The inspiration between music and movies is a two-way street, and K-pop knows it well. Especially given that K-pop releases and groups often rely on themed concepts for their latests comebacks. So it’s no surprise that groups draw from the silver screen for inspiration. So for this week’s playlist, we’re listing our favorite songs that […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Untitled-design.png7681024KultScenehttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngKultScene2015-09-13 15:29:592015-09-13 15:29:59Playlist Sunday: K-Pop Songs Named After Movies
There’s no doubt that SM Entertainment is gearing up Red Velvet to be their next girl group sensation. Their fashion and music has evolved fast in their short career, but they’ve always maintained the playful feeling set in “Happiness,” their debut track. Since liveliness is their overall style, without a doubt, Red Velvet has shown […]
The inspiration between music and movies is a two-way street, and K-pop knows it well. Especially given that K-pop releases and groups often rely on themed concepts for their latests comebacks. So it’s no surprise that groups draw from the silver screen for inspiration. So for this week’s playlist, we’re listing our favorite songs that […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Untitled-design.png7681024KultScenehttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngKultScene2015-09-13 15:29:592015-09-13 15:29:59Playlist Sunday: K-Pop Songs Named After Movies
There’s no doubt that SM Entertainment is gearing up Red Velvet to be their next girl group sensation. Their fashion and music has evolved fast in their short career, but they’ve always maintained the playful feeling set in “Happiness,” their debut track. Since liveliness is their overall style, without a doubt, Red Velvet has shown […]
The inspiration between music and movies is a two-way street, and K-pop knows it well. Especially given that K-pop releases and groups often rely on themed concepts for their latests comebacks. So it’s no surprise that groups draw from the silver screen for inspiration. So for this week’s playlist, we’re listing our favorite songs that got their name and overall concept from film.
When I first came across Brown Eyed Girl‘s music video for their song “Kill Bill”, I was slightly intimidated at the fact that it was seven minutes and thirty seconds long. You know you’re in for a treat when a music video is that long for what are usually a three-minute and few seconds song. In case you didn’t know, the song is based off of the American film/series “Kill Bill” starring actors Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, and Vivica A. Fox. B.E.G’s homage to the movie “Kill Bill” was brilliant. Everything from their costumes to the choreography, the music, right down to the original storyline was on point. Although there were bits of humor in the music video, the ladies didn’t forget to incorporate their sexy concept, in which they tastefully executed, per usual. If you’re a bit confused by the music video then you might need to watch the first “Kill Bill” movie in order to put the pieces together. Once that’s out of the way, everything should be crystal clear and that way you’ll be able to enjoy B.E.G’s “Kill Bill” a lot more!
Outsider is definitely one of my favorite K-pop rappers and, thanks to my father, many of my early memories relate to Star Wars. So Outsider’s song with the American hip hop artist Twista, “Star Warz,” is easily one of my favorite K-pop songs that vaguely relate to a film. While “Star Warz” has little to do plot-wise with the film series, the battle is just as serious as saving the galaxy in “Star Warz,” with Twista and Outsider attacking one another to claim the title of fastest rapper while still taking inspiration from the film series. “Star Warz an intergalactic lyrical tactic in the flow with the homie from overseas,” raps Twista. The orchestral backing of the rapping makes the song a dramatic tune that would fit right in during a dramatic scene of any film.
– Tamar
Being a horror films lover, I got excited when I saw a track named “Dracula” on f(x)‘s “Red Light” album. The song opens up with a narrator saying “Deep in the darkest night, when there’s no one around, his force is coming. There’s no way out.” Only f(x) can pull of a song that has so many elements to it. It has classical instruments, electronic, and even horror screams, making the track a little creepy but very cool. Luna’s vocals are amazing in this song and it’s really cool that they made the classic horror music sound with the girls’ harmonies in the chorus. “Dracula” is one of the best songs in the album, which could have gone a very crazy route but was executed perfectly.
When I first heard HA:TFELT‘s “Bond,” it immediately took me back to the ‘90s and brought back happy memories of me playing “GoldenEye 007” on Nintendo 64 with my cousins and sister after school and being the best at it (please, don’t try to figure out my age). There were so many good games on the Nintendo 64 which I miss playing, although there are things like this Paper mario rom which give you the opportunity to play them once again. “GoldenEye 007” was definitely one of my favourite games, though. “Golden Eye,” of course, is one of the installments of the “Bond” series, and HA:TFELT’s track by the same name uses the movie’s theme song in the chorus to keep the same mysteriousness and suspense alive. In “Bond,” HA:TFELT is a Bond girl, singing an ode to Bond in her sultriest voice, longing for him. And if you’ve seen any of the Bond movies, you know this guy’s a player, so the song gives us the woman’s perspective. Moreover, the track features rapper Beenzino, who only makes the whole thing that much greater. The song managed to give us older fans a great throwback while still keeping it contemporary and innovative. I dare say the song is unique in K-pop and it’s a shame it was pushed back to the B-tracks.
— Alexis
In terms of songs inspired by films, few are as clear cut as Rainbow’s “Black Swan”. Rainbow borrow mostly from Darren Aronofsky’s film of the same name more so than it does “Swan Lake”, the ballet that film was based on. The monochrome palette is everywhere in the film, and Rainbow take it to the extreme by having their music video covered in it too, but also shot in black and white. Thematically, it also takes more from the film; it focuses on the evil, obsessive swan. Scared that her actions will result in a loss of her humanity, yet there is nothing she can do to stop it. The monochrome motif continues even with the music. The song’s jabbing synths are sparse and simple enough to sound like black and white in musical form. This song was made to show a darker side of Rainbow, something we had never seen before. So it was appropriate that they referenced a film that plays on the duality of what a person can be.
— Joe
What’s your favorite K-pop song named after a movie? Share all your picks in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Untitled-design.png7681024KultScenehttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngKultScene2015-09-13 15:29:592015-09-13 15:29:59Playlist Sunday: K-Pop Songs Named After Movies
There’s no doubt that SM Entertainment is gearing up Red Velvet to be their next girl group sensation. Their fashion and music has evolved fast in their short career, but they’ve always maintained the playful feeling set in “Happiness,” their debut track. Since liveliness is their overall style, without a doubt, Red Velvet has shown us formidable fashion since the get-go. And now with their first album “The Red” out, the group has finally reached their full conceptualization, look and sound wise.
Let go back to last year, August 4 to be exact. SM Entertainment debuted “Red Velvet,” their newest girl band since f(x). Their look was very youthful and modern and appealed to the overall aesthetics and trends in fashion for that year. The ‘90s comeback was at its peak and SM’s stylist took inspiration from various internet fashion tribes like seapunk, normcore, and health goth. From that, they created Red Velvet’s signature look: a collage of many different ideas merged together.
Photo via SM Entertainment
Cheerleaders and school uniforms are a must to make a girl group look young, but Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy got upgraded versions and made the uniforms their own. The girls sported tennis skirts that were short in the front but long in the back, asymmetrical skirts, and tops that included sailor motives. The look was girly and fun, but with the outfits paired with creepers and the multi colored hair, the girls had a modern edge (and to the viewers a way to differentiate each member) that was needed to make a new group stand out from the cuteness of the rest.
However, Red Velvet was still cute in their own way; their fashion made every K-pop fan want what they were wearing. Flash forward a few months after their debut and their concept completely changed. The group released a cover version of the late ‘90s girl group S.E.S. “Be Natural”, and their look took a 180 degrees turn. The four members were dressed in classy, form-fitted suits that gave the girls a mature and sexy look. Coming from the youthful and colorful concept, Red Velvet confused us all with this new image, serving us the direct opposite. But nonetheless, the fashion was still exciting and pristine.
We already knew that Red Velvet’s name had a meaning — red being their sexy side and velvet being their soft one — but until “Be Natural,” we hadn’t seen the group’s duality. “Be Natural” was clearly Red Velvet’s introduction to their red side, and their stylist nailed it with the fashion choices for this track and promotions.
Moreover, with their next single “Automatic,” SM introduced a new member and it was the first time that we got to see the two sides of the group. The fashion was incredible and very on trend for spring/summer 2015. The ‘70s fashion had a revival and was at it’s peak, which the stylist managed to incorporate into the look and still give it the modern spin that didn’t seem costume-y. They even wore one of the most exciting collections for this year, Moschino by Jeremy Scott one inspired by Barbie.
Their next single “Ice Cream Cake” followed, and Red Velvet sedimented what their signature look and sound would be. This time, the group upgraded normcore outfits that followed a similar resemblance to their “Happiness” looks (i.e. tennis skirts and uniforms) and added fun pieces like the light-up faux fur jackets to keep it lively. The sound was a little creepy and crazy and took a few listens before loving the song, sure, but it was clearly their unique, quirky sound. It was a song filed under their “Happiness” concept and not the sultry one from “Be Natural” and “Automatic.”
When a K-pop band finally releases it first full-length album, it’s when they have a clear picture of their concept. But with Red Velvet, their first album “The Red” was a great surprise that works cohesively with their previous releases instead of differing. With “Dumb Dumb,” the stylist kept playing with the collage of styles that they’ve had since debut; duality extends to every factor of the group. We still saw some normcore and health goth outfits mixed with other pieces that make them very relatable and unique and keeping the concept alive. Even the costumes in the music video play an important role and give them that quirkiness that they are now known for. They even keep playing with different colors for each member, very a la Spice Girls, to distinguish each member.
Furthermore, the sound of the music really works. It’s all over the place, but still very put together, just like their outfits. And, more importantly, it was an easier listen than “Ice Cream Cake,” making “Dumb Dumb” a winner for Red Velvet. The track has some brass, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic themes in the music, thus making it a very good experimental pop track, something not even SM’s experimental girl group f(x) has played with yet.
The members are still young and have a fresh image that is very suitable for whatever style SM puts them through. But now with their fifth single, it’s clear that if it’s fun, crazy or sexy and provocative, it’s going to be a Red Velvet track with amusing sounds and looks. With “The Red,” the group released a solid album with experimental sounds, and some tracks are even reminiscent of the early Girls’ Generation and f(x) songs. Red Velvet continues to surprise everyone with their talents, and now with their full conceptualization completed, the sky’s the limit. We can’t wait to see what’s next and where their success will take them.
What do you think of Red Velvet’s completed conceptualization look and sound wise? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
