Top 5 K-Pop songs of 2010

So I had a good think about it last night, and have decided on my top 5 K-Pop songs of 2010. Seeing as how K-Pop was mostly what I listened to in 2010, I initially thought that narrowing down all the 2010 songs to a top 5 list was going to be difficult, but somehow, songs just seemed to fall neatly into place.

So, without further ado, here we go.

5. Rainbow - Mach



Funny, never realized that there was no MV for Mach. Anyway, great, GREAT song. Rainbow never really impressed with their first mini, but really hit their stride with "A." Mach was even better, an effortless groove that was so much fun.

4. Girl's Day - Nothing Lasts Forever



Much maligned when they first debuted, I've always had a soft spot for Girl's Day, simply because "Control" was made of awesome. They finally got the respect they deserved with Nothing Lasts Forever and the breakdown of 2010. After School's "Bang" had an awesome breakdown too, but pales in comparison to this. The epitome of euphoria.

3. 2NE1 - 사랑은 아야야



I never really liked 2NE1. When I first got into K-Pop and went on the downloading spree that accompanies discovering a new genre of music, 2NE1 was one of the last girl groups I listened to. The music was okay, a bit generic, maybe a bit too much on the electronic side. Certainly catchy, but nothing really outstanding. And then "To Anyone" came out, and suddenly it clicked, and I KNEW. I understood why 2NE1 got all the love that they did. This is my favorite song on "To Anyone," and never fails to put a smile on my face.

2. 소녀시대 - HOOT



Yes, I admit, it was SoShi that got me into K-Pop, that fateful day in April when I logged into /v/ and "Gee" was looping in the background. This led to lurking SoShi threads on /int/, and later, K-Pop General threads on /mu/, and eventually into full-blown SoShi fandom. SNSD was my first K-Pop girl group, and they are still the ones I will love the most. It doesn't matter if other groups release better songs, SNSD has emotionally captured me so deeply that I will always and forever be biased. HOOT is classic SNSD, a reminder of why they are the number one girl group in Asia. No other girl groups have that MAGIC that the Power of 9 does. Once a SONE, always a SONE.

1. BoA - 한별



Who else at number one but the Queen of K-Pop. Implode may just be one of my favorite songs of all time. It is a testament to the craft and professionalism of BoA, who, 10 years on, has not shown any signs of slowing down. "Hurricane Venus" was probably my top K-Pop album of 2010, standing head and shoulders above everyone else. There is simply something SPECIAL about BoA, like she was born to do this. Effortless like she was MEANT to do this. I certainly hope it doesn't take another five years for BoA to do another Korean release, but even if it did, the wait would certainly be worth it.

Honorable Mentions

1. 4minute - Bababa

Like someone once said, "I love it when Hyunah whines at me." As infectious as a song can get.

2. After School - Bang!

It's a shame AS doesn't really release that often, because they have SO MUCH potential. Also, the Xmas release doesn't really sound like AS so I didn't really get into it. "Bang!" is awesome, though, with my second favorite breakdown of 2010.

3. GPbasic - Game

With all the noise made about GPbasic's ages, it was sort of forgotten how catchy "Game" was. "I'll Be There" was a decent follow up, but it just isn't GPbasic without Janey.

4. Secret - Madonna

With "Madonna," Secret seem to have established their style, but I can't really get into that retro style that the Wonder Girls pioneered. Still, I love Secret, not really for the singles but for the other songs they have that don't really get much airplay. Also, they have Song Ji Eun, probably my favorite K-Pop vocalist. Looking forward to great things from these girls, I'm really pulling for them.

5. KARA - We're With You

Yeah, it's a World Cup song, but, in my opinion, it was the best World Cup song. Too bad their new mini kinda sucked, and DSP seems to have given all the good songs to Rainbow. Still, it's fun to put on "Mister" sometimes and do the butt dance.

I Need To Find You

So, it's that time of the year again, when I get to add yet another year to my already inflated age.

As is tradition with me, the first thing I did when the clock struck 12 was to determine my birthday song, which involves nothing more than hitting shuffle on the iPod and taking the first song it gives. It was a bit tough this year, though. I couldn't find a song that suited the day! I must've pressed shuffle four or five times and hit next track to finally settle on a song....which turned out to be Joe Jonas's "Gotta Find You." Sappy as all hell, and something I would never listen to voluntarily, but it was on my iPod (to complete the Camp Rock OST, you see. I was a big Demi Lovato fan back in the day. lol), and the words did strike a chord.

I still believe that there is something out there waiting for me to find it, waiting to be found, and to this day I still do not know what IT is, but I know, I feel that it's out there. Maybe it's an undiscovered universal truth that will resonate through me, maybe it's a person, maybe it's a song, maybe it's a movie, or a TV show, or a manga compilation. Whatever it is, some part of me will just KNOW when I find IT. Somehow, it feels akin to seeing the face of God, this discovery. It's THAT BIG. But I suppose that's what life is all about, the search and journey in search of this....whatever it is.

It was a pretty uneventful day, actually. TONS of Facebook greetings though, from people I haven't heard from in ages, and people I've barely even spoken to. Still, very heartwarming. :) We ordered pizza and KFC for dinner because I wasn't really up to going out for dinner, and it was ok. Adequate. Maybe I'm just past the stage of making a big deal out of birthdays, throwing huge parties etc. Or maybe I'm just getting old. haha. I still do remember a time when birthdays meant inviting people over for dinner and drinks that lasted until 5am the next day. But these days....yeah, I'm getting old.

Looking forward to tomorrow, though. It will be the first official day of Xmas shopping for me. I hope to get a LOT, if not all my shopping done. Also, I'll be shopping for my birthday present. hehe. Should I get figma Mugi and Ritsu? Figma Kagami? The Angel Beats nendoroid petits? More manga? hehe. I am excite. Should be a good day.

Ne, watashi, tanjoubi omedetou. :)