Music Heard in Public Places

One of the more entertaining things I've encountered in Korea is the music. This includes Korean Music and Western Music. Sometimes the music is funny, sometimes the music is awful, and sometimes the music is completely inappropriate. No matter what the situation though, you usually can't help but laugh.

As you make your way around Korea whether it is inside of stores and restaurants or just on the streets, there is no denying that the people of Korea enjoy music. It is playing everywhere. More often than not, you hear Korean Music. Most of it is passable. In fact, as I type this in a salon right now, I've been listening to adult contemporary music for quite awhile that is all Korean. This is probably due to the predominantly older female clientele that is present in the salon. Though I have no idea what they are singing about, I'd have to say that the music hasn't bothered me. What you hear more often than not is what is referred to as "K-Pop". That would be Korean Pop music. K-Pop is interesting. At times it sounds a lot like western pop music, but it tends to lean more towards the dance side of pop. It seems that for the popular songs at least, some part of the chorus is always in English. I've heard a few songs that I don't mind, but I won't be updating my iPod library with a K-Pop playlist quite yet. Here is the most popular example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT8cH5E4dMo&feature=related K-Pop plays everywhere, all the time. You hear it in department stores, restaurants, outside of cellphone stores on PA systems which are a dime a dozen, and before movies at the theater. It seems that both adults and kids love their K-Pop.

There is a certain type of Korean Music that I can't stand though. That would be the Korean Ballad. For whatever reason, Koreans just can't sing powerful, deep songs. At least, I don't think they can. Their voices, or maybe their language, aren't made for it. The Korean language accents a lot of 'O' and 'A' sounds. Those sounds tend to be nasally. Thus, when they belt out their ballads, it doesn't sound all that pleasing.

The place where you notice the music they play the most would have to be on public transportation. This includes cabs, subways and buses. In these situations, you are usually part of a captive audience. This is the best opportunity to really listen to the music. Subways are usually all the same. Koreans have their own form of elevator music that they like to play in subways. It tends to be some kind of upbeat jingle. Imagine something you'd hear from a music box with just a little faster in tempo.

Buses on the other hand give you all sorts of things to listen to. Sometimes you get talk radio or nothing, but usually there is something playing. I've heard K-Pop, the Adult Contemporary mix, and even the terrible ballads. However, you also get Western Music on buses. This comes in two flavors: the original and the remake. Koreans like to take Western songs and redo them with Korean artists. They love Kelly Clarkson. One of the most popular songs when I got to Korea was a remake of “Because of You”. Another common redo is “You Are Not Alone” from none other than Michael Jackson. As far as original music is concerned, every once in awhile you will get newer music. However, one of the best bus rides I ever had occurred when Guy, Mike and I were on the way to Shinsegae, a department store in Masan, to get lunch. We got on at our usual stop and there was one other person on the bus, a young Korean girl around the age of 13, besides the bus driver. I don't know what he was playing, but it was all 60s and 70s music from the US. It was awesome! We heard “You've Lost That Love and Feeling”, “I Will Survive”, and one other song that escapes me now. Anyways, you had three guys singing all the way to the department store. Looking back on it, it is quite amazing that nobody else got on the bus the whole way to Shinsegae. Maybe whenever the bus driver opened up the door, the people heard us singing and decided they'd be better off waiting for the next bus. By the time we got off the bus, the bus driver was clapping for us.

Cabs are usually where you get the worst music. Many times they are playing talk radio or watching TV on their navigation units. When they aren't though, look out. These guys love the ballads. Many cab rides are spent laughing at the quality of the music we are subjected to. I don't know what it is about 40-65 year old Korean men, the common demographic of Korean cabbies, but they love Korean ballads.

Finally, there is the inappropriate music. This implies that the music is western, because otherwise you would have to ask yourself how I knew it was inappropriate. Sometimes, Korean establishments like to play Western Hip-Hop, Rock, or R&B Music. This music is usually attained through downloading via the internet. Most of these songs are not censored. Since Koreans, at least in Masan, don't seem to understand English all that well, every once in a while you get to hear a song full of cuss words blaring in place where kids and families are shopping or eating. You end up with the Westerners staring at each other asking, “What the heck are we listening too?” as F*** this and that comes flowing out of the speakers at a local convenient store. I guess it can't be inappropriate if you can't understand it.

I was inspired to write this blog when last week I encountered terrible, inappropriate, and funny music all within the span of two nights. Mike and I were headed to Shinsegae one night to meet Nikki and Liz for dinner. We took a cab because we were hungry and didn't want to wait for the bus. About 5 minutes into the cab ride, one of those infamous Korean Ballads came on. I still think it was the worst song I've ever heard. The singer actually gave William Hung a run for his money. It was beyond nasally. That would be a polite way to describe it. It literally sounded like an animal dying. The lady just repeated the same thing over and over. Mike and I were dying laughing. The cab driver had to think we were idiots, but in all fairness he picked the music. We asked him if he realized how bad the music was, or if he had downloaded the song for his cell phone ringer. He of course said nothing due to the fact that he spoke no English. Then, the following night, Mike and I met Gary at a place called Garage for dinner. While we were eating our pizza Cee Lo Green's new song, “F*** You”, came on. The censored version is called “Forget You”. During the chorus he sings:

“I see you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like,
forget you,
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough I'm like,
Forget you,
And forget her too!
I said, if I was richer, I'd still be with ya
Ha, now ain't that some shh (ain't that some shh)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with and uh..
Forget you!
Oo, oo, ooo”

Well, replace all the Forgets with F*** and all the shhs with S*** and you get the gist of the chorus. Needless to say, it isn't what you'd hear playing in a restaurant back home. You couldn't help but laugh though. We all stared at each other asking why it was being played, while all the Koreans ate their dinner oblivious to the music. Finally, to top it all off, we had what has to be the funniest music related moment of my time in Korea so far on the bus back from Garage. We were probably 10 minutes away from home when we heard what sounded like “Dig dig dig dig, dig dig dig dig, dig dig, dig dig dig dig dig dig.” It repeated a few times and we all looked at each other. We go, “The Seven Dwarfs”? Mike let out this nice soft, “Hiiiiii Hoooooo”. Then wouldn't you know it, two seconds later here comes, “Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work we go”. The three of us just completely lost it. The bus was fairly crowded and none of the Koreans were talking. All you could hear were three guys laughing hysterically while the Seven Dwarfs sang “Hi Ho” in the background. I couldn't help thinking that the Koreans probably thought the song was a current Top 40 hit back home. I was also trying to imagine any situation outside of an amusement park back home where this song would be playing. I came up with absolutely nothing. Nothing beats “Hi Ho” on a bus in Korea.

Music definitely keeps us entertained in Korea. Sometimes it is our own music. If fact, usually it is our own music that entertains us. When you take the time to listed to the music the Koreans are providing though, you never know what awful or hilarious song you are going to be exposed too. I've got just over half a year left to see if anything tops that magical group, The Seven Dwarfs. Here's hoping...