[August 2012] DBSK Song of the Month

This is my article for TVXQWorld this month. ^^

DBSK Song of the Month: Fighting Spirit of the East

It’s the Olympic season again, and this year, the 2012 Summer Olympics took place in London. We have seen the grandeur of the opening ceremonies, and with over 200 countries participating in the spirit of sportsmanship in the Games, it’s indeed the biggest sporting event in history. So, with the Olympic fever in full swing, TVXQWorld ushers in this historic event with a special issue dedicated to sports.

Speaking of sports, for this issue, I have chosen one DBSK song which showcases unity and sportsmanship of the Korean people in the 2006 World Cup. Yes, you got it right, the DBSK Song of the Month is “Fighting Spirit of the East”. 

“Fighting Spirit of the East” was the Korean anthem during the 2006 World Cup Tournament, and honestly speaking, even if I am not a Korean, I actually got goosebumps when I first listened to the song.
 

The chorus goes like~

“I believe that, with you, our cheers
Will work miracles once more,
That the world will be ours once again
Please show us our rising flame,
The fighting spirit that, with our lasting love, does not give in,
So that it may ring throughout the world.”

Koreans are known to be extremely nationalistic, and with their stint at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, it has given them the confidence to excel in the field of sports. According to news, the Korean Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments, which is the most appearances for an Asian country. Even though they didn’t make it to the finals, they were then considered as the most successful World Cup nation in Asia. Park Ji Sung, who is undisputedly the most popular South Korean soccer player became more famous when he made it to England’s Manchester United.

I remember watching Team Korea in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, and I was awed by the unity that they exemplified during their matches. People shouted “Daehanminguk!!!” which means “Go Korea!”, painted their faces red, and waved the South Korean flag as a sign of support to the Korean soccer team.

The song has a very strong nationalistic feel, and with the addition of background choral voices, it became more majestic to the ears. DBSK’s voices blend so well together, aside from the fact that they sang it with so much pride.  The last chorus made my hair stand, literally because everyone just screamed “Korea!!!” at the end.

In the spirit of sportsmanship and unity, I really believe that gaming events such as the Olympics and the World Cup teaches us to give our 100 percent in everything we do, we should be a good sport, whether we win or lose.

[June 2012] DBSK Song of the Month

A/N: This is another article which I wrote for the June issue of TVXQWorld. ^^

DBSK Song of the Month: Love Bye Love

Yoochun celebrates his 26th/27th birthday this June, and so for this issue, I think it is just fitting to feature one song composed by our birthday boy. I actually went through the list of his compositions, listened to them one by one, and after so much deliberation, I finally chose one song to be featured as the DBSK Song of the Month. It’s so difficult to choose, and if only I had the liberty to feature all of them, I would have done so.

For this issue, I decided to review “Love Bye Love (사랑 안녕 사랑)”, which is off DBSK’s fourth Korean album, Mirotic. The music and lyrics were all penned by Yoochun.

From the title itself, you can easily say that this is a song about saying goodbye to a loved one, and true enough, the song is a sad ensemble of all the sadness one feels whenever they have to say goodbye to a loved one---in this case, breaking up with your special someone.

The song starts off with a birds chirping at the background, and a narration from fellow SME artist Go Ara, saying “I’ve gotten over you.. Sorry.” Ouch.

“Love Bye Love” is a mid-tempo song featuring the angsty yet angelic voices of the members of DBSK. We can see how the members do their adlibs in the different parts of the song. Each line of the song was sung with so much emotion, and you can really feel it as you listen. Changmin’s powerful voice at the last chorus left me in awe. I wonder, how high can this guy’s voice get? What makes this song even more special is the fact that Junsu raps alongside Yunho in the bridge. This is something special, as the rapping duties are usually assigned to Yunho and Yoochun.

Going over the lyrics of the song, I discovered how heavy the lyrics are. Yoochun is a genius for pulling off such emotions and putting them in a song, and now I wonder if this song was based on his own experience. Here are some of the lines, to wit:

“When the color of our memories has faded, when it gets cloudy,
That's when I'll try to end my feelings of love,
Bye bye bye my love, bye bye bye my love.”

“Being hurt again by the love you have given me,
The grevious pain, a wanderer who wears an achromatic color,
The loser in the tears that could not be embraced,
Let's not ever experience a love like this.”

“The music I can hear in the crowded street,
I can feel my heart stop beating today,
I wonder if I was always a good person towards you...
Our happy days which could not be stopped like the clouds.”

Whoa, that was heavy---not to mention, painful, too.

He even re-arranged this song and performed it on his own during DBSK’s Mirotic Concert in 2009.

Yoochun’s ingenuity and versatility in composing music is indeed something which makes him a real musician. He writes and sings from the heart, which makes him well-loved by his fans.

I hope Yoochun composes more songs in the future--songs which will mirror one’s real feelings, when they run out of words to say.

Happy birthday, Yoochun!