Song of the Week: Rise Up - F.Cuz

This week we're focusing on a song that I really, really, REALLY love - and I mean that.  Seriously.  It's called Rise Up by K-pop boy band F.Cuz (what a name - I mean, I know it's supposed to equate to "focus", but it really doesn't, at least not in my mind).  Anywho, this group is not really one of my favorites, but there are a couple of their songs that I really like, with this being one of them (obviously).

I don't know much of anything about this group, except that they debuted pretty recently (last year I think) and not too long ago they went through a member shifting issue (I don't know what happened, I just know they started with four members, and now they have five).  If you want to know more, google it.

Anywho, below are the lyrics*:

Somebody hands up
Jump high to the sky
Nobody rise up
Oh, rough winds, blow

New one
Better than yesterday
Winds, blow

Call out my name
Put away that sad expression
I will sing for you, I'll never let you go
Believe in my words again
Go crazy once more
When you hold my hand, oh, come into my world

Somebody hands up
Jump high to the sky
Nobody rise up
Oh, rough winds, blow

I'll make it, make it shine

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna shout it out

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna rise up

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna shout it out

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna rise up

You make me rise up again

You light up the fire in my dark heart

A milestone that held onto me, who was wandering and lost

Don't worry, here I am, don't worry, say my name

Now I will protect you, I will dance for you

Don't pretend not to know

I am beating inside of you

Get up, now get up, I'll never break it up

Believe in my words again
Go crazy once more
When you look me in the eyes again, oh, come into my world

Somebody hands up
Jump high to the sky
Nobody rise up
Oh, rough winds, blow

I'll make it, make it shine

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna shout it out

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna rise up

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna shout it out

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna rise up

Somebody hands up

The sun rises again

Nobody rise up
Oh, rough winds, blow

I'll make it, make it shine

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna shout it out

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna rise up

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna shout it out

Oh, oh, I wanna, oh, I wanna rise up

So pretty much, although it might not seem like it from just reading the lyrics, this song is pure awesome.  The techno beat, the awesome autotune that's only there just enough to be cool, the totally danceable melody...  Yah, I love this song.  I don't have much else to say, except that there is no music video, and I don't care.  I mean, if they did do a music video for this song it would be just as awesome as the song is, I'm sure, but I don't necessarily think it needs a music video.  It's just fine the way it is.

Anyways, enough of my talking.  If you like techno music, if you like pop, if you like to dance (especially if you like to dance - like me!), you will probably love this song.  You just gotta look it up and see...er, hear...for yourself.

*Translation may not be 100% accurate.  Don't fault me; I don't speak Korean.

Translation credited to pop!gasa

Soundtrack Spotlight: Finding Mr. Destiny (aka Looking for Mr. Kim Jong Wook) (2010)

A/N: Yay for trying new things.  This segment is pretty much gonna be me talking about a particular movie or drama and it's soundtrack, whether that be score, insert songs, opening themes, closing themes, what have you.  Other than that, these should be pretty short, sweet, and to the point.


Seo Ji Woo is a disheveled theater director who can't seem to forget her first love, a man she can barely remember.  Her father, whose lifelong priority is to see Ji Woo get married, drags her by the ear (figuratively) into the office of a company that specializes in tracking down first loves.  The man who runs this company, Han Gi Joon, is a fastidious man whose number one focus in life is cleanliness and order.  After some cajoling from her father, Ji Woo finally agrees to let Gi Joon try and find her first love.  There's only one problem: she can only remember his name, Kim Jong Wook.  Throughout the process, Ji Woo insists Gi Joon should not continue with the search, as she really is not interested in finding her first love.  But being who he is, Gi Joon in turn insists that he must complete the task, since she is his first client and it is important that he finish what he was hired to do.

So starting off this segment is one of my favorite movies of all time, for many reasons.  This is also going to be a very short segment because I really only have one thing I want to talk about.  The music in this movie is good - the score does a good job of enhancing the mood of each scene, whether that be sentimental romanticism or goofy comedy.  It's nothing too amazing, but it does its job well.

Aside from that, there is an aspect to the music in this movie that is unique (that is, it's not altogether unusual or all that rare, but it's still rather different), and that is the musical that is featured here.  As mentioned above, Ji Woo is a theater director, and what would a theater director be without some theater to direct?  That's one thing about this movie that I really like: while it does play a large role in the latter third of the movie, the musical is only described enough that we really get a sense of how important it is to everyone involved.  Through the course of the movie, only one song from the musical is ever heard or sung in its entirety, a song called Destiny Midnight, which is really cool in its own right.  It's a big Broadway style musical number with a really cool melody and interesting choreography.  I'd recommend looking that up just on its own, it's that cool.

What I really want to talk about, however, is the credit song, or rather the song that plays over the credits.  People who are familiar with Gong Yoo's work (as I am a little) may already know this, but I didn't and it shocked me: he's an excellent singer.  If he wanted to, he could have his own music career (personally, though, I'm glad he chose acting as his main career).  But really, the song that he sings over the ending credits is one of my favorite songs ever (off of a movie soundtrack, that is).  It's called Second Love and it's a really happy song.  The melody is light and bubbly and the words are really...well, they're kind of similar to a lot of other songs, but that's not the point.  The whole song is just so...happy.  It's a really bouncy song, and even if you haven't seen the movie (which you totally should, by the way - wink, wink, nudge, nudge) you really should look up this song and give it a listen.  I don't think I've seen anybody who can stay upset after listening to this song even part of the way through, and I definitely think it'll brighten up your day.  So go find it and listen to it - after you've watched the movie, of course.

Song of the Week: Most Wanted - Will Pan

All right, getting back into the swing of things.  This week I thought I'd pick back up with a song by a guy that I genuinely like as a person (there aren't TOO many of those floating around...just so you know).  That guy is Will Pan (or Wilber Pan, depending on who you ask).  This guy has a pretty extensive background in music and he's even done a fair bit of acting (see Miss No Good, Pandamen, and Endless Love, just to name a few).

But the song we're focusing on today is a song called Most Wanted from one of his most recent albums.  The song is really cool, as you will soon see, as is the music video.  But I'll get to that in a minute.
Below are the lyrics*:

The shiny black paint outlines the contours quickly
Tracking down your elusiveness, lock target and focus on operation
Decode your every movement and intercept your information current
Say say say say you love me, this program locks and gets started
I am going to be the legend of the next generation, oh

I am wanted by the top assassin's operation
When the precise opportunity is here, I implant love into your brainwaves
The operation of love assassin, I will not miss (lose)
I am the killa killa killa killa
Do not try to resist no no no
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one

The shiny black paint outlines the contours quickly
Tracking down your elusiveness, lock target and focus on operation
Decode your every movement and intercept your information current
Say say say say you love me, this program locks and gets started
I am going to be the legend of the next generation, oh

I am wanted by the top assassin's operation
When the precise opportunity is here, I implant love into your brainwaves
The operation of love assassin, I will not miss (lose)
I am the killa killa killa killa
Do not try to resist no no no
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one

Decode your every movement
Intercept your information current
Say say say say you love me
You are my most perfect masterpiece

I am wanted by the top assassin's operation
When the precise opportunity is here, I implant love into your brainwaves
The operation of love assassin, I will not miss (lose)
I am the killa killa killa killa
Do not try to resist no no no
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one
No no no no (killa killa) baby, you're my number one

Okay, I know.  Right off the bat you're probably thinking one thing just looking at these lyrics: this song is REALLY repetitive.  And yes, it is repetitive.  I don't care.  It's still amazing.

But the main talking point here is really the music video.  It features a story about a psychotic dude (played by Will Pan) who's stalking a girl to the point that he says at the end of the music video that if he pretends to have killed her, THEN she can be free to go anywhere she wants and she'll be safe - because he'll be in prison where he can't get to her.  It's so freaky.  Plus the look that Will gives at the end of the video - creepy, dude, creepy.

The choreography is nothing to write home about, really.  It's pretty awesome in some places, but most of the video is focused more on the story (as it should be, I might add).  But in any case, it looks freaking amazing.  The lighting is awesome and the visual style to the dancing parts is really cool (plus Will Pan has electric blue hair in this video - yah, it's that awesome).

So on that fabulous note, I will just say that if you haven't seen this music video, you should see it, just for kicks.  The techno beats and awesome looks to it will definitely leave an impression - whether that be good or bad.  But whatever the case, for future reference, watch out for any really creepy dudes with awesome Asian hair.

P.S. I'm totally just kidding, by the way.  If I saw Will Pan on the street...  I'll just leave that to your imagination (in other words, I like him).

*Translation may not be 100% accurate.  Don't fault me; I don't speak Mandarin.
Translation credited to Oniysoshi