When I first clicked on Lip Service’s MV, I had no idea what I was getting myself into — I didn’t even know that Lip Service was a duo and not a girl group until the end of the video. Yet “Yum Yum Yum” turned out to be oddly alluring and addicting once you give in to the “nyam nyam nyam nyam nyam.”
While I originally thought that the MV was a joke, once the girls started rapping, I knew it was legit. This gave me a stronger appreciation for the song because it led me to research about the girls and the song. And despite its humorous appearance, the central idea behind “Yum Yum Yum” is one that many can relate to — diets.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3PQybA-vG4]Even before looking up the lyrics, one can figure out that the song is about food. The repetitive hook consists of repeated “hamburger hamburger” and “americano merica” which seems to refer to Americano coffee. Also present is the oft repeated “nyam nyam nyam” – the Korean version of “nom nom nom” used to signify eating.
The lyrics are based on the story of member BiPA’s diet. The lyrics detail wanting to lose weight and constantly feeling apologetic about one’s body and eating habits. This struggle is likened to a war with one’s weight and the song contain poignant lines such as
Listening to the sound of my fat belly, I’m sorry
It’s been a long time, I’m going crazy
I regret every time I put it in my mouth
and
Everything was perfect for the last five days
This weekend in the room, everything was reset
Not only do the lyrics echo the thoughts of many dieters but they represent a frightening reality. The lyrics cross into dangerous territory as feeling shame for eating and feeling like everything was “reset” parallels the thoughts of people with eating disorders.
The lyrics can also be viewed as a commentary on the K-pop industry and how difficult these dangerous diets are for female idols. One of the lines in the song echoes the pressures of companies (and society) telling young women they need to lose weight.
Diet diet, the guy’s like diet
Man I’m tired
K-pop diets range from strange and impractical to dangerous. And the effects of these diets, combined with killer schedules, lead to idols fainting and being hospitalized.
While “Yum Yum Yum” is a repetitive song, the lyrics are extremely relevant to the idol industry’s issues with dieting. Of course, one of the reasons Lip Service can afford to talk about something like this is because they’re billed as a rap duo instead of an idol group. Few companies would let an idol K-pop group sing about issues such as this so its refreshing that Lip Service was able to do so.
The music video of “Yum Yum Yum” doesn’t have much of a plot but it somehow still works. BiPA and Cora mostly dance with their back-up dancers but what shines through is that the girls look like they’re having fun. The two members enjoy themselves in the MV and it is extremely infectious.
Their varied facial expressions and tone change while rapping are also strengths of the MV. Too often female idol rappers rap in one consistent boring tone. Instead of leaving all the fun to the boys, the girls mix it up and make their performance fun while still maintaining an impressive flow.
While BiPA took up a lot of the spotlight in the MV, Cora is not without her own talents — her facial expressions were the most fun to watch. Hopefully in the next song she will get a chance to shine as she does posses a sweet singing voice.
“Yum Yum Yum” is not without its faults, however. Although not having a plot isn’t necessarily a bad choice for this music video, the music video’s scenes are disjointed with nothing to unify them.
There’s a random Jay Park look-a-like dancer who is shown for only a few brief seconds before never appearing again. There’s also a random scene with a girl’s chest that makes no sense.
The random semi-club scenes and the members in sleepwear with their hair in curlers also doesn’t mesh. Although BiPA and Cora still look like they’re having fun in every scene, the scenes just aren’t coherent. However, this is only their debut and it seems like they come from a small company so perhaps the quality of their music videos will increase with time.
“Yum Yum Yum” is not a song for everyone; it can be grating and repetitive but if you can get past that, the lyrics and club-inspired track make it a worthwhile listen. And although the MV is plotless and incoherent, Lip Service saves it with their amusing facial expressions and pure enjoyment of what they are doing. “Yum Yum Yum” really impressed me and I will definitely be looking forward to Lip Service’s new releases.
Song: 3.5/5
MV: 2.9/5
Enjoying “Yum Yum Yum?” How does Lip Service’s rapping compare to current female idols’ rapping?
(Now Entertainment, YouTube [1][2][3], Lip Service Official Facebook)
