B-Sides: K-Drama OSTs Part 2
Holiday breaks are a great time to unwind and catch up on things you don’t usually have time to do. While some may lean towards household tasks like cleaning, organizing, and cooking, many others turn towards hobbies. Writing, reading, and bingeing K-Dramas are also great uses of time. This holiday break, many of us here at The Kraze found ourselves watching Tale of the Nine Tailed and Netflix’s Sweet Home and jamming out to some of the great OSTs featured in both.
Tale of the Nine Tailed
“Blue Moon” by Kim Jongwan of Nell
No stranger to OSTs, Kim Jongwan, lead vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist of Nell, absolutely kills his performance of “Blue Moon” for Tale of the Nine Tailed. Opening with a guitar riff that continues through the rest of the track, “Blue Moon” is first heard in the credits of the first episode. The track stays relatively even paced for the most part, only picking up during the choruses. The final line of the chorus, “I will be the light for you in the dark,” is the perfect line to describe the relationship between Lee Yeon (Lee Dongwook) and Nam Jiah (Jo Boah), who the gumiho has saved on more than one occasion. Trust us, the first time you hear this track, you’ll definitely find yourself jamming in your seat.
“I’ll Be There” by Shownu of MONSTA X
Every Monbebe knows that Shownu’s voice is one of the most beautiful and, honestly speaking, may be one of the most underrated voices in MONSTA X and K-Pop as a whole. His OST for Tale of the Nine Tailed, “I’ll Be There,” is simply stunning from beginning to end. Similarly to “Blue Moon,” this track is a slightly slower, more ballad-like track for the most part, but kicks off during the chorus and final bridge. It’s an interesting combination that works seamlessly to paint a beautiful picture of Lee Yeon and Jiah’s relationship and is featured in scenes where the relationship between the two grows, starting off subtly before unfolding right before viewers’ eyes. This is definitely an OST you’ll find yourself listening to over and over again.
Sweet Home
“Side by Side” by BewhY
On December 18, Netflix released Sweet Home and the drama immediately took the streaming platform by storm, with the K-Drama trending in the Top 10 for weeks after. Industrial meets EDM, OST track “Side by Side” by BewhY is first heard in the ending credits, but we get more during the second episode when Hyunsoo (Song Kang) helps save two children from the eye monster and we finally get to hear BewhY’s lyrics when Hyunsoo is fighting the blind monster. This is also around the time where Hyunsoo meets Han Dusik, played by Kim Sangho and who viewers may recognize from The Kingdom. While it seems “Warriors” by Imagine Dragons is the track that plays more commonly during any of the killer action sequences, “Side by Side” also serves as a theme for the scenes leading up to the larger battles.
“Sweet Home” by YONGZOO
In the drama, the first time we hear “Sweet Home” is when Jisoo (Park Gyuyoung) plays it on a guitar missing two strings. Hyunsoo hears her playing and sits beside her, and says, “Sweet home.” When Jisoo asks for clarification, Hyunsoo responds, “It makes me feel like I’m home,” thus giving the song its name. On the OST, the track is sung by YONGZOO and is soft, sweet, and with a tinge of nostalgia for the days before. Sung completely in English, the track is easy to relate to with any situation life may throw at you, and the final line of the chorus, “Can we go back with you?” is lowkey heartbreaking. The track ends with YONGZOO humming along with a piano, giving the track an eerily beautiful quality that everybody will find themselves reacting to.