Hi! I was going through my notes just now and I found this entry from months ago that I’d forgotten about. I was initially going to elaborate on everything but I ended up just jotting down things as they came. Hope some of this is useful. - K.

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TOY ft. Sung Si Kyung “세 사람”; Marshmello & Anne-Marie “FRIENDS”

- These songs are about the infamous friend zone. The former features a protagonist who falls in love with his friend—who in turn falls in love with, and eventually marries, another one of the protagonist’s friends. The lyrics are beautifully heartbreaking and contrast sharply with the upbeat melody. The protagonist was never able to admit his love for her, and he most likely never will; the song takes place at her wedding, where she’s marrying his friend! He mentions how this is the day he’d always been dreaming of, and says that he “can’t raise [his] head on such a wonderful day” as “[his] youth grows distant” (i.e. she walks down the aisle). 

- The latter is a much more sarcastic—even vitriolic—song from the perspective of a girl friendzoning a guy who fancies her. It’s really an interesting spin on the whole idea of the friendzone, which is usually explored in songs from the POV of the heartbroken protagonist who WAS friendzoned.

Jessica “Fly”; Louane “Je Vole” (Michel Sardou cover)

- The latter is a French classic. It’s a farewell note to the teenage protagonist’s parents. The original, by the legendary French singer Michel Sardou, is much more tragic than Louane’s remake: it’s a final goodbye before the protagonist commits suicide. Most of the lyrics are narrated and not sung. Sardou’s protagonist says that he “thought it would be harder and more exhilarating / Like an adventure, but less heartbreaking / Not returning, moving away a little further / there’s the station, and after another station / there’s the Atlantic, and after the Atlantic…” Louane’s remake, which was used in the film “La Famille Bélier”, turns it into a declaration of independence of an adolescent protagonist. The lyrics that strongly imply suicide have been taken out, but the heartbreaking chorus has been kept word for word and takes on a much more hopeful meaning: “My dear parents, I’m leaving / I love you, but I’m leaving / You won’t have any more children this evening / I’m not running away, I’m flying / Make sure you understand, I’m flying / Without smoking, without drinking / I’m flying, I’m flying”.

015B “너 말이야”; Stromae “Tous les mêmes”

- These two songs have a really cool format; the lyrics essentially outline a fight between a man and a woman, each listing various stereotypes about the opposite sex (e.g. women take forever to get ready; the man acts like a kid despite his beard, etc.) The main difference is that while the former actually features a man (well, two) and a woman (our amazing DJ!), the latter is performed by a male singer who plays both parts. The latter is titled “Tous les mêmes”, which means “all the same”—both sides essentially say this as they rage at each other.

- Some translated lyrics from the latter, as they’re in French: “You men are all the same, macho but cheap / just a bunch of unfaithful fools—so predictable / no, I’m not sure you deserve me / you men are lucky women still love you; thank me”

Lena Park “Peace Song (English ver.)”; John Lennon “Imagine” 

Lena Park “The Gold Within”; Sting “Fields of Gold”

- Quite possibly two of my favorite songs!

Lena Park “Jealousy”; Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me”

Sung Si Kyung “태양계”; Frank Sinatra “Fly Me To The Moon”

BTS “Autumn Leaves”; Yves Montand “Les Feuilles Mortes”

- “It’s a song that resembles us / you loved me and I loved you back / and we lived together, just the two of us / you who loved me, I who loved you / but life separates those who love each other / softly, without making noise / and the ocean erases the footsteps of separated lovers in the sand”

Wheein “Moderato”; ABBA “Andante, Andante”

MAMAMOO “Angel”; Sarah McLachan “Angel”

MAMAMOO “Rude Boy”; Rihanna “Rude Boy”

IU “Palette”; The Sound of Music OST “My Favorite Things”

김건모 “서울의 달”;  LA LA LAND OST “City of Stars”

BTS “Fire”; Hamildrop “First Burn”

Sung Si Kyung “쉬어요”; Hamilton OST “Take a Break”