It’s Thursday once again, and The Kraze is back with another list for this week’s Throwback Thursday! We are concluding this year’s staff picks and walking down the lane of nostalgia once more. Keep reading to see The Kraze’s final staff picks! 

“비가 와서 그래 (Rainy Day)” - Topp Dogg (2016)

Julia, Writer & Translator 

Julia: “Overall, this title song from Topp Dogg’s first full album First Street differs immensely from the music style they have pursued in the past. The transition from their normal upbeat songs to a lyrical piece with a slower, steady rhythm truly showed Topp Dogg’s ability to carry out different genres of music. The melody is super catchy, and the lyrics perfectly reflect the nostalgic meaning of the song, representing the concept of emptiness and solitude. This song gave me the opportunity to really get immersed into the vocals of each member as they bring the song alive with their amazing harmonizations! Even though this song may be a bit underrated, it’s definitely one of my favorite all-time songs!”

“Because I’m A Girl” - KISS (2001)

Jay, Writer & Promoter

Jay: “Before getting into K-Pop, this was the very first Korean song that I came across. It is a ballad with such a classic music video, thanks to its dramatic plot! This brings me a lot of nostalgia, and I advise having some tissues ready while watching the music video. This music video may be old, but it is definitely still a song that many long-time K-Pop fans may recognize. Some may even recognize this song through another language as it has also been translated into a few different languages!“

“Road” - g.o.d (2001)

Nia, Writer

Nia: “Even though I got into K-Pop in 2012, I've always gravitated to the first generation of K-Pop. Most of my K-Pop playlist has music from groups like S.E.S, g.o.d, H.O.T, Shinhwa, Sechskies, Turbo, Fly to the Sky, Deux, and more. The first generation just gives me the feels in a way that makes me sad that I wasn’t old enough to enjoy the height of their greatness. But I think that if I had been a K-Pop fan back in the ‘90s/early 2000s, I would have definitely stanned g.o.d. Known as JYP's first boy group, they had an amazing mix of great songs and funny personalities to match. I watched ALL episodes of their variety show, Babysitting Diaries, and the majority of the show isn't even subtitled. I'm also a sucker for ‘90s style production and the feeling of their 2001 song ‘Road’ just works so well and gives me nostalgic vibes. The melody is great, and I love the vocal stylings of JYP of yesteryear. Overall, this group and song are amazing; for sure one of my most played K-Pop songs in general that still sounds great to this day.”

“A-Yo” - SHINee (2010)

Sarah B., Writer

Sarah B.: “If I could, I would put nearly the entirety of Lucifer on here—it's one of my favorite SHINee albums. The variety of the tracks never fails to amaze me, especially considering the fact that it came out over seven years ago. While the album has some great gems—notably the title track ‘Lucifer,’ as well as ‘Your Name’ and ‘Electric Heart’—my favorite will always be ‘A-Yo.’ It has that distinct mid-2000s sound that somehow doesn't sound too old-school. It features some of SHINee's best vocals around that time (and arguably to this day), and the lyrics are heartwarming and adorable. It's the kind of song that is hard to get tired of, and that's a good thing; it remains one of my top SHINee tracks for that reason.”

“Where did you come from? (어디에서 왔는지)” - BTS  (2014)

Vandana, Writer

Vandana: “This is one of the first K-Pop songs that I found myself listening to over and over again. While it wasn't the first BTS song I heard, it was the first one I kept coming back to, and I never would have stuck with them for so long if it weren't for this song. It doesn't have a music video and doesn't seem to get much attention, but it's very sweet, and I always come back and listen to it on both good days and bad. I remember listening to it a lot during a rough time in my life a few years ago, and it used to cheer me up and give me something to escape to. Today, I'm still a huge fan of BTS, and the group and this song still mean so much to me.”

Second Choice Staff Picks:

Annika - “Overcome (여왕의 기사)” - NU’EST (2016)
Daniela - “What's Happening?” - B1A4 (2013)
Nawara - “We Belong Together” Feat. Park Bom - BIGBANG (2007)
Kayleen - “No Other” - Super Junior (2010)
Vandana - “Intro: NEVER MIND” - BTS (2015)

That’s it for this week’s Throwback Thursday! We hope that you enjoyed all of the The Kraze’s staff picks from the past few weeks. Stay tuned next week as we bring another list of nostalgic songs for Throwback Thursday.