Yesung of Super Junior is back with an MV for the lead single of his third mini-album of the same name, “Pink Magic.” Super Junior’s most recent comeback was romantic and sexy with Latin melodies. Their subunit, Super Junior D&E, went with a bad boy concept with rock beats. Yesung, however, decided to go for a youthful and innocent concept with a funky pop melody for his comeback. The concept might be odd for someone his age, but Yesung captures the pureness of love with the MV and song lyrics.
From the song to the MV, “Pink Magic’s” concept is based on the phrase “looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses.” The MV starts off with Yesung and a female protagonist looking bored in a diner booth. Later, Yesung sits in a waiting room for an eye exam. He takes an eye test, but he is only able to see the pink number nine. Taking the previous phrase literally, he’s diagnosed with pink magic and prescribed pink-tinted glasses. After he puts on the glasses, the MV is highlighted with neon lights in various colors, symbolizing a brighter perspective.
Considering that the song is about love, there is not much romantic interaction between him and his love interest. There is only a quick scene between him and the female protagonist dancing on the bar. Regardless, it is a cute and simple plot that mostly fits the lyrics of the song.
The setting of the MV has a retro vibe with settings like a diner and vintage red convertible Mercedes-Benz. Despite being a song about the color pink, there are only subtle hints of dusty rose in Yesung’s hair which matches the outfit of his love interest perfectly. The scenes are mostly sparse, with Yesung centered in many of the shots, creating a focus on his visuals. The MV appears to be appropriating a generic retro aesthetic without much consideration for the specifics of the era: it draws from a 50’s look, even though the song is more 80’s-inspired.
The song’s lyrics describe being lovestruck and only seeing everything through pink-colored glasses. The phrase itself can sometimes be used as an insult, to suggest that someone is naive. In this case, though, the persona uses it to mean that someone brought positivity to his life. This, in turn, makes the persona a happier and better person to the point that it is magical. The song takes a tried phrase and adds its own flair to it:
It’s like a magic feel
I’m starting to change after meeting you
You make me pink all day
My every day is tinted
You’re like pink magic
Although it is a catchy pop song, it does not allow Yesung, who is a great vocalist, to fully display his talents. Yesung delivers the verses with a breathy voice and low register. This helps creates a build to the more climatic chorus, where he hits higher and a bit more enthusiastic notes. For a song about love, though, Yesung does not put a lot of emotion into the lyrics. Instead, the notes are clean and consistent, which sometimes comes off as bland.
Both the song and MV could have been developed further for the perfect comeback. The MV brought in a short and cute plot, but did not give it a proper conclusion between the romantic partners. The song’s lyrics do something new with an old saying by modernizing it, and the 80’s pop beat does help it stand out. Yesung himself truly embodies the innocence of his character and the song with his sweet and smooth vocals. However, everything needed just one step more to truly display Yesung’s abilities as an artist and vocalist.
(Youtube. Images via SM Entertainment. Lyrics via ColorCoded.)
