Review Update- Confession of a Friend- 2AM

I’ve lost all respect for JYP

Watching the MV again I noticed that, when JoKwon has his long solo shot, in the background amongst the newspapers in GIANT CAPITAL LETTERS it says “Again & Again” AKA- 2PM’s song released around the same time.

NO WHORING ONE GROUPS SONG IN ANOTHER MV! It’s fine if the male actor for the MV was a member of 2PM, but using 2AM as an advertisement for 2PM like that is just ANNOYING.

2AM- This Song

This isn’t a real MV, but it was released as one, so I’ll review it. I’ll explain in “Other Things” why it isn’t really an MV.

Lyrics: 7/5
I absolutely LOVE the translation for this one~ It’s about a boy who wants to give everything to the girl he loves. He wants to give her expensive gifts and buy her pretty clothes, but he has nothing to offer her. He begs her to stay with him and talks about how much he loves her and how he would do anything for her sake. He says that no matter how much she says it is alright to have just him, and even if she says she is happy every day and wants nothing more, he still wishes he could give her more and thinks she deserves better than him. I like it because the guy is saying he has nothing for the girl except a song, and puts himself down constantly, but he still begs her to stay with him. It’s sad and happy at the same time.
“The only thing I can give you is this song/ all I have is this voice/ even if this amuses you/ I’ll still sing/ I hope you’ll accept it”

Dance: NA
2AM = No dancing

Story: NA
Not even sets in this one!

Other Things

OK, this is why it isn’t a real MV: It has very little content filmed specifically for an MV. This song shows footage from the members trainee days, the hardships they endured and just everything they went through. It also shows them immediately after their debut. There is particularly a lot of shots of JoKwon, who trained for 7 years, far longer than anyone else. It chronicles their work up to and immediately after debut. There is also a congratulatory and encouraging message from another singer who entered JYP around the same time as JoKwon but debuted first (I’m not sure what her name is).

I like this informal MV style. Every group needs one. It kind of feels like it changes the meaning of the song from one of love to a message for their fans. Saying that they want to give their fans everything but all they can give them right now is a song.

You Won’t Return My Calls- 2AM

This is an amazing music video, I think my favorite for 2AM ^^

Lyrics
The song is about a relationship ending. It is a lot like Super Junior’s “She’s Gone”, but it takes place after the girl walked away. They are not willing to let go, but say they will wait in front of her door for her to appear again. Think 2PM’s “I’ll Be Back”, but once all the hope is gone.
“You who won’t answer my calls anymore/ you who doesn’t want to see me at all/ no matter how I beg for forgiveness/ there is already no point/ waiting by your door/ even if you pretend you can’t see me/ brushing past my shoulder/ like you are seeing a stranger for the first time/ waiting until you are willing to hear me say sorry”

Dancing
2 AM is a ballad group, they don’t dance.

Story: 5/5
The story is incredible, but it really doesn’t go with the music video at all. You see Seulong sitting miserably on the floor of his apartment, rolling couple rings in a box and listening to the phone ring. The calendar in front of him says the 25th is his 1 year anniversary with his girlfriend. He finally picks up the phone and is shocked to hear her voice confirming their anniversary plans. He asks her where she is and she tells him to not be late. He runs to her apartment to see a police line and the cake a decorations she bought lying on the floor. The cops push him away and seat him in a lounge. He immediately calls his girlfriend, who is still alive and still waiting for him to arrive. He screams desperately for her to stay inside and not open the door at all, but she hears a knock and leaves. He keeps screaming at her to stop. Eventually you get a confirmation of what you’ve probably figured out: the calendar behind her says “October 25”, all the others say “October 26”, so I guess in this context the song is more about missing someone who died?

Other Things
Even if the story is a bit tired I really like how it fit together.

The actress playing Seulong’s girlfriend looks way older than him. Not tons, but he looks 24 and she looks 32. There is nothing wrong with that, but it’s just kind of a slanted pairing.

A note on the style: why did the stylist feel the need to give EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of 2AM the exact same haircut??? JoKwon’s ears stick out weird when his hair is like that.

I Can’t Let You Go (Even if I Die)- 2AM

This was the first 2AM MV I ever saw, and I must say I like it. It’s simple, and a bit abstract at parts, but overall it’s good.

Lyrics: 5/5
I really like songs like this one. It’s about going through a breakup and begging the girl to just say it was all a lie. If she can’t do that, it is begging her to return to them their hearts so that they can move on themselves.
“That’s why I/ Can’t let you go even if I die/ how can I let you go?/ if you’re going to go/ if you’re going to leave/ then fix my heart/ so that i can/ live without any pain/ if you don’t do this/ I can’t live at all/ I can’t let you go even if I die”

Dancing: what the hell?/5
This is a ballad group WHY DO THEY HAVE BACKUP DANCERS?! They don’t even dance! The mimic the member’s hand movements as they sing! This is where I think the MV is too ridiculous, those backup dancers have absolutely no purpose and you wouldn’t even notice if they weren’t there.

Story: NA
There isn’t really a story to the MV. You see each member in a different set to represent their loneliness. One is kneeling on the ground in the rain, one lying on a field of grass, one in an old abandoned house, and one standing in the snow on his balcony.

Other Interesting Things
This MV is exceptionally simple, but I really love it. There is nothing complex in the shots and nothing particularly new or inventive, but it looks good.

It is seriously bothering me that there are backup dancers in this song, they are truly pointless.

Behind-The-Scenes Programs

You know how almost every MV has a behind-the-scenes video? Well, several of the MVs I’ve reviewed here were filmed in time with an entire show. These shows offer behind the scenes content you don’t usually find, and so I thought I’d recommend them to you. Most of these are for music videos by 2AM or 2PM, but there is an SNSD in there as well.

Dirty Eyed Girls: Abracadabra
Group(s): 2AM and 2PM
Program: Wild Bunny
This music video was actually filmed FOR a program specifically. 2PM was set to film a new kind of show called “Wild Bunny”. This reality show allowed the members to let go of their idol image and do what they want. Their first mission in the show was to break out of their dorm in the middle of the night and just go have fun. The second mission was to do a photoshoot completely controlled by the group so that they could take whatever pictures they wanted without having to worry about their images. The show was filmed during a period of time in which members were taking time off for their vacations as they got ready to release their new album. During the filming of one episode 4 members were gone. This left the remaining 3 lost about what to film, they just knew they would have to film something to take up an hour long broadcast. In the end they decided to call brother group 2AM and film anything they could with them. Upon meeting with 2AM members Seulong and JoKwon, the 2PM members talked them into forming some kind of new group. They decided to record a song and after much arguing they settled on the Brown Eyed Girls “Abracadabra”. Those of you who have seen the MV they filmed as a result know it is nothing like the original, so this show chronicles how the idea got from a simple concept to what is known internationally as “The Gay Chinese Stripper Music Video” (seriously, if someone can explain to me where they got “Chinese” from that would be great!).

You have to wait until the last couple of minutes of this clip for the behind the scenes to start. The beginning is the end of a mission the members had in which they had to play 100 pranks against member Taecyeon in one day.

We Fell in Love
Group(s): 2AM’s JoKwon and Brown Eyed Girls Gain (pronounced gah-een)
Program: We Got Married
This song was made as a duet for the popular couple. It was initially written by JoKwon, but that version was scrapped and they started from scratch with the composer and lyricist of “Abracadabra” as well as Brown  Eyed Girls member Jea. The song was released as a single with the jacket design having been based off a Polaroid picture the couple took when they were sent to the mountains to ski. The song became very popular and all proceeds from it were donated to charity. A note on what you will see in the video: Jea, the composer, and the lyricist are all working hard to insult JoKwon and make him feel unwelcome. They are not against him personally or anything. When Gain went to meet JoKwon’s group mates earlier in the show they teased Gain and did whatever they could to stress her out. This is their turn to get even for Gain.

The Day I Confessed
Group: 2AM’s JoKwon
Program: We Got Married
This song was written by JoKwon for Gain on the show. It made it’s first appearance as a joke when the couple was given their first real home. On the show each couple is given a house they are to move their things into and once a week they must sleep in the house and act as a real married couple. JoKwon and Gain became an instant hit when they were not given an apartment as their first home, but a shipping container with some drywall put up on the inside. The “house” would be trucked out to wherever they were filming. After several weeks they were given an actual apartment and to celebrate JoKwon decided to write a song. The song was forgotten and reappeared when the couple was again moved, this time into a luxurious apartment (they have one of the nicest homes ever to appear on the show). JoKwon had continuously worked on the song and recorded a demo to his iPod. Recently the song has resurfaced once again, this time finished. It is also known as the “Moving Song”. After watching an early form of the song on a program, SHINee members helped to promote it by singing just a bit of the song during the filming of “Hello Baby”, though they did not introduce it. The song’s constant appearance has fueled the rumors that the couple is actually dating. They have been questioned by their fellow members, members of other groups, fans, their company presidents, and other couples on the show, but they never say one way or the other. On the program JoKwon has said numerous times he is not against the idea of dating should it arise, while Gain has said the same thing.

The first appearance

A second mini-appearance

Then it’s third appearance after the move

And the finished product

And as a bonus- the “I Hate Nichkhun” version

I Can’t Let You Go (Even If I Die)
Group: 2AM
Program: We Got Married
This is not a behind the scenes so much as an evil prank. JoKwon was filming the MV when he usually would be filming We Got Married. He decided to invite wife Gain to the set, then conspired with members of 2AM to turn the heat up. They told him he wasn’t being forward enough and gave some (really bad) advice. Together they came up with a plan to create the first kiss between Gain and JoKwon (couples on the show don’t actually kiss, this is considered the main evidence that they are actually dating). Gain was invited to the set of the MV as a guest appearance. She would be the girl in the MV, who JoKwon had to catch leaving, pin against a wall, and kiss. But the two’s nerves made them film over and over again. Did he ever actually get around to kissing her, or did she figure out what was up? See for yourself~

I Was Wrong
Group: 2AM
Program: 2AM Day
This show was a very informal one that followed the group 2AM as they filmed the story MV for their new song, released the song, and held their first live performance. It was only 4 episodes long. The key behind this show was that there were no camera crews or staff at all during the filming: everything was filmed by the members of 2AM on a digital camera they owned. These home videos were collected for the filming. The content is not exclusively the music video however. Members filmed themselves visiting family, filming dramas, taking baths (you don’t see anything but his face), and just sitting in the car making faces. It really is a hilarious program.

Into the New World
Group: So Nyeo Shi Dae (SNSD)
Program: Girls Go to School
This program follows SNSD as they prepare for their 2007 debut. You see the members move into their first dorm together and film their music video, the show ends just after their official debut performance. In the first episode of the show visiting Super Junior members Leeteuk and Shindong help SNSD to throw a party their first night in their dorms. Shindong then says he will arrange for the members to see a filming of any show they want. He makes a few calls and gets them as spectators for the show School of Rock, a program where a band is brought secretly to a school for a guerrilla concert. After the first recording however they are informed the program staff was uncomfortable with their presence as spectators and that SNSD is formally invited to be a warm-up band who performs while the band that is going to be filmed is preparing. Most of the show is SNSD at various School of Rock tapings, eventually being the main themselves. Each episode is narrated by Super Junior member Sungmin and Super Junior makes an appearance in every episode somewhere. This was to show support for SNSD as their younger sister group as well as to help draw viewers to the show. It was filmed shortly after the 2007 Super Junior car accident and so member Kyuhyun is one of the only ones who does not appear in the filming.

I Was Wrong- 2 AM

I can’t speak highly enough on this MV. I really can’t. What was lacking in “A Friends Confession” (a showcase of the members extreme talent) is completely made up for here, and then some. I love everything about this MV~ even if the lyrics are a little confusing at first when put with the story.

Lyrics: 6/5
This song gets an extra point for breaking the usual mold of 2 AM. I’ll do their Artist Profile in just a little bit, but they are a ballad group. They don’t do fast songs. This is the first time they have EVER done a dance song, and it turned out really great. It is a blend of dance and ballad, and kind of straddles the line, which sounds awesome! The song is a message to a girl (as all guy-group songs are). It is almost an apology, but an accusation as well. The girl was playing them, and they did not notice. The ballad side of the song sounds like they are apologizing for not noticing they were being played, while the dance side of the song is… not angry, but upset with the girl for playing them.
“You say “I’m sorry” for only that moment/ You say “I’ll change” for only that moment/ my heart is in pa-pa-pain, it hurts/ but I can’t help but repeating/ I did you wrong, wrong, wrong/ your words were so, so, so sweet that/ I didn’t realize you were playing with me, me, me/ with your words, words, words everyday/ baby you~ breaking my heart/ baby you~ hurting my heart/ I want to stop this/ I know this is wrong/ but I keep going back to you”

Dancing: 10/5
Though you don’t see it in the MV, this song is actually choreographed lightly. Again, it is getting points for being a novelty for the group. I’m adding a video of a live performance so you can see what I’m talking about, but there is an element to the dance I’ve never seen before, and I think it was a stroke of pure genius. Each member is assigned one of the groups customary 4 backup dancers (though why a ballad group has backup dancers I swear I’ll never know). These dancers dress completely in black from head to toe, and act as shadows or puppet masters to the boys. It carries over the theme of them being controlled by the girl, but the shadows look really awesome. There is also a part in the song where the shadows grab the back of the members pants and brace them while the members just lean far forwards. It looks really amazing~ One thing though- the “Sorry Sorry” hand motion did not go unnoticed! The choreographer was a genius, but I guarantee you that it was not the same guy as “Sorry Sorry”, he shouldn’t be referencing choreography from not only a different group, but a different group from a different entertainment company entirely.

Story: 9/5
I can’t praise this MV high enough. While there are MVs I personally like more, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this MV, dance, or story, and it’s a refreshing new direction for the group. The story is sad as hell though. There is actually 2 parts to the MV, each about 6 minutes long, and it forms an overarching pictures. I don’t think the song goes with the second part at all, but remember when I said the song is half apologetic, half angry? You can think of Part 1 of the MV as the anger, and Part 2 as the apology I guess. The song actually doesn’t appear in most of the second MV, so it isn’t as confusing. I think like half the chorus appears.

So here is the story: These four members used to be best friends and classmates with the girl. They all had crushes on her, and all of them were inseparable. Eventually though they all became jealous of one another, thinking the girl loved one of the others. Eventually the girl moved away, and the friends hated one another for this imagined betrayal. They all fell out of their lives and lost interest. One abandoned his hockey team, one lost interest in basketball, one road his motorcycle alone, and one threw himself into his work as a DJ. Each became detached from their lives and dreams. It is college now, and suddenly one day the girl appears in their classroom, as a new student. Slowly she pulls herself back in to the members lives, and the old jealousy returns. They finally break down and fight one another, until she comes in and screams for them to stop. She then patches up each one and leaves. And they start to realize their mistake. In the beginning of Part 2 you see that the next day they met her all together in the hall of the university, each holding cattails (which they had in a flashback when they were all little kids and friends). At the end of Part 1 you see the girl unconscious, and each member first alone in the club, hockey ring, basketball court, and parking lot, disconnected. Then you see them all together with the girl, posing for a picture, but the girl is in a robe.

Part 2 explains the whole issue. You see what she did for each member. She took a ride with the motorcycle boy. She played basketball with the basketball player. She went to the club with the DJ, and she went ice skating with the hockey player. But when he skates away from her and turns back to see her, she is unconscious on the ice. That is when the whole story is revealed. The girl was diagnosed with cancer, inoperable. She was growing weaker, and wanted to see her friends again, that is why she transferred. She repairs each of their relationships with one another, teaches them to live their lives again. The members find out after she collapses on the ice. They all visit their hangouts alone, in shock over the news. Then they get an urgent text to come to the hospital. The girl has them help her make an escape, and they spend the day together with her at a park. Then she dies. After her death you see each member find a way to move on and go back to living their old lives, what the girl wanted for them. The basketball player returns to his team. The hockey player does likewise. The DJ goes back to studying so that he can do what he wants, and the motor cycle rider switches to a bike, and stops ditching school (plus he starts wearing his uniform again).

Other Interesting Things
The story in the MV is really tragic and sad~ like you couldn’t get that from the description, right?

Seriously, this MV is a whole new 2 AM, almost like they were a different group entirely. It’s really impressive to see such a change.

One teasing thing though: You see the lives of the members and girl as if they were all the same age and always together. Well, in real life the members ages range across 5 years between the eldest and youngest. So they actually all wouldn’t be in college or class the same time~ but let’s ignore that!

To the hairdresser: this change actually happened in “I Can’t Let You Go (Even if I Die)”, the song immediately prior to this one, but I’m really glad Jinwoon (the basketball player) got rid of that weird curly hair. It didn’t suit him very well. He looks hotter now!

Here is the promised clip of the live so you can see the dancing for yourself.

Abracadabra- Dirty Eyed Girls

This is the official parody MV for Brown Eyed Girls “Abracadabra” music video. However, this is the unofficial review of it. Since it is a parody MV I’m not going to rate it on the normal standards. Just know I love this MV and highly recommend it.

I think it needs a little explanation. Members of 2PM filmed a show called “Wild Bunny” which was supposed to show the idols in an environment where they can just be themselves. Each episode had a loose goal, but wasn’t scripted and mostly just went with whatever the members were doing. I personally think it was a brilliant show, and it’s hilarious.

Anyways, the show was filmed when the members got to go on vacations, and so not all the members are in every single episode (but most episodes have all 7 members). At one point 4 members were gone, so they decided to record a song for fun and talked two members of their brother group 2 AM into helping out.

It became a mission from the show: they had to record their own music video entirely and it would be posted on youtube, the mission would only be a success if it got 100,000 views in a month (it got around 700,000). 2 AM member JoKwon came up with the idea not of re-doing Abracadabra, but of re-writing the lyrics as well. They changed the name to “Dirty Eyed Girls” and proceeded.

A choreographer helped them to learn the dance moves briefly, and one of the sexy moves ended up being the punishment for loosing a game (the shot in which members are stroking Chansung and he is laughing). They also had to come up with their own costumes, and gave that chore to “Fashion Terrorist” Taekyung. In the original MV each member had their own color that represented them, and he tried to stick to that, which ended up with each member looking like a gay stripper. The MV was also directly mostly by the members.

During filming the director requested the members turn around so they could get a shot of the dance from the back. When the members were turned around they brought in the Brown Eyed Girls, who danced a scene with the members (after they got over the horrible shock of the girls being there). The video was released online and gained massive popularity not with fans of Brown Eyed Girls or 2P/Am, but with foreign audiences. The video, members of 2PM revealed, became known as the “Gay Chinese Stripper” version of Abracadabra. I personally don’t see the “Chinese” part, but the “Gay” and “Stripper” makes perfect sense!

Lyrics: 5/5
They sound horrible, but the lyrics are really funny. One translation note: Whenever they say anything about Italy or the “Italy Towel” they are referring to member Chansung (the guy in the black mesh tank-top), it is his nickname. I have no clue why~
“Every night I dirty/ clean please clean!!!/ Every night I dirty/ clean please clean!!!/ soap soap bring me some soap/ I will use anything to clean/ I will clean my armpit hair/ I will use the soap to clean my underwear~ yeah/ I will clean everything, I will clean my own body”

Other Interesting Things
Half the awkward shots in the MV were chosen by whoever lost a bet while filming.

There is a shot with 3 of the missing members of 2PM, who returned the day of filming the MV and came to the set. When they arrived the members fled and tried to lock themselves in the dressing room.

You can watch how this entire thing was made on “Wild Bunny”, i’ll post a link to the first of the episodes where they begin with creating the concept for this. I highly recommend watching, it explains a lot in the MV…

A member of Brown Eyed Girls and the pink member of Dirty Eyed Girls are a couple on the show “We Got Married”. When they met he was hiding his face and as a clue to her as to the identity of her “husband” (they must act as a real couple, and many fans, their companies, and group members all believe they are secretly dating) he danced the Abracadabra dance. She guessed immediately who it was.

Here is the “Making of”. The MV concept comes out near the end. The beginning segments are the end of an experiment they did on member Taekyung. Since he left for his vacation to the US first and came back, they decided to challenge themselves. If they managed to play 100 pranks on him in 1 day without him figuring out what they were doing, they would win a prize.

A Friends Confession- 2AM

When the group “One Day” was disbanded (almost immediately after being announced) they were split into two groups: 2AM and 2PM. While 2PM got most of the members and focuses on the hip-hop style of music, 2AM is strictly a ballad group, singing emotional songs.

Lyrics: 4/5
The song is about always being there for the girl as her friend and helping her whenever her boyfriend hurt her. However, it is pleading to the girl to realize that the one who comforts her all the time is the one who truly loves her. The song is a confession of love and a plea for her to accept it. The singing is brilliant, but I took a point off because the song is rather simplistic, and it follows the trend of most ballad songs released at the same time: Secretly being in love with your friend and begging them to see you.
“I’d rather protect you/ though I don’t know if it’ll make it better/ this time I’ll hold you/ and love you, that’s what I thought/ Baby, come to me now/ and be my lady/ I’ve watched you for so long/ I just stood there not saying a word/ and hiding my pitiful heart/ as a friend,  to remain as friends, I had to push/ the confession down my throat/ but I’ll confess to you now/ I love you”

Dance: NA
As 2AM is a ballad group, they do not dance in their songs beyond some coordinated hand motions.

Picking the girl up after she was thrown down on a rainy street

Story: 5/5
The MV takes place with the members standing near the camera looking into the room where they watch the girl fight with her boyfriend, him hurt her in some way, then her sitting crying on the couch. The members come in and sit next to her or put their hands on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. The background acting is subtle so as to avoid drawing focus from the MV and is simple enough that it is quite easy to follow without getting confused.

Overall: 4/5
The MV to me is just OK. It doesn’t really showcase the members vocals with the song, and some of the shots feel too crowded. Also, the dark set and the dark clothes make it difficult to see the members sometimes.

Other Interesting Things
I don’t really have anything to say about this MV, it is simple and there are no surprises or particularly inventive set/costume/lighting/or camera shots used. It’s a good MV, but not one that is particularly memorable over other songs of it’s type. The 2 AM boys did a great job, and their performance is perfect, but I don’t think it is the best MV out there.