"Christmas EveL" by Stray Kids

In my first two posts, I expressed my opinion about songs by the Korean bands LUCY and The Rose. Today, I chose a song from my favorite K-Pop group, Stray Kids. They debuted in 2017 and have released more than a hundred songs from different genres. Despite their significant musical variety, they are mostly known to produce "noise music", a genre that often includes non-musical sounds, such as electronic static, and that exaggerates features of musicality. For last year's Christmas, they granted their fans an unexpected song about the holiday. 

Stray Kids in the "Christmas EveL" music video.

The song "Christmas EveL" was released on November 29th, 2021, as the title track of their album sharing the same name. You can find its English translated lyrics here: Stray Kids - Christmas EveL

Also, here's the link to the official music video: Stray Kids "Christmas EveL" M/V

Summary

"Christmas EveL" describes the perspective of a person who's only able to see Christmas' downsides. In the first verse, the narrator denounces the hostile weather and hints at his disenchantment with that time of the year. In the chorus, Christmas is depicted as a dangerous holiday because of the ice covering the ground, and the narrator indicates how he refuses to celebrate it. In the second verse, the cold weather is criticized in a gloomy way, and the narrator admits no one contacts him, insinuating his loneliness. The song ends with the narrator trying to get in the mood by singing "Feliz Navidad".

My opinion

As a fan of unconventional content, I can not help but appreciate this anti-Christmas song. The title itself announces the song's colors with a pun merging the words "Christmas Eve" and "Evil". 

The lyrics describe winter's disadvantages instead of romanticizing the season, an original approach I find interesting. With refreshing sarcarsm, the narrator indicates that "thanks to the slippery roads, there's more traffic". He expresses his severe annoyance with the cold by complaining profusely about it, as I do every year. He also shows his exasperation with romance and people fantasizing about Christmas in a way that reminds me of the Grinch. As an example, the narrator admits he hates "to see those people who stick to each other because it's cold". From his perspective, "there's nothing special" about the holiday, and he can't seem to understand why everyone looks forward to it.

Stray Kids ruining a little girl's conception of Santa Claus.

This contemptuous attitude and hatred for this holiday beloved by so many reflect the narrator's loneliness. He indeed reveals he doesn't "get a single call, only junk messages", which tells a lot about his social environment. 

Finally, I enjoy the references to the Christmas musical classics "Jingle Bells" and "Feliz Navidad". The borrowed lyrics are sung in a low and monotonous tone, which effectively destroys their original enthusiasm. 

Question

A Christmas-related character is also referenced in the lyrics and pictured as evil. Who is this fictional character from whom the narrator tells us to run?

Auréliane Éthier - "She's in the rain" by The Rose

Hi again! I hope you’ve been doing well.

Thanks to my sister, I’ve came across a very talented band a few months ago. She was constantly praising their lyrics and it got me interested. The song I’m about to introduce was written and produced by the Korean indie band The Rose. Through expressional melodies, the group interpret emotional themes such as loneliness, life hardships, regrets, depression, and self-love. The lyrics are delivered by the two singers’ vivid and soft voices. The main singer and leader of the group, Woosung, has a distinctly unique voice that gives life to each song.

Members of The Rose.

The song "She's in the rain" is from their album "Dawn", which was released in 2018. You can access an English translated lyrics video by clicking on the following link : The Rose - "She's in the rain"

Summary

The song is about two people struggling with depression and loneliness.

During the two first verses and the pre-chorus, the narrator shares how he feels lonesome. The first chorus introduces the second character as the narrator meets her. The woman seems to be struggling with the same problems as him. The protagonist relates with her and so he expresses his support to the other person through comforting words. For instance, he promises her he'll stay by her side and try to convince her not to hurt herself. The last verse suggests the two of them end up by facing their hardships together.

First image to appear in the original music video.

My opinion

I believe the song handles a very delicate subject with authenticity. The various metaphors convey the message in a poetic way. The narrator’s buried feelings are reflected through his environment, which I find very effective for expressional purposes. In the first verse, his day is described as "gloomy" and "covered in gray fog". These details suppose that he's in a bad mood and that he's feeling lost. Also, a few symptoms of depression are mentioned through the lyrics. For example, the narrator acknowledges that he's "lost interest in everything" and that he's "dying inside". Similar indications can be found in his description of the second character. For example, the narrator says he can see the emptiness in her eyes.

Representation of the woman in the original music video.

 These similarities reinforce the links between the two of them, as if the man could really see himself in the woman. Finally, the extended metaphor using the rain is very insightful. In the song, being "in the rain" seems to refer to "struggling". The title and the refrain emphasize the pain the woman is going through. However, the last refrain is different. The "she" becomes "we", just as if the narrator joins her in her fight.

Question

In the song, the narrator appreciates the beauty of the other character. What is the thing that stops when he looks at her?

Auréliane Éthier - "PLAY" by LUCY

Welcome to my blog! 

Through this article and the ones to come, you'll discover a few songs produced by Korean bands along with my opinion on their lyrics. The first song is from LUCY, a four members group that made its debut in South Korea on May 2020. One of the members plays the violin, which is a pretty rare instrument for bands, especially in South Korea. Their songs are often engraved in a light and nostalgic mood, which is why I enjoy listening to them so much. 

Members of LUCY.

My first article is about their song "PLAY" from their most recent album, "Childhood". You can find the official music video by clicking on the following link (and don't forget to enable the English subtitles): LUCY - 놀이 (PLAY)

Summary

The song is about an adult that is still mentally living in childhood. The person realizes being an adult is much different than what he imagined it as a child. The lyrics often compare his past activities to his present ones. The song seems to superimpose child games to reality as if the narrator's mind stopped aging. For example, he pictures the first person leaving work becoming "it" in a tag game. Near the end, the narrator speaks to the person he used to play with, asking for a smile like one he would get in his childhood. 

At the beginning and at the end of the music video, the protagonist is in a children's park.

My opinion

I really relate to this song since I struggle with the transition from childhood to adulthood. I believe the lyrics are very efficient because they have a part of universality. 

The main character of the music video gets yelled at by his boss.

In the first verse, there is a comparison between adult life imagined by a child and actual adulthood. In my opinion, no child can perfectly conceive how they will be living as an adult. Since the lyrics compares it to a mirage, it feels like, in this case, reality is more disappointing than imagination. I'm pretty sure many people can relate to this. I have heard many kids expressing their desire to pursue their dream job: singer, firefighter, actor... How many of them got caught up by the hard reality? I personally wanted to be an author before realizing it was almost impossible to make a living of it.

The protagonist is often represented as his "child" self.

I also think the lyrics are written in a childish and naive perspective, which fits the theme of the song. The character often expresses innocent thoughts as the following: "I hope people talk with a bright smile / Even if they turn around and leave". The narrator seems to hope everyone is happy and smile not only for others but mostly for themselves. 

In general, I feel like the character created through the lyrics is an adult which is stuck in the past. His perception of his environment is defined by games and naive thoughts about happiness. It also seems he wishes he could reverse time and live forever as a child. 

Question

In the lyrics, the narrator states he's "still living in childhood", just as a broken object. Which is the object in question?