With the burgeoning growth of K-pop in its current state, many newer fans are unaware of many of the genres past classics. That’s why every week I will be taking a look back at some of K-pop’s most exciting and iconic tracks that were released before the conception of this blog to shed some light on this now bygone time.
Year Released: 2012
I’ve been wanting to talk about TVXQ! for the longest time now. They’re one of my all time favourite groups and their discography is filled to the brim with classics. Like they’ve got some of the greatest Kpop ever made within their works and while I don’t think anything can match how flawless their OT5 collection of songs are, their work as a duo has also led to some of the genres biggest heavy weights. Chief amongst these is the bombastic Catch Me, which stands as one of the greatest and most ambitious songs to ever come out of Korea.
If there is one big regret I have so far in this sites short history, it’s that I forgot to include Catch Me in my Top 100 K-pop songs of the decade. It had completely slipped my mind that that the song came out in 2012! Despite its heavy dubstep influence and sparkly music video, my brain kept telling me it was released in 2009! If it weren’t for my carelessness, Catch Me would have easily found a place within the top 30 of my countdown. It’s one of my all time favourite songs and its exclusion was just criminal!
Now enough of me whinging, let’s get to the song. For what my opinions worth, Catch Me is what I consider SM royalty. It’s right up there with songs like Sherlock, Into The New World, Mama and TVXQ!’s own Rising Sun. It’s the sound of SM Entertainment going nuts ,something that caters perfectly to my musical tastes. It’s big, anthemic pop music like this that really has me going nuts. Right from its opening EDM backdrop, you know Catch Me isn’t going to be your average pop song. It harnesses the best aspects of 2012 EDM and fuses it into a tight, opening melody that utilises its ascending nature to perfectly support the spectacular vocals. It’s right up there with some the best opening moments of any kpop song ever. Seriously, Catchy Me’s opening moments never fails to give me chills. It’s just such a flawless combination between instrumental and vocal prowess.
But what’s the point in having an incredible opening if the rest of the track cant live up to it? Well thankfully the rest of Catch Me not only lives up to its immaculate opening seconds, it somehow improves on it. Its chorus ranks as one of the mightiest and most grandiose hooks I’ve ever heard. It slams in like a truck every single time combined with some of the most sweeping production and euphoric vocal compositions that the genre has ever produced. TVXQ! may have been reduced to a duo but Catch Me‘s chorus sounds bigger and more impactful than any thing that these modern day 10+ member groups have ever comeback with.
Rather than be another basic retread of the dubstep and techno trends of its time, Catch Me swerves in so many different directions that it feels like something completely unique. I say this because from my point of view Irene & Seulgi’s Monster recently attempted to do something similar by mixing the trends of today with experimental dubstep; but couldn’t quite reach the mark. Catch Me on the other hand absolutely soars from the first few seconds. I believe much of this can be attributed to producer Yoo Young Jin, who’s knack for a good melody and incredible skill in vocal layering really brought newfound life to the track. This results in a song that not only stands the test of time but also easily earns the label of a “masterpiece”.
Verses: 10
Chorus: 10
Production: 10
Performance: 10
Final Rating: 10 / 10
KBopped 