Playlist Sunday: Stalker Idols
Even though having a stalker or an obsessed ex-lover can be traumatic experience in real life, in the K-Pop world it seems to be harmless and cute. This week’s playlist is dedicated to the emotions that rise when yearning for another person. Our picks range from creepy to adorable. You decide which one is which.
I really, really didn’t like History‘s Psycho during the first listen. The group has no consistency in style, and I fell in love with its debut song, Dreamer. Psycho couldn’t be farther apart in sound from Dreamer, but after a few listens of the former, I realized that both songs, all of History’s songs in fact, had different styles but displayed the member’s vocal talent in unique ways. This way, every member is able to play to his skills, expressing himself in whatever genre of music suits him. History debuted as a group with a few strong vocalists, but Psycho shows off even the “weakest” members have powerful lines that resonate with the listener.
The music video for Psycho is creepy with stalker plot; the song is influenced by the Alfred Hitchcock film, so this is expected. But it also has some amazing (i.e. sexy) dancing, especially from my favorite member Kyungil. The way that man thrusts his hips was so X-rated that they had to tone down the dance for broadcasts, disappointing fans all over the world.
— Tamar
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Similar to Tamar’s experience with Psycho, the first time I saw the video for GOT7‘s A, it really didn’t leave a lasting impression with me. I never thought it was bad, I just didn’t make much of it. It wasn’t until I saw After School Club earlier this week with them as guests that I paid better attention to the song and them as a group.
The ending result, of course, involved me playing the song all week and even choosing a bias in the group (hey JB!). I’m regularly not into the cutesy, pedo-noona inducing concepts, but it’s hard not to fall for the boys’ charms. Who knew GOT7 could make stalkers seem harmlessly cute? Moreover, the song’s chorus is incredibly catchy, same goes for the choreography.
— Alexis
Ever since I heard Taeyang’s song Eyes, Nose, Lips from his newest album Rise, I became obsessed. Then Tablo made a cover and it obsessed me even more. Tablo’s cover is in English, written by him and featuring Tayeang at the end. Tablo’s rap throughout the song really takes us to the anger in the song. I really love when Taeyang sings in English, his voice sounds beautiful.
Furthermore, the lyrics are powerful. The song talks about a lost love, while still seeing their lovers face, which sounds a little bit like an obsessed ex to be quite honest. But you have to give it for the guys. It does hurt to see the person you still love and know that you lost them. It this case, the other person in love seems to had done something very bad because there is a particular very intense line (which is my favorite line from the song) that says:
You wish me well, I wish you hell.
— Alejandro
Flower is a mid-tempo R&B song composed and produced by none other than Yong Junhyung. I was excited to hear about the Beast member’s solo debut in December, and he did not disappoint. The music video for Flower perfectly matches the tempo and feeling of the song. Junhyung compares his love to the scent of a flower even long after they have drifted apart. One of the lines of lyrics translated says:
Even after time passes, the thickly settled scent remains.
Clearly he cannot get over his former love. He still smells her and feels her arms hug him and lips kiss him. As the song progresses, he loses these senses and wishes to gain them back just once more. Although the memories of her touch, smell and kiss grow faint, Junhyung just wants to feel them one more time. Flower is his request just to be held by his love once more.
— Tara
I swear I’m not on an EXO rampage, but when it came to our theme of stalker idols, I was instantly reminded of the group’s entire drama series for Wolf. Albeit a little cheesy, the plotline for this drama involves some major creepiness. After being stalked by some bad guys, Luhan plays the stalker role by following his ex-friends as they visit D.O in the hospital. I couldn’t keep a straight face as I watched this, but I did enjoy how SM actually made a pretty long dramatic interpretation of the group’s comeback.
Wolf itself was not my favorite song, but it slowly grew on me; when EXO came to KCON in 2013, I found myself cheering and singing along just as loudly to Wolf as I did for their other songs. The dubstep is a tricky and risky move for the company and group, but the song was still popular with fans. My favorite part was probably when they howl, because it is just so darn fun to pretend I’m a wolf myself.
— Thuc
What stalker-y song is your favorite? Share it with us! Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Bloglovin’ so you can keep up with all our posts.
