Top 10 K-Pop Songs

Blu Brown, Reporter
December 9, 2022

     As we’ve gone through the years throughout January all the way to November, it’s been a pretty special time of the year; not only to spread the early Christmas spirit, but to also cherish the spirit of Fall as the bright colored leaves fall down and the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s start getting sold out again. To spend the time waiting for Christmas and to celebrate the upcoming holidays with your family, here’s my picks for the top 10 songs for November to give you some refreshing vibes to get through the month all the way to next year.
 

#10 – “Nan Chun” by Se So Neon 
 

     For spot number 10, we have “Nan Chun” by the Korean indie and rock band Se So Neon. As the band released some pleasing hits to listen to like “Midnight Train” and “Winter,” their song “Nan Chun” has to be one of my favorites. This song fits the vibes when listening in the fall, as the beautiful autumn-like melody and the vocals bring you into that cafe time or strolling through the pumpkin patch type of moment.

 

     From couples to children, the song  describes two people trying to enjoy their time together and making every moment last. This makes the song even more heartwarming and precious. I’d recommend this if you’re going to spend a nice day out with your partner or just have a nice relaxing walk while admiring the changing colors of the trees as they turn from a lively green to a bright red, orange, or yellow. Sadly enough, I feel like there are much better songs than with this one despite being the standard.
 

#9 – “Comes and Goes” by HYUKOH

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     Spot number nine goes to “Comes and Goes” by HYUKOH. This song is a little more upbeat and groovy, giving a really nice beat while listening to it. This song would be perfect for taking a nice drive around town or taking a nice jog for fitness reasons. The song itself just makes me think of fall as its own person, which I can relate to as it’s a completely upbeat and groovy type of tone. Although the lyrics are a little saddening by dealing with people coming and going towards life, it still feels refreshing to listen to and will for sure make your day feel nice. If you want a relaxing day to spend with, this song is for you. 
 

#8 – “Irrelevant Answer” by LUCY

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     Eighth place is “Irrelevant Answer” by LUCY. Although it is a very fast paced song, it’s very childish in a way by showing the fun energy you can get when taking the time to absorb everything you can with the B-side. Unfortunately, this title is more overshadowed by the band’s other title tracks with their albums like “Rolling Rolling” or “I Got U.” It’s still a very good song to listen to whenever you wanna let out your inner rock anthem out or if you want to  have some sort of fun with this song. The only sad thing is it’s a song I wouldn’t let myself listen to a long period of time, since some songs like this make me tired of loving it unless it’s not my taste.
 

#7 – “Strawberry Cake” by Xdinary Heroes
 

     Number seven is “Strawberry Cake” by Xdinary Heroes. At first glance, it seems like it would be a cute and bubbly song, but after a couple of times listening to the song it’s the complete opposite. With some translations involved, it states how someone’s sweetness can be fake when trying to control them, which could either be a family member to their child, a partner and their supposed lover, and more. It’s one of my favorite songs of the band apart from “Knock Down” and “Pirates,” which give them the essence that Xdinary Heroes have for their punk rocker image. The band isn’t too popular in their company, JYP Entertainment, like their senior band DAY6. But I have a feeling that if they release more albums like this one and the company promotes them well, then I’m sure they’ll get pretty big.

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#6 – “Replay” by Shinee

 

     The sixth spot is “Replay” by Shinee. It was hard finding a song for this spot, because I thought of a lot of songs that were trashable for me, or there had been songs that were easily just as great to listen to but could get topped. Fortunately, the perfect balance of these qualities matched this song. The title track is even one of the most famous and well-known out of countless one hit wonders for the second generation of K-pop. This also marks Shinee as a pioneer of its time for debuting songs like other monster rookies at the time such as Wonder Girls, TVXQ, Girl’s Generation and 2PM. 

 

     Blending in with the catchy chorus, the song is pretty easy to slip into your head, and the vocals make it more mesmerizing as it sails from the first verse to the last. It gets even better when taking the time to get into the group’s discography, as you get to find priceless gems like “Sherlock” and “View” from their newest albums. 

#5 – “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy

     Number five is “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy. Apart from the TikTok fiasco based on this song, it is really good to listen to. It shows how Steve Lacy gets more talented within his albums, and shows how much he worked so hard during his time in the industry when helping other artists with their songs before getting started on his career. With its meaning, it makes me feel like I really wished that someone out there would be able to love me, especially if it was a crush that I had. If people would’ve researched and learned the lyrics of the song more it would’ve given Steve a bigger shot at the industry. It would’ve made the song feel like it wouldn’t be trashable, as most TikTok songs are, along with just giving Steve a label as a ‘TikTok artist’ to give him a hard time branching out.

 

#4 – “Mary on a Cross” by Ghost 

 

     Number four is “Mary on a Cross” by Ghost. “Mary on a Cross” has been one of my favorite new songs when it came out this month. I heard it once when my friend Atlas had played it on GSA, and it sounded like it was a song that belongs on one of those cool shows like the end credits of “Rick and Morty” or “She-Ra.” The chorus is also pretty catchy hence it being the title of the song. I haven’t gotten into more songs from Ghost either, but after hearing this song I’d love to get into the band’s discography more.

 

#3 – “Who is She” by I Monster 

     Number three is “Who is She” by I Monster. When listening to this song, it makes me feel like I’m looking at my old self or a child version of me and wondering who they really are along with reflecting on myself. It also has a sort of spooky and eerie vibe when getting into the track a couple of times, which gives it a Halloween or dystopian type of vibe. As I haven’t gotten into this band’s discography as well, I’d love to dive deeper into them since I feel like their music might be right up my alley. It’s a wonderful song if you’d want more recommendations unless you found it from TikTok like most songs.

#2 – “Everyone Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears

     Second place has to be “Everyone Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Not only does it feel like a movie when listening to it, but it will for sure make you feel like you’re the main character. I’ve heard the song before when it played in the Disney Channel movie “Sky High,” but I didn’t get to know the name of the song until way later when it got more popular. It’s a timeless classic, and I’m willing to say that you can listen to this song at any time of the month whether it’s from winter to summer, or even fall. 

 

#1 – “Ghosting” by TXT

     The best song to listen to for the month is “Ghosting” by TXT. When diving in head first to this song, it’ll make you feel like you’re the main character just like the number two spot on the list. It’s a beautiful song, and not only is it one of the best ones in the Minisode mini album series, but when going through the other songs it makes it the whole thing a complete masterpiece. The Chaos Chapter albums also has some of the best songs like “Ice Cream” and “Anti-Romantic” are just as popular with “Anti-Romantic” having its own TikTok dance. 

 

     The track itself even reminds me of Taylor Swift and her two albums: Folklore and Evermore. But I haven’t listened to them along with her other discography variants apart from the old country era she was in. Either way, “Ghosting” is a beloved song that should be completely cherished.