PumpkinMelodies: 1. Reminisce - Super Junior K.R.Y.

1st of all, Happy Chinese New Year's Eve everyone!!!

I'm gonna start a series called "PumpkinMelodies", where I express my views and thoughts on songs! (which I think are gonna be mostly Super Junior, but I'll try my best to include others too)

Haha, I drew the pumpkin on Ms Paint. Actually, I drew another one, but posted this first. It looks quite simple though... Maybe I should get someone who draws chibi to help me... Anyone?

So, PumpkinMelodies #1: Reminisce - Super Junior K.R.Y.

It is the 1st song on my playlist here. :)

This song is one of the songs in composer Yoon Il Sang's 21st anniversary album, where he collaborated with top Kpop artists to remake his favourite hits. "Reminisce" is a remake of Turbo's song, December, by Super Junior's K.R.Y. (a subgroup consisting of Kyuhyun, Ryeowook and Yesung)

The first time I heard this song, the piano intro created a sort of sorrowful feel, it's as if someone is thinking of something bittersweet. Then, the starting made me a little dizzy (cuz the music moves left and right alternatively), but it created a dreamy feel that sorta pulls one into some other world, in this case, I assumed based on the title of the song, would be one's past.

After that, there's this slightly cheerful beat, signifying that one is already in his/her past, before some unexpected sad thing happened. One thing though, is it just me, or did anyone else hear Ryeowook going "ap" twice here? Anyway, up till this part, this song has been quite good, with the effects setting up the mood, making me expect some vocals to come in with at least a medium volume. However, when Kyuhyun starts singing, and Ryeowook harmonising, Kyuhyun's voice was covered by the background music... Luckily, it eventually became louder and clearer, and later, at Yesung and Ryeowook's part, their voices became more audible.

My favourite part was at 2:48, where Kyuhyun sings a low part effortlessly. It sounded really nice and relaxed, not forced or anything. And Ryeowook's octave-higher harmonisation was just right, enriching that part, yet not overpowering the main voice.

(Okay I've been biased, I like Kyuhyun's voice)

Moving on... Usually when I listen to a Korean song for the first time, I don't try to listen to the lyrics, unless it stands out, like in-your-face kind of stand out. For this song, the melody was beautiful, so I was too distracted to listen to the lyrics. I felt that the melody gives a sweet yet distant feel, as if one's trying to grasp at his/her memories, yet as time go on, he/she realises that whatever happened in the past can't happen again, and he/she has to accept that fact and move on, yet that "something sweet" stays in his/her mind. (Do I sound weird?) Okay, picture this: From where you are, you can see the beach (pretend you like the beach). You are not on the beach, and looking at it from where you are, it's so near yet so far. You want to go there, but for some reason, all you can do is sit and watch as the waves hit gently against the shore, creating white foams, then slowly but surely, returning back to the sea. There's this bittersweet feeling, cuz all you can do is to sit there and watch. It's sad, but you don't feel some heart-searing pain...

That's the feeling and picture I got from listening to that song. I don't know why I thought of the beach, maybe it's because I like going to the beach?

So, when I repeated the song, I caught a few words. I don't remember them all, but there's "wait, tears, white, gone".

After looking up the lyrics, and reading it while playing the song, the song became very heartbreaking. There are many images in the lyrics.

Here's the translation of the lyrics:

Can’t you see – she is behind me
Avoiding the wind and fast asleep
When the warm sunlight falls, she will wake, just wait a little bit


When winter came, we always went to the seaside
The cold wind and the white waves are the same as before but
Your bright and cheery nature that chattered next to me
Is now nowhere to be found


You said that the winter sea, that had no visitors, looked so sad
And said that we should stay with it and be the sea’s friend
When you hid behind me to avoid the wind, I heard your small prayer
Asking for us to always be together by your side


The rough waves asked me
Why did I come alone and where you were


Can’t you see – she is behind me
Avoiding the wind and fast asleep
When the warm sunlight falls, she will wake, just wait a little bit
I couldn’t bear to say that I can’t ever see you again
But without knowing, my shedding tears have been caught


I guess the passing wind told me that I can’t ever find her again
No matter where I go, I can’t find her
I guess the ocean spoke to me and asked me where she went
The ocean kept asking and eventually, it became tears like me


With the white tears that the ocean sent, I made your image
I lay by it and called out your name, in case you see


I guess the clouds were worried that it would melt -
The clouds covering the sun aren’t leaving


* An ocean without you will live just as tears
The rough waves, also despising me
Telling me not to come without you, tell me to bring you there


Even if I say I can’t see you, I know
The white snowflakes on my cheek,
Are actually your wet kiss and tears


* repeat

(credit: http://www.liriklagulyrics.com)



You can feel the pain in the lyrics... It starts off assuring someone that the girl is there, just behind him. The lyrics continues on to narrate the girl's actions and thoughts. Then out of a sudden, it reveals that the girl is gone(to me, it sounds like she passed away), that everything that once related to the girl "Is now nowhere to be found". The guy then goes to the seaside alone, to reminisce their past, and everything around him just doesn't seem right, as if asking where the girl is. Then, the reality that the girl is gone hits him again, hard, everything around him reminds him of that heart-wrenching fact, that even the ocean starts shedding tears, and the waves hating him for being there. At last, even though the girl has left, the guy still can feel her love, as if she's there with him, not physically...
(I tried to make this as short as possible)

On the whole, this is a great song, the only setback was the beat covering the vocals at the start... Oh! I haven't said anything about the instruments yet!! (other than the piano intro) Aah, but I have to stop this post here because of time... :(

This is my first time commenting (coherently) this much about a song, hopefully it wasn't too bad...

Lastly, all of these are my opinion only, I'm not saying that they are 100% correct or anything, nor am I saying that everyone will think the same way as I do.

My first song on PumpkinMelodies. Hmm... not too organised, stuff were thrown around everywhere. I guess it will be more organised over time...


Happy CNY Eve to all of you!!! Hope you have a great year ahead!!!