Hello, k-dreamers! Isn’t “hello” such a wonderful word? It contains so many connotations. New beginnings, exciting opportunities… It makes for the perfect song title for a solo debut (does it still count as a debut if all of the songs are covers?). Today we are diving into the joyful song “Hello” sung by Joy of Red Velvet (originally by Park Hye Kyung).
If this song was in a movie, where would you put it?
Song title aside, I have trouble deciding whether this song would sound better at the beginning of a movie or at the end. It sounds like the type of song you would play while the main character gets ready in the morning (like the “Tangled” opening sequence) but it could also work at the end of a movie when the main character drives off into the sunset (like the end of “Grease”). Conveniently, the song’s title in Korean is “안녕”(annyeong), which still means “hello” but can also mean “goodbye,” and it is used both ways in the lyrics.
This ambiguity is further supported by the main chord progression of the song. The sequence is A-B-D-A or I-V/V-IV-I. I’ve probably lost most of you, but hear me out. “Hello” is in the key of A. The first chord is the same as the first note in the key (tonic), so we notate it with a roman numeral I. The next chord is B, a secondary dominant, but that probably won’t mean much to you. The important thing is that this chord isn’t even in the key of A. You can view this as the chord progression venturing outside of its comfort zone. The last two chords are D, the fourth note in the key, followed by the tonic again. We call this a plagal cadence. These types of cadences typically serve as an “Amen” to finish the sequence. The chord progression represents an entire journey in itself!
Joy’s debut helps kick quarantine in its keister.
Where I live, things are slowly going back to normal. I’m expected to head back to school in person by the fall. I like to think that I’m a better person than I was before the pandemic. And I’m probably not the only one hoping to make more positive changes once the pandemic is officially over. Joy expresses this sentiment really well in “Hello.” So you can bet that I’m going to play this song on my commute back to the university campus. Perhaps we can all say goodbye to our lonely days and hello to the sunny days sometime soon.
Honourable Mentions: Monsta X – Gambler, PIXY – The Moon, TXT ft. Seori – 0X1 = LOVESONG (I Know I Love You), Junny ft. Youha – sober (I hope this means that my kpop slump is going away)
If you like this song, check out: Blooming (The Uni+) – Always (2018), PinkFantasy SHY – 12 O’Clock (2019), 1set – To (2020)
Honestly, I think I would rather put this song at the beginning of a movie than the end, but that might mainly be because of its title. How did you like “Hello” by Joy? Let me know in the comments!