"Love" in Pop songs

-POP SONG-

Why do singers mostly use “Love” as the subject of their song?

Class 25, Kim SeHyun

Throughout human kind’s long history, since the concept of “entertainment” appeared, music has been treated as an ancillary source of communication. For example, you can express your complaint and feelings by singing a song or playing an instrument. Also, music plays a role of representing the epoch. For example, Classic music was typical case of the medieval era. By playing comfortable music, people of the era felt satisfied and pleased. However, nowadays the “Pop Song” is representative type of music which most people enjoy.

           If you search ‘pop song’ on the internet, and listen to anything which comes at the top of search results, ten to one, it will probably mention about “Love”, especially parting or something. Besides, even for me, it is very difficult to list pop songs which are not talking about love. In fact, most of us have no experience of such serious love, as we can easily find in the pop songs’ lyrics. Then, why pop songs which are singing about ‘Love’ are so popular, especially in Korea? Let me take this opportunity to talk about it.

           First of all, ‘Pop song’ stands for the ‘popular song’, so pop songs are mainly aimed at teenager and twenty-something as their target audience. Thus, it needs a bond of sympathy between those ages, and the best medium which can develop a bond of sympathy, is ‘Love’. You know, even a little love, everybody experiences it at least once in his/her life. Even, someone in this place might having a crush now. (laugh) Therefore, the most common experience for everyone; Love must be a commonplace subject for pop songs.

           Second, most of the love songs in Korea are quite sorrowful. They are enough plaintive to stimulate people’s emotion. Those songs can touch people’s hearts, and may awake their cold hearted emotion. Thus, it can make people feel themselves are becoming sensitive. Eventually, those one who listen pop songs will feel freedom by emancipating their closed minds. Furthermore, as there is a big difficulty to make sensitive music which contains nothing about love, ‘love’ is often used in many pop songs.

           Third, Korean music market is already adapted to love music. Making songs which are very different from the original forms or stories is kind of dangerous adventure for Korean record companies. And they have no reasons to take such an adventure. It is also the reason that Hip-hop and Rock music are not as much as popular in Korea compare to other countries.

           Music is an art. It can demonstrate one’s philosophy, by using simple melodies. However, forcing every song’s topic as a ‘love’ is truly undesirable. Even though there are some reasons that ‘love’ music must be the most common pop songs, unless we should try to change it. We are not supposed to standardize every genre in music into the ‘love’. We’ve got to have an attitude which can accept different kinds of songs, such as songs that are talking about the lives or issues. Remember this; music is not only a way to speak, but also a way to communicate and be a representative of the era. Therefore, to make our generation not to only remember as a “era of parting in love”, the love should not be an only subject for pop songs.