Do you know stories behind the lyrics of these SM Entertainment artists' songs? Lyricist Hyun Jiwon revealed inspiration while writing EXO's "Good Night," Red Velvet's "Mojito," and more in an interview.
On February 20, lyricist Hyun Jiwon sat down for an interview with Korean media outlet Dailian, where he revealed five favorite K-pop songs and stories behind their lyrics.
Some of Hyun's work includes numerous SM Entertainment artists' songs, such as in Girls' Generation Taeyeon's "Blue," TVXQ's "Circle," EXO's "Ko Ko Bop" and "Good Night," EXO Kai's "Come in," NCT 127's "Good Thing," among others.
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"Good Thing," a song by NCT 127 released in 2019, is Hyun's debut song as a lyricist.
In the interview, he shared that it was written after watching the American movie, "Step Up." The lyrics particularly aim people to enjoy music and dance, with an atmosphere that is not heavy yet not too light.
"I tried to write words and tones that could suit a rookie artist," he shared.
Along with "Good Thing," Jiwon also wrote their 2020 release, "Pandora's Box," which contains the excitement of having a happy afternoon with a loved one. It's a sweet and sweet serenade track.
He explained, "This song starts with a cafe in front of my house in the afternoon of the weekend when the sun is warm. Two people sitting on a soft sofa in front of the glass window. The moment when the subtle coffee scent and calm music flow. I wanted to express this ordinary and lovely time, imagining a lover sleeping on his shoulder creating a shadow on his hand in case it would be dazzling. Through this song, I thought it would be nice for everyone to feel comfortable and warm."
EXO's 'Good Night' Initial Title Was 'Beautiful Night'
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Meanwhile, "Good Night," a track from EXO's winter special album, "UNIVERSE" in 2017, was inspired by the scenery on a bus running on a street one night in Spain.
"There were no lights on the street, and everyone on the bus fell asleep. When I looked outside the window, small starlights followed along the road where the bus ran. Here, the sentence 'A small star shines on the path we walk in the sky far away' was born," Hyun explained.
The initial title was "Beautiful Night," but it finally became "Good Night" through revision work, focusing on emotion.
Lyricist Hyun Selects Red Velvet's 'Mojito' as Work with Most Interesting Lyrics
As the interview went on, the lyricist picked Red Velvet's "Mojito" as the track with the most interesting lyrics among his work.
The track is a dreamy urban pop song that expresses the excitement of traveling with a loved one and the beautiful summer scenery.
"I worked on them to end with 'light' such as green, lemon, and summer. When I imagined leaving for the sea in summer, I remembered the sand on the beach, where I thought of lemon light. I think I naturally thought of different colors."
Story How Girls' Generation Taeyeon's Song 'Typically You' Was Titled 'Blue'
Lastly, Hyun unveiled the reason why SNSD Taeyeon's song was titled "Blue." The lyricist revealed that it was initially "Typical You" that sounds like "Blue" in Korea.
"The original demo name of 'Blue' was 'Typically You.' The 'You are my blue' lyrics was actually 'typically you.' But the part that was pronounced "cally-you" kept sounding 'blue.' This song has become 'Blue' since then."
Taeyeon's "Blue" is impressive in a calm and restrained atmosphere, and the lyrics talk about longing for one person and the feelings they feel after parting.
Significantly, "Blue" is also the color of the night when one person existed, meaning him. It became a white night after he left.
"This word hurt so much that I wanted to change it until the end, but I remember not being able to," Hyun Jiwon concluded.
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Written by Eunice Dawson
