A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.
The Boyz’ dynamic title track VVV is a red herring on their new album, which has a much lower tempo and is mostly filled with R&B-leaning songs. It makes for a bit of a disjointed listen, though I get the sense that the members themselves prefer the sound of these b-sides over the glossy bombast of their promoted material.
The one song that feels like a suitable pair to VVV comes near the album’s conclusion. Miss Demeanor isn’t as over-the-top huge, but its slinky funk sound kicks up energy to echo some of their past titles. This could have easily been a part of their Phantasy series from 2023. Airy vocals glide over a bouncy beat, swerving into a fun call-and-response hook. To be honest, I had to look up the Korean word “유혹” in this section because at first I thought they were saying “you hoe, is that so?” which would have been delightful in its own way. Alas, the lyrics are more conventional than tongue-in-cheek. That doesn’t stop this from being a lot of fun, though!
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
hey nick, what did you think about stayc bside ‘pipe down’ and nmixx recent album songs??
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Someone actually asked me about this on twitter:
I feel similarly about Pipe Down. It’s not the kind of song I tend to flock to, but it’s solid.
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yeah probably i would rank them the same, tho i enjoyed ocean and it would be a solid 8. regarding pipe down, what would the rank be in your opinion? i would personally give it a 8.25 (hooks 8, production 8, longevity 9, bias 8). even if it’s short it feels complete, i just wish there were some highnotes as its the standard for stayc.
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Oh this one goes on the list!!! Its been a long while since we have had a mis-heard in English lyric like “you ho, you ho, is that so”.
For those who can’t be bothered. 유혹 means “temptation” or “seduction” or “enticing” which given the mishearing is almost about right.
… have to find the list …
The song itself, strong b-side or these days what could pass for an A-side. Slinky. Also the percolating guitar sound is enticing. Not crazy about the same damn pre-chorus drum sounds, that increasing beat every time.
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Found it. I would put “you ho, you ho, is that so” somewhere between Double entendres and Mispronounced. There is not easy spot to put it, but I think it “should” rank high, so let’s just put it there.
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Kpop Lyrics in English ranking, in descending order, best to worst:
Intelligible English good lyrics that rhyme
Intelligible English good lyrics
Unintelligible English of any quality lyrics
Double entendres
Mispronounced but decent lyrics
A single lyric line that is so craptastic it is great
Cringey but campy lyrics
Cringey cringetastic lyrics
Crappy Craptastic lyrics
Single entendres
Oh so bland lyrics
Really, what does that mean lyrics
But, um, I don’t think you know what that means lyrics
A single word said over over like that will make it mean something lyric
Well-pronounced lousy lyrics
Also note that:
Any song that starts with a “yeah” or inarticulate grunt = technical foul, automatic one point deduction
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What are some examples of the top two categories according to you?
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Apologies for the delay, real life.
I went through my itunes and ipods to find where I have acquired Kpop songs in English and found the pickings slim. Both example 2’s, because I didn’t quite find any example 1’s:
Wonho “Lose” – this isn’t the most high brow song ever, but whoever chose the “ooo” syllable to anchor the song around chose very wisely. All the syllables just lay into the song, and that frees Wonho up to do what he does best: flex and dance and slink and go oooo oooo oooo ooo.
Yuqi “Bonnie and Clyde” – wordy! Great story, succinctly told. Every word lies into the meter so effortlessly that Yuqi just has to coo over the track in her patented mellow mezzo.
I have heard that Monsta X has good English songs, but I am not familiar with them.
I posted a related response in this thread. https://thebiaslist.com/2022/01/18/song-review-bambam-got7-slow-mo/
Now, to expand.
I am going on vacation next week to Florida, so I shall pick examples from my future vacation.
The bridge in Part of your World from Little Mermaid has some of the best lyrics ever.
“What would I give if I could live out of these waters?What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?
Bet’cha on land they understand
Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters
Bright young women, sick of swimmin’
Ready to stand”
This is some voodoo magic. Rhyming waters with daughters, rhyming “wimmin” with “swimming”. The phrasing within each line rhymes with every measure. With so few words, a complete story of what is happening and what she is feeling is told. And then then end with a giant AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaand that the singer can belt. This is a singer’s song. Howard Ashman was a genius and we lost him to AIDS far too soon.
Compare to “Colors of the Wind” from Pocohontas, I am just going to copy one random verse here:
“Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sun sweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they’re worth”
Now, first of all, the title of the song. In the US every 12 year old snickers every time hearing about painting with all the colors of the wind, because their buddy just did that after some Taco Bell. This is a common kpop problem, to craft a metaphor that just is so odd and doesn’t mean what they think it means.
Who crafts the belt notes to be pAIIIIIIIIINt and wIIIIIIHHHHHHHnd. Italian vowels, people, Italian vowels.
This is a wordy song! So wordy. She has some thoughts and she is going to say them. She is going to say them alllllllll. And so they take all those thoughts and add the elements of what might make it lyrical such as internal alliterations and end rhymes. This reads and sounds like a book report, not a song. They learned about the Blue Corn Moon, and so they put it in.
Who ends a line with the sound of earth and worth. You couldn’t pick a worse vowel to hold on a note than errrrrr and then the singer has to try to close it with a “th” consonant to close out the line. She can’t because she is out of breath from all those words. … Closing consonants in English is so tough. The lyricists here do the singer no favors, If you can, if the song allows it, sometimes you carry the consonant over to start the next line. Sometimes you diminish the consonant – make the k soft, change a t to a d sound, close the s cleanly. For a textbook example, go listen to Mandy Moore + Zachary Levi “I See the Light” from Tangled. TEXTBOOK how its done. “Just (close cleanly) how blin -d’ive beeeeeen (small n).
I am just going to stop there. Thanks for watching.
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Thanks for the detailed response, I do see your point now!!
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My Buried Treasure would be “Feel The Bass” purely bc it feels like it’s been years since Sunwoo and Eric have been able to rap properly.
However, Miss Demeanor is also really really good. It’s been a while since I’ve liked all the songs from TBZ’s album.
Feel The Bass – 9/10
Miss Demeanor – 8.75/10
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