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20 (and then some) kpop tracks that make me happy
did you really think I was gonna list things and NOT make it unnecessarily long? of course I had to list way more than 20 songs and write a thought or two about each one. this is by no means a list of "best/favorite songs ever" - some of these fit the bill as my favorite kpop songs of all time, but not all of them. this is more the songs that make me happy when I'm listening to them, for one reason or another, or maybe no reason whatsoever! sometimes it's all about the vibes.
also important to note that this is a reflection of my present-day taste more than anything, the kind of song I'll actively look up from time to time or already keep in a playlist I listen to regularly.
there's tons of old(er) songs that could technically fit, or would've fit some years ago. for instance: 2NE1's "I AM THE BEST" makes me go insane, but it reminds me too much of real life around that time, so I tend to avoid it; I was obsessed with U-Kiss' "NEVERLAND", "Man Man Ha Ni", and "Shut up!", but these days U-Kiss is just a big ? to me, they're not a group I listen to at all, same with Teen Top's "Miss Right" and "Rocking"; I tend to skip SM songs in general lately, so I didn't add any here, even though some SHINee, SuJu, SNSD, f(x) songs were the very definition of happy songs to me for years; and I was VERY into EvoL and loved their songs to bits but now listening to them only makes me sad lol
anyway, you get the idea.
in no particular order:
also important to note that this is a reflection of my present-day taste more than anything, the kind of song I'll actively look up from time to time or already keep in a playlist I listen to regularly.
there's tons of old(er) songs that could technically fit, or would've fit some years ago. for instance: 2NE1's "I AM THE BEST" makes me go insane, but it reminds me too much of real life around that time, so I tend to avoid it; I was obsessed with U-Kiss' "NEVERLAND", "Man Man Ha Ni", and "Shut up!", but these days U-Kiss is just a big ? to me, they're not a group I listen to at all, same with Teen Top's "Miss Right" and "Rocking"; I tend to skip SM songs in general lately, so I didn't add any here, even though some SHINee, SuJu, SNSD, f(x) songs were the very definition of happy songs to me for years; and I was VERY into EvoL and loved their songs to bits but now listening to them only makes me sad lol
anyway, you get the idea.
in no particular order:
1. (G)I-DLE - "Oh my god" + "Tomboy"
└ I'm like a sleeper agent that gets activated by the first second of these two songs. "oh my god" is one of my favorite songs in kpop, very special to me, and there's no way I'm not *at least* lipsyncing when it comes on.
2. ONEUS - "LIT" + "Black Mirror" + "BBUSYEO"
└ "LIT" singlehandedly brought me back to kpop after two years of nothing working, so of course just listening to it is like lighting up all my neurons at once. I had to add "black mirror" here because seeing it live was unforgettable and "bbusyeo" is the song that feels like it was made specifically for me. thanks oneus!
3. THE BOYZ - "ROAR" + "Thrill Ride" + "Whiplash"
└ the whistle sound in "roar" comes on and I come ALIVE. thank you for everything, tbz. I had to add "thrill ride" and "whiplash" because these are also songs that immediately put a smile on my face, like clockwork. singing along to "thrill ride" is my favorite thing in the world, I need a karaoke place near me with this song, PLEASE!!!
4. GFRIEND - "MAGO" + "Apple"
└ I was never super into gfriend (even though "fingertip" was a must on my ipod during college!), but "apple" has everything I love in a song/mv. I was hooked from the very first listen and when "mago" came out I thought I was about to go full buddy mode, I lived and breathed that song for weeks!!! then... well, the rest is history. (literally.) but both of these songs still make me drop everything when they come on shuffle.
5. WJSN - "Let's Dance"
└ no idea what got me into wjsn in the first place (was it chocome's "hmph!"?), but once I checked their discography I was hooked. this one was my 2021 song, I listened to it to an alarming degree and the first (super bassy) notes still make me wanna scream LET'S GOOOOO!
6. Solar - "Spit it Out"
└ my favorite mamamoo soloist and probably my mamamoo bias at this point! the way this song starts could probably bring me back from the dead.
7. EXID - "DDD"
└ I was listening to "ddd" ad nauseam throughout 2018 and I kept it going for the next couple years. I would get hani's "mwoga mianhande?" tattooed if I could. if I don't react to this song as soon as it comes on that's not me, that's my evil twin.
8. STAYC - "RUN2U"
└ my favorite 2022 release after tomboy, probably!! funnily enough, I watched the mv and didn't think much of it... only to then listen to it on repeat for the rest of the year. that beginning!!! RUN!!!!!!
9. Brown Eyed Girls - "Warm Hole"
└ FIRE IN THE HOLE WHEN YOU TOUCH ME DOWN THERE! personally I love when kpop is this silly and fun.
10. Secret - "Love is Move" + "Madonna"
└ "love is move" is one of the most memorable songs from my teen years, and hyosung in this mv was one of my biggest crushes back then. just perfect, I smile every time I listen to it. "madonna" gets a shoutout because I was surprisingly more into secret than I realized? so every time "madonna" comes on now I'm like ahhh yes, this is pure joy.
11. MAMAMOO - "You're the Best"
└ it should be harder to pick a mamamoo song considering I've been in love with their discography since "don't be happy" dropped, but there's no beating "you're the best" for me... perfect song, perfect era, the definition of serotonin boost from the very first second.
12. Pristin - "WEE WOO"
└ tell me you don't go "wee woo wee woo wee~ WE ARE PRISTIN! annyeong :)" as soon as this comes on!!! god, I remember the choreo for this song... how and why?! no idea, but it makes me so happy.
13. RaNia - "POP POP POP" + "Demonstrate"
└ I remember the reaction to "pop pop pop" (from the like, 3 rania enthusiasts I knew existed back then) wasn't that great, but I just adored this comeback and still sing this song with my whole chest like it's 2011. SHUT UP BOY AND LET'S GET DOWN! "demonstrate" deserves to be here too because it's another song that for the whole 3mins I'm listening to it I'm vibing, no thoughts head chewing gum choreography.
14. B.A.P - "NO MERCY"
└ not only was this such a good time overall (remember how fun BAP was?), but I saw this performed live and it probably remains my happiest concert memory to date. we were about to bring that place DOWN with how hard we were singing and clapping. I'd love to live in the alternate timeline where BAP went on to become one of the biggest kpop groups of all time. YEAH, WE ARE THE BEE-AY-PEE.
15. Weki Meki - "Picky Picky"
└ the song I listen to as if I'm on camera being told to act my heart out to every line. one of the most fun songs in kpop to me.
16. Everglow - "LA DI DA" + "FIRST"
└ I think it's a given I'd like "la di da" since I seem to love the retro/80s sound (shoutout to yubin's "thank you soooo much"!), and this song really gave me what I needed in late 2020. the first few seconds until "EVERGLOW"? flawless!!! and it only gets better from there. had to add "first" because the visceral reaction I have to this song is still puzzling to me. KNOCK KNOCK, THERE'S A MONSTER.
17. BEAST - "Shock" + "Breath"
└ this position was going to TWICE but I realized this list was lacking bgs, so! I can't pick between "shock" and "breath" because both songs absolutely make me stop and sing along to it no matter what I'm doing, and they have been doing that for the past 10+ years. if you don't pant while listening to "breath" are you even listening to it!!! EVERY DAY I SHOCK! EVERY NIGHT I SHOCK!
18. After School - "Flashback"
└ this song and mv helped 18 year-old me figure out that yeah, I was (very) gay lol one of those classic "I used to listen to this years ago" songs that still make me really happy.
19. ITZY - "Cheshire" + "Snowy"
└ "cheshire" did to itzy what "cry for me" did to twice for me, i.e. got me into a group I was only vaguely interested in before. I was (and still am) SO in love with this song! I lipsync to this like I'll be fined if I don't. and "snowy" is the kind of song that fills up every little corner of my brain with utter joy, I can't explain how well this song works for me. immediate "THAT'S MY SONG!" reaction to it every time.
20. MBLAQ - "Mona Lisa"
└ I know most people - if not everyone - around me love this song, so this feels like a no-brainer. it helps that I saw mblaq live right after this song came out so there's all the good feelings from those memories too. but man, BABY SAY YES! BABY SAY YES!!!