Song Jieun continues to turn love songs on their heads by challenging the prejudices against stigmatized couples in “Don’t Look At Me Like That.”

Since her debut, Song Jieun has tackled heavy subjects in her music, and “Don’t Look At Me Like That” was another addition to her catalog of social critiques. Her company TS Entertainment gave an early warning to listeners that the song’s lyrics would be “controversial” and “experimental.” Jieun released “Don’t Look At Me Like That” on September 23, 2014, marking her first comeback in a year since her 2013 release “Hope Torture.” 

“Don’t Look At Me Like That” was a risky single for a mainstream singer like Song Jieun. The soloist attacked the prejudices and stereotypes surrounding couples of same sex, different races, and different ages. She teamed up with TS Entertainment’s resident hitmaking duo Kang Jiwon and Kim Kibum for the rock-inspired, medium tempo ballad. Jieun emits power through her airy voice, as she belts out heart-wrenching notes that empathize with couples who want to love freely but face judgment.

The song is haunting, opening on Jieun singing just above a whisper with only the chords of a piano. As the song builds, the rock arrangement of howling electric guitars and clashing cymbals blends with the sad piano chords, capturing the sorrowful frustration of Jieun’s lyrics: “Don’t hate on us, however you’re viewing us / We’re just a little different / Just leave us alone.” At the climax, Jieun’s soft pleas become defiant shouts to let people live and love freely.

Directors at the renowned video production company ZANYBROS bring us into a dark world in the music video, where Jieun is captured and controlled by a mysterious man wearing a gold mask, resembling a rat. While chained in a basement boiler room, Jieun tries to break away from her constraints, but eventually she’s displayed at an underground auction room full of masked bidders. The bidders wildly throw money at her as she’s dragged to the middle of the room to be gawked at like an object. As she seems to reach her breaking point, the room bursts into flames and her captors, who were unable to escape the fire, lay unconscious while Jieun walks away triumphantly. 

In the heavily symbolic music video, Jieun being the only person without a mask seems to represent those of us who go against the status quo, while her chains are the part of society that wants to keep people under existing systems. Participants in the auction scene are the targets of Jieun’s contempt in the song’s lyrics, as they view and treat her as something inhuman for her difference. Jieun apparently seeks to destroy these controlling systems as her intense feelings seem to cause the video’s fatal fire, and she walks away with an obvious look of satisfaction. 

The soloist teased the title of her first mini-album at the end of the video with the number “25” outlined in fire. “Don’t Look At Me Like That” served as the album’s pre-release single, meaning fans had to wait until its full release on October 14, 2014 to see Jieun perform the song live. The first performance came at a MelOn Premiere Showcase the day after the album’s release, where Jieun allowed her powerful vocals to take center stage by performing the song while sitting. On October 16, she made her music show comeback on M!COUNTDOWN, performing a shortened version of her pre-release track before her lead single “Pretty Age 25.”  

Despite little promotion at the time “Don’t Look At Me Like That” was released, it debuted and peaked at No. 27 on the Gaon Digital Song Chart. Eight years later, many listeners still appreciate the song’s unapologetic and forward-thinking lyrics. Song Jieun continued to release a number of singles and soundtracks until 2020 while also delving into an acting career. Her latest acting project, That Guy's Voice, wrapped up earlier this year and in an interview with BNT International, Song Jieun says she’ll continue to work hard, “whether that’s as a singer or an actress.”

Edited by Omani