Just caught an interesting post over at iBigbang, a fansite that I admittedly check multiple times a day. They're asking readers what they think of the many World Cup songs being unleashed by K-Pop idol groups in preparation for the upcoming tournament. The results of an online survey are posted and you can check out the stats (Big Bang comes in at #2 for male groups).
Meanwhile, after seeing release notices for non-Big Bang World Cup songs for weeks, and ignoring them for weeks, I finally gave all the groups a listen. Here's what I think......
T-Ara/We Are the One - It's an appropriate blend of 'I heart Korea' shirts, pom poms, and actual soccer balls. Plus they throw in a lot of international flags in order to please K-Pop fans near and far, or because the World Cup is a massive global sporting event. In any case, this is a cheerful song with plenty of 'ole's to get you into a celebratory mood. Probably as close as a girl group can get to the spirit of these raucous games without compromising their cutesy image. Thumbs up!
Kara/We're With You - What is going on here? Do they even know that the World Cup is a massive soccer tournament? These ladies look like they popped out of a bubble gum factory. The song is typical K-Pop fare with plenty of fluorescent pastels and amply short skirts, but watching the video, you'd have no idea it was Kara's World Cup entry. I can't comment on the lyrics because I'm lazy and haven't looked up the English translation, but zero points for a festive World Cup-y atmosphere. And for the record, Goo Hara looks like an android.
After School/Dreams Again! - The video itself is a bit dull, unless you are an After School fan, in which case it's awesome! It's basically a no budget, behind-the-scenes MV with the added bonus of demonstrating to the world that these ladies look fucking gorgeous even in floppy red t-shirts. As for the song, it almost has an ethereal quality, though I'm not sure if that's the music or them. You're probably not going to jump out of your seat and run down the street draped in a Korean flag when you hear this song, but it will leave you feeling proud of your team, if your team is Korea.
4Minute+Brown Eyed Girls/Once More, Korea! - So this song is what you get when you combine the Village People, Pet Shop Boys, and two hot Korean girl groups. 4Minute and Brown Eyed Girls give Go West a Korean makeover, and it works surprisingly well. Then again, anything by the Village People qualifies as a stadium hit. It has double the energy and is repetitive enough to get fans clapping and bouncing their heads; the rapping also gives the song a bit of a funk factor. It helps if you understand Korean though otherwise you'll be thinking about soccer while going west.
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Super Junior/Victory - Face painting, bullhorns, flags, banners, cheerleaders, flying toilet paper - what more do you want in a World Cup video? The boys even manage to sneak in some Sorry, Sorry. It's all a bit cheeky, but they look and sound like they're having a bloody good time, and their persistent shouts of 'Victory, victory, Korea' are pretty infectious. Even makes me want to cheer for Korea!
2PM/What's Your Celebration - Cheerful punk is how I'm going to try to describe this one. It's different from the usual 2PM fare, which will either thrill or disappoint, and you'll probably want to bounce up and down more than pop and lock. The boys also throw in some anthem moments that do a good job of generating that energetic soccer match atmosphere.
2AM/No. 1 - The question everyone's asking - why are they autotuned? Alas, some things in life are meant to remain a mystery. The song and video have definitely grown on me, thanks especially to goofball Jo Kwon. It's really soothing and in that way is similar to the group's other songs. But I'm not sure soothing is what you want when it comes to the World Cup. It feels more like a consolation song, something to calm the fans when their team gets knocked out (not saying Korea needs this though America sure does). I also think this is the South Korean entry on the official World Cup album
Big Bang+Queen Yuna+Trans Fixion/Shouts of Reds - Well.....do I need to say anything? Everything these guys touch turns to gold, especially true because they've enlisted Olympic gold medalist Kim Yuna, who, for the record, sings better than everyone in EEG. I'll explain it this way. My university has one of the most storied college football programs in America, and the Friday before every home football game, we all barreled into the arena for a huge pep rally. It was this euphoric chaos - students painted and adorned with our colors and mascot, alumni cheering like our football program was actually good again, and general fans going nuts because everyone around them was going nuts. Never mind that our program sucked; that kernel of hope inside every sports fan kept inflating as the night went on. For me, that's what I want in a World Cup song, something with equal parts of spontaneity, exuberance, and madness so that I can cheer with pride. This song captures all of that and is just what I need to get ready for World Cup fever!
