[Current & Culture] Comfort from Our Later Years

The 20th Album of Cho Yong-pil, Now Over Seventy
Title Track "Geuraedo Dwae" Completes His "Life" Trilogy
A New Song from the King of Pop Touches the Heart

Lee Jae-ik, SBS Radio PD and Novelist

Cho Yong-pil's new song arrived softly like fallen leaves. The title track of his 20th full-length album, "Geuraedo Dwae" (It's Okay).

Now believe, just believe / Believe in yourself, just believe

When you're tired and exhausted / It's okay to take a break around here

It's okay, even if it's late

The legendary singer, now over seventy, sang a song filled with encouragement and comfort, layered with sophisticated arrangements. While it seems to have continuity with the previous 19th album's title track "Bounce," which was sleekly produced in the modern rock genre, personally it reminded me of a follow-up to "Ijen Geuraesseumyeon Joketne" (1990) and "Baramui Norae" (1997). I thought the reflections and realizations about life naturally continued across these two songs, and "Geuraedo Dwae" feels like the completion of a trilogy. A common point is that confessions of tears shed after listening to the song appear under YouTube videos. I have tentatively named this Cho Yong-pil's "Life" trilogy, and I encourage readers to listen to all three songs in sequence.

Besides this song, I had another impressive experience. Among the tracks on this album, "Chalna" and "Serengeti Cheoreom" were released first in 2022, but at that time, they didn't move me much. However, listening to the entire album this time, overwhelming emotions surged. Was this song really this good? I was just fiddling with puzzle pieces wondering what it was, and then I admired the completed picture.

Cho Yong-pil is not only an outstanding composer but also a lyricist. He personally composed "Ijen Geuraesseumyeon Joketne" from the life trilogy and wrote both the music and lyrics for "Baramui Norae." Having created most of his hit songs himself, he has recently been actively embracing songs made by young composers, especially foreign ones. "Bounce" is a representative example. This album consists entirely of seven songs written by others. This too must be a flexible and humble decision that a master can make.

He did not involve himself at all in the music video production and entrusted it to outsiders, resulting in great success. The content production company "Dolgorae Yugwidan," which became famous for making NewJeans' music videos after mainly producing commercials and films, showcased their skills again. The story is about a grandmother with dementia (played by Lee Som) reflecting on her past life, cleverly interweaving scenes from blockbuster films such as "The Host," "Train to Busan," and "Taegukgi." Watching actors like Park Geun-hyung, Byun Yo-han, and Jeon Mi-do adds to the enjoyment.

Especially striking is the scene where the protagonist stands on the moon's surface, smiling brightly and waving toward Earth. It brought a lump to my throat as I imagined my future self, with only a little time left to live, waving at my current self. This song is both a new release from a singer well over seventy to his fans and a comfort from our later selves to our present selves. While good songs receive praise, I firmly pressed the "like" button on a YouTube comment that said every masterpiece carries its own story.

Coincidentally, BLACKPINK's Ros?'s new song "Apartment" is enjoying phenomenal global popularity. K-pop and idol songs are great, but I had felt a bit of regret that girl groups and boy groups had taken too large a share of our music scene. That regret has completely vanished. Perhaps this is the richest period in our music industry this year. If you haven't tasted it yet, please try it quickly. It's well matured.

Lee Jae-ik, SBS Radio PD & Novelist