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Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of March 2010

Monthly Round-UpSince the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard!


March 2010 Overall Thoughts

After a couple of slow, ballad-heavy months, March finally kicked 2010 finally into gear. There were still plenty of ballads, but the year began to unveil a host of exciting dance tracks as well. Several artists really came into their own this month, while the heavily-autotuned Eurodance trend continued to blossom.

I think it’s also worth noting just how great hip-hop was this month. These days, so much Korean hip-hop (and idol rap) relies on the same general sounds, but the selections here are diverse and dynamic. Just listen to the symphonic speed-rapping of Outsider’s The Outsider, the moody trip-hop-meets-rock of Epik High’s Run (with Infinite’s L acting in the music video!) or the upbeat funk of Supreme Team’s Step Up. I’d love for more of these styles to come back into vogue. In a competitive month, none of these songs quite made it into my top three, but they’re definitely worth a listen.

Speaking of my top three, it was a tight race this month. T-ara continued their winning streak with I’m In Pain, while ZE:A made up for their ridiculous debut with the much, much better All Day Long. But when it came down to it, I couldn’t deny three of the industry’s legends from their spots at the top. All three songs are neck-and-neck and could probably shuffle around depending on my mood. None are my absolute favorite track from their respective acts, but each one is iconic in its own way.


Honorable Mentions

Epik High – Run (video)

F.Cuz – No One (video)

Mighty Mouth – Will Love Come (ft. Baek Jiyoung) (video)

Outsider – The Outsider (video)

Supreme Team – Step Up (video)

T-ara – I’m In Pain (video)

ZE:A – All Day Long (video)

2AM – I Was Wrong (video)

8eight – Availability Period (video)


TOP THREE SONGS

3. Girls’ Generation (SNSD) – Run Devil Run

2. Beast – Shock

1. After School – Bang!


11 thoughts on “Looking Back: The Top Three K-Pop Songs of March 2010

  1. I love Hip Hop if it was usen properly, Seventeen, BTS and B.A.P showcased very much the true capabilities of the genre, without retorting to something which sounds like an awful generic- like song.

    Nick, I have noticed for your reviews, when you are done making the Table for your scores, The “RATING” section and the number in the “RATING” section, seems to be a lot bigger, how do you do that?

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Man, are we ever going to get a rapper like Outsider in Korea ever again. He can really rip through everything with his speed. Only Sky-Hi seems like the one who can try to cover a Outsider song in the modern hip-hop scene.

    So many songs this month were ambitious and pushed boundaries, or tried unique things.

    This is why 2010 was one of the best years for Korean music.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg4nklAQ2ZQ” I am excited for this comeback….do I see an Rphabet produced title track, sure its not sweetune, but I’d love Rphabet too!

    Liked by 1 person

    • ALRIGHT- I just saw this and I am hooked. I usually just let the dark concepts pass me by but the concept and ‘story line’ of this teaser has me intrigued.This is different from the usual moping in an empty warehouse (no matter how pretty and symbolic that can be). This gives me drama, tension, high stakes – I hope the song reflects that. Also yes, love Golcha acting and they look so good with this apocalyptic concept ahhh ><

      Clickable link ? If it works? :

      Like

      • If anything deserves an embed, it’s this 😉

        Ambition and surprises are two things that get me excited, so yes I am excited about this. I hope it’s a long-form music video.

        It remains to be seen what the actual song will sound like, especially since the tropical style that soundtracked the “making of” videos seems like the polar opposite of this concept. Could that be part of the intro? Who knows…

        For some reason, I still have this feeling that the title will be an Edenary production. But, I’ve felt that way for almost a year now and it’s yet to pan out!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Bringing it to you daily, it’s only from the best
    After School Playgirlz know how to get fresh
    So cool, so right, just so tasty
    We bring it fast forward the fellows go crazy

    Like

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