One of the great things I’ve discovered about Kdramas is the music. Kdramas include original soundtracks, many of which feature songs written and/or sung by Kpop artists as well as actors/actresses in the drama. I watched several Kdramas before Boys Over Flowers, but it wasn’t until Boys Over Flowers that I began to appreciate the original soundtrack or OST as they are known. Boys Over Flowers contains one of the best Kdrama OSTs, with most of the songs sung by well-known artists.
One of the great things I’ve discovered about Kdramas is the music. Kdramas include original soundtracks, many of which feature songs written and/or sung by Kpop artists as well as actors/actresses in the drama. I watched several Kdramas before Boys Over Flowers, but it wasn’t until Boys Over Flowers that I began to appreciate the original soundtrack or OST as they are known. Boys Over Flowers contains one of the best Kdrama OSTs, with most of the songs sung by well-known artists.
In Boys Over Flowers, Kim Hyun-joong, stars as Yoon Ji-hoo, a soulful musician. In real life, Kim Hyun-joong is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, actor and former member of the Kpop group, SS501. He wrote and sang several of the songs in Boys Over Flowers, including my personal favorite, Because I’m Stupid. (This video has the lovely acoustic version: Kim Hyun Joong – Because I’m Stupid w/ english sub. – YouTube). Since I enjoyed his voice so much, I immediately searched for more of his work and happily discovered Kim Hyun-joon’s My Sun music video featuring the title song of his latest album.
Kim Hyun-joong My Sun Music Video
- Artist: Kim Hyun-joong
- Producers: Kim Hyun Joong, Park Junhyung (co-producer), Lim Jeongsu (executive producer)
- Label: HENECIA
- Distributer: Sony Music
- Released: February 27, 2023
Kim Hyun-joong released his My Sun album in multiple parts with the title track coming out in February 2023. The music video of the title song, My Sun, is a sensory feast featuring breathtaking visuals that match the ethereal music and lyrics. In my first draft of this review, I tried describing those beautiful visuals. I waxed poetic about the careful placement of sounds and music throughout the video. I dove into the deep meaning behind the lyrics. But, I knew I had missed the mark.
The song is deeply personal for Kim Hyun-joong who says it represents the three “suns” in his life: his father, his son and his supporters (family and fans). In this YouTube video, KIMHYUNJOONG(김현중) 3rd Album ‘MY SUN’ Online Showcase, he broadens the interpretation saying the first verse is for all the parents in the world, the second, for all the children in the world, and the third for his family and fans. It’s not necessary to know this to appreciate the music video, however. The video exquisitely expresses Kim Hyun-joong’s themes without burdening the viewer into fully understanding them.
The first time I watched the My Sun music video, I found myself feeling nostalgic and hopeful at the same time. I quickly realized that the central figures of the video – a boy, a young man, and an old man – convey the seasons in a person’s life. I can relate to that. I have vivid childhood memories of playing with Barbie dolls, Major Matt Mason (which I “borrowed” from my brother), and Clackers (two plastic spheres suspended on a string that you clicked together – not dangerous at all!). At times, that childhood doesn’t seem so long ago. Then I look at my elderly mom, my grown-up daughters, and my little grandson and wonder – where did all that time go? My mom is now the one who needs taking care of. My daughter reads books to her son that I used to read to her. My grandson determinately takes his first steps.
As the first verse of My Sun ends, the chorus begins quietly, ramping up in intensity each time Kim Hyun-joong sings the word “sun”. Somehow, I feel that sun radiating it’s light onto my face as his voice transitions into his powerful falsetto range. The chorus of the second verse is quieter, simpler. The boy starts walking up a hill. He’s replaced by the young man climbing the hill. Finally, Kim Hyun-joong appears and begins the walk up the same hill. It’s a hill those of us who have had the privilege of living a longer life have experienced. It’s a hill that we have climbed and can look back upon. My father, who passed away in his late 30s, didn’t have the chance to look back. I’m thankful that I do. I’m thankful that I have the generation before me and the ones behind to share precious time with. To take care of and be taken care of.
For the final verse of the My Sun music video, Kim Hyun-joong stands on a mesa overlooking a dramatic canyon where the orchestra plays. The camera closes in on him, then cuts to a view of the orchestra as the song builds. My heart swells with the music as I accept Kim Hyun-joong’s dual invitations to remember the past and bring hope for the future. The song reaches its final stanza, Kim Hyun-joong singing his heart out until one of the most beautiful moments in the video emerges. His own harmony becomes an echo of the lyrics: “And I heard this echo, and the triumphant message of the angels. That song for the moon and the sun and for you . . .”
More often than not, I play the video again. Not ready to leave it. Wanting to bathe in that sunlight once more.
