice's fanbase is called Once, BTS's fanbase is called Army, and Blackpink's fanbase is called Blinks. Sometimes, these fanbases even have signature colors.
Kpop is a fascinating world, and I've done quite a bit of research about what makes it different from western pop, so let's dive into the actual music! I thought it would be a good idea to start my in-depth kpop journey by looking at some of its most legendary songs. I found a video uploaded by the channel hele, called 100 LEGENDARY K-POP SONGS (READ DESCRIPTION), and I'm going to look at all 100 (+1, because the reason why it says to read the description is because hele wanted to mention that they forgot "Growl" by EXO, so I'll talk about it, probably in part 2!) iconic kpop songs. I think it's good to become familiar with the most famous songs of this genre before I do a deep dive into groups and artists. I'll listen to each song from the video, talk about it, and give a score out of 10 based on how much I personally enjoyed each song. I'll do 25 songs in each post (except for part 2, when I will do 26 for reasons I talked about above.), and there will be four parts of this series. At the end, I'll list some favorites and least favorites. So that's more than enough rambling, I promise the other editions of this series won't have as much explaining. Let's talk about some legendary kpop songs, starting with...
1. “Into the New World” by Girls’ Generation (2007)
In the past, when I'd do these "listen to random songs and review them" posts, I'd listen to them out of order. But in this case, I'm actually going to listen to them in the order they're listed, because they are listed in chronological order, and therefore I can see how kpop evolved. Obviously, Korean popular music did not start in 2007, but this is where my video starts. I feel like the title of this song is extremely fitting for my first song, as I'm now going "into the new world" of kpop. This was the first song from Girls' Generation, also known as SNSD, who we will see a lot in these posts. I haven't heard any other songs from them, but this song shows a lot of promise. It's a nice midtempo song and the girls do some powerful high notes at the end. I also loved the key change- I'm always going to be a fan of a good key change. This isn't the best song I have ever heard, but it's a very good starting point for the group. 8/10
2. “Lies” by BIGBANG (2007)
BIGBANG are a boy band we're going to see a lot of in these posts. Before writing, I made a list of all the songs I'm going to be talking about, and I noticed that you don't really see one-hit wonders in kpop. There are a lot of acts, and if they have one hit, they usually have at least one more. This was not BIGBANG's debut song, but it appears to be their breakout hit. It won Song of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, or MAMA, which is basically like the Grammys of kpop. I really like this song. The "I'm so sorry but I love you" part of the chorus repeats a lot, but I like it. I also like the beat, especially with the piano. This song is pretty cheesy with some melodramatic whispering of "I hate love songs", "Why am I crying", and other stuff, but I don't mind cheesy things, if anything I find cheesy songs, movies, etc. entertaining. This is a good song. 8.5/10
3. “Tell Me” by Wonder Girls (2007)
The Wonder Girls were the first group formed by JYP Entertainment, the company that is best known for creating Twice. It seems that they have made more of an effort to cross over to America, even opening for the Jonas Brothers in 2010. Wikipedia also says the group is known for incorporating retro, 60s, 70s, and 80s style in their music. I don't really hear it on this song, which sounds more like 2000s bubblegum. I don't really care for this song. It feels like it's too repetitive and the stuttering on the "t-t-t-t-t-tell me" is annoying. Although this first impression of them isn't my favorite, I don't doubt that the Wonder Girls will have a song I like in their discography. After all, I love retro-inspired music, and if their other songs are more in that style, I will probably like them. 4/10
4. “Mirotic” by TVXQ (2008)
Looking into this, I had no idea what this song title meant, but apparently it means "Magic Spell". (To be fair, my first thought upon seeing this was about how there is a Pokemon called Milotic, but that's probably just because at any given time, I'm likely thinking about Pokemon. God, I'm a nerd.) Whatever this song is about, it's a banger. The beat sounds like an early 2000s R&B party jam. I don't know why but it reminds me of the beat to "Up in Here" by DMX. The chorus is extremely catchy. The boys in the band also do really powerful vocals. This song has a sleeker, darker vibe to it, I don't know how to describe it but I'm into it. Also fun fact: the group's name, TVXQ, is an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi, which translates to "Rising Gods of the East". I love that. 9.5/10
5. “Nobody” by Wonder Girls (2008)
Another Wonder Girls song so soon after the last one. I like this one more than the last one, because it's more memorable and has a more developed chorus. This one does feel more retro-styled, but I might be blindsided because they're wearing vintage beehive hairstyles in the video. I think I like this song more because it allows them to show more sass in their singing. It's playful and flirty. I haven't really been watching the music videos for these songs, instead just playing the songs in the background, but I absolutely love the 60s style they have going on in this video. It's sort of like a Supremes homage, and I love that. I'm a little disappointed they didn't go for a key change after the bridge, but the song is still pretty good. 7.5/10
6. “Replay” by SHINee (2008)
Another name we'll see a lot in these posts is SHINee. The group is affectionately known as the "Princes of Kpop" and is known for their diverse sound, incorporating various styles including funk rock, hip-hop, and EDM. However, in December 2017, their main vocalist, Jonghyun, committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning at age 27. Kpop is known for being a brutal, rigorous industry, one that I can imagine that it takes a serious toll on your mental health. There are quite a few cases of kpop idols admitting to struggling with mental health and even ending it all, and it would be tragic no matter what, but the fact that it happens so often is heartbreaking. I'm a pretty big advocate of mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and I'm also a fledgling kpop fan, so I think it is absolutely important to be more open about mental health in kpop and in general, so that people who need help can get it before their lives are cut short...Wow, we were supposed to be talking about a song, and I sort of went on a tangent, but it's one that is incredibly important to me personally. As for the song, it's pretty good. It's a more R&B style, like something Usher would do. The vocals are strong and it's got a good chorus. I'm going to get quite familiar with SHINee during these posts, and although it's bittersweet because I do know one of them died so young, I think I'll enjoy their work. 8.5/10
7. “So Hot” by Wonder Girls (2008)
After that turn for the depressing, we're back in Wonder Girls territory. This song sees them going in a sexier style, as this song is about how sexy they are. I can't directly translate anything, but the chorus goes "I'm so hot, I'm so fine, I'm so cool" with some Korean mixed in there, and I think there's also a line where one of them says all of the boys love her. Despite the shallow lyrical content, this song is still really catchy. I don't know why, but the beat reminds me of "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a song I like if only for the "dance till you're dead" memes. This is probably my favorite of the three Wonder Girls songs we've looked at so far because I really like how sassy it is. Also, both Blackpink and Twice, my two favorite kpop groups, have done covers of this song. I find that an interesting coincidence. 8.5/10
8. “Abracadabra” by Brown Eyed Girls (2009)
Fun fact, the main dance of this song, known as the "arrogant dance", was also used in "Gentleman" by PSY, one of the few Kpop songs I knew prior to last year. The song reminds me of "Poker Face"-era Lady Gaga, with an electronic pop style and some autotune for an effect. I don't think the usage of autotune necessarily means an artist is talentless. For example, T-Pain is known for using a lot of autotune but if you watched The Masked Singer you'd know he actually has a great natural voice. I think most of the time, autotune is used as a stylistic choice, and that's certainly the case for this song. The girls actually do some pretty good high notes in the chorus. I also think this song has an edgier, more bad-girl concept that reminds me of Blackpink. There's one part in the video during the rap where one of the girls is sitting in an armchair in a white pantsuit, surrounded by TVs and just giving off lots of attitude. That part looks like it came straight out of a Blackpink video. To sum it up, this song is like if you combined Blackpink's fierceness with early Lady Gaga's musical style. I love Blackpink and Lady Gaga, so I would say this is one of my favorite songs I've listened to so far in my kpop crash course. 9.5/10
9. “AH!” by After School (2009)
Just from looking at the name of this group, I was expecting something really juvenile, Disney Junior-style. Actually listening to this song, it sounds dated and generic, but it's still enjoyable. I like the super processed noise after the chorus. I think it's supposed to be saying "ah!" because that's the title, but whatever it's supposed to be, I think it's cute. I also really like the saxophone or whatever it is that appears during the second chorus. This song is not as memorable as a lot of the others I've looked at, but I would listen to it without complaining. 6/10
10. “Bo Peep Bo Peep” by T-ara (2009)
I don't like this. This song is like what I thought kpop was before I actually got into it. The processing and autotune on the vocals makes me understand why people complain about autotune. The melodies are pretty annoying and the chorus is genuinely terrible. It's literally just two notes. Those two notes are also beeping throughout the song and they sound like a migraine. I feel like maybe there's a good song hidden in there somewhere, and maybe the girls are actually pretty good singers, but I can't stand this. I can handle overprocessed pop music, like Lady Gaga (at least early in her career), some Britney Spears songs, Kesha, I can do those, and I'll easily defend those artists. But this is past my limit, far too overprocessed to the point where it gives me a headache. 1.5/10
11. “Gee” by Girls’ Generation (2009)
Okay, this one I actually do kind of know. I was very big into the Fine Brothers and Kids React when I was younger, like fifth grade. One video I really liked watching was the original Kids React to K-pop (because they have since made a lot of kpop reacts. They know what will get them the views!), and in that video, "Gee" by Girls' Generation was one of the videos they reacted to. It's catchy and certainly iconic and a touchstone for kpop, but as a song, I can't really say I'm a fan. It's just too sweet to the point where it's somewhat cloying. It does sort of make me nostalgic, not only because it reminds me of Kids React and fifth grade, but also because the style in the video with the bright skinny jeans reminds me of early 2010s style. But I can't say I'm a fan of the overly bubblegum style of this song. We've got another Girls' Generation song coming up next, let's hope that's better. 5/10
12. “Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)” by Girls’ Generation (2009)
Ah, this is more like it. At first looking at the title and the vaguely Middle Eastern intro, I was worried that this song would be full of cultural appropriation, but I don't really think it is. Granted, I am, of course, white as mayonnaise, so I'm probably not the best judge of whether it is appropriating Middle Eastern culture, but I don't see anything too objectionable. The actual song has a really nice hook and strong vocals, and it's a lot more sophisticated than the bubblegum of "Gee". This is a solid song and I hope that the future Girls' Generation songs I look at in these posts are similar in tone. 9/10
13. “Lollipop” by BIGBANG & 2NE1 (2009)
This song sees BIGBANG collaborating with the girl group 2NE1. Can I just say that I wish we saw more collaborations between kpop groups? Imagine BTS collaborating with Blackpink or Twice. That would probably break the Internet. Despite me being a fan of this concept, I can't say I'm a fan of the song. I don't like the repetition of "lolli-lolli-lollipop" in the chorus and I don't like the beat. And as much as I like the concept of co-ed kpop group collabs, I can't help but feel disappointed that they only came together to advertise the LG Cyon smartphone. This song is just annoying to me and I expected more. 4/10
14. “Mister” by KARA (2009)
So...the video compilation where I found these songs says this song came out in 2009 and Wikipedia says it was released in Korea in August 2009, but at the same time, Wikipedia says it was recorded in 2010 and the video wasn't uploaded until 2011, so I don't know what to put for the year. This song isn't my favorite because it feels quite overproduced, but at the same time, the "la la la"'s are catchy and there is a key change. As I said before, I will always get so much joy out of key changes. This song maybe would have been a 6/10, but the key change makes me bump it up to a 7/10.
15. “Ring Ding Dong” by SHINee (2009)
SHINee round two! I don't know if I would say this song is better than "Replay", but it's still good. I like how aggressive the percussion is. Although the onomatopoeia of the chorus is silly, it's a good hook. I like the different hooks and parts of this song. My favorite of the hooks is the "fantastic, elastic" part. Something about the gratuitous autotune just works for me. There's a lot of autotune here, but it's like I was saying before: it's not because of talentlessness, it's more for an effect. It fits with the style of the song. Between "Replay" and "Ring Ding Dong", I'm finding that I quite like SHINee. I'm only looking at three of their songs total in these posts, so I might have to do more digging into their discography when I'm done writing these. 8.5/10
16. “Sorry Sorry” by Super Junior (2009)
I've actually vaguely heard of a bunch of these groups before writing. I had heard of Super Junior before this, but I don't really know much about them. I do know one of the members, Heechul, is dating Momo, my bias from Twice. I don't really care about that because it's not my relationship to have an opinion about. All I can do is hope he treats her right. But enough of that tabloid garbage, how's the music? Well, I really like the chorus. In fact, I would say this song probably has one of the best choruses I've looked at, because it really sticks in the mind. The melody lines are also really good, and I like the synth riff that plays throughout. I don't really care for the production though. It sounds grainy and dated. This song is pretty good, I just think I'd like it more if the production was more updated. I don't think this style of electronica has aged particularly well. 7.5/10
17. “Bad Girl, Good Girl” by Miss A (2010)
The opening of this song lets us know it was produced and by a group managed by JYP. (For your information, JYP is a person: Park Jin-young. He owns the company JYP Entertainment and serves as manager for its acts. I just thought I should clarify in case somebody reading this got confused!) Some of these videos autoplay English captions showing the translated lyrics, and this song did. From reading a few lyrics, I can tell that it's about telling off a guy who is being creepy and annoying. I feel like a lot of kpop songs by girl groups are about crushing on a boy or being in love, so it's nice to see one dissing a boy. I feel like I'm talking about and praising a lot of these songs for their choruses, and I definitely think this one has a memorable chorus. There's also a key change. This is the third song we've come across with a key change, and can I just say I wish key changes were as common in Western music as they seem to be in kpop? Also side note: In this video, all of the girls have dark hair, except for one of them (I think her name is Jia?) who has pink hair. Whenever I switched back to the video, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I wish I could pull off bright pink hair like that! 9.5/10
18. “Lucifer” by SHINee (2010)
This song was in a YouTubers React to K-pop video I watched a ton when I was younger, along with "I Got a Boy" by Girls' Generation and "Fantastic Baby" by BIGBANG, which we'll get to in part 2. Because of that video, I'm sort of familiar with it from that. I'm a little bummed I'm only going to be looking at three SHINee songs for this project, because all of them are really solid! I love how powerful and pulsing this song is, and the boys all have really strong vocals here. This song has a really strong energy throughout. I briefly looked up a translation for the lyrics, because, unlike that last song, the autogenerated captions are quite broken. I think this song is about a bad girlfriend who they compare to the devil. I think that's maybe taking things a little too far, but who cares, the song is still really good. Also, fun fact that I discovered from reading Wikipedia: Bebe Rexha, yes, the same one who did that "Meant to Be" song a couple years ago, cowrote this song! That doesn't make any sense! 9.5/10
19. “Bubble Pop” by Hyuna (2011)
I think this is the first song I've come across in this post that was done by a solo artist. Kim Hyun-ah, better known as Hyuna, was a member of the Wonder Girls and another group called 4minute, and she was actually the girl in the subway in the "Gangnam Style" video! This was the title track of her first EP, and it's a pretty well-known kpop song, being featured in Just Dance 2017 and even being parodied on Family Guy. The actual song has a cute, playful, summery vibe that is enjoyable, but there's a dubstep breakdown about two-thirds of the way through. I get that dubstep was the trend in 2011-2012, but I don't think the song needed it. But more importantly, this song reminds me of this one Ariana Grande quote, where she said that "bubble" is her favorite word because you can't say it angrily. (I can't find the exact quote, sue me.) "Bubble" is a cute word, and this is a cute, happy song. I just personally prefer less sugary songs. And yet I like Twice...I'm still trying to figure out my kpop tastes, gimme a break! 6.5/10
20. “Fiction” by Beast (2011)
So this group actually isn't known as Beast anymore. They changed labels (going from Cube Entertainment to Around Us Entertainment) and changed their name to Highlight. I would say this song isn't really an aggressive banger like some of the past ones, but it's not a ballad. It's a midtempo song, I'd say. I like the interplay between the more melodic chorus and the chanting of "fiction, fiction" in the hook. Is it bad that I can't really distinguish a lot of these kpop boy bands? It's not that they're bad, I just haven't really noticed any signature sounds or styles from any of these groups. I'm probably just not diving in deep enough. Anyways, this song is fine, but kind of generic, or maybe I'm just ignorant. 7.5/10
21. “Good-bye Baby” by Miss A (2011)
Wikipedia says that the album this song appeared on, titled A Class, had six singles for it. I'm still kind of new to this whole kpop thing, but that seems like a lot, especially for kpop. Most kpop albums, as far as I know, have one single (known as the title track, even if, frustratingly, the name of the album and the single are not the same), and then the rest of the songs are called b-sides. I don't know if I like this song as much as "Bad Girl, Good Girl", but it's still good. I like the electric guitar elements throughout to give the song more of a rock flavor. It's still catchy kpop, what you'd expect from the genre. Also, I've done a little bit of research and I've decided that, even though it probably doesn't make sense to have a bias since this group disbanded in 2017, but Jia, the rapper of the group, is my bias. In the last video she had pink hair, now she has auburn hair in the video for this one. I just really like dyed hair and I wish I could pull off a crazy color. 8.5/10
22. “Hands Up” by 2PM (2011)
Another JYP group I'm gonna look at is 2PM, but unlike the Wonder Girls, Miss A, and Twice (we'll get to them in part 3), this is the only one of their songs that I'm looking at. It seems like in 2010-2011, club dance songs were all the rage. I remember back when I was in third grade and artists like Kesha (back when she still had the dollar sign in her name) and the Black Eyed Peas were all the rage. This song definitely fits into that party club mold, sounding just like a Black Eyed Peas song but in Korean. I'm not huge on that era of party songs (despite my soft spot for early Kesha, but even then, we can all admit that her work from "Praying" onward is her best), so I'm not huge on this. 4/10
23. “I Am The Best” by 2NE1 (2011)
I feel like this is one of the most well-known kpop songs in America after "Gangnam Style" and before acts like BTS came out. It appeared in a Microsoft Surface commercial in 2014, appeared in a (really freaking good, in my opinion) routine on So You Think You Can Dance, and appeared in the Kids React to Kpop video I mentioned earlier, which prompted one kid to call it "The Asian Lady Gaga!" I feel like this song is like something Blackpink would do, although that may be because 2NE1 was with YG Entertainment before they disbanded, which is Blackpink's label. This song is weird and obnoxious, but I honestly like it a lot! That So You Think You Can Dance routine really fits the song and shows how crazy but larger-than-life it can be. Also side note: I should do a post on my favorite So You Think You Can Dance routines. I haven't actually watched the show in a long time, but every so often, I'll go on YouTube binges and watch a bunch of performances from it. 9/10
24. “Mr. Simple” by Super Junior (2011)
The opening of this video featured a jazzy, more acoustic intro. I don't know if that intro is an actual song on their albums, but I really liked it and was disappointed the actual "Mr. Simple" song wasn't like it. The actual song is really processed and definitely sounds like "Sorry, Sorry". You can tell the two songs were made by the same group. I think I prefer this to "Sorry, Sorry", even if the production on the chorus is overbearing. This song has a lot of distinct parts to keep you interested. I like the "blow your mind" part for how aggressive and powerful it is. I feel like the guys' vocals are really processed in some parts, but occasionally, their voices are less autotuned. I wish they weren't as autotuned for the whole song, although I do get why there is autotune. It goes with the style of the song. 8/10
25. “Roly-Poly” by T-ara (2011)
So we're ending this with another song by the same group who made that "Bo Peep Bo Peep" song I looked at earlier and hated. I really hope this song is better, because I do not want to end this post on a downer. This song was the biggest selling single of 2011, and was even made into a stage musical. I wonder what that's like. This song is better than "Bo Peep Bo Peep", but I still don't really like it. The chorus is much better, but the production is still obnoxious, but not in a good way. I do like the instrumental break with the cowbell. I play cowbell when we do the song "Low Rider" in pep band, so I always get a kick out of songs featuring the cowbell. Insert SNL joke here. The rap breakdown that follows is annoying, though. Still, it's a hell of a lot better than their last song I listened to. Shame that I'm only looking at two T-ara songs, because I really hope that I'd maybe find something in their discography that I'd like. 6/10
So after we've looked at those twenty-five kpop songs that are iconic to the genre, let's choose some favorites and least favorites!
Favorites (in no particular order):
-"Mirotic" by TVXQ
-"Abracadabra" by Brown Eyed Girls
-"Bad Girl, Good Girl" by Miss A
-"Lucifer" by SHINee
-"Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)" by Girls' Generation
-"I Am The Best" by 2NE1
Least Favorites:
-"Bo Peep Bo Peep" by T-ara
-"Tell Me" by Wonder Girls
-"Lollipop" by BIGBANG and 2NE1
-"Hands Up" by 2PM
In part 2 of this Kpop Crash Course series, we're talking about many of the same artists we discussed here, like Girls' Generation, BIGBANG, and 2NE1, along with artists we didn't talk about here who are no less iconic to kpop, like EXO, Sistar, and f(x). But most importantly, we're talking about what is by far the most well-known kpop song in history, the song that was the most viewed video in all of YouTube for four years, and the viral smash of 2012. That's right, we're talking about Stop Kony 2012. Nah, I'm just kidding, we're talking about "Gangnam Style". I don't know when the next Kpop Crash Course will be out. I had a schedule set up but I deviated from it last week, so now things are kind of messed up and I don't know what will be coming out and when.
Next week will be a busy one. I have a forensics competition (FYI, this "forensics" is not about crime solving, it's more for public speaking and performing) on Monday and a winter dance spirit week all week. In the winter, we have something called Crystal Ball as our winter dance, and it's pretty much a second homecoming as far as dress up weeks, pep rallies, and dances go. Each club gets to pick a senior representative to help come up with a fundraiser for cancer research and to be on the court at the dance. I am the forensics representative, so I'm going to be pretty busy in the next week and in fact, the dance is on Saturday, when I usually post. Because I'll be so busy, I won't really have as much time to write a post, but I have something I've started writing that I'll probably post. It's another music post, but it's a more fun one. That will be out at some point on Saturday, whenever I get a chance to breathe during my getting ready for the dance. I'll see you then.
Stellar
6. “Replay” by SHINee (2008)
Another name we'll see a lot in these posts is SHINee. The group is affectionately known as the "Princes of Kpop" and is known for their diverse sound, incorporating various styles including funk rock, hip-hop, and EDM. However, in December 2017, their main vocalist, Jonghyun, committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning at age 27. Kpop is known for being a brutal, rigorous industry, one that I can imagine that it takes a serious toll on your mental health. There are quite a few cases of kpop idols admitting to struggling with mental health and even ending it all, and it would be tragic no matter what, but the fact that it happens so often is heartbreaking. I'm a pretty big advocate of mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and I'm also a fledgling kpop fan, so I think it is absolutely important to be more open about mental health in kpop and in general, so that people who need help can get it before their lives are cut short...Wow, we were supposed to be talking about a song, and I sort of went on a tangent, but it's one that is incredibly important to me personally. As for the song, it's pretty good. It's a more R&B style, like something Usher would do. The vocals are strong and it's got a good chorus. I'm going to get quite familiar with SHINee during these posts, and although it's bittersweet because I do know one of them died so young, I think I'll enjoy their work. 8.5/10
7. “So Hot” by Wonder Girls (2008)
After that turn for the depressing, we're back in Wonder Girls territory. This song sees them going in a sexier style, as this song is about how sexy they are. I can't directly translate anything, but the chorus goes "I'm so hot, I'm so fine, I'm so cool" with some Korean mixed in there, and I think there's also a line where one of them says all of the boys love her. Despite the shallow lyrical content, this song is still really catchy. I don't know why, but the beat reminds me of "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a song I like if only for the "dance till you're dead" memes. This is probably my favorite of the three Wonder Girls songs we've looked at so far because I really like how sassy it is. Also, both Blackpink and Twice, my two favorite kpop groups, have done covers of this song. I find that an interesting coincidence. 8.5/10
8. “Abracadabra” by Brown Eyed Girls (2009)
Fun fact, the main dance of this song, known as the "arrogant dance", was also used in "Gentleman" by PSY, one of the few Kpop songs I knew prior to last year. The song reminds me of "Poker Face"-era Lady Gaga, with an electronic pop style and some autotune for an effect. I don't think the usage of autotune necessarily means an artist is talentless. For example, T-Pain is known for using a lot of autotune but if you watched The Masked Singer you'd know he actually has a great natural voice. I think most of the time, autotune is used as a stylistic choice, and that's certainly the case for this song. The girls actually do some pretty good high notes in the chorus. I also think this song has an edgier, more bad-girl concept that reminds me of Blackpink. There's one part in the video during the rap where one of the girls is sitting in an armchair in a white pantsuit, surrounded by TVs and just giving off lots of attitude. That part looks like it came straight out of a Blackpink video. To sum it up, this song is like if you combined Blackpink's fierceness with early Lady Gaga's musical style. I love Blackpink and Lady Gaga, so I would say this is one of my favorite songs I've listened to so far in my kpop crash course. 9.5/10
9. “AH!” by After School (2009)
Just from looking at the name of this group, I was expecting something really juvenile, Disney Junior-style. Actually listening to this song, it sounds dated and generic, but it's still enjoyable. I like the super processed noise after the chorus. I think it's supposed to be saying "ah!" because that's the title, but whatever it's supposed to be, I think it's cute. I also really like the saxophone or whatever it is that appears during the second chorus. This song is not as memorable as a lot of the others I've looked at, but I would listen to it without complaining. 6/10
10. “Bo Peep Bo Peep” by T-ara (2009)
I don't like this. This song is like what I thought kpop was before I actually got into it. The processing and autotune on the vocals makes me understand why people complain about autotune. The melodies are pretty annoying and the chorus is genuinely terrible. It's literally just two notes. Those two notes are also beeping throughout the song and they sound like a migraine. I feel like maybe there's a good song hidden in there somewhere, and maybe the girls are actually pretty good singers, but I can't stand this. I can handle overprocessed pop music, like Lady Gaga (at least early in her career), some Britney Spears songs, Kesha, I can do those, and I'll easily defend those artists. But this is past my limit, far too overprocessed to the point where it gives me a headache. 1.5/10
11. “Gee” by Girls’ Generation (2009)
Okay, this one I actually do kind of know. I was very big into the Fine Brothers and Kids React when I was younger, like fifth grade. One video I really liked watching was the original Kids React to K-pop (because they have since made a lot of kpop reacts. They know what will get them the views!), and in that video, "Gee" by Girls' Generation was one of the videos they reacted to. It's catchy and certainly iconic and a touchstone for kpop, but as a song, I can't really say I'm a fan. It's just too sweet to the point where it's somewhat cloying. It does sort of make me nostalgic, not only because it reminds me of Kids React and fifth grade, but also because the style in the video with the bright skinny jeans reminds me of early 2010s style. But I can't say I'm a fan of the overly bubblegum style of this song. We've got another Girls' Generation song coming up next, let's hope that's better. 5/10
12. “Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)” by Girls’ Generation (2009)
Ah, this is more like it. At first looking at the title and the vaguely Middle Eastern intro, I was worried that this song would be full of cultural appropriation, but I don't really think it is. Granted, I am, of course, white as mayonnaise, so I'm probably not the best judge of whether it is appropriating Middle Eastern culture, but I don't see anything too objectionable. The actual song has a really nice hook and strong vocals, and it's a lot more sophisticated than the bubblegum of "Gee". This is a solid song and I hope that the future Girls' Generation songs I look at in these posts are similar in tone. 9/10
13. “Lollipop” by BIGBANG & 2NE1 (2009)
This song sees BIGBANG collaborating with the girl group 2NE1. Can I just say that I wish we saw more collaborations between kpop groups? Imagine BTS collaborating with Blackpink or Twice. That would probably break the Internet. Despite me being a fan of this concept, I can't say I'm a fan of the song. I don't like the repetition of "lolli-lolli-lollipop" in the chorus and I don't like the beat. And as much as I like the concept of co-ed kpop group collabs, I can't help but feel disappointed that they only came together to advertise the LG Cyon smartphone. This song is just annoying to me and I expected more. 4/10
14. “Mister” by KARA (2009)
So...the video compilation where I found these songs says this song came out in 2009 and Wikipedia says it was released in Korea in August 2009, but at the same time, Wikipedia says it was recorded in 2010 and the video wasn't uploaded until 2011, so I don't know what to put for the year. This song isn't my favorite because it feels quite overproduced, but at the same time, the "la la la"'s are catchy and there is a key change. As I said before, I will always get so much joy out of key changes. This song maybe would have been a 6/10, but the key change makes me bump it up to a 7/10.
15. “Ring Ding Dong” by SHINee (2009)
SHINee round two! I don't know if I would say this song is better than "Replay", but it's still good. I like how aggressive the percussion is. Although the onomatopoeia of the chorus is silly, it's a good hook. I like the different hooks and parts of this song. My favorite of the hooks is the "fantastic, elastic" part. Something about the gratuitous autotune just works for me. There's a lot of autotune here, but it's like I was saying before: it's not because of talentlessness, it's more for an effect. It fits with the style of the song. Between "Replay" and "Ring Ding Dong", I'm finding that I quite like SHINee. I'm only looking at three of their songs total in these posts, so I might have to do more digging into their discography when I'm done writing these. 8.5/10
16. “Sorry Sorry” by Super Junior (2009)
I've actually vaguely heard of a bunch of these groups before writing. I had heard of Super Junior before this, but I don't really know much about them. I do know one of the members, Heechul, is dating Momo, my bias from Twice. I don't really care about that because it's not my relationship to have an opinion about. All I can do is hope he treats her right. But enough of that tabloid garbage, how's the music? Well, I really like the chorus. In fact, I would say this song probably has one of the best choruses I've looked at, because it really sticks in the mind. The melody lines are also really good, and I like the synth riff that plays throughout. I don't really care for the production though. It sounds grainy and dated. This song is pretty good, I just think I'd like it more if the production was more updated. I don't think this style of electronica has aged particularly well. 7.5/10
17. “Bad Girl, Good Girl” by Miss A (2010)
The opening of this song lets us know it was produced and by a group managed by JYP. (For your information, JYP is a person: Park Jin-young. He owns the company JYP Entertainment and serves as manager for its acts. I just thought I should clarify in case somebody reading this got confused!) Some of these videos autoplay English captions showing the translated lyrics, and this song did. From reading a few lyrics, I can tell that it's about telling off a guy who is being creepy and annoying. I feel like a lot of kpop songs by girl groups are about crushing on a boy or being in love, so it's nice to see one dissing a boy. I feel like I'm talking about and praising a lot of these songs for their choruses, and I definitely think this one has a memorable chorus. There's also a key change. This is the third song we've come across with a key change, and can I just say I wish key changes were as common in Western music as they seem to be in kpop? Also side note: In this video, all of the girls have dark hair, except for one of them (I think her name is Jia?) who has pink hair. Whenever I switched back to the video, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I wish I could pull off bright pink hair like that! 9.5/10
18. “Lucifer” by SHINee (2010)
This song was in a YouTubers React to K-pop video I watched a ton when I was younger, along with "I Got a Boy" by Girls' Generation and "Fantastic Baby" by BIGBANG, which we'll get to in part 2. Because of that video, I'm sort of familiar with it from that. I'm a little bummed I'm only going to be looking at three SHINee songs for this project, because all of them are really solid! I love how powerful and pulsing this song is, and the boys all have really strong vocals here. This song has a really strong energy throughout. I briefly looked up a translation for the lyrics, because, unlike that last song, the autogenerated captions are quite broken. I think this song is about a bad girlfriend who they compare to the devil. I think that's maybe taking things a little too far, but who cares, the song is still really good. Also, fun fact that I discovered from reading Wikipedia: Bebe Rexha, yes, the same one who did that "Meant to Be" song a couple years ago, cowrote this song! That doesn't make any sense! 9.5/10
19. “Bubble Pop” by Hyuna (2011)
I think this is the first song I've come across in this post that was done by a solo artist. Kim Hyun-ah, better known as Hyuna, was a member of the Wonder Girls and another group called 4minute, and she was actually the girl in the subway in the "Gangnam Style" video! This was the title track of her first EP, and it's a pretty well-known kpop song, being featured in Just Dance 2017 and even being parodied on Family Guy. The actual song has a cute, playful, summery vibe that is enjoyable, but there's a dubstep breakdown about two-thirds of the way through. I get that dubstep was the trend in 2011-2012, but I don't think the song needed it. But more importantly, this song reminds me of this one Ariana Grande quote, where she said that "bubble" is her favorite word because you can't say it angrily. (I can't find the exact quote, sue me.) "Bubble" is a cute word, and this is a cute, happy song. I just personally prefer less sugary songs. And yet I like Twice...I'm still trying to figure out my kpop tastes, gimme a break! 6.5/10
20. “Fiction” by Beast (2011)
So this group actually isn't known as Beast anymore. They changed labels (going from Cube Entertainment to Around Us Entertainment) and changed their name to Highlight. I would say this song isn't really an aggressive banger like some of the past ones, but it's not a ballad. It's a midtempo song, I'd say. I like the interplay between the more melodic chorus and the chanting of "fiction, fiction" in the hook. Is it bad that I can't really distinguish a lot of these kpop boy bands? It's not that they're bad, I just haven't really noticed any signature sounds or styles from any of these groups. I'm probably just not diving in deep enough. Anyways, this song is fine, but kind of generic, or maybe I'm just ignorant. 7.5/10
21. “Good-bye Baby” by Miss A (2011)
Wikipedia says that the album this song appeared on, titled A Class, had six singles for it. I'm still kind of new to this whole kpop thing, but that seems like a lot, especially for kpop. Most kpop albums, as far as I know, have one single (known as the title track, even if, frustratingly, the name of the album and the single are not the same), and then the rest of the songs are called b-sides. I don't know if I like this song as much as "Bad Girl, Good Girl", but it's still good. I like the electric guitar elements throughout to give the song more of a rock flavor. It's still catchy kpop, what you'd expect from the genre. Also, I've done a little bit of research and I've decided that, even though it probably doesn't make sense to have a bias since this group disbanded in 2017, but Jia, the rapper of the group, is my bias. In the last video she had pink hair, now she has auburn hair in the video for this one. I just really like dyed hair and I wish I could pull off a crazy color. 8.5/10
22. “Hands Up” by 2PM (2011)
Another JYP group I'm gonna look at is 2PM, but unlike the Wonder Girls, Miss A, and Twice (we'll get to them in part 3), this is the only one of their songs that I'm looking at. It seems like in 2010-2011, club dance songs were all the rage. I remember back when I was in third grade and artists like Kesha (back when she still had the dollar sign in her name) and the Black Eyed Peas were all the rage. This song definitely fits into that party club mold, sounding just like a Black Eyed Peas song but in Korean. I'm not huge on that era of party songs (despite my soft spot for early Kesha, but even then, we can all admit that her work from "Praying" onward is her best), so I'm not huge on this. 4/10
23. “I Am The Best” by 2NE1 (2011)
I feel like this is one of the most well-known kpop songs in America after "Gangnam Style" and before acts like BTS came out. It appeared in a Microsoft Surface commercial in 2014, appeared in a (really freaking good, in my opinion) routine on So You Think You Can Dance, and appeared in the Kids React to Kpop video I mentioned earlier, which prompted one kid to call it "The Asian Lady Gaga!" I feel like this song is like something Blackpink would do, although that may be because 2NE1 was with YG Entertainment before they disbanded, which is Blackpink's label. This song is weird and obnoxious, but I honestly like it a lot! That So You Think You Can Dance routine really fits the song and shows how crazy but larger-than-life it can be. Also side note: I should do a post on my favorite So You Think You Can Dance routines. I haven't actually watched the show in a long time, but every so often, I'll go on YouTube binges and watch a bunch of performances from it. 9/10
24. “Mr. Simple” by Super Junior (2011)
The opening of this video featured a jazzy, more acoustic intro. I don't know if that intro is an actual song on their albums, but I really liked it and was disappointed the actual "Mr. Simple" song wasn't like it. The actual song is really processed and definitely sounds like "Sorry, Sorry". You can tell the two songs were made by the same group. I think I prefer this to "Sorry, Sorry", even if the production on the chorus is overbearing. This song has a lot of distinct parts to keep you interested. I like the "blow your mind" part for how aggressive and powerful it is. I feel like the guys' vocals are really processed in some parts, but occasionally, their voices are less autotuned. I wish they weren't as autotuned for the whole song, although I do get why there is autotune. It goes with the style of the song. 8/10
25. “Roly-Poly” by T-ara (2011)
So we're ending this with another song by the same group who made that "Bo Peep Bo Peep" song I looked at earlier and hated. I really hope this song is better, because I do not want to end this post on a downer. This song was the biggest selling single of 2011, and was even made into a stage musical. I wonder what that's like. This song is better than "Bo Peep Bo Peep", but I still don't really like it. The chorus is much better, but the production is still obnoxious, but not in a good way. I do like the instrumental break with the cowbell. I play cowbell when we do the song "Low Rider" in pep band, so I always get a kick out of songs featuring the cowbell. Insert SNL joke here. The rap breakdown that follows is annoying, though. Still, it's a hell of a lot better than their last song I listened to. Shame that I'm only looking at two T-ara songs, because I really hope that I'd maybe find something in their discography that I'd like. 6/10
So after we've looked at those twenty-five kpop songs that are iconic to the genre, let's choose some favorites and least favorites!
Favorites (in no particular order):
-"Mirotic" by TVXQ
-"Abracadabra" by Brown Eyed Girls
-"Bad Girl, Good Girl" by Miss A
-"Lucifer" by SHINee
-"Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)" by Girls' Generation
-"I Am The Best" by 2NE1
Least Favorites:
-"Bo Peep Bo Peep" by T-ara
-"Tell Me" by Wonder Girls
-"Lollipop" by BIGBANG and 2NE1
-"Hands Up" by 2PM
In part 2 of this Kpop Crash Course series, we're talking about many of the same artists we discussed here, like Girls' Generation, BIGBANG, and 2NE1, along with artists we didn't talk about here who are no less iconic to kpop, like EXO, Sistar, and f(x). But most importantly, we're talking about what is by far the most well-known kpop song in history, the song that was the most viewed video in all of YouTube for four years, and the viral smash of 2012. That's right, we're talking about Stop Kony 2012. Nah, I'm just kidding, we're talking about "Gangnam Style". I don't know when the next Kpop Crash Course will be out. I had a schedule set up but I deviated from it last week, so now things are kind of messed up and I don't know what will be coming out and when.
Next week will be a busy one. I have a forensics competition (FYI, this "forensics" is not about crime solving, it's more for public speaking and performing) on Monday and a winter dance spirit week all week. In the winter, we have something called Crystal Ball as our winter dance, and it's pretty much a second homecoming as far as dress up weeks, pep rallies, and dances go. Each club gets to pick a senior representative to help come up with a fundraiser for cancer research and to be on the court at the dance. I am the forensics representative, so I'm going to be pretty busy in the next week and in fact, the dance is on Saturday, when I usually post. Because I'll be so busy, I won't really have as much time to write a post, but I have something I've started writing that I'll probably post. It's another music post, but it's a more fun one. That will be out at some point on Saturday, whenever I get a chance to breathe during my getting ready for the dance. I'll see you then.
Stellar
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