드디어~
2011 was a very good year for Korean Pop and it's WAY better than last year in terms of the artists' development and most especially the songs. This year, a lot of idol groups went beyond expectations and released songs that skyrocketed them to the top of the pack. Also, this year was a good year for rookie groups because a lot of them have surprised the Kpop world, bringing new styles that made them stand out among the huge amount of idol groups already existing in the industry.
Originally, I only planned to make a top 25 list for this one but as I went over my playlist, I just can't ignore a song cuz it makes me feel guilty (I'm weird, I know). Ultimately, it came down to a top 60 list and I hope I didn't miss any song cuz yeah, I will feel REALLY guilty!
Okay enough for the intro. Without further adieu, here's my Top 60 Kpop songs for 2011!
60. La La La - Mighty Mouth ft. Soya
To start off my list, here's a song that I don't think a casual Kpop fan would know because it's not from an idol group. When I was still new to the Kpop world, I would admit that I only cared about idol groups and I didn't really care about the veteran artists. After almost a year of being a Kpop fan, I started to check out their songs and I started to appreciate what they bring to the industry. That moment was also the time when I said to myself, "I'm not just an ordinary Kpop fan who only drools for the idol groups." Of course, majority of the songs here are still from idol groups but I can truly say that my taste in Korean music has already been diversified compared to when I was still a new fan three years ago.
So back to the song(!), it's all about vacation and with lines like "Sorry if I'm not answering your calls cuz I'm on vacation" you just can't help but to want to hit the beach and enjoy life without dealing with any bullshit from school. Also, the fact that I discovered this song towards the end of my modular term adds to the enjoyment that I got from this. I remember posting this song on my wall during the finals week cuz it really made me excited for the coming term break!
59. Tell Them - Block B
The first song from a rookie group on the list! Block B is one of the rookie groups that really stood out this year and this is mainly because of their strong hip-hop background. Although it's not really evident with their body of work so far, you can check out some of their mix tapes pre-debut and you will see why this group is full of talent. Here's one from Zico (which I believe, is one of the best rappers in the industry right now):
So yeah, this song is not really a "hip-hop" track cuz Block B is trying to combine two styles (generic korean pop and hip-hop) and because of that, we are deprived of what this group can really do. The song has a feel good vibe and I really do like it but if Block B would do a track which is right in their comfort zone then they would really make a huge mark in the Kpop scene.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I was able to see them live during the Korean Cultural Concert @ MOA Center Stage! They were really nice to their fans, right, Anne? Hahaha!
58. Pinocchio - f(x)
#58 belongs to the only song from f(x) on the list. This group was one of the groups who really achieved a lot this year compared to the last and if you're gonna ask me if they deserve it, I don't think that they do. This song gave the group THREE triple crowns from M!Countdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo and that is mainly because they didn't have any strong competition. Also, 4 Minute was totally robbed of more awards for their song "Mirror Mirror"!!! Another reason why f(x) was able to achieve this feat is because they are from SM Entertainment (the slave house-- I mean, company who brought us DBSK, Super Junior, SNSD and SHINee). Sure, f(x) has a very distinct style (that is, bring weird lyrics through every song that they release) but their songs weren't really that strong or epic to be that memorable. I would admit that this song is catchy and the choreo for this is hella cute but that's just it for f(x). They were really just mediocre at best.
So after that very LONG rant, you might wonder why this song made it to my list lol. Actually, this song is one of my guilty pleasures this year and I actually played this song a lot of times on repeat during the year. As I've said this song is catchy and this is one of the songs that got me "Why the fuck am I listening to this shit?" this year.
57. Hug Me Once - Girl's Day
Girl's Day is just one of your "cutesy" Korean girl groups but one thing's for sure, these girls are really damn good at bringing out their 액요(aegyo - cuteness). This group debuted last year and I really didn't notice them before because as I've said, they are just your generic kpop girl group. This song is their latest single and I believe that it got as high as #10 on Music Bank but I'm not that sure (and I'm not that lifeless to keep track of the weekly chart). This song is hella cute and Minah is just fucking adorable and this song deserved better!!!! Girls' Day is underrated fo' sure.
56. Good-bye Baby - miss A
So I finally got tired of writing long-ass write-ups for each song so I decided to just keep it short cuz I still have 55 songs to go and my goal is to finish this by new year! This song is sophisticated for sure but it really wasn't that memorable compared to "Bad Girl Good Girl"(MAMA's Song of the Year 2010!). Also, I hate the fact that miss A didn't really sing during their live performances. I expected a lot from miss A actually because they were the best rookie group last year but they didn't really standout this year. The MV is very good tho! Better luck next year, miss A!
55. Here I Am - ZE:A
A wild ZE:A song appears! Anne would be really happy lol. Anyway, ZE:A is one of the most underrated groups ever! They actually debuted last 2009 with a very catchy and Rebecca Black-esque song "Mazeltov" but despite of being in the industry for more than 2 years already, they don't have any major achievements yet. :( This song is very cute, with epic lines such as "It's our time, it's party time!", and this is one of the songs that I would want to sing to my future Korean girlfriend. <3
It's really sad to see a very hardworking group being ignored because these boys are very talented. Their live performances are also on point compared to some of the idol groups who are doing well on music charts (miss A!!!). If you're interested with this group, catch them perform here in the Philippines this January and see how good they are with live perfs!
Here's a bonus awkward Heechul vid from the MV's BTS!
54. Mr. Taxi - SNSD
The first of the two SNSD songs on the list is here on #54! I really didn't like the Japanese version of this song but when they released it in Korean as part of their latest album, I started to see the appeal in this song. The chorus is the best part of this song and the line "Supersonic and Hypertonic" is just so weird and super out-of-this-world that it really gets stuck in your head for a while.
53. Going Crazy - Song Ji Eun ft. Bang Yong Guk
So after a very successful promotion run for "Shy Boy", Song Ji Eun released a solo track that really showcased her strengths as the lead vocalist for Secret. The one thing that really brought out the best in this song though is the very powerful rap of Bang Yong Guk. He became a hot topic after this song and his first single really did well in the music charts.
I really hope that Song Ji Eun would release another solo track this 2012! I think it would be better if it would just be her though. Her voice is really good and it could really stand out on its own.
52. Knock Out - GD&TOP
This song has so much swag cuz what do you expect? GD&TOP is one of the most successful unit groups this year and these two finally got the chance to make an album that is right in their comfort zone, which of course, they weren't able to showcase before because they are in a group. Overall, this song has just the right amount of epicness and the chorus is just hella catchy! G-Dragon will always be one of my role models in life (despite the marijuana incident lol) and his collaboration with TOP really solidified their mark as two of the best rappers in the industry.
51. I Don't Know - A-Pink
The debut song of this year's best new girl group, A Pink!!! I love these girls to bits because they are just too innocent! It is also the very reason why they are one of the rookie groups who really stood out this year. Most of the girl groups now would focus on revealing their sexy side and showing girl power; A Pink refused to go to that direction and instead, came out with a concept that is very reminiscent of the 90's girl groups. I really loved the content of this song cuz it's all about your love not seeing the signs that you're giving him/her. I can totally relate with that! This is definitely strong for a debut song so good job this year, A Pink!
