Picking up right where we left off, 2014 was just as important of a year in K-pop as any but it is especially special to me. Not only did 2014 give me some of my most favourite songs in K-pop, it was also when I started high school so this year was an especially eventful one. While this year had it’s own set of ups and downs, let us look at some of the best songs the year had to offer to us.
As always, this list is meant to contain some of my personal favourites rather than a list of most iconic or important. I will always make this disclaimer in all my lists as a just-in-case sort of note but I’m just using this as a warning for anyone passing by and was expecting an in depth historical view on K-pop.
14. AOA - 짧은 치마 (Miniskirt)
While part of me feels guilty for choosing this song for the list because of the concept, it is genuinely one of my favourite songs from them. While the sexy concept shot their popularity all the way up, their songs are still worth a listen as many of them are very well made with good production and the standard catchy writing. But Miniskirt was the start of all this and really set AOA’s signature style from here on out.
The song is simple in its composition and production, the rhodes-esque piano line that starts the song and the regular piano line is present throughout the entire song and acts as the general chord progression. The added background harmonies and adlibs makes the song sound more full and busy, considering how sparse the track already is. The melodic writing of the song is already catchy enough as it is so from a production standpoint it does the bare minimum of being a good, catchy pop song and for me that’s more than enough. While they do have better songs later on which would be a better entry for this list than Miniskirt, a part of me has weird soft spot for this song.
13. SPEED - Don’t Tease Me! (놀리러 간다)
SPEED is another one of countless boy bands who are criminally underrated for the amazing songs and performances they put up. A lot of their songs are creative, performance wise, and this is no exception. While there is no proper music video, I do appreciate the fact that they used a live stage to help showcase the performance aspect of the song even though the dance practice does a better job of showing that.
The song’s theme and concept is clear from the start, it’s circus themed and is reflected in both the performance and song’s instrumental. The music box opening which leads into a big orchestration really captures the feel and soundscape of a circus performance. The horn line plays the same riff from the opening to help capture that feel in a more genuine manner while the busy percussion line and the sprinkles of dubstep through the song really adds a more modern flavour to the song. The performance aspect cannot be ignored so I will give a special mention to that as we can see a practice video of the boys practicing their acrobatic skills for this song. While I loved both sub-units of Co-ed School, being SPEED and F-Ve dolls, and miss their music, their subunits also brought amazing music and I will still wonder how it would be like if they were still around in this modern age of K-pop.
12. Orange Caramel - 까탈레나 (Catellena)
Orange Caramel will forever be one of the most unique, iconic and craziest sun-unit to ever exist. While I love their music as After School, Orange Caramel’s songs always had this weirdness to it that’s very hard to hate. It’s so unique and weird that it makes you wonder what goes on in their videos and even in their songs as the general song writing is very weird. This is definitely an era all K-pop fans should experience at least once in their lives so they can truly understand the power these type of songs have.
With the instrumentation and style of the song, Catallena has a very old, retro style to its sound, almost trot if you squint hard enough. The use of the strings, synths, guitar and even percussion rhythms are all very odd for normal pop songs but this is far from a normal pop song. The way the sounds are all used makes the song very fun and lively and can make anyone dance in a weird if they listen to it. The spotlight for Orange Caramel songs have always been the songwriting choices as it’s oddly catchy in the most unconventional way ever. The way the hooks are written for them have always been an earworm, even if you didn’t think so at first. The hooks written here are so odd that I can’t even find a way to phrase it without looking at the lyrics so I encourage you to listen to it for yourself. The age of wacky songs in K-pop has been declining over time very fast and while there are some songs that does that nowadays, nothing will reach the heights of wacky songs that Orange Caramel does back then.
11. Apink - Mr. Chu
After the success of No No No the year prior, Apink came back with another hit song in the same nature of No No No. While Apink may not be constantly pumping out one catchy hit after another, their music quality has steadily been consistent and they have finally found a style they're good at and has even learned to evolve that style as we move on through the years.
While the music video uses the On Stage version of the song, which has a very different instrumentation and tempo for the first half of the song, my thoughts will be on the original version that they don't use for broadcast. The original version starts with a more rhythmically active piano line and strings and brings more movement and tempo to the song as opposed to the slower start in the On Stage version. With the added mute guitar like within the track and a different timbre of synths to do the scale leading into the chorus, this version has a more upbeat feel to the song, even more so in this version as the song itself is naturally very bright and happy. The whole production of team song is meant to be very happy and heartfelt but the original version gives so much more tempo and makes it even more upbeat that it makes you feel even happier than before. Apink has always been the resident girl group for happy, cute music and I'm glad they perfected their own formula which makes their cute music unique to them.
10. ZE:A - St.Dagger (비틀비틀)
With what is probably their last original album as a full group, ZE:A has never failed to give the best quality music, even with a compilation album the year after. They always had some of the best unknown hit songs, for a group where half the members are so well known in their own right. While it is great to see the members have their own form of success, it's still sad to see that their full group songs not get the same level of love.
St.Dagger, a song that never has a consistent translated title, is an amazing sexy, RnB song with some great production and sound design behind it for how simple it is. The simple melodies of the piano, the guitar strums, strings and the percussion with the added water drop effect creates the perfect soundscape it was going for. Everything about it is so fitting and is crafted perfectly. The bridge is also amazing as the added horns and the piano lines makes the song a tad bit jazzier and adds enough spice and variation to the song. When it comes to ZE:A’s music, there will always be something worth listening to.
9. HALO - Fever (체온이 뜨거워)
Aspiring to be the Korean One Direction, HALO debuted with a youthful, fresh sound that could be influenced by One Direction but is also unique and special to them. While this style may fade out for them down the line and especially once the 3 members of ORβIT branched off, they still have many songs that is still fun, bright and fresh to make their sound special to them.
Fever focuses a lot on EDM/electronic sounds as the opening to sound is very sound heavy and more intense than one would expect for their style. The synth samples used for the verses and the choruses is lighter and is more melodic mixed in with sprinkles of dubstep which creates a great balance of bright, pop sounds and heavier waves of electronic synths. The opening section acts as a post-chorus dance break which does adds more variety and makes use of something we’ve already heard. The transition from the rap bridge to the last chorus using the funky horn sounds adds a tad bit more variety making this upbeat song have enough substance to stand on its own. While they do have a youthful nature to their sound, evident based on their goals, they do own this style and turn it into their own.
8. BTS - Tomorrow
The biggest boy band on the planet currently are back on my lists, back during their prime in my eyes. While BTS have a lot of great songs this year, many iconic for years to come, Tomorrow is one that is very special and stands out from the many songs they did do this year. Lyrically it is very inspirational and one that many people could relate to in this current day and age. Sound wise it is definitely my favourite from the Skool Luv Affair album.
The song is relatively simple in terms of production and composition. Starting off by establishing the sample used and the rhythm, the song builds itself around that by having the piano line play around it, even if it is not as forward in the track. The distorted vocoder effect on the vocal line in the pre-chorus adds a lot of depth to the soundscape that’s been created. By also adding the guitar line going off during the bridge and last chorus adds a lot more power to the song, especially considering the message it’s trying to convey. While many people know BTS for the English songs they do now, I will forever love the older songs they do around this era as even their love songs can be so profound and poetically written.
7. T-ARA- Sugar Free
T-ARA has made countless catchy, iconic songs through the years and while they may not be as popular as during their prime, they still made some amazing songs that I personally feel are overlooked. Sugar Free is one of them as it takes such an intense EDM sound and still make very much a K-pop sound. It’s the kind of charm and style that only someone like T-ARA can infuse into a song like these.
For an intense EDM/Club song, it is surprisingly very melodic and has enough variation to make it interesting. The walls of sound the song presents to us is still very interesting so that our ears don’t feel attacked or overwhelmed with sound. Right from the opening, it establishes the type of sound and style it’s going for while using a mix of lighter and deeper, scratchier synths. The way the song builds up afterwards from the verse to the pre-chorus is amazing and the chorus is the best payoff for a song like this. The chorus still has a wall of sounds but the synths are much lighter and different from the verses before and is still used melodically. To this day, I have yet to find a song that can capture the essence of an EDM/Club song that is still so sonically satisfying yet so melodic and can still be interesting with a lot of substance under it.
6. LABOUM - 어떡할래 (What About You?)
LABOUM has had many songs that was an instant hit for me and many that were not to my liking at all. That doesn’t mean I hate their songs by any means, I still enjoy many of them. But the songs I do enjoy from them are ones I’m really into and this is one of them, if not the most underrated song from them that I love and it’s another shame that their most interesting song is one that’s the most overlooked.
The toy box motif of the concept and song adds an interesting twist into the song as there is a sense of unease in the song with the toy box melody and synths playing into it. The song then takes a funky turn and makes it all upbeat which is also supported by the harmonies added in. It is all well produced and very well rounded sound wise. The chorus section with the stripped down piano line and percussions added good suspension before the modulation for the final chorus. As simple as the song can be in it’s composition, the song does it’s job well and takes an interesting twist on what might’ve been a normal funky, upbeat song.
5. The Legend - Left Out
The Legend probably has one of my favourite debut songs ever and are probably the most unknown band on the list. While you can feel that their production is not always the best, they definitely started out in the best way possible. With a name like The Legend and with how skilled the members are, it's is yet another shame to see their skills and music go unnoticed.
The song already establishes it's style with the opening high piano line, having a more mature pop sound from the early 2000s with more modern production. The sprinkles of electronic synths as the song builds up during the pre-chorus is great at leading into a sonically satisfying chorus. The chorus is very balanced sound wise as it has a lot of higher electronic synths paired with the lower sounding bass. The use of all the EDM elements during the rap break adds a lot of good variety in the song and makes good use of the sounds we've heard before. The Legend has a lot of the style and sound that can be found in the earlier years of K-pop and they brought back a breathe of fresh air than what was the trend around this time.
4. UNIQ - Falling In Love
UNIQ is another case similar to ZE:A, where their members are all successful in their right but are fairly unknown as a group. They have had less time releasing music together, only releasing one mini album in Korea and multiple singles in China, but the songs they did release were all amazing and they even had a lot of attention on them at some point, being known as the team from YG that was supposed to debut as a joint partnership between them and YUEHUA.
Falling In Love can be considered a normal pop song about falling in love to many people but it goes all in with its production. Right from the start with the high synths, the song establishes itself with the use of the deep, gritty dubstep bass. The chorus also makes use of the electronic synths and makes the song's tempo go faster making it feel more free, sound wise. As simple and repetitive as the instrumental can get, the melodic writing around this keeps the song active enough as the vocal lines and rap breaks plays around the rhythm. The added harmonies during the bridge helps the song build and adds more intensity and the absence of part of the track during the final chorus makes the final hook more impactful. For a debut song, this song takes a very typical and normal style of songs that other companies would use and turns it into something more intense and created something unique with something we are all more or less familiar with.
3. Girl’s Generation - Indestructible
Girl's Generation had a very rough year this time around as Jessica left after they all renewed their contracts with SM. Despite this, they managed to release their Japanese compilation album this year and also a handful of new songs at that. As sad as it is that these are the last few songs and album with the original lineup, but in my eyes they went out with the best songs possible.
Out of the new songs they released this year, Indestructible and Divine are my favourites but I'll have to give the spot to the former. Girl's Generation has a track record for amazing ballads and this is no exception. It is fairly simple in its composition and production, piano lines, standard percussions and some light synths used. But the melodic writing is phenomenal as always and the harmonies added in elevates the song in all the right ways. While the song is relatively simpler compared to the rest of their discography, it's a song that hits all the right spots in the best way possible like all of their ballads.
2. Beast - 12:30
It is now time for my favourite boys, Beast, and they released what is probably their most well known ballad title track. 2014 was the golden era for them as their songs this year were so successful, with Good Luck being the song that got them the most wins, and 12:30 was a real special ballad to me while also being their most interesting one to me.
The use of the clock motif was always interesting to me everytime I listened to it as the clock ticking played an integral role in the instrumental. The piano lines and the use of the percussions added a lot of weight to the song, sound wise, as it helps build momentum and drove the song forward. The use of the harmonies and the very minimal dubstep elements during chorus adds some interesting flavours to the song as you wouldn't expect it to work well with a traditional written ballad. The use of the strings that was sprinkled through the song was used well as the sparse nature of the song led to the usage of strings to be more important in the overall build of the soundscape. I cannot dismiss the vocal directing done on the song as Yoseob's vocal work was splendid as he always is for their ballads. Beast will forever be my favourite boy band and their ballads all hold a special place in my heart.
1. ToppDogg - Arario
An odd choice for my song of the year but looking back at how obsessed I was with this song, it makes sense to give this song the credit it deserves. While it is odd to use a song that is already on the album as a repackage title track, it was the smart move as it was such a unique song for the time that they would be able to benefit from it. As much has ToppDogg has not been as successful as they should be after releasing a masterpiece of a song like Arario, this song still deserves to get some light shed on it for how creative it is.
The version used for the repackage is referred to as the K-traditional version and it is honestly the most definitive and best version of the song. The song as a whole combines the aspect of traditional Korean instruments and modern EDM and hip-hop. The use of of the electronic synths and the deep scratchy bass synths in the hip-hop style oddly complements the use of the traditional instruments. The use of traditional string and wind instruments is sprinkled out through the song and their presence is very much known as it is forward in the track. At times during the verses and pre-chorus, we can hear the use of a more traditional sounding drums rather than a standard percussion set and that adds a lot of depth and variety to the composition. The highlight for me personally is the outro/last chorus as the unity of the more traditional instrumentations with the rock instrumentation of the drum set and the guitars really set such an explosive end to the song. While the song never got the recognition it deserved, it will forever be special to me as one of the first songs to incorporate the use of traditional and modern instrumentation.
This year gave way to a lot of iconic and special songs to me, especially during my time in high school. Most of these songs accompanied me through my first year and helped made this year all the more special to me. While being special, this year did have its fair share of downs too for K-pop and for me personally in school but these songs helped make this first year of puberty more tolerable for me. We have enough talk of my high school time and it is now time to move on into another year full of some of the best ups and some of the worst downs life has to offer in the year 2015.
