Throwback Thursday: The Animal Kingdom

Just off the top of their head, many K-Pop listeners can name multiple songs with an animal as a title. For example, songs like “LION” by (G)I-DLE, and “Gorilla” by PENTAGON both feature an animal as the title that are also used in the video/song lyrics. So let's take it back to some songs that have animals as their concepts.

“Black Mamba” - aespa 

Our futuristic queens came onto the scene with their hard-hitting debut track “Black Mamba” on November 17, 2020. This group named aespa is one of the many talented groups under SM Entertainment. The members Winter, Karina, Giselle, and NingNing wowed us with their title track “Black Mamba” which is the start of their high-tech concept that we rarely see in K-Pop. A gigantic snake (a black mamba) is featured throughout the video. While watching the video, you can’t help but notice the girls and their dancers’ explosive dance moves and their exceptional vocal skills. It was a sight to see and made us excited for aespa’s future. 

“Alligator” - MONSTA X 

Leave it to MONSTA X to release an absolute banger, and that’s what they did on February 18, 2019. MONSTA X a boy group under Starship Entertainment, dropped their song “Alligator” that day. The now six-member group was seven when this song was released. The lyrics describe the actions of an alligator. An example would be how they described the grip of an alligator saying they won’t let go of the person they are talking about. An alligator is also shown in the video, symbolizing the song's meaning. To add some more awesomeness to this song, members I.M, and JOOHONEY all took part in the lyric process of the track which is always great to see. This song had MONBEBEs and K-Pop listeners at the edge of their seats. 

“Butterfly” - LOONA

This is a beautiful song that deserves to be heard by all. LOONA is a 12-member girl group formerly under BlockBerry Creative. The girl group released their title track “Butterfly” on February 19, 2019, with a powerful message behind the song. This video was filmed in different parts of the world and shows girls expressing their sense of freedom. The members also showcase their graceful dancing and singing abilities. Their smooth flowy dance moves mimic the glide and movement of a butterfly's wings which was a great touch to the choreography. They created a beautiful song that uplifts many people to this day. 

“Black Swan” - BTS

Elegant, gorgeous, delightful, and iconic are only a few words that can be used to describe this song. BTS is a well-known seven-member boy group under BigHit Entertainment/HYBE. On March 4, 2020, BTS released their song “Black Swan” to the world. This song is absolutely stunning. Between the angelic singing and graceful dancing, this release shocked us all. The video takes place in a theater and shows a scene of member Jimin with black swan wings. The video was breathtaking, and the instrumental in the beginning is a joy to watch/listen to. 

“Lion Heart” - Girls’ Generation

Girls’ Generation is another SM Entertainment girl group filled with talent. On August 17, 2015, they released their cute, and quirky song “Lion Heart.” This light-hearted video talks about the actions of a man, referring to his actions being the same as a lion. The video is bright and colorful showing each member in a scene with a person in a lion mask. This song will forever remain iconic. Between the song itself, the choreography, and the cinematography, everything about this will go down in history as a K-Pop song to remember.

Edited by Vivian N.