Honestly, entertainment agencies’ strategies are completely transparent most of the time. Want to visualize the supposed global appeal of your group? Throw a couple of white people in the MV — wow, so international! Want to show the public that you care about more than just your idols’ looks? (Really! You totally want to send a message to the people!) Let them sing a song with vague lyrics about how money and greed are destroying our siblinghood of humanity. That will change something, I’m sure!
Similar to these attempts at adapting to modern times, pop music all over the world has also always been great at adapting to more regular changes. Seasonal releases are especially popular since they can quickly turn a song into a hit. The agencies might think that people are likely to replay seasonally fitting songs over and over again during the whole time which they were created for.
And while this is truly an easy money-making scheme to figure out, I’ve decided not to feel bad about being manipulated by bubble-gum summer bops anymore. Here are five reasons why we all should enjoy them.
1. They remind you of which time of the year you are living in.
Okay, so theoretically we should all know whether it’s currently summer, winter, spring, or fall in our hemisphere, shouldn’t we? But global warming has made assessing that a bit more complicated. Now I don’t know about Korea, but I’ve been missing snow on Christmas Day for the last few years, and this year, I’ve still had to go outside wearing thick jackets in late May. Unacceptable!
Considering this, it doesn’t seem too absurd to remind people from time to time of what seasons in the Northern Hemisphere were once supposed to be like.
2. The colorful MVs will amaze you.
While vehemently criticizing the SM box set has become a kind of initiation ritual for every K-pop fan, there’s something to be said for a consistent and successful MV formula. Why have confusing storylines when you could just watch your (half-naked) idols having a great time at the beach/in the pool?
Add to that the over-saturated neon colors at the core of most summer single MVs, the image of which instantly burns itself into your retina, and you have a music video that won’t be easily forgotten. Right?
3. They bring such great sing-along opportunities.
Listening to Korean pop songs is truly a joy…often enough. But for those of us who are not fluent in Korean, the inability to sing along to the whole song can be a serious shortcoming — even though our friends and neighbors might be thankful for that.
Unimpressed by such petty concerns as flat singing, I welcome singles who give me an opportunity to burst into song with the inclusion of a few English phrases. Summer singles do exactly that, from “Hot Summer” to “Solo Day” and in between.
4. They have an impressive evolution of signature dance moves.
This point is mainly included because I remember seeing that Brown Eyed Girls’ “Abracadabra” move imitated so often on variety shows that I almost got sick of it. If that move was not part of a boy band’s repertoire on a show, they were basically done for.
I’m trying to imagine what it would look like if the same thing happened to Sistar’s or Girl’s Day’s current butt-shake moves: The entertainment factor would be high, but, sadly, I don’t really see it happening.
5. You simply can’t be in a bad mood when you’re listening to them.
…Unless you hate fun (i.e. an onslaught of aegyo in this case) and/or seeing your idol trying to be sexy while they are on three hours of sleep per night. No but seriously, some of my favorite summer songs are always guaranteed to brighten my mood. Just think of Secret’s “Yoo Hoo” or SHINee’s “Wowowow” –- don’t think about the lyrics though. Or the intense use of Auto-Tune. Just let the sweet breeze of melodic nothingness caress you like a gentle breath of air on a hot day spent by the sea.
So not only are summer singles useful in your daily life and visually stunning their, they also encourage their listeners to take part in the summertime fun with an easy chorus and radiate such powerful joyfulness that one almost can’t resist it.
Now let me ask again: What’s not to like about summer singles?
(YouTube[1][2][3][4][5]; Images via Starship Entertainment, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, WM Entertainment, and TS Entertainment)
