A Sad Girl’s Playlist
Have you been feeling a bit down lately or are you “in your feels”? If your answer is yes, then this week’s Ladies Corner has got you covered. There’s plenty of songs by the ladies in K-Pop that will make you shed a tear and feel their melancholy emotions in their vocals and lyrics. Here’s a few tracks from the women in K-Pop that’ll put you “in your feels”.
You can also listen to these tracks on an exclusive Spotify playlist!
“We Were in Love” - DAVICHI & T-ARA
On December 23, 2011, duo DAVICHI and four members from T-ARA participated in the collaboration single “We Were in Love,” which can be found on T-ARA’s repackaged album Funky Town. This collaboration track is a ballad that describes a past love that remains in your heart, reminding you of the heartbreak and pain you once endured. On its own, the track gives so much emotional depth, but the video also shows the pain and heartbreak in the lyrics.
“Put It Straight” - (G)-IDLE
From (G)-IDLE’s second mini-album I made, “Put It Straight” is a sad R&B ballad that amplifies the loneliness and isolation from a past love. The soft and slow beginning of the track progresses into a melancholic cry of pain where the chorus says, “It hurts.” The track causes goosebumps each time as it portrays such dark feelings. In 2019, they released a “Nightmare version” of the track and created a performance for it on the Mnet program Queendom. The alternative version expresses obsession and anger through a horror-themed performance.
“Only I didn’t know” - IU
IU released the single album REAL+ on February 16, 2011, featuring the ballad track “Only I didn’t know.” The music video and lyrics describe a dramatic break-up story between an ex-lover. The track also features Korean pianist Kim Gwangmin. The orchestral instrumentation and music box opening sets the tone of the song, preparing you for a heavy-hearted ballad.
“IF I WERE YOU” - 2NE1
The slow and sentimental ballad track “IF I WERE YOU” is part of 2NE1’s third studio album CRUSH. With lyrics written by CL, this song goes into detail about a past relationship that left a hole in their heart, leaving only miserable feelings. Their performance of this song on Yu Huiyeol’s Sketchbook showcases the power and strength brought into the emotions from the lyrics.
“+THNX190519+” - CL
On December 4, 2019, CL began dropping unreleased tracks for her solo EP titled In The Name Of Love following her departure from YG Entertainment. One of the songs she dropped expresses sadness of past memories that she still cherishes despite the pain she feels. The visualizer-styled video that she dropped in addition with the track gives a story that has multiple theories and open meanings of what it could be describing. Some commenters on her YouTube video believe it’s about her journey as an artist and becoming lonely, others believe it's in relation to how her former company treated her. Even without knowing the meaning behind it, the song definitely expresses a pain that she’s coped with for a long time.
“I’m OK” - 4Minute
From 4Minute’s third EP Volume Up is the break-up song “I’m OK,” a song that implies a break-up would make things easier in this specific relationship, reassuring that they’ll be okay. Personally, it’s a great track to use when recovering from heartbreak and to remind yourself that this decision was for the best. There’s just something about this song that gives you the reassurance that it’s okay to let go of a certain relationship.
“Cleansing Cream” - Brown Eyed Girls
In a special repackaged album, Brown Eyed Girls added the track “Cleansing Cream” to Sixth Sense. The piano gives depth to the somber lyrics that describe a broken heart and pain from a break-up you wish you could forget about. The music video offers a different narrative, but still paints a picture of pain and dread. As stated in a previous Ladies Corner article, it’s one track that I’ll always enjoy, even if it makes me tear up with each listen.
“Hope Not” - BLACKPINK
In BLACKPINK’s second EP Kill This Love, the song “Hope Not” is a gem that contains beautiful acoustic instrumentation with a mellow sound that can be soothing at first impression. However, the lyrics, as stated by Genius, illustrate “regrets in love and coming to terms with what you can’t change.” Compared to their pop and dance sound, this is a really beautiful ballad to diversify their discography.
“The Words I Don’t Want To Hear” - Trouble Maker
From the duo Trouble Maker, featuring former 4Minute member and soloist HyunA and former BEAST member Jang Hyunseung, is a dialogue track about a couple’s challenging relationship strifes that could lead to the end. Both HyunA and Hyunseung bring the struggles of maintaining a failing relationship to life with lyrics that showcase each person’s point-of-view. The female in the relationship wants it to end, while the male counterpart wants to be forgiven again. This ballad-like track is one that will never leave your mind.
“The Light” - THE ARK
One of the most memorable debut tracks from 2015 that left a mark on K-Pop is “The Light” by THE ARK. Unfortunately, this was the only single the group released before they disbanded in July 2016. The music video for this track was a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Sewol Ferry tragedy that occurred in 2014, which is certain to make you cry when you watch it. One line in the song that will always lead me to tears is, “I’ll be that somebody somebody, we’re in this for life.”
“I’m Fine Thank You” - LADIES’ CODE
In an effort to achieve LADIES’ CODE’s dream of earning a No.1 single on the charts, fans came together to bring “I’m Fine Thank You” to the top of Korea’s music charts in September 2014. Lavelys joined together to make this happen to honor and pay tribute to members EunB and RiSe, who passed away in a tragic car accident that month. The beautiful vocals of each member will bring you to tears, especially while watching the tribute video that was uploaded with the track just days after the tragedy. With bittersweet memories tied to the track, it’s still such a beautiful song to listen to.
“Be as ONE” - TWICE
Last, but not least, if you’re a ONCE, you’ll know why this is here. TWICE’s track “Be as ONE” was released as a gift to fans that contains powerful lyrics that they want to say to ONCEs, and was released in both Korean and Japanese. There’s a documentary-style video showcasing TWICE’s journey together that was uploaded on October 20, 2019, their fourth anniversary as a group, with the track playing and giving sentimental value to ONCEs. It’s truly a song that’ll make you appreciate the girl’s hardwork and dedication.