Before I start exploring my grievances on SNSD’s new single, I wanted to provide some context.
I am a (not-so) closet bubblegum kpop fan. I have been since my teenage years when I was a part of the Shinhwa and SES Fandom, and followed SM Entertainment since. I’ve been keeping tabs on the releases of new artists several generations down to SHINee and F(x). The more recent artists like EXO have lost me, but I blame that more on my age (I just can’t keep up with the new kpop scene in general).
With more than a decade of history with the specific company and their artists, I am familiar with the “color of SM”—the distinct manufactured-feel. They package their artists with an almost doll-like and surreal quality, and it has become the staple presentation of kpop idols that other companies try to mimic. I would even argue that SM’s real merchandise isn’t music. They market the artists themselves as a whole package, starting from their performance on stage to their image and fashion and humor and wit on variety talk shows off stage. They sell the idols themselves. It’s very different than say YG and JYP, who is less concerned about their artists off stage (I’m making a relative statement here. YG and JYP do market their artists off stage, but just to a lesser degree).
I try to be a little more flexible with the shallowness of SM products if I can help it. I try to be understanding that most of the SM merchandise feed to the masses what they want, even if it’s not necessarily what’s good for them. But when I heard the SNSD’s newest single, I cringed with embarrassment. I gave it another try a few days later, wondering if it was just the newness of SNSD’s attempt at changing their “image” as they claim that made it awkward for me to watch and listen. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it through the 4-ish minutes of the performance clip on Youtube.
Let me begin with the lyrics, the translations in bold:
소녀시대 (Girls’ Generation) – I got a boy
(SooYoung)
Ayo, GG. Yeah yeah, 시작해볼까? 어-머! 얘 좀 봐라 얘, 무슨일이 있었길래 머릴 잘랐대? 응?
Let’s start. Oh My, Look at her. What happened that she cut her hair? Huh?(Yuri)
어-머! 또 얘 좀 보라고! 머리부터 발끝까지 스타일이 바뀌었어.
왜 그랬대? 궁금해 죽겠네 왜 그랬대? 말해 봐봐 좀
Oh My, And look at her! Her style has changed from head to toe.
Why did she? I’m dying of curiosity. Why did she? Tell me!(Tiffany)
Haha! Let me introduce myself! Here comes trouble! 따라해!
Follow Me!
(All) Oh oh oh yeah oh. Oh oh yeah oh
(Jessica)
너 잘났어 정말!
You think you’re all that!
(TaeYeon)
지가 뭔데? 웃겨. 너무 콧대 센거 아니? 나보고 평범하단다 얘
Who does he think he is? Makes me laugh. Isn’t he too stuck up? He called me standard*
*as in, “nothing special”(Jessica)
그 남자 완전 맘에 들었나봐!
You must really like him!(TaeYeon)
말도 안돼! 말도 안돼!
No Way! No Way!(SeoHyun)
너무 예뻐지고 섹시해 졌어 그 남자 때문이지?
물어 볼뻔 했다니까? 너 바꾼 화장품이 뭔지
You became more beautiful and sexy. It must be because of him.
I almost asked her, what cosmetic she switched to(Sunny)
사실 나 처음 봤어 상처 입은 야수 같은 깊은 눈
Honestly, It was it was the first time I saw such deep and wounded beast-like* eyes
*”Beast-like” has come to imply masculine in the more general sense—don’t even get me started on the implications of this gender stereotype.(Jessica)
얘기만 해도 어질 했다니까?
It makes me dizzy just hearing about it(Yuri, SooYoung)
너 잘났어 정말! 잘났어 정말!
You think you’re all that! You’re all that!(…more of same)
(Tiffany)
A-yo! Stop! Let me put it down another way.(All)
I got a Boy, 멋진! I got a boy, 착한! I got a boy, handsome boy, 내 맘 다 가져간
I got a Boy, 멋진! I got a boy, 착한! I got a boy, awesome boy, 완전 반했나 봐
I got a boy, handsome! I got a boy, good one! I got a boy, handsome boy, one who took my heart
I got a boy, handsome! I got a boy, good one! I got a boy, awesome boy, I must be in love(TaeYeon)
아 내 왕자님! 언제 이 몸을 구하려 와 주실 텐가요?
oh my prince! When will you come to rescue me?(Sunny)
하얀 꿈처럼 날 품에 안아 올려 날아가 주시겠죠?
You’ll come like a white dream and take me up in your arms, won’t you?(YoonA)
나 깜짝! 멘붕이야! 그 사람은 내 민 낯이 궁금하대.
완전 맘에 들어 못 이긴척 보여줘도 괜찮을까?
I’m shocked! I’m at a loss! He wants to see my natural* face.
I like that! Should I show him as if I couldn’t say no?
*as in, with no make-up(HyoYeon)
oh! 절대로 안되지!
Oh, you must not!(YoonA)
그치? 그치?
Right? Right?(HyoYeon)
우리 지킬건 지키자!
Let’s guard what we must!(YoonA)
맞지! 맞지!
Right! Right!(HyoYeon)
그의 맘을 모두 가질 때까지 이건 절대로 잊어버리지 말라고!
We must wait until you have all his heart, don’t ever forget it!(Yuri)
밤을 새도 모자라 다 다
Even if we talk all night, it’s not enough(SooYoung)
우리 최고 관심사 다 다
It’s our focus and interest(SeoHyun)
내 말 들어봐 그 아이 너네 알지? 좀 어리지만 속은 꽉 찼어
Listen to me. You know him? He’s a bit young, but his personality is full*
*as in, he’s mature and thoughtful, considerate, etc.(Tiffany)
어떨 땐 오빠처럼 듬직하지만, 애교를 부릴땐 너무 예뻐 죽겠어
Sometimes he’s dependable like an oppa* but sometimes when he uses aegyo*, he’s so cute!
*oppa is a term used for older brother, but used loosely in familiar social situations; aegyo is often translated as charm, but means the cute, childish (maybe even infantile) mannerism to appeal to others.(YoonA, HyoYeon in turn)
너 미쳤어, 미쳤어
You’re crazy, crazy(Tiffany)
난 정말 화가 나 죽겠어 내 남잔 날 여자로 안 보는걸
I’m so mad, I could die. My man doesn’t see me as a woman*
*as in, there is no sexual tension or attraction felt(TaeYeon)
막연할 땐 어떡하면 내가 좋겠니? 질투라도 나게 해 볼까? 속상해! 어떡해! 나?
What do you do when there seems to be no way? Should I make him jealous? I’m so upset. What do I do?(Yuri)
말도 안돼 말도 안돼
Makes no sense, makes no sense(Jessica) Don’t Stop! Let’s bring it back to 140.
(All)
I got a Boy, 멋진! I got a boy, 착한! I got a boy, handsome boy, 내 맘 다 가져간
I got a Boy, 멋진! I got a boy, 착한! I got a boy, awesome boy, 완전 반했나 봐
I got a boy, handsome! I got a boy, good one! I got a boy, handsome boy, one who took my heart
I got a boy, handsome! I got a boy, good one! I got a boy, awesome boy, I must be in love(Jessica)
언제나 내 곁엔 내 편이 돼주고 귀 기울여주는 너
You always stay beside me, always take my side, always listen* to me
*as in, “hear me out” or “understand me”.(SeoHyun)
난 이대로 지금 행복해
I’m happy just like this*
*as in, I’m content(Sunny)
잘될거니까
Because all will go well(All)
I got a Boy, 멋진! I got a boy, 착한! I got a boy, handsome boy, 내 맘 다 가져간
I got a Boy, 멋진! I got a boy, 착한! I got a boy, awesome boy, 완전 반했나 봐
I got a boy, handsome! I got a boy, good one! I got a boy, handsome boy, one who took my heart
I got a boy, handsome! I got a boy, good one! I got a boy, awesome boy, I must be in love
Oh thank God it’s over.
Where do I even begin?
There are a lot of problematic social norms that’s reflected in these lyrics, that’s for sure. I’m too tired (and perhaps jaded) to rip into each one at this current moment. But that aside, do young women talk like this with their friends? Especially women who have reached their twenties? I just could be over-reacting because I have never engaged in these kinds of conversations in this manner with my friends since high school. But the lyrics just doesn’t reflect the twenty-something year-old professionals and working, “modern” women who sing them.
BeyondHallyu has an article that articulates some of my thoughts much better:
However, I was still shocked by how blatantly this song flaunts it’s reductionist, and frankly insulting, view of women. By using a more complex song structure to tell more stories and show more points of view, this song manages to create an even worse image of young women than songs like ‘Oh!’ by the sheer number of negative portrayals. Both the video and the song consistently portray women in numerous different examples as vain, petty, manipulative and incompetent.
(read more here)
I think it is telling that these lyrics were written by Yoo YoungJin, one of oldest of SM’s in-house producers and a man who doesn’t seem sympathetic to the women’s plight in such a restrictive and oppressive society. He’s the same guy who produced some of the biggest 90’s hits with the first generation idol groups like HOT and SES and Shinhwa, and started a new chapter in the kpop idol history by creating a genre of kpop performance music called—what else—SM Peformance. It’s a distinct in that a song has 2 different songs melded together to enhance what the artists can do on stage (some of the examples that come to mind is DBSK’s Rising Sun* and O-Jung-Ban-Hap*).
To be fair, his songs were never known for the depth of the lyrics. Even the older songs that often had lyrics that “critiqued society” always felt fake and shallow. Insincere. Gaudy, even. But with this newest release from SNSD, I am offended. I’m offended at what the lyrics imply: how shallow these girls, who have become more or less a representatives of the ideal girls/women in Korean culture. I won’t even get into how impossible and unrealistic their image is for the general masses, because that’s besides the point.
More than anything, I am disappointed. I’m disappointed at the wasted opportunity for these girls to sway and influence the kpop culture for the better. As SeoulBeats said:
SNSD is a group that, perhaps more than any other group or artist in Korean entertainment today, has influence. They can be trendsetters and they can be revolutionaries. Their position atop the proverbial K-pop totem pole allows them a degree of artistic freedom that other, lesser-known groups might not have; where groups in precarious situations hoping to strike gold would do best to follow what sells in hopes of selling, SNSD could confidently break new ground and experiment with new styles while still achieving all-kills on various music charts and stealing trophy after trophy on Music Bank and M! Countdown.
I am probably more frustrated because I have seen the individual girls behind this SNSD mask say things of certain beliefs and ideals that totally go against these lyrics. For example, I’ve seen Tiffany in more than one instance mention her desire to be a more independent and liberated woman who find worth and value as an independent being, listing Hyori as the ideal image of who she wanted to become in the variety talk shows and off stage footages. The youngest, SeoHyun, is known for her up-right and thoughtful self–the one who names the general secretary of UN as a role model and hopes to be influential for the greater world like him.
What I’m saying is I’m seeing cracks in this manufactured SNSD mask because this mask no longer fits. These girls are not novices anymore—they have been in the industry for five years now, and theoretically have built-up enough experience and savvy to influence their products. Moreover, they are not girls anymore. If SM is planning on marketing these girls as themselves, they need to remember that SNSD members are young women in early and mid-twenties. They seem to hope and dream things bigger than just “getting a boy”. It’s time they grow up from this mindless plastic image and be a little more… well, real.
