Photo by Glen Noble on Unsplash
People walk by, all in a rush to make their flights; the airport is alive tonight. You sit down; passport, plane ticket, and phone at hand. You feel a sense of sadness; you don’t want to leave this great city, this awesome place full of nice people. But you have to go back to where you belong, if only for a while. You can come back again someday. “Attention. Midnight Airlines, Flight 1200 is ready for departure”, a voice through the intercom blows out. The time has come. You stand up and walk through the gates. You’ve tuned in. Welcome to Midnight Radio.
For the time being, tonight will be our last night in the genre of Korean music. We’ve enjoyed opening our broadcasts with music from this great country but, just like all things, we have to move on. We are still trying to figure out where we will be basing our broadcasts for the next three weeks but, with a plethora of places that have great music, we’ll eventually find a place that best suits the occasion. Thank you for being with us as we covered some of the best songs that South Korea has to offer to the global audience. We’ll return, before the summer starts, to provide more songs that have made South Korea a hotspot for globalized music.
For tonight’s final Song of the Night, we’ll be playing one our favorite albums from South Korea, an album that actually started our dive into the genre that is Kpop. Released in 2017, Palette is the fourth studio album by IU, one of the greatest South Korean artists to come from the present-day generation. An album that has many great bops, Palette is one of IU’s greatest masterpieces as the album, in itself, is a story about IU’s realization of who she is as a 25-year old woman in South Korea. We, at Midnight Radio, love this album as it caused us to want to know more about South Korean music itself, regardless of genre. In some ways, Palette is the source for the creation of Midnight Radio. Before we play this well-written album in its entirety, a brief introduction is needed for South Korea’s “little sister”.
Lee Ji-Eun, better known by her stage name of IU, is one of South Korea’s popular singers. Debuting in 2008, IU gained immense through her 2010 song, “Good Day”. Composed by famed music composer, Kim Eana, “Good Day” features IU’s famed singing skills and her legendary three-octave note scale. Over the years, IU has released a number of popular songs and albums such as Modern Times, A Flower Bookmark, Chat-shire, “You and I”, “Friday”, “Twenty-Three”, and, most recently, “Bbibbi”. While IU has gained worldwide fame for her music career, she has also gained attention for her acting skills. Going by her real name, Lee has developed an understanding of acting through the various characters that she’s portrayed in shows such as The Producer, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, My Mister, and most recently, her Netflix series, Persona. Regardless of whether she’s on the stage or on screen, IU has become one of the greatest commodities of South Korean culture and we hope to see more of her work in the future.
Starting off Palette, “Dlwlrma” is a jazzy-pop tune that goes over IU’s love for the present. Named after her Instagram handle, “Dlwlrma” lyrically paints the optimism of IU and her defiance on the rough goings of life. With a jolly beat and whimsical singing, IU playfully introduces the listener to the album and the “things yet to come”.
Second, “Palette” is the title song for the album, a song that is aptly named for the viewpoint that IU has on her life. Mainly written by IU and collaborated and featuring G-Dragon, “Palette” is a song about realization, one where IU realizes who she is as she turns 25. With soft-mellow sounds and a quaint R&B sound, IU manages to reveal her true self to the listener and, most importantly, to herself.
The first sad ballad of the album, “End Scene” is a heartbreaking piece about ending a relationship. With an equally heart wrenching MV, “End Scene” goes over the pains of a relationship to where one party ultimately fails to love the other. Sad in nature, IU delivers the emotions and mood of this song through masterful precision in voice control.
Featuring one member of a band that we covered this past week, Hyukoh’s Oh Hyuk joins IU in “Can’t Love You Anymore”. A heavy R&B song, this hit contains the surprisingly smooth combination of IU’s hushed vocals and Hyuk’s rough voice. Featuring a witty back and forth conversation between both singers, “Can’t Love You Anymore” tells the story of staying in a relationship that has long run its course. With an indie-styled MV, IU and Hyuk manage to portray the realistic consequences of not ending a relationship once love has gone.
“Jam Jam” can be considered the hidden gem of Palette. Written by famed artist, Sunwoo Jungah, this gem diverts from IU’s traditional sounds as it features heavy dance beats and a mature theme. Lyrically, this song is a masterpiece as it narrates IU’s need for love, no matter if it’s real or fake. Musically, the song makes you want to dance once IU repeats the word, sarang. With a sound similar to Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, “Jam Jam” is the song that you need to help you stay awake at night.
Personally, considered to be the only weak song on the album, “Black Out” is wonderfully placed on the album as it falls right between “Jam Jam” and the next song, “Full Stop”. Featuring bright drums and a sunny melody, “Black Out” tells the after story of IU’s adventures in “Jam Jam”. Considered to be characteristically drunk throughout the song, IU tells the story of how it’s okay to be in love, even when the love isn’t real.
The second sad ballad of the album, “Full Stop” continues the tale of heartbreak from “End Scene”. Even more depressing from the previous ballad, this tune features a beautiful orchestra accompaniment that compliments IU’s voice as she tells her ex to never come back to her again due to the immense pain that they have brought to her upon breakup. Aptly named “Full Stop”, IU says goodbye to the happiness that they both shared, a goodbye that is filled with sorrow. While it is nearly impossible to vocally portray sorrow, IU magically accomplishes this feat through the last note of the song, a note that displays the full weight of her sorrow.
The lead single of Palette, “Through the Night” is the song that brought us to the attention of this album. Being fans of songs that heavily featured acoustic guitar as the primary accompaniment instrument, we couldn’t help but want to learn more about the album that featured this tender song. A combination of folk and ballad, “Through the Night” is a sweet message that IU writes for her lover. Words can’t describe how much this song has made us smile at night, here at Midnight Radio. We hope that you smile, just like us, when you hear this great song.
“Love Alone”, the second-to-last song on the album, features only IU and the professional guitar-picking of Lee Byung-Woo. A record that was difficult too difficult to record in one take, “Love Alone” tells the frustrating story of being in love with a person who cannot love you back. One key factor that can be noticed throughout the song is the maturity of IU’s voice, a voice that emotively demonstrates the hardships of being in this type of relationship.
The final song of the album and, ultimately, our time in South Korea, “Dear Name” closes out our Song of the Night. We can’t help but get teary eyed whenever this song plays due to the lyrics and, also, for IU’s live performance of the song at the 2017 Melon Music Awards. A song that describes the different feelings of isolation, loneliness, and being forgotten, IU tenderly delivers a powerful song that consoles those who are going through these issues. Lyrically, the song is one of the best songs that we’ve listened to as IU and Kim Eana create a beautiful heartwarming piece. Musically, one can’t help but believe IU’s words when she says that she will remember your name, despite the pain that you’ve has gone through in having it forgotten. This name was pluralized during IU’s live performance as she brought about forth the names of the victims who perished in the 2014 Sewol Ferry Tragedy. Ladies and gentlemen, no matter what you are going through in life, just know that there will always be people who will care for you, no matter how deep of a storm life throws at you.
A masterpiece of an album, we have allowed Palette to close out Favorite South Korean Songs: Volume 1 for Song of the Night and our time with South Korean music. To be honest, we’ve been wanting to talk about this album for a long time. After hearing Palette last summer, we couldn’t help but dive deeper into the vast South Korean music industry. After discovering and rediscovering great artists, we’ve developed a huge appreciation for the talent and ability that all these artists possess. Through globalization, South Korea has managed to make its music and, ultimately, culture known through one of its greatest resources: music. We’ll return one day to feature more artists from this country. The last three weeks compose all but 1% of what we’ve discovered during our travels throughout South Korea’s vast musical jungle. Get your passports ready for the next country that we’ll be travelling to. It’ll be one that we’re culturally familiar with. Thank you for following us through this journey. Kamsahamnida!
I hope you enjoyed tonight’s broadcast of Midnight Radio. Please support the artists reviewed on this blog by streaming or purchasing their material. Feel free to leave any comments below. If you have any questions, click the contact page, provide your email address and questions in the appropriate areas, and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. Ready for the next broadcast, Midnight Radio is live.
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