#40: I Got You by TWICE

I Got You is an English track, but shockingly, it’s one of my favorites of TWICE’s entire discography. I know, right? As mentioned many times before, I’m a complete and utter sap and I’ve never been able to resist a heartfelt pop song about friendship with a driving beat and a great music video. So, it’s not that surprising that from Dahyun and Momo’s red ribbon dance on the cliffs, I was a goner. It’s warm and gentle, and feels like the culmination of everything I’ve watched thus far. I love this song, and I also love how true it rings, having seen their friendship grow throughout my review.

#39: Lucifer by SHINee

Lucifer has always been a favorite of mine, hence why it was actually the original name of this blog. It takes the pulsing beat, incredibly catchy hook, and dance-floor ready sound from Ring Ding Dong, while leaving the abject silliness behind (mostly, because what on God’s Green Earth were those haircuts? How were they all so bad? Who called the Partridge Family and told them to put on leather pants?). Anyway, I really like this one, and it’s no surprise that many people consider it the best of their early singles run.

#38: Wheel Of The Year by Gfriend

Look, I’m a total sap, and Wheel Of The Year is the exact kind of song that I adore: sad and happy, hopeful, emotional, inspiring, and all about the power of friendship. In the wake of their disbandment, it’s hard not to see this as a lovely farewell, to both the fans and each other. It’s hard to overstate how much I adore this song, and their Modern Witch Trilogy in general. All three of these titles also feel so…queer to me? Obviously, as a queer woman, everything I view is through a queer lens, but between the found family separated in Crossroads, the forbidden temptation of witches in Apple, and the all-female be-yourself disco club in MAGO, and Wheel Of The Year is the perfect finale to it all.

#37: Red Light by F(x)

Red Light is a much darker turn in F(x)’s discography, and not just because they’re now wearing eyeliner and fedoras. It’s long been theorized to be a song about the tragic Sewol Ferry Disaster, which likely has some truth to it given its lyrics about pushing and shoving to survive, making excuses for something, and crashing waves. I was hoping they’d pursue a sort of crying-on-the-dancefloor sound, and I’m impressed seeing how well it turned out. The music video’s mainly shot in black and red, the different layers of vocals are back in spades and deafening each other, and hyperpop background mixes in too to create this air of desperation and danger. In short, it’s a masterpiece.

#36: The 5th Season by Oh My Girl

The Fifth Season is one of those songs that sticks in your mind long after you listen to it. Not just because it’s beautiful, though it is. Not just because it’s different from most k-pop tracks, though it’s that too. But because of something deeper that I can’t really put into words. Understated and elegant, it tiptoes along with light footed verses before flying forward with a string-led chorus that captures the hopeful feeling of spring perfectly. Adding to that, while I have no idea if the intention behind the music video was for the girls in it to be in love with each other, it was still lovely to see them sing about true love while roses bloomed around a female couple. Though it’s not a fixture on my playlists by any means, The Fifth Season remains one of my favorite k-pop songs.

#35: The Red Shoes by IU

Though Good Day was IU’s breakthrough, in my opinion, The Red Shoes is an even greater triumph. Golden Age Musical influences abound, hi-hats go for broke, big band flourishes reign supreme, and the whole thing is shot like it’s a Broadway show’s Act One closer. Its sense of grandeur and showmanship is made for the stage, and of course, IU’s voice ties it all together into a bright red bow. Once you get to the end, you’ll want to shout “encore!” at the top of your lungs.

#34: Lovesick Girls by BLACKPINK

Lovesick Girls was the first comeback I was really a part of as a Blink, and I really couldn’t have asked for a better song to do that with. Lovesick Girls exemplifies everything BLACKPINK is at its best: at times vulnerable, strong, brave, young, mature, about love, about friendship, quiet and anthemic. There’s something so poignant about knowing that something isn’t going to end well, but wanting to see it through until the end because you feel like it’s worth it. This has always been my favorite BP song, and maybe that’s because it reflects how I feel about them too. I’m glad I was their fan, even though I wasn’t for life. Whenever I hear it, it makes me remember high school, my childhood best friend, and all the terrible decisions I’ve ever made, in the best way possible. It feels now, knowing what comes after, like goodbye.

#33: Break The Wall by Dreamcatcher

In K-pop, it’s common to decry “ugh this should’ve been a single”, but Break The Wall should’ve been screamed from every rooftop in the galaxy. From start to finish, it’s a full-on alt-rock anthem that riles up its audience to stand together, rise up, and break the walls of prejudice with all of their strength. Seeing this in concert and screaming the words with thousands of teenage girls and the assorted parents, partners, and siblings that they dragged along (who ended up loving it) was what I might call a transcendent experience. For a couple moments, one would be forgiven for thinking that we could’ve really saved the world.

#32: I = Doll by Huh Yunjin

I = Doll is unique in the world of solos, not only because it’s self-written and self-produced, but for the incredibly refreshing critiques of the k-pop industry within. In just under three minutes, Yunjin manages to talk about online harassment, body shaming, and the industry’s tendency to put women in boxes, tying it all together with the incredible line “Idol doesn’t mean your doll to fuck with.” Yunjin also drew the music video herself, and her simple yet effective style goes perfectly with the song. Overall, it’s a moving, brutally honest piece that I’m happy I got to cover and I hope will start a new wave of idols like her feeling empowered to speak out too.

#31: Our Page by SHINee

Our Page has been, and likely always will be, one of my favorite k-pop songs of all time. It’s about grief and pain, but also friendship and music. The line “the beautiful words you left behind become a poem, become a song flying to me” breaks me every time, and I can’t think of a more stunning display of love than that. It may be the rawest music video I’ve seen in the industry, and besides that, it’s just a great song, written by the members themselves. Painful but tender, heavy but light, and defeated but hopeful, it’s a reminder that, at least for SHINee, Jonghyun’s memory will be carried on. If you have a spare few moments, please give it a listen—or even better, a watch.