yestoday

1. Volume Up. For a song with this title, I expected it to be more upbeat the first time I listened to it. Though, that impression is most likely influenced by the 4Minute hit of the same name. (Do you think Hyuna gets confused if you ask her about her song called 'Volume Up'? Just kidding, Trouble Maker's Volume Up has nothing against 4Minute's. This irrelevant B-side could never be compared to Her Majesty Volume Up by 4Minute.) While I can't say this track particularly touches my sentiment in any way, as it is a clear filler, it's an arguably good starter track for an album. Despite being the token filler ballad that all albums have, I don't think it's utterly useless. I see it as the calm before the trainwreck of a storyline the rest of the album will portray. The acoustic guitar sets a solid base mood for this album's theme: an atmosphere of distinct tenderness. It's not that bad of a song, just very mediocre compared to the songs it had the unfortunate fate of being next to.

Hooks: 7
Production: 7
Longevity: 7
Bias: 7
RATING: 7

2. Now. Skipping the pleasantries; you already know what I think about this song. The chorus is catchy as hell; the sounds used in the instrumental fortify the gloriously edgy feeling that I adore. While the lyrics are disappointingly generic (I wish they alluded more specifically to the concept), the vigor this song is enriched with makes up for most of it. It's fervent; I feel like I'm truly sitting at the border of all life, legs dangling off the edge of the world—just me and my partner, holding in our hands what is our last chance. The MV delineates the sensation I get from listening pretty spot on. I see the MV as this: they are a runaway couple, living off theft and making money in less than righteous ways. They do what they want and pride on never having been caught, but as a result of that accomplishment, can't stay in one place for a long time. They have no attachments to anyone besides each other, but that doesn't mean they can't go out and have their individual fun. While committing crimes is fused into their lifestyle like any other daily activity, they have never, ever killed. When Hyunseung gets tempted by money, he breaks their one moral code. Hyuna, appalled by him, lashes out and departs. And from here, they both have to figure out where to draw the line between love and ethics. They know that wherever their final destination is, it will always be together. So, at the emblematic edge of the world, where two people whose only purpose is each other linger face to face, with their souls on the line, will reconciliation be able stitch back together the gaping tear in the fabric of the quintessence? Or will it befall them like a comet to bring the end of all endings?

Okay. Getting a little side tracked. Anyway, I love the melody. I love the verses—surprisingly, more than the hook for once (by 'hook,' I'm referring to the "Tell me now, now, now, now" part). I love the backing music—the definite intensity, amplified creatively by the strings I noticed that were so cleverly integrated. I always treasure my little orchestral touches in electronic songs. Along with that, I have also always had this special attraction to songs in minor keys, as I'm sure many others do as well. The enigmatic flourish this song is executed with stimulates just the right spots in my brain, the near right amount.

On another unrelated note, while watching one of their Music Core stages for this, I looked at the lyrics in the left corner at the right time to notice the pun with "내일은" and "내 이름" in Hyuna's second verse for the first time, and for some reason that affected me deeply at that sleep deprived moment. So, now I have a unique appreciation for that verse for no reason. When I'm playing the song and that segment draws near, a subconscious attentiveness emerges, and I suddenly focus excessively on listening for that part. Perhaps, I just need to get a life.

Hooks: 9
Production: 9.5
Longevity: 9
Bias: 9.5
RATING: 9.25

3. Player (feat. HyunA). I know it's supposed to be a Hyunseung solo where Hyuna raps a bit, but I find it funny it that says it's 'featuring HyunA' while being on the Trouble Maker album. At least Hyuna's solo track features someone that's, you know, not the person she's been singing with the whole rest of this album. Anyway, Player is not the type of song that speaks to me, but at least it's not a boring filler ballad. I think it belongs in the same genre as The Back of My Hand Brushes Against by Teen Top—hopeful electropop ballads? (The difference between the two being that I do enjoy the Teen Top song a lot, shockingly!) Would it be bad to say that Hyuna's part is my favorite section of this whole song? The faraway guitar solo at her verse is very pretty and her voice in a lower register rapping over it gives a dreamy effect. I swear, I love Hyunseung too, but literally 90% of his other solos go harder than this.

Hooks: 7.25
Production: 7.5
Longevity: 7
Bias: 7.25
RATING: 7.25

4. Attention. This cunty banger. This incel bop. This himbo anthem. Oh, I love it; the performance is so fun too. "I wanna rock your body, lalalala // 내 숨이 막혀 honey nananana" lives in my head rent free. The unfaltering saxophone loop that catches no breaks throughout the whole three and a half minutes would be ever the slightest annoying under any other circumstance, but not here! But at the same time, this is also a song I feel like I cannot listen to too often, or else my brain might start molding. Either way, I wish their first album had a song like this.

Hooks: 9
Production: 8.5
Longevity: 7.5
Bias: 8.75
RATING: 8.4

 

5. I Like (feat. Flowsik). It's so 2nd gen. K-Pop, my god. It's spectacular. It's everything dear to me. This is one of the many B-sides I believe deserves so much more recognition. I also refuse to believe this wasn't originally meant to be a Hyuna solo comeback title track. It's well-produced—although it mixes in so naturally with the era of music that it reminds me of, it feels derivative. But that's what I adore it for! The Y2K emotions it evokes ignites something in me. This song is repetitive, so much to the point that the verses and chorus feel like one big blend, and by the end, you basically can't remember anything you just heard besides the hook. This may seem like lousy composition, but to me, it's wonderful! The dumbing state it puts my brain in feels like ecstasy. All the clutter in my head becomes invisible for a brief moment; it's 'no thoughts, head empty' when I listen to this, just joy and positive vibes and some amazing autotune. I don't feel the need to give a single fuck about anything during these three minutes and a half. It's one of the few godsend songs that manages to silence the fuckery in my mind completely, even for just a little while.

Hooks: 8.75
Production: 9
Longevity: 9
Bias: 10
RATING: 9.2

Hello, Mr. Shank, welcome to Part Two of Apple’s ‘Piece of Music That Brings Me Joy’ Six-Piece (yes, I counted the number of weeks of school we have left) Essay Collection that you predestinately inflicted upon yourself and me, but it’s too late to turn back, even for myself. Now, I’m nearly one hundred percent sure you did not read the Rooftop one, which is completely understandable because I wouldn’t have either. This week, however, I would like to discuss my favorite song of all time. My favorite song by that artist? No. My favorite song in that genre? No. My favorite song, period, with no other complications. Without further ado, Run to You by SEVENTEEN.

Like, last time, I think the best way to get started is with an introduction to the group. Saying this while trying my absolute hardest to not sound like a Wikipedia article: SEVENTEEN is a thirteen-member Korean boy group who debuted in 2015 under Pledis Entertainment. Before you say anything, I know what you’re thinking, why the heck are they called ‘SEVENTEEN’ if there are only thirteen members? And before I answer, I’m going to tell you to unthink that. It’s a whole other story not-so relevant to this certain exposition you are about to definitely not read. (However, if you’re really curious, you can, I don’t know, leave a private comment on Google Classroom or something, and I’ll gladly explain it to you because I doubt searching it up will do much help.) As for the origin of the group itself, the boys had a pre-debut reality program called ‘SEVENTEEN TV’ that spanned from 2013 to 2014; through that, it’s viewable how they went through various member lineup changes but ultimately ended up with the current thirteen. The group’s official debut was probably as low-budget as possible. It’s honestly kind of depressing. Pledis was on the borderline of going bankrupt at that time, and I would actually feel bad if the company isn’t a piece of trash. But, hey, at least the brokeness of the music video it gave it its own unique appeal… the charisma of being poor, I guess.  Anyway, they put out SEVENTEEN as the final risky gamble, their last hope, a chance at a miracle. Okay, now I’m just being dramatic, but in conclusion, debut album 17 Carat slapped hard and got them attention — thank you, Woozi’s huge, gigantic, genius, musical megamind for creating the revolutionary funky fresh banger that is Adore U. They continued working their way up the charts and industry like that, each album gaining more sales than the last. Along with the spellbinding bops that they continue to release, they’re also recognized for being a ‘self-producing’ idol group, meaning that the members largely take part in the songwriting and choreographing processes of their releases. At this point, SEVENTEEN is very well-known in the industry and respected by many newer artists for their achievements and performance quality.

And that leads us up to their inevitable, yet much more belated than deserved, mainstream breakthrough with the song Don’t Wanna Cry and, subsequently, Clap, both in 2017. After that came a small special album titled Director’s Cut, with the lead single title track Thanks, also known as my number one sacred go-to emotional EDM anthem that I routine cry healthily to every other business day, spiritually, that is; I would physically have a routine sobbing session too if I had the time, of course. But for now, I just learn the dance and break inside every time I hear it. It was this song that got me into the group that fateful, snowy February day, after all. 

Director’s Cut contained four new tracks: the brilliant album introductory and mood setter of a first track, Thinkin’ About You; our beloved fan-dedicated title track, Thanks; the cornerstone of this essay, Run to You; and a relaxed coffee shop melody — a simplistic, yet touching, duet to close it all off, Falling for U. It was technically a repackage album, so after that came the songs of Teen, Age, the full-length album of which housed Clap, as mentioned before. Now, merely to make this a bit longer and to emphasize my raw adoration for Director’s Cut, I’m going to get statistical just to brag about Her Highness’s impact. She sold for a total of 188,911 copies in 2018, making Her the twenty-sixth best selling album on Gaon Charts that year (and yes, I just spent an hour digging around the Gaon website for that exact number). She now accumulates to over 200,000 sales, which is fantastic, considering She’s a reissued album. Thanks also charted at first place on iTunes in 29 countries all across the world and has a current YouTube view count of 45,157,126 views as of May 9, 2020, at 10:51 PM EST. (I had to click on the music video for the first time for a while to get the view count and I can’t even begin to describe the way my soul ascended, boy, I missed this. Maybe I’ll go on a SEVENTEEN music video binge soon and sob my eyes out like last time from seeing the way they grew and progressed over time because wow. I’m so proud of them.)

So now, we’re back to Run to You, because that’s what this is supposed to be about, and if I get off-track again, I give you permission to freely flop my grade, because this is most likely going to be turned in late anyway… speaking of “off-track,” that word sounds an awful lot like another really good song called Off-Road by PENTAGON which- 

Run to You is an enchanting ‘future rock’ — I suppose that’s what you would call it — tune with electronica influences. It’s not exactly future bass; Thanks is more of that, whereas Run to You is more guitar-heavy, so I think ‘future rock’ is a fitting way to categorize it, though I’m not sure if that’s a proper phrase. (I’ll make it a proper phrase; Her Highness Run to You deserves her own category separate from the other lowly peasants anyway.) I say it’s enchanting because have you ever seen those really beautiful and evocative animations? You might have heard of Shelter by Porter Robinson and Madeon and the official short film for it? What comes to mind first are those stunning, nostalgic Japanese animations. Everyone who’s listened to this song collectively agrees that it sounds like an anime opening theme, and there have been countless fanmade edits and videos of this track over popular anime, such as Haikyuu (which, if I’m not mistaken, I believe I have heard was in fact what Woozi was thinking of when writing this, but I’m not certain because I haven’t found the original source yet). The most common association, however, is the critically acclaimed animated movie Your Name. Parts of the lyrics even fit perfectly with the film, so I would honestly believe it if Woozi announced that he wrote this piece based on that animation. 

Let’s walk through the song now, shall we? Soft, magical cymbal roll at the start, the release on the song’s first word, and begin. Joshua opens up the song with refined, mellifluous vocals; the first line is fully his, but in the second, they do a cool thing where he leads in with the beginning half, and then Seungkwan’s voice suddenly cuts through and picks up the last two words. Personally, I love that a lot because, I don’t know, the immediate distinction between their voices really added a flare. And behind all that, what’s cool is that, in Joshua’s part of the second line, there are precisely four quarter note counts of ride cymbal taps: slightly louder on the on-beats. Then comes the guitar pickup on the fourth beat of that very same measure, which happens to also be where Seungkwan’s voice chimes in to finish off Joshua’s sentence. See, it all fits together, and I’m looking into this way too deeply than necessary, but I swear I go feral for little things like that, like, the effect is so good, it sounds so good, Woozi you are SO GOOD for this.

Anyway, Seungkwan has his three syllables of a pickup note and promptly gets cut off as the song explodes on itself in the best way possible, oh my god. Everything comes in at once; the track was gentle in the first ten seconds with nothing but Joshua serenading us and some minor background effects for flavor; you almost couldn’t have expected this, but the buildup becomes obvious as soon as you hear the ride cymbals halfway through his second line. Nevertheless, the meager buildup wouldn’t have prepared you for this unexpected burst of a drop. The guitar that came in previously with Seungkwan’s vocal pickup goes out vibing an exciting, epic solo. The drums kick into double time and suddenly space-time is zooming around you and the fabric of reality shifts under your call and the world goes glittering vivid. Now, you’re hooked and thunderstruck. It’s incredible, it’s so perfect. 

I sound like I’m on drugs. I swear I’m not, this is just a really nice song.

Alright, so that four measures of pure euphoria is over (though not completely, as its invisible essence will live on for the rest of the song which is why I deem Woozi and the other composers, Bumzu and Park Gitae, were genius for putting that section where it was put, and also not completely because the electric guitar holds out a long sustain of a Concert G4 Natural. I think. That’s on me hearing the note and then humming it to my phone tuner as quietly as I can because it’s nearly two in the morning. I did it like five times though, so I’m, like, eighty percent it’s right. Plus, this is in the scale of G Major, so it would make sense). After that, it goes quieter, but the magic is still palpable, floating around like little silver pixies dancing and sparking their hexes around you. The bass drum is still pushing you steadily forward on the adventure, keeping perpetual, stable eighth notes grounded underneath you. At this point, it’s Jeonghan singing. And I’m going to take a brief pause here to deliver a small disclaimer: I am likely going to unintentionally continue throwing an ungodly amount of names at you because there are indeed thirteen members to have the lines of this song distributed across, so I apologize beforehand if this gets confusing, especially if you don’t know who any of these men are, but I’ll try to make it as clear as possible as well as only use stage names.

Jeonghan kicks off the first verse of this song. His voice has a similar pitch to Joshua’s, so I believe it’s a nice reflection back to the opening, a parallel of the intro since it’s softer here as well. Two lines later, a cymbal crash and Hoshi takes over. Here, the drum revitalizes the formerly constant eighth notes that became a grounding pulse settled in the back of your ears; it added some syncopated rhythm licks for a pleasant surprise of flavor before it could get too bland. Hoshi’s lyrics introduce the general theme of this song, I believe. He says, “I go out to walk // But just like my heart, I’m running” (cred: Hamtaro Gasa). The original title of Run to You directly translates to “I’m Looking For You Right Now” and its overall idea is missing and wanting to run to someone who is important to you but far away or unreachable. His lyrics indicate that his heart is instinctively tugging him in the direction of the said person, or “you,” as going off Jeonghan’s preceding lyrics. 

The following half of that verse comes Dino’s cool back-and-forth thing between himself and, well, himself. I’ll give some light criticism here on the fact that they missed a perfect opportunity to make that part, like, an echo-and-response kind of concept, and I’m kind of disappointed it wasn’t like that. To explain it, it’s basically him singing a phrase normally, then the next but with a more special effect that makes his voice sound more muted, more distanced. I think the lyrics here are sweet as well, “Even though I don’t know where you are // I’m following the compass of my heart” (cred: pop!gasa), although it doesn’t really make sense with the echoey effect being used here, but hey, who am I to complain.

Woozi, my main man himself, comes in next. He builds the abstract bridge connecting this particular section to the next, which reminds me, I think this is a suitable time to mention that the structure of this song and the execution of it is impeccable. If we compare the lines of this verse to a poem, it follows an AABC form where Jeonghan’s and Hoshi’s lines are the A section, Dino as B, and Woozi’s is the C that leads up to the next verse. In fact, I think it’s brilliant because, in the latter half of this line, Woozi builds up a brief but audible crescendo that creates suspense. At that point, the rhythm guitar that has been working constantly behind everything takes the lead again, striking down louder with the boost of a few distortion effects, as if warning of its arrival, before it kicks back in with the melody again. It tricks you into thinking the chorus is coming next, the accumulation of buildup releasing the sensation that the climax is near, but then, it doesn’t. 

Instead, there’s an interesting cut-off effect, like, when the crash cymbal hits and immediately, they mute it. That happens a select few times, and on the last two, they add in some enlivening drum fills in between. All the while, the new guitar lead rings out, takes its solo, and soars with the new melody. This all happens behind the introduction of Vernon’s unique voice. What makes it even more powerful is the way he sings, “As long as I can find you, so what if it’s a bit far? // I’ll follow the line that connects us two” (cred: cheolwangja, pop!gasa) so compellingly. Maybe, it’s his rapper intonation; maybe, it’s the flow and how his words line up like puzzle pieces with the syncopated cymbal mutes in the most satisfying manner; maybe, I just like his voice a crap ton. 

About fifty seconds into the song, after Vernon, comes the real buildup to the chorus. The lead electric guitar continues flying strong, but other sounds clutter back around, immersing you in the environment even more. The rhythm bass pulse returns, going up a whole step note every measure. A regular, steady hi-hat beat also initiates here, just for the thrill. The8 and DK share this part. The8 sings his line in a manner similar to Woozi, previously, in his lead-on buildup: low and intriguing, rooting the heartfelt words into your ears, “When you said you engraved my name in your heart” (cred: pop!gasa). DK finishes off the sentence with mesmerizing passion in a beyond-delightful voice, “Remember the reason my eyes went big” (cred: cheolwangja). The imagery that transfers? Sensational. During this is when the overdrive power chords return, but this time, it truly leads to the song’s peak.

Here we are: the chorus. Woozi’s captivating, angelic voice returns, stronger and packed with more emotions than ever. (How many divorces did he go through?) Seungkwan’s invigorating power vocals connect Woozi’s lines, “Right now, you and I need the same thing,” with his own, “But I don’t have it in me, so let’s meet again” (cred: Hamtaro Gasa). I can’t even describe it with words, but this part is just wow. The gorgeous blend of harmonies and audio layering… The way they can convey such breathtaking colors through sound… The way Seungkwan sings the word before “so let’s meet again” with an arching lilt before closing off with equally ravishing cadence. Can I start a SEVENTEEN Vocals Appreciation Club at my place, first meeting in five?

We’re still in the chorus, by the way, I just took too long swooning over those ten seconds, but moving on now. Joshua’s velvety timbre makes a comeback here, as well, after Seungkwan. “Until I arrive, you have to be well,” he says, with spectacular swerving vocals, to which Hoshi follows up with, inevitably, the title of this song, “I’m looking for you right now” (cred: cheolwangja). The entirety of the chorus has been rather full, filled to the brim with any and every sound possible, not leaving a single monochrome gap across the bright, starry universe it painted around you. Approximately halfway through Hoshi’s line, he pauses for a millisecond, and all the instruments cut out. This lets the world flood back through you in that one break of calm, letting your mind single in on just his raw, amazing voice. It only lasts a blink of a moment though, because soon after, you get dunked head-first back into the heavenly, post-chorus guitar overload. 

A moment of silence, please, for my soul as it gets tossed through fifty galaxies and celestial masses simultaneously and back.

And we’re back. Verse two arrives; it’s in the same structure as the previous one, except incorporating altered lyrics as to move the story onward. Mirroring the beginning of the first verse, it quiets down a little more to make way for, wait for it, the moment of truth, WONWOO SINGING! This is a treasured moment throughout this entire piece, his rapping is godly, to say the least, but his singing voice is godly and rare. Now, let’s take some time to worship, “Your time, one by one // Times without you, one by one” (cred: pop!gasa) in the most wonderful, warm chocolate voice. I cannot express how soothing and exquisite he sounds. Here, Wonwoo’s voice and lyrics — along with the rhythm bass that returned after the final electrifying sustain of the guitar melody, replicating the start of the song — create an ethereal impression of… time-travel? I don’t know, maybe there’s something wrong with me, but close your eyes and listen for these four seconds. Doesn’t it sound like you’re strolling through a time loop, or skipping across a timeline, either your own or that of someone else’s who is important to you? The unwavering sixteenth notes in the bass line sound like sempiternal glistening ticks of meandering, liquid time. Perhaps, I’m insane.

Up next, we have another moment to be cherished: MINGYU SINGING! Once again, we hear more sublime vocals that have, for the most part, been tucked away and hidden under many layers of concentrated hip-hop (which I’m not complaining about; he’s marvelous at his job, but I will start a petition to be able to hear Mingyu sing more if I must). You’re still gliding between timestreams, but now, with the ring of a cymbal release and swift drum lick later, Mingyu guides you to your destination.

A group of awesome guitar riffs later, Jun brings in the B section of this verse, with fleeting phrases and distant echos, imitating Dino’s part at the beginning, albeit with the words revised: “All of the times in this place without you // Follows the hands of my heart” (cred: pop!gasa). It’s fascinating; these words are twisted around and woven into different lips, yet the meaning remains to have the exact same energy as Dino’s lines. Both are following something in their hearts to “you,” whether it be a compass, for Dino, or a ‘ticking,’ as some other translations suggest, for Jun. Both own up their lines, however, using their individual unique vocal techniques: Dino’s with youthful, yearning energy, Jun’s with an airy, delicate, fairy-like tinge. The raw emotion dripping through the unusual special echo effect can singlehandedly drive me insane (and has done so a gratuitous amount of times already anyway).

Hoshi does the ‘fake buildup’ this time around, and I love the energy he protrudes. It’s suitable since we’re about halfway through the song now, so all the introductory stuff is over with; this is where the full potential of the track begins revealing itself. Like, here, I can hear all of the expression, see an entire movie splayed across the canvas of my mind. While Woozi’s first one was packed with emotion but delicate, his is pure vigor and force. And wow. All of the tiger ferocity he has stored inside him becomes evident at that moment. I just think Hoshi is great.

The cut-off part repeats itself, as anticipated from the precursory pattern. Instead of Vernon, S.Coups takes on his first lines. The lyrics remain identical to Vernon’s part at the beginning, and so do the instrumentals and sound effects, but the power S.Coups propels behind those words hit unlike before. Since the two’s voices are distinct from one another, the characteristic of those lines would also contrast with their own touches. Their interpretations of those lyrics may also vary, therefore resulting in slightly different executions and feels when recording those. I swear, it probably isn’t that deep, but this is typically when I get really into this song, and when this S.Coups part comes, sounding a little but also a lot different than Vernon’s corresponding part at the beginning, I mentally spasm. It’s like… familiar but with a new touch to it: the same tune and rhythm but acquiring different timbres and therefore triggering a slightly varying sensation. Man, is this starting to get weird? Anyway, I love both Vernon’s and S.Coups’s voices, and I love the way that verse sounds, so I suppose I just love it twice as much when they both get to vocalize that part. That was basically what I was trying to sum up, I think. But, I don’t know, maybe I’m insane, but I do think that was kind of a pretty cool move of them to switch that part up between the two of them, even if it was just to make sure they both got to be in the song at least once.

That moves us on to the next part where The8 and DK return to sing the exact same things they sang earlier. Which I believe is fitting; their voices suit this part faultlessly. Something about The8 singing, “When you said you engraved my name in your heart,” (cred: pop!gasa) in his sleek and elegant voice really awakens something deep inside me. DK has a full, solid voice with an amazing range perfect for buildups like these, and the way he draws out, “Remember the reason my eyes went big,” (cred: cheolwangja) creates imagery that is unmatched; no one can do that line like him. DK and his immaculate voice return later during the bridge, but unfortunately, these are the only two lines The8 receives throughout the whole song. They happen the only be a half of a sentence repeated twice, as well, which is mildly disappointing, but it’s understandable that we can’t have absolutely everything good in one song; that would be impossible anyhow.

DK’s buildup leads up to the awaited second chorus. Woozi and Seungkwan take on the first two lines like before, eating it up with the equivalent aforementioned enthusiasm as expected. After that is when the variation comes. Instead of Joshua, Jeonghan’s voice appears. Here’s another Vernon-S.Coups situation. Joshua’s and Jeonghan’s voices have similar pitches, both sweet, comforting, and appealing in many different aspects. They switch Joshua to Jeonghan here so that the general essence lasts, spanning from person to person, but the change of voice makes all the difference. Subsequent to Jeonghan follows Dino, taking over the part that was originally Hoshi’s in the first chorus. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but I noticed that the vocal pairing of Dino succeeding Jeonghan mirrors the line distribution at the start of the song when the order was Jeonghan and Hoshi, then Dino and Woozi. That verse could’ve been split into two sections, as there were two different patterns. They took the two that lead in the two parts of the verse, Jeonghan and Dino, and slid them into the second chorus. It’s irrelevant, and I, too, am losing brain cells as I type this, but I’ve developed a hobby of nitpicking things and I thought this was interesting; it’s a nice detail.

Back to Dino; I did all that talk on him doing Hoshi’s lines here, but I didn’t mention yet that it changes. Earlier on, this was when Hoshi sings the title of the song, “I’m looking for you right now” (cred: cheolwangja). However, this time, Dino comes to an abrupt halt halfway through the sentence, and along with it, the rest of the instrumentals cease as well. It’s a surprising silence, unnatural yet not unsatisfying. A mystical silence hovers in the air, almost like weightless glitter drifting down upon you; soundless, fluffy snowflakes fluttering around before slowing and settling into your hair. It makes the listener anticipate a brief moment: what comes next, surely it’s not over? That thought would be correct, for this is merely the eye of the storm.

From here, the bridge ensues. Joshua picks up two notes, sweet and tender, and then piano fills the emptiness with a gentle, yet colorful, Em7. Soft whole note chords and piano runs continue for the rest of this select section of the bridge, mixed with muffled snare and softened beats to fill the void so contradicting to the rest of the song. The song takes an extremely unexpected ballad-y turn here, and it’s beautiful, to say the least. Better yet, after Joshua’s lines, Wonwoo sings here yet again, his deep and comforting voice making a long-wished-for return! It’s an actual blessing from the heavens. 

The gentleness eventually finished its job of taming you; it couldn’t drag on for too long because where’s the exhilaration in that? As soon as Wonwoo’s melodic words conclude in his line, the rhythm bass and electric guitar instantly kick back to life, and here we are, DK’s original-soundtrack-voice building us up again, guiding the previously known vigor back into formation. With sudden accidentals, key changes, and an illusion of speed, a sensation of excitement spikes, the rush of life floods back into the music. You sit there waiting, holding your breath, knowing it’s currently building up to its best. 

Along with all of that, the very first line of the buildup reads, “Even if I get more breathless, I’ll go right away,” (cred: cheolwangja) and you can feel that so clearly; the auditory image and scenery it creates of someone sprinting, picking up their pace endlessly despite already panting and being out of breath because whatever is calling for them, they yearn for it; they have to reach it. And perhaps it’s impossible to reach; perhaps they’re chasing the sun, and perhaps they are aware. Even then, they’ll follow it to the ends of the earth, knowing that as long as they’re running towards it, it’ll be enough for their heart. “So please stand in that place,” (cred: Hamtaro Gasa) DK falsettos, and with a rainbow of a crescendo, you become that person with the racing heart and racing legs. The instrumentals fade out again, for one beguiling measure, to leave space for a swift, twinkling Gsus4 arpeggio. “And wait a little longer,” (cred: Hamtaro Gasa) he whispers, a scintilla of warm, liquid hope on his tongue. The tone reverberates inside your heart; the phrase bouncing vehemently off the internal walls of your ribcage. You’re so close to it.

Without more than a millisecond to indulge in that wonder, the familiar post-chorus guitar wraps around you entirely, each riff intertwining into your spinning head, and it’s just so immersive. I forget everything here, my mind goes blank, letting the colors swirl into my brain, painting the empty canvas with whatever it desires. The resulting artwork is always a masterpiece anyway. 

This epic section is unlike the original post-chorus, however. Incipiently, this instrumental sample was merely just that: instrumentals to luxuriate in after some godly vocals were just freely handed to you. This time, after the first loop, Woozi’s, Seungkwan’s, DK’s, and Joshua’s magnificent voices, respectively, make a powerful comeback with a brand new never-before-heard verse, lyrics- and melody-wise. This qualifies as the outro (yes, after seven pages, we did it; we’re finally at the end. You made it, congratulations). 

Now, look, the lyrics really hit different this time. And maybe, it’s because it’s completely dissimilar to anything heard before in this piece, or maybe, it’s because of the nearly direct correlation to the movie Your Name. I’m going to write this assuming you, the reader, have already seen this film or at least know its general plot. The first thing said in this piquing verse, by Woozi’s refined fairy voice, is “Your time and my time” (cred: cheolwangja). Sounds kind of suspicious already right? [shady website advertisement articles voice] What comes next will blow your mind! Seungkwan finishes Woozi’s sentence fragment with, “On the day they meet, I will hug you” (cred: cheolwangja). SIR?! ON THE DAY BOTH OF YOUR TIMELINES MEET?! I don’t know about you, but that’s screaming interdimensional star-crossed love story to me. And you know what’s a stellar Japanese animation film about star-crossed lovers over an intersecting timeline? Do I have to say it again? 

But, anyway, yes, good stuff, good stuff. Not to mention, words aside, Seungkwan’s tone is absolutely mindblowing. His voice and the fervor loaded in it was made for this song. He and DK both were, I swear. Because, the very next moment, DK rightfully returns in one final time for some of the very last lines of the song, and words cannot describe how that part makes me feel. DK sings a line that has been repeated in the song multiple times before: “Until I arrive, you have to be well” (cred: cheolwangja). This exact pleading statement has been sung by Joshua and Jeonghan in the first and second chorus respectively; it’s the second-to-last line in the choruses, right before the title of the song, “I’m looking for you right now” (cred: cheolwangja) is sung — or half-sung. This sense of familiarity hits you wildly, as it’s integrated in a previously-completely-new-sounding part of the song. An unheard of outro verse began, filling you with an awestruck astonishment, but the third line in, you hear the special melody and lyrics of the specific part of the chorus you’re so accustomed to already, and the familiar feeling flood back into your soul. However, what I ceased mention yet is that DK adds a twist to that line. After all, this is the finale of the saga; there is no better juncture to go all out than here. And so, he does. Instead of the usual tune where the notes get lower at the “you have to be well” part, DK goes into his head voice; he lifts you up beyond all burdens of time and space and purpose. Now, that. That really makes me some sort of high no matter how many times I listen to this song. I really don’t know, but just DK as a whole, like, me knowing it’s him and his voice right there, it really pulls it together. I’m writing this at four in the morning, so I really don’t know what I’m saying anymore, but I’m going to be honest; his unique emphasis on “you have to be well” really drives into me differently. I feel so much there. The song all leads up to this: DK’s empyreal god voice. His voice fits this so well; I really cannot find another way to explain it. This song was just made for that voice which just so happens to be owned by our sunshine DK himself. Do we need a paragraph closer? Should I restate my thesis? Seungkwan and DK are some of the best vocalists of our time, of this millennium.

Inescapably, DK brings you back down, with great care and dignity, from that little blissful area above all laws of logic that he sent you to beforehand with that euphoric emphasis on his line. Typically, if this resumed in the pattern of the choruses, the name and subject of the song would be sung here. But, of course, it doesn’t; this is a novel variation, a sweet mixture of what was already used in the music and new twists and additions. Joshua joins in here with a simple repetition of two words. His first “really,” ending on the first beat of the measure, comes with a glint of a bell overtop the unison of seraphic sounds. A catch of breath, a two-count rest, and his second “really” sails into your heart. Precisely zero seconds after the sixteenth note drum toms run and a guitar mute, Woozi saves the last fragment of the sentence to himself. And together, they make the concluding line in this piece. “I really, really,” from Joshua, over the ongoing assortment of prismatic refrains, to Woozi’s “want to see you” (cred: Hamtaro Gasa) and the sudden, brief, intoxicating silence under it, the kind that makes you gasp out of amazement. 

As mentioned before, though, the instrumental mute was short. Barely before Woozi ends his vocal recording, the guitar is already booting back up leading us to the electrifying post-chorus refrain. It’s identical to its preexisting samples, but somehow the vibe is ten times more intense here. Most likely, it’s the context: we’re at the end of the song, the end of the movie, the end of the adventure, and it’s moving; this is the finale. Also likely, it’s the fact that you’re still in the midst of coming down from whatever the outro verse sent you to. It’s insane, I think, how well they fit the pieces of this arrangement together. All parts of it link into each other, having an effect as well as a cause on the sections that come before or after it. The melody loops twice, as it did in its antecedent occurrences. Then, it stops. Nothing fancy, nothing special, the music simply ceases. It’s like a screen turning off: unquestionable and conclusive, nothing more to it; you’ve reached the end of the story. The journey ends here, but it breaks off in a satisfying way, leaving you content without an ounce of regret. A calm, vacant quietness settles in, leaving only memories and the feeling to linger. You bask in that, not regretting a bit, knowing that even though it’s over; the experience it provided you with will flourish within. It ignited you, unlocked your caged flame, and will burn with a raging fire inside of you forever on.

And yeah… I think I like that a lot. 

That, dear friends, is my favorite part of this song. And this, dear friends, is my favorite song of all time. Run to You by SEVENTEEN, everyone, can we all rise up and give Her Highness a standing ovation?

Now, let’s talk about the live performance of this absolute triumph. (Did you really think it was over?)

Obviously, they’ve performed this many times (though, not as many as I would like), so for the time being, I’ll focus on the performance on their Ideal Cut in Seoul concert DVD, since it’s the most viewed and most iconic one. I’ve always watched this video imagining if I was there. This tour took place in the second half of 2018, and it was only in Asia, so I wasn’t able to attend. Though, even if it was a world tour, I’m not sure if I would’ve been able to attend. Anyway, I would assume this video was recorded at one of the Seoul concerts, considering it’s titled “2018 SEVENTEEN CONCERT IDEAL CUT IN SEOUL,” which started and ended the tour. The first dates were from June 28th to July 1st and the last were November 3rd and November 4th. Judging by their hairstyles and common sense, it’s pretty safe for me to say this was filmed in June. 

If you haven’t watched it, reader, I recommend you do so immediately. Go to YouTube and search “seventeen ideal cut run to you,” and it will be the first thing to pop up; I promise you. I will wait.

Waiting.

Okay, welcome back. So, I assume the first thing to catch your attention, besides Joshua and his voice, would be the background because it starts off from a wide, far away audience view. The stage and backdrops for this song aren’t top-tier or too striking in any way, but it’s still pretty. I’ve never been one to turn down a spacey swirl of galactic blues and plasmic purples with glimmering stars speckled about that explodes into a cool rhythmic pattern of drifting hues when the guitar comes in. Not to mention, their positioning and the stage layout is also not bad, if you ask me. It begins with them all on the ground, but soon, the platform for four in the very back begins to ascend, as well as the two on the very sides. Later, during the first verse, every other person out of the seven standing in the front also begins to rise. Then they’re in that formation for the remainder of the song, which gives it a nice touch and a special peculiarity since it’s one of their purely vocal tracks.

Back to Joshua. He looks drop-dead gorgeous here; like, I kid you not, the blue contacts and brown hair has always been one of my favorite looks on him. That and the light brown slightly wavy hair both were. The most important thing, though, is patently his crystal clear voice, leading the song’s introduction. Him shining on the big screen, the hand on the microphone, his live vocals ringing out… this is everything I could ask for.

The beat drops and the camera focuses on Wonwoo. His little pout as he throws his hand forward to the beat, oh my god, I cried. Simultaneously, someone, most likely Hoshi, yells, “Let’s go!” and they continue to make noises to hype this up. I would be bawling so hard already if I was there, god. 

I won’t make this as elaborate and as in-depth as the entire music analysis thing or whatever I had going on for twenty paragraphs. Just a general summary in appreciation of SEVENTEEN’s stage presence and performance, even for a song without a choreography, is what I’ll aim for. Speaking of choreography, the group’s dance performance has been widely praised by nearly everyone. Most say it’s the group’s best feature; it’s what highlighted them distinct from others because, arguably, they’re one of the best dance groups out there, currently. Opinion section here: the dance aspect of groups is one of the first things that stand out to me when I look into them. I have a weird, overwhelming addiction to choreographies, so realizing that my favorite song ever is one that does not have a dance kind of surprised me. But at the same time, no, it really didn’t because this song slaps. On other days, though, I sometimes imagine how powerful Run to You would be if it had a choreography… it’s more of a rock-style song, so I myself can’t easily think of it with one, but I’m certain the boys would definitely be able to pull it off.

Right, back to the performance. Despite having probably just danced for an hour or more, their vocals still remain perfect. And what really pumps in the serotonin is how happy they look and how much fun they’re having on stage. Every time they smile my lungs bloom. The outfits for this were also pretty nice, they look like Prince Charmings, royal and untouchable, but all the while exuding best-friend-energy from the playfulness they’re showing. It’s the best. They’re the best.

Dino at the beginning was also remarkable: his candy pink hair with the bangs cascading down in front of his eyes, holding his microphone with both hands like that, and hitting beautiful notes. He’s so pretty, oh my god. Then Woozi comes in the same way with his blonde bleached hair and his little nose scrunch when he belts the high note. Then, Vernon’s part arrives and I want to note that Vernon’s fluffy reddish-brown hair here is my absolute favorite. Oh My! was my first ever SEVENTEEN comeback, and when I saw Vernon there in that music video with his soft messy bedhead, I made that my Twitter profile picture for a month. But — back to the present — Vernon was sitting down during this concert since he injured his leg a couple of days earlier, but that didn’t make his sing his one singular line with any less energy, because he’s a king. 

Skip to the post-chorus guitar refrain, and Minghao and Mingyu are in the back pretending the microphone stands are guitars. I adore them; they’re nothing less than precious. 

Then comes Wonwoo and Mingyu singing, of course, and seeing them as well as hearing them is such a mesmerizing sight. This is literally the Eighth Wonder of the World. 

At S.Coups’s section, you can hear the smile in his voice as he raps, and when you see it, you’ll surely agree that he is happiness embodied into a human. Hoshi, as well, looks like he’s the best boy in the world with the cutest, squishiest cheeks, and I want to cry out of love.

Do I even need to mention Seungkwan and DK? Their voices and the looks combined together make this all the more magical, DK embodying the world ‘regal’ and Seungkwan downright resembling a transcendent deity. And of course, needless to say, they eat up their many marvelous lines, especially at the end. God, I have no words for the ending, just straight-up awe.

This particular cut of the video ends with the camera shot at Jeonghan looking… very nice. It’d probably be a bad idea to let me say any more than just ‘his side-part hairstyle and color is so, extremely hot.’

And here we are, I have ten minutes before this is due, so I’ll wrap up now; it’s about time. I still cannot believe how legendary this song is. No matter however many times I listen to it, I can never figure it out: how did he do it? Woozi said made this while he was bored one day after Don’t Wanna Cry promotions. How can one song created by a little 5’5” twenty-one-year-old man with a neon Sharpie-highlighter-colored undercut when he was bored be this fantastic? We all knew he was impossibly talented before, but this was just on a whole other level unknownst to me. He really opened my third eye with this one; I would’ve never even imagined music this profound in my lifetime. Even the rest of the team loved this anthem, especially Hoshi, who stated at the Director’s Cut Special Q&A Guest Visit event, “I loved this song since I heard the guide version… I listened to the continuously while we were on tour,” and even, “Wonwoo… I listened to this song on repeat in the hotel,” (cred: HAMZZI) implying that Wonwoo was his roommate there, to which Wonwoo confirmed. Consequently, they played the guide version of the song, which was basically just the song file with only Woozi’s voice singing, as the other members weren’t recorded for it yet. Though the audio was a bit of lower quality since the recording was from a distance, Woozi’s unique voice is still audible and unmistakable. The song itself was evidently of the same superb quality as ever before, despite the unclear sound quality of the video, just, of course, lacking the flavor that is the other members’ individual voices. The members took to praising Woozi as well, Seungkwan saying, “I think [Woozi] is good at expressing the feeling of each song,” (cred: HAMZZI) and I agree, Seungkwan, I STRONGLY AGREE. 

Anyway, I think what we can conclude from all of this is that I’m obsessed with Run to You by SEVENTEEN and that I support the Woozi gigantic brain agenda. I also believe that Run to You deserved so much more promotion, more than just being performed in one tour and a few other special times such as at award shows, like that one singular time at the Gaon Chart Music Awards where they didn’t even perform the full thing. In an ideal world, Run to You would also have a music video — I believe there is technically one where it’s just the boys playing around, but it was only played as a VCR during some concerts and was never fully and officially released — and perhaps even a choreography. I would like to see that. I still have not completely given up the hope that they might possibly release a special music video in the future, though I probably should.

That’s it; all I have to say if you made it this far, congratulations! Now, I need to go do my AP world history homework that I put off until last minute.