Hey everyone, it's Memorial Day weekend and I'm taking a break from studying. Considering how I haven't had the time to keep up with Kpop except for a few albums, I have nothing to write about. I won't be able to catch up on everything until the end of the year, so I figured I may as well do a list post since those are always so popular.
Anyway, the only criteria for this list is that the song actually has to be Korean.
The article is split into two because 50 videos in one article would lag more than trying to watch a video in 2002 on a dial-up modem. Anyway, the list will just give my general thoughts and some background information on the song. It will not be a song-by-song review. It's pretty damn obvious I like these songs a lot for them to make my list, so there's no need to go into detail as to why.
Han Ye Seul makes the list mainly because this site is the sanctuary of Yeseulogy, and I must appease the gods and goddesses if I wish to still be alive. "Make Me Shine" is one of the OST songs from Ye Seul's movie "Miss Gold Digger." which I would recommend if you want to watch a rom-com movie. Anyway, back in the day this performance drew a lot of attention because Ye Seul's bra kept on showing.
49. Davichi - 8282
When Davichi first came out, they used to mix up their songs. A few of them were like "8282," which had shifts in the BPM, making the songs much more listenable than most ballads. It's a shame that after 2010 Davichi strayed from this style and went to straight ballads because I haven't really listened to them much since then.
48. Lena Park - Raindrops
Lena Park is mainly known for his ballads and her powerful vocals, but this song is much different than her typical song. I have always loved the upbeat nature of this song and the softer vocals she went with in this song.
47. Secret - Magic
I love the funky beat to this song. When this song came out, Secret was doing the worst out of the well-known 2009 debuts (aside from Rainbow, who has somehow never gained any traction), but "Magic" was their step out of nugudom and was the first music video where everyone fapped to Hyosung.
46. Son Dam Bi - Crazy
There's a reason why Brave Brothers is everywhere, because he used to produce jams like Son Dam Bi's "Crazy". Son Dam Bi was becoming really popular in the late 2000s, being the "Second Hyori" (I hate titles like these). Unfortunately, she has hardly released music in the past few, but has probably made more money doing acting.
45. SeeYa - His Voice
Depending on who you ask, SeeYa was one of the representative groups during the 2000s when Korea had a much heavier ballad focus. SeeYa was pretty big, but this song came on the heels of the ugly departure of Nam Gyuri (coincidentally which would be repeated three years later with Hwayoung, as Kim Kwang Soo was the CEO of SeeYa's company). Soomi came into the group and SeeYa released this jam, and essentially disappeared. They released some more songs after Soomi had left, but the group has disbanded.
44. Goblin Laboratory - 개조심
Goblin Laboratory has released two very good albums, and it's hard to choosing a favorite song from either album, so I simply picked the song I have listened to the most. Their second album came out in 2012 and it was one of my most listened-to albums that year.
43. BoA - Girls on Top
BoA was the first Korean artist I listened to and quickly became a huge fan because of her good looks and good music. "Girls on Top" was jam for the longest time when I first got into Korean music. Before I learned Korean, I thought this song was about fucking in the one of the cowboy positions. Sadly, I learned that this wasn't the case after I had learned some Korean and could understand the lyrics. Oh well, at least BoA came out with a song about licking her pussy instead.
42. Leessang - Remembrance
Leessang's seventh album "Asura Balbata" is an album chock full of great songs. I always listen to this song when I need something relaxing to listen to, and it doesn't hurt the song features Baek Ji Young, one of my favorite Korean singers. As with most Leessang's songs, this song is very good lyrically.
41. Kara - Mamma Mia
Yes, on my top 10 list, this song is only number 7, but that list was written months ago. Things change. Anyway, this has become one of my favorite Kara songs for reinvigorating Kara's career. The best part: no fucking rap section.
40. IU - Good Day
I remember back in 2010 when IU had about five fans, myself included. She had some good songs, but could not get any popularity whatsoever. She had debuted during the idol boom, which made it that much harder for her to get noticed. Then she released "Good Day," Koreans started jacking off to IU's note belting, and now IU is popular as shit.
39. Nell - Time Spent Walking Through Memories
Nell has always been one of my favorite bands, and I used to listen to their "Separation Anxiety" album all the time back in the day. This is the title track to that album. This was the last album they released before the members did their military service and before Kim Jong Wan gained about 50 pounds. Luckily he has since lost that weight.
38. Epik High - Soul
Epik High's masterpiece album "Remapping the Human Soul" has so many good songs that it's hard to choose a favorite. "Soul" makes the list because it's one of those songs that can make someone feel like a badass while listening to it.
37. Dynamic Duo - Chulchek
This was the first Dynamic Duo song I had listened to and I instantly became a fan of the group. Gaeko is hands down one of the best Korean rappers, and Choiza is pretty good when he's not busy banging Sulli. The MV is fun to watch, which has always been a staple of Dynamic Duo.
36. f(x) - Dracula
f(x) has had two of the best albums to come out not just in the past two years, but in K-pop's short 20-year-history. "Dracula" is one of the standout tracks on "Red Light." The screams are me when listening to Amber's solo songs. Fucking HYSF sent them to me to listen to to troll me. He's a dick. Somehow the composers were able to go into the future to record my screams to insert into "Dracula".
35. T-ara - Bo Peep Bo Peep
The song that got me into T-ara. Sure I was following them when Hyomin was on "Invincible Youth," but this song sold me on becoming a fan. I remember thinking Jiyeon looking cute in this MV, and then learning that she was 16. I felt trolled. Luckily a few short years later Jiyeon has become one of the hottest idols, taking the unofficial title of "Cyclops Overlord." I still listen to this song a lot to this day.
34. A Pink - Nonono
Another great song composed by Shinsadong Tiger. This song started off the era of no Yookyung, which made A Pink much better. That addage of "Addition by subtraction" rings true in this case.
33. Secret - Talk That
My favorite Secret song is composed by Shinsadong Tiger. Go figure. Secret really needed this song when it came out, because they couldn't release yet another version of "Magic".
32. SNSD - Genie
Back in early 2009, I was finally getting into idol groups. I liked SNSD's "Gee" among other songs that came out. The teaser pics for "Genie" started coming out and hnnnnnnng. I didn't know I had a "girls wearing military uniforms" fetish. Then the song was pretty fucking good. Too bad this was SNSD's title track peak in Korea.
31. miss A - Goodbye Baby
Remember when miss A was big musically? When JYP used to churn out hit after hit? When Suzy wasn't a fat whore. Yeah, that was a long four years ago. This is my favorite miss A title track and Fei is so fucking hot in the MV.
30. Leessang - The Girl Who Can't Breakup, The Guy Who Can't Leave
This was the song that introduced me to Leessang and I instantly became a fan of the group. While Gary isn't the best rapper flow wise, I have always loved his lyricism. The MV features Hyori before she went batshit crazy.
29. Lena Park - You Don't Know Me
The second song to appear from Lena Park's great "Parallax" album. I love the ambiance this song creates. The song is nothing to write about technically, but everything comes together to create an addicting song.
28. A Pink - My My
This shit is my fucking jam. I didn't like the song when it came out, but after I became an Eunji fan after "Reply 1997," this song quickly became one of my favorites.
27. Verbal Jint - 역사의 간지
One of the many great songs from Verbal Jint's masterpiece "누명" album. Man, I remember when The Quiett used to produce great songs like this before Dok2 ruined him.
26. Tensi Love - Shine
I've have always enjoyed this song. It reminds me of the good-sounding Shibuya Kei music. I love the synth beats this song uses. The singer is pretty hot as well.
That concludes part one. Part two should be up soon, whenever I finish it.
I've been gone for so long I forgot that kpop males look like anime characters.
ReplyDelete"This is just like one of my Japanese animes"
- Otacon
Really glad to see "Talk That" on here, it was such a good song and it's sad that SECRET were barely able to promote it after the car crash a week later.
ReplyDeleteLiterally the only fx song i like.
ReplyDelete... AKF, I thought you hated Verbal Jint. (Or maybe it's just that one song of his you like; you do bring it up a lot LOL)
ReplyDeleteA lot of the songs on this list remind me why I'm so grateful to be an old-school Kpop fan, TBH.