Shay's Top 17 Songs of (the second half of) 2017!
Author's note
It's new year's eve now and the year is over, it's time to look back on the second half of this year and see which songs made my (half) year!
I also invite anyone who reads this to make a similar list, let's all celebrate the fantastic music of he year! .A.Z.Y. ttara hae ;A;
I also invite anyone who reads this to make a similar list, let's all celebrate the fantastic music of he year! .A.Z.Y. ttara hae ;A;
I haven't really liked a Twice song since Like Ooh Aah, but man, Likey is soooo good. It's got just the right kind of adorable (Sana bringing it!) and earworm, with a really cute dance (Sana bringing it!), and I love how Dahyun and Chaeyoung go hard on the rap break, however brief it is! It's just a really good song!
Me likey likey likey~
Me likey likey likey~
I'm not usually one for the cute sound, but for some reason Astro always does it for me. Something about the way they're embracing that noona bait sound with youthful energy and how their performances are always high entertaining and their dances interesting and fun, and I'm goo. Crazy y Cool is such a fantatic bop and I loooove the dumb and silly MV attached to it.
If you'd told me at the beginning of the year that one of my favourite songs would be a Yoona solo I would have told you it had better be one hell of a song, then, and it is. Well, one hell of a song in the quiet acoustic way.
With a main driving force of a single acoustic guitar and her soft whispery voice, the song is simple but touching. There are no high notes or belting, instead it's perfectly suited for Yoona's limited vocal ability. She sings softly, almost whispery, and just pull you into this soothing song.
With a main driving force of a single acoustic guitar and her soft whispery voice, the song is simple but touching. There are no high notes or belting, instead it's perfectly suited for Yoona's limited vocal ability. She sings softly, almost whispery, and just pull you into this soothing song.
Hands Up is one of those songs I thought was underwhelming at first until a few more listens brought out all of the nuance in the track. The instrumentals are wonderful, with that scattered synth melody snaking around keeping things interesting, and as repetitive as the chorus gets, the hands up lends itself very well for chanting. And look at Jongup go! He's come so far with his singing it's so admirable. Of course it's not a BAP song without some excellent uplifting and revolution-inspiring lyrics.
Trust yourself and reach those hands up to your dreams is the message of this song, reach for the light at the end of a tunnel. It's a shame the styling and the MV direction itself does this song no justice or it would have scored even higher.
Trust yourself and reach those hands up to your dreams is the message of this song, reach for the light at the end of a tunnel. It's a shame the styling and the MV direction itself does this song no justice or it would have scored even higher.
This song is a little weird because I actually love the instrumental more than I love the full song. The instrumental is absolutely brilliant, from that bass line to those synths... everything sounds so dreamy inad interesting, which makes it excellent for writing.
The MV is also brilliant, I love the story of these two mirror images constantly trying to come together, pulled by fate, though they don't quite know why. And the dance sequence at the is fantastic. Perfect.
The MV is also brilliant, I love the story of these two mirror images constantly trying to come together, pulled by fate, though they don't quite know why. And the dance sequence at the is fantastic. Perfect.
Lilili Yabbay continues the tradition of the performance team knocking it out of the park for me. As a song it's similar to Highlight where it makes use of soft vocals, distortion and heavy beats to deliver what is essentially a platform for the performance. Lilili Yabbay is a decent enough song on its own, it's got that nice creepy almost cult-like vibe going on, it's a little repetitive and the distortions and heavy synths get grating after a while, but it's nice enough.
All of that doesn't matter though, Lilili Yabbay isn't here to be a song, it's here to be a performance. And boy oh boy what a performance it is. The dance is absolutely brilliant. Stunning. I'm always in awe with the inventiveness and creativity of the performance team, their use of formations and shapes and contemporary dance compliment the song so well (or does the song compliment the dance? at this point I'm not even sure). The movements are jagged, at times fast and other times oh so slow, they're unsettling and just the slightest bit provocative. They tell a tale of dancing in the moonligt, of slow seduction, of danger, and I can't look away. ing art.
All of that doesn't matter though, Lilili Yabbay isn't here to be a song, it's here to be a performance. And boy oh boy what a performance it is. The dance is absolutely brilliant. Stunning. I'm always in awe with the inventiveness and creativity of the performance team, their use of formations and shapes and contemporary dance compliment the song so well (or does the song compliment the dance? at this point I'm not even sure). The movements are jagged, at times fast and other times oh so slow, they're unsettling and just the slightest bit provocative. They tell a tale of dancing in the moonligt, of slow seduction, of danger, and I can't look away. ing art.
Nobody was more surprised than me when this song came out and I loved it. I don't usually like Jimin's voice at all but his execution in Serendipity is flawless. His voice sails through interesting vocal melodies with this vulnerability and insecurity and uncertainty this song calls for. It's a lovesong, but a tentative one, as Jimin tries to figure out how these feelings work and what to do with them, and all of that is conveyed with his voice. He did good.
The MV is stunning too. Everything from the colour schemes to the imagery is stunning, Lumpens always knows how to weave colour and symbolism into a stunning MV (see: Spring Day, Gashina, Lip&Hip), and Serendipity counts as one of their bests. It's as quiet and intimate as the song is, with the perfect use of navies and yellows to underline both the solitude and the note of hope, of wanting.
The MV is stunning too. Everything from the colour schemes to the imagery is stunning, Lumpens always knows how to weave colour and symbolism into a stunning MV (see: Spring Day, Gashina, Lip&Hip), and Serendipity counts as one of their bests. It's as quiet and intimate as the song is, with the perfect use of navies and yellows to underline both the solitude and the note of hope, of wanting.
If there's anything 2017 taught us it's that you can trust Hui (and Flow Blow) to make a damned good song. From Never Ever to Energetic to Like This to Runaway, they've created interesting dance track after dance track.
Like This is low key, it's filled driven by synths Pentagon's crooning vocals, with excellent raps thrown inbetween. I love E'Dawn's rap in the middle, changing the pace just enough to stop things from getting boring, and I love Yuto's rap at the end even more, taking the and softly bringing it back down. The lyrics are as uplifting as the song, talking about chasing your dreams through the harsh ordeals, constantly asserting that they won't be giving up like this, a fitting topic coming from a boygroup filled with talent but devoid of recognition.
I'm not bitter at all. Noooo.
Like This is low key, it's filled driven by synths Pentagon's crooning vocals, with excellent raps thrown inbetween. I love E'Dawn's rap in the middle, changing the pace just enough to stop things from getting boring, and I love Yuto's rap at the end even more, taking the and softly bringing it back down. The lyrics are as uplifting as the song, talking about chasing your dreams through the harsh ordeals, constantly asserting that they won't be giving up like this, a fitting topic coming from a boygroup filled with talent but devoid of recognition.
I'm not bitter at all. Noooo.
The Real is one of those songs where I always forget it exists until I stumble upon it again and remember how amazing it is. It's such a bop, such a fun energetic ear worm, I end up grinning at the first sound of the guitar, and the MV is actual perfection. I loooove dumb silly MVs and this one is one of the best of 2017. Man they did so good.
A lot of the songs on this list are art because I'm nothing if not a hipster , but The Real is pure, simple, unadulterated fun.
A lot of the songs on this list are art because I'm nothing if not a hipster , but The Real is pure, simple, unadulterated fun.
Oh man Gashina is so good. So good. Sunmi slayed all of us with this song. The MV, the song, the dance! The iconic smile and gun combo. The funky synths and disco sounds mixed with Sunmi singing without sounding like she's also trying to push out air (take THAt JYP!) God it's just, it's amazing.
I love the colours of the MV and her crazy charisma and how she plays this amazingly amusing crazy girl with ease, doing what all of us would be doing if we had a swimming pool of clothes to swim through. I love the gender-flipped version of the dance where everything suddenly is gay overload. I love the covers everyone has been doing (of which this one is objectively the best, in my very biased opinion).
There's a reason why Gashina has enchanted us all, and that's because it's damned amazing.
I love the colours of the MV and her crazy charisma and how she plays this amazingly amusing crazy girl with ease, doing what all of us would be doing if we had a swimming pool of clothes to swim through. I love the gender-flipped version of the dance where everything suddenly is gay overload. I love the covers everyone has been doing (of which this one is objectively the best, in my very biased opinion).
There's a reason why Gashina has enchanted us all, and that's because it's damned amazing.
Oh man, I was drawn in my the thumbnail on reddit, those vibrant purples against those red petals just looks gorgeous and had piqued my interest, and it's one of the best decisions I've made this year. This song is soooo good, and this is coming from someone who doesn't usually like kpop bands. It's the right mix of nostalgic with excellent instrumentals and emotionally loaded vocals.
I've spent days this summer listening to this song on repeat because it's just that good. I've used it to write because it just instantly transports me to this nostalgic mindset in which I break hearts with ease, and have simply revelled in how good it is. One of the most criminally underrated songs of the year.
I've spent days this summer listening to this song on repeat because it's just that good. I've used it to write because it just instantly transports me to this nostalgic mindset in which I break hearts with ease, and have simply revelled in how good it is. One of the most criminally underrated songs of the year.
Move is a fitting title, since there is only one person in Korea who can move like that. Move is everything I didn't know I needed. It's dark, it's slightly creepy, and the dance looks so deceptively simplistic until you watch anyone who's not Lee Taemin (or Koharu) perform it. It's almost serpentine, the dance, especially paired with the looks Taemin is serving throughout, and it's mesmerizing.
That and the fact that I have such respect for him for continuously pushing boundaries and pushing for an androgynous song and look land him firmly in the top 6 for me.
Also check out the version with Koharu for some double slayage!
That and the fact that I have such respect for him for continuously pushing boundaries and pushing for an androgynous song and look land him firmly in the top 6 for me.
Also check out the version with Koharu for some double slayage!
I've never really been a fan of Hyunseung, he was always my least favourite in Beast, mostly because of weird vibes, so it wasn't surprising when the thing with Beast went down. Then he released this song in the summer and the lyrics are such a blatant taking responsibility of his previous ty attitude and I'm in awe. That takes guts.
It helps that the song itself is ing and has been replayed more often than I'd be comfortable admitting. It's in the same boat as Sorry where it's become one of my go-to nostalgia writing songs, it's so good. Hyunseung did good, and it nets him the #5 spot.
It helps that the song itself is ing and has been replayed more often than I'd be comfortable admitting. It's in the same boat as Sorry where it's become one of my go-to nostalgia writing songs, it's so good. Hyunseung did good, and it nets him the #5 spot.
This song slayed my life. I loooove those unsettling songs and Peekaboo nails the sounds to an impressive degree. It's catchy, it's creepy, they all sound amazing, and boy do they look amazing. The drop is amazing, the dance works really well with the sound, and they're all serving their best axe murder faces. I dig it so hard.
And the MV! Oh man the MV. I love me some murderous women chasing a poor pizza guy through the house. The attention to detail is astounding (the previous pizza guy tshirts on display, for one), and the glitter rainbow aesthetic is objectively the best aesthetic. And look at bby Yeri shining! And look at Joy. God, it's so good.
And the MV! Oh man the MV. I love me some murderous women chasing a poor pizza guy through the house. The attention to detail is astounding (the previous pizza guy tshirts on display, for one), and the glitter rainbow aesthetic is objectively the best aesthetic. And look at bby Yeri shining! And look at Joy. God, it's so good.
You know those songs where you'll never forget the first time you heard them, the first time you watched it performed? Hyuna definitely made sure Lip&Hip was exactly that, I will never forget that MMA performance and that le pop and the legendarily bad styling. I replayed that performance so many times it's embarrassing, it's truly one that I'll never forget. //Ilhoon voice: Oh she's the queen.
And then the song itself is a bop, and do you hear her singing? She sang in Babe and it's even better here. The prechorus is a thing of beauty, the chorus is an earworm, and she slays the dance with all the charisma she's got (and that's a LOT). And the message! Be yourself, be bold, be confident, don't be afraid to serve some lip and hip and assert yourself. Queeeen. //cough. Sorry that happens sometimes.
The MV itself is so clever too, showing this almost scandalous coming of age image as teenage Hyuna struggles coming to terms with growing up and ual and romantic feelings and how to out them. It comments on the repression of such feelings as Hyuna's character tries to figure out how to combine the image of her real self with the image of her fantasy self, and learn to embrace that boldness. Art.
Bonus: the 80s version that stole my heart.
And then the song itself is a bop, and do you hear her singing? She sang in Babe and it's even better here. The prechorus is a thing of beauty, the chorus is an earworm, and she slays the dance with all the charisma she's got (and that's a LOT). And the message! Be yourself, be bold, be confident, don't be afraid to serve some lip and hip and assert yourself. Queeeen. //cough. Sorry that happens sometimes.
The MV itself is so clever too, showing this almost scandalous coming of age image as teenage Hyuna struggles coming to terms with growing up and ual and romantic feelings and how to out them. It comments on the repression of such feelings as Hyuna's character tries to figure out how to combine the image of her real self with the image of her fantasy self, and learn to embrace that boldness. Art.
Bonus: the 80s version that stole my heart.
Pictured above: me on my way to steal your girl.
I'm in love with this song for so many different reasons. It's an amazing song that I've come to appreciate with more and more listens. I love how it's a ballad but it's not a slow and draggong one, but almost slightly upbeat one. A ballad filled with nostalgia more than outright sadness. BTOB is missing you, but they're not crying in a corner about it, they're sitting next to the fire and looking out the window and just reminiscing about how great it was, feeling just a little emptier inside. It's emotional but there's a distinct driving force in the instrumenta driving the song forward that never lets it get drag, and before you know it the song is done.
There's that bridge where the instrumentals fall away that's made just that much more amazing live with the fans chiming in. There's the touching inclusion of sign language in the dance (and they even did a sign language acoustic version! AND the idea came from Sungjae) reminding us once more that they're the most wholesome thing on this planet. There's the amazing voices, those soft and gentle notes from Eunkwang, that intense rap from Minhyuk, that sweet piano intro from Hyunsik. The s even made the fans sing for their fanchant. And look at the beautiful orange tones of the MV!
Am I a biased whose love for BTOB is well known and well documented? Yes. Absolutely. This has been an amazing year for them, they got to show off both their dumb goofy side in Movie and their touching emotional side in Missing You, both songs created by members of the group, both excellent in their own right.
I'm in love with this song for so many different reasons. It's an amazing song that I've come to appreciate with more and more listens. I love how it's a ballad but it's not a slow and draggong one, but almost slightly upbeat one. A ballad filled with nostalgia more than outright sadness. BTOB is missing you, but they're not crying in a corner about it, they're sitting next to the fire and looking out the window and just reminiscing about how great it was, feeling just a little emptier inside. It's emotional but there's a distinct driving force in the instrumenta driving the song forward that never lets it get drag, and before you know it the song is done.
There's that bridge where the instrumentals fall away that's made just that much more amazing live with the fans chiming in. There's the touching inclusion of sign language in the dance (and they even did a sign language acoustic version! AND the idea came from Sungjae) reminding us once more that they're the most wholesome thing on this planet. There's the amazing voices, those soft and gentle notes from Eunkwang, that intense rap from Minhyuk, that sweet piano intro from Hyunsik. The s even made the fans sing for their fanchant. And look at the beautiful orange tones of the MV!
Am I a biased whose love for BTOB is well known and well documented? Yes. Absolutely. This has been an amazing year for them, they got to show off both their dumb goofy side in Movie and their touching emotional side in Missing You, both songs created by members of the group, both excellent in their own right.
and before we get to #1, here are some honorary mentions:
can be better (highlight)
anti (zico)
ddd (EXID)
i (knew it) (sonamoo)
All night (snsd)
red flavor (red velvet)
trust me (kard)
you in me (kard)
home is far away (epik high)
Babe is amazing. A masterpiece. From the dreamlike synths and xylophone to the soft dreamy vocals to the increased creepyness as Hyuna counts down her years ontil total cognitive dissonance has been reached. The artistic direction of this song is paralleled only by its clever lyrics, penned by miss Hyuna herself.
I love me some good lyrics, you should be able to tell by now, and Babe uses iits thin mask of a love song to give a scalding criticism of infantilization and what Hyuna has been through in her 10 years in the industry. Hyuna details how she changes in the eyes of the viewer, the viewer wants her younger and younger and younger until she's 15 (the age she debuted!) and she hardly recognizes herself, and the MV shows her discomfort plainly as she walks out looking shaken and not herself. "I can't fall asleep, I can't stop thinking about your gaze and speech." There's nothing love song about this, it's all personal.
Babe is a masterpiece, one where everything from the instrumentals to the lyrics to the musical video paint a clear picture where the consumer looks closer than face value. For just a moment Hyuna sets her charismatic and powerful image aside to deliver a song more personal and vulnerable, and the end result is beautiful and important. I've rarely seen a song where the message is relayed through all means necessary and the end work is beautiful, truly worthy of being the #1.
I love me some good lyrics, you should be able to tell by now, and Babe uses iits thin mask of a love song to give a scalding criticism of infantilization and what Hyuna has been through in her 10 years in the industry. Hyuna details how she changes in the eyes of the viewer, the viewer wants her younger and younger and younger until she's 15 (the age she debuted!) and she hardly recognizes herself, and the MV shows her discomfort plainly as she walks out looking shaken and not herself. "I can't fall asleep, I can't stop thinking about your gaze and speech." There's nothing love song about this, it's all personal.
Babe is a masterpiece, one where everything from the instrumentals to the lyrics to the musical video paint a clear picture where the consumer looks closer than face value. For just a moment Hyuna sets her charismatic and powerful image aside to deliver a song more personal and vulnerable, and the end result is beautiful and important. I've rarely seen a song where the message is relayed through all means necessary and the end work is beautiful, truly worthy of being the #1.
Shay's top 17 songs of 2017 pt 2!
Yo ers are you ready for this?
shay, 25, still passionate and opinionated
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