Cho Yong-pil Return to Busan Port Trot Rock K-Music Heritage Released in 1976 and becoming an immediate, massive hit, ‘Return to Busan Port (돌아와요 부산항에)’ by Cho Yong-pil is one of the most significant songs in modern Korean popular music history. It is the defining anthem of the city of…
Wonder Girls Tell Me 2nd Generation K-pop Hook Song Syndrome Disco Released on September 13, 2007, as the title track of their debut album 《The Wonder Years》, ‘Tell Me’ by Wonder Girls was more than just a hit; it became a social phenomenon known as the ‘Tell Me Syndrome.’ This…
KARA Pretty Girl 2nd Generation K-pop Teen Pop Charm Released on December 4, 2008, as the title track of their second mini-album, ‘Pretty Girl’ by KARA solidified the group’s signature concept as a ‘friendly girl group.’ The song introduced a rare Triplet Rhythm Teen Pop style to the Korean music…
BIGBANG Lies 2nd Generation K-pop Electronic Hip Hop Revolution Released in August 2007 as the title track of BIGBANG’s mini-album 《Always》, ‘Lies (거짓말)’ is often cited as the revolutionary song that divided K-pop history into ‘before Lies’ and ‘after Lies.’ The track moved away from the dominant R&B and ballad…
Girls’ Generation Into The New World 2007 K-pop Dance Youth Anthem Girls’ Generation (소녀시대) made a radiant entrance into the music scene on August 3, 2007, with their debut single, ‘Into The New World (다시 만난 세계)’. The song is celebrated as the iconic track that signaled the end of…
god Friday Night 1999 K-pop Dance Party Anthem god (지오디)‘s “Friday Night” is a beloved track from their 1999 second studio album, Chapter 2, and was promoted as a successful follow-up single. After gaining initial fame with emotional ballads like ‘To My Mother’ and ‘Love and Remember,’ god, under the…
SHINHWA I Pray 4 U 2002 K-pop Ballad Fan Song SHINHWA (신화) released ‘I Pray 4 U’ as the follow-up single to their 5th studio album, Perfect Man, in 2002. In stark contrast to the powerful choreography of their title track ‘Perfect Man,’ this was a warm, emotional ballad. It…
Im Chang-jung Again 1997 K-pop Ballad Legend The song that solidified Im Chang-jung’s (임창정) status not merely as a multi-entertainer, but as a leading South Korean ballad singer, is “Again (그때 또 다시),” the title track of his 1997 third studio album, Again. Written by Park Ju-yeon and composed by…
Young Turks Club Jeong 1996 K-pop Yoon Il-sang Dance Young Turks Club (영턱스클럽) was a five-member co-ed group that took the Korean dance music scene by storm upon their 1996 debut. Their biggest hit, “Jeong (情) – Dangerous Farewell,” the follow-up track from their first album, became an instant phenomenon.…
Song Dae-kwan Haet Deul Nal 1975 National Hope Trot Released in 1975, Song Dae-kwan’s (송대관) “Haet Deul Nal (해뜰날),” literally meaning ‘A Sunny Day Will Rise,’ is one of the most brightly optimistic songs in Korean trot music history. The lyrics were written by Song Dae-kwan himself during his long,…