Run Devil Run (Japanese Version)- So Nyeo Shi Dae/ Girls’ Generation

The MV is extremely similar to the Korean version, the sets are just a bit more 3D and the lyrics are a little softer.

Lyrics: 4/5
The Korean version of “Run Devil Run” is very strong and powerful, meant to show off how angry the girls were… This version… It still has power, but the lyrics are a little softer. It sounds like, based on the lyrics, they’ve known the guy is cheating for a long time, and put up with it, but just now are they getting tired. I guess the best analogy I can make is that the original was “Bitch, die in a fire”, and the Japanese version is more “…you jerk.”
“Everything about you is like that, isn’t it?/ just excuses, right?/ You’re a devil, devil you are/ you better run run run run run/ it’s the end for you/ you better run run run run run/ I’ve waited long enough, hey/ you don’t seem to understand/ I said I’ve had enough of your fooling around/ you better run run run run run/ you’re going to suffer in never-before-seen ways/ run devil devil run run/ even my love has it’s limits/ run devil devil run run”

Dance: ?/5
I’m not sure if I should rate it or not, because the choreography is identical to the Korean version. They don’t seem as together as the original though, so whatever score I gave the Korean version for Dance, just take half a point off.

Story: NA
Still no story to this MV. Like I said before, the set is a bit more 3D, with stuff in the background and on the sides. The white and black sets are pretty much mirror images of one another, meant to show off the duplicity I guess. An interesting thing to point out is that the black set doesn’t appear much in the beginning of the MV. It kind of cuts in more and more as the song goes on, like their anger is building. By the end you get most shots in the black.

Other Things

The way I see it is that the Korean “Run Devil Run” was showing off the anger of girls, and this MV is showing off the anger of women. It’s no comment on the members age, everything just seems a bit more… mature? I guess. The outfits play a big part in it. The white outfits are almost copies of the original, but the black ones are more varied and less goth-prom style.

Can I just say Taeyeon rocks the short hair? I’ve been thinking this with all the new SNSD MVs.

Mr. Taxi (Japanese)- So Nyeo Shi Dae/ Girls’ Generation

I’ll warn you now: I don’t have a subbed version of this MV for you. For the purposes of my own collection I subbed the video myself, and thus far I haven’t uploaded it on my YouTube channel. I’ll let you know though if and when I do.

Lyrics: 4/5
It’s an extremely simple song. It almost has the feel of a CF for something, an airline probably (despite the name). The song is about needing to escape. It takes place mostly inside a taxi, the girls telling the driver to keep going and drive quickly. They say they want to show off their new styles everywhere, and also they want to shine without ever being caught by others. Parts of it also sound like they are almost flirting with the driver, telling him to look at them as well.

“Mr. Taxi Taxi Taxi/ I’m going quickly quickly quickly/ at this speed no one can catch me/ Mr. Taxi Taxi Taxi/ I’m going quickly quickly quickly/ I’m shining but no one can touch me/ truly supersonic/ and hyptertonic/ I want you to steal me away/ take me right now/ Mr. Taxi Taxi Taxi/ I’m going quickly quickly quickly/ but it won’t be that easy.”

Dance: 5/5
This has to be the best dance I’ve seen from SNSD. While I really like the “Gee” and “Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)” Dances, this one seems more uniform and just in general well-maintained. The members don’t drop out of sync, despite the fast and complicated nature of the dance. Most of the action is in the arms, and most of it is very fast and sharp.

Story: NA
There is no story at all. Most of the dance is in the same stage, the back wall just changes between a massive LED screen and a map of the world. The solo shots are largely in front of a silver curtain display, but other than that the MV focuses solely on the members and the dance.

Other Things:

They finally seem to remember they have a member named Hyoyeon. She’s got several solo shots in this MV, which is definitely nice to see. Jessica and Tiffany share most of the spotlight, but we get a lot more of Taeyeon, Soohyun and Sunny as well. No offense to the other members, but I really think they push Yoona, Yuri and Jessica too much. It seems like SNSD is those three featuring the other six. Hyoyeon especially seems to get dropped out a lot. I’m glad that, while he solo dance is like two seconds long, she’s in the front center of the group dance break. And they didn’t make her hair look weird for once.

The hair stylist needs to work on Tiffany a bit more. The puffy hair looks good, but when her hair is pulled back or piled up it’s just kind of left to hang straight, and it makes her look too pale and thin, like she’s sick. Tiffany’s face is definitely one of those where her hair needs some volume.

I like Taeyeon’s short style hair, even though now I think she looks more like the maknae (youngest) than Soohyun does ^^

All in all I like this MV. The song is not complicated (I got a bit bored with the lyrics while I was subbing it), but the beat is good, the dance fun to watch, and I like the lyrics (not the translation, that’s what bored me). It’s got the same addictive feeling of  “Tell Me Your Wish”, “Sorry, Sorry” , and “Ring Ding Dong” to the point where I wonder if the Korean version wasn’t written by Yoo Young Jin (the composer of like 99% of SM’s most popular songs).

I don’t like the full body black jumpsuits. Half the members must have lost weight between the MV and when they were fitted, because, especially with Tiffany and Hyoyeon, they seem to fit badly, as if they were made for a bigger person. Though I like that SNSD went a little conservative with them (even if their yellow taxi outfits show off more skin than ever).

Oh, and if Tiffany keeps whipping her hair around like she’s been doing since “Hoot” I think she’s going to give herself whiplash. Just sayin’

Cabi Song- 2PM/So Nyeo Shi Dae

This is an advertisement for Caribbean Bay, a water park in South Korea.

Lyrics: ?/5
It’s exactly what you would expect from an advertisement. It says it’s a hot summer and it’s about a girl and a guy getting closer in the heat. But it doesn’t forget to mention “Cabi”- Caribbean bay.

Dancing: NA
No dancing in this ad.

Story: 5/5
It’s pretty cute actually. Chansung, Taecyeon and Nichkhun of 2PM as well as Yuri, Yoona, and Seohyun of SNSD are lifegards at Caribbean Bay in training. They don’t want to talk to each other and refuse to fraternize, as it is looked down upon, but as the training goes on they start to fall in love, eventually each of them is partnered up. Taecyeon with Yoona, Nichkhun with Yuri, and (predictably) Seohyun and Chansung (both are the youngest of their group). In the end they all come together at a final party and have fun.

Other Things

This is a good MV for male fans of SNSD and female fans of 2PM, as the guys of 2PM are completely shirtless and the girls of SNSD have basically training bras on. Eye candy no matter which group you’re looking at.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen: Eye Candy

In the party scene the other dancers are members of 2PM and SNSD. They all dance the “Cabi Song” choreography together and have fun. Like I said, it’s kind of a cliche advertisement, but I like the little love stories, they add another dimension to the whole thing.

 

Hoot- So Nyeo Shi Dae/Girls’ Generation

This song is brilliant, and I love the girls’ style, but the story in the MV is shaky at best…

Lyrics
Hoot is kind of a watered-down Run Devil Run. It’s talk back to a guy who is being annoying or mean and might be cheating. Run Devil Run had a very “GTFO-or-die” feel, this is kind of like the warm up for it. They’re saying be ready, because I’m coming after you.
“Because of you my heart is wearning armor/ I’ll fight you back now/ your arrows are trouble, trouble trouble/ you aimed at me/ you shoot shoot shoot/ i hoot hoot hoot/ your poisonous words gave me scars/ but I gave you a second chance/ like I expected/ you’re trouble trouble trouble/ you sought the right time/ you shoot shoot shoot/ i hoot hoot hoot”

Dancing
The dance follows the lyrics pretty strongly. It’s got this weird hands on stomach move that looks a little awkward, but from what I see the members of SNSD are all perfectly in sync and look great. The scenes where they are divided into groups of three are a bit awkward, the members don’t see to have a strong idea of what they’re supposed to be doing, their choreography or their own thing.

Story: kind of/5
There is supposed to be a story in the MV, but there isn’t really one. It starts with Super Junior’s Siwon following some criminal into an old house with his gun drawn (he’s supposed to be 007 or something). The members dance goes on behind the walls where he can’t see, and in the end he manages to catch up with the criminal. The members clothes are all 007-era (mod squad) get-ups. I think there are too many shots of the members dancing, so you really don’t get a story, just a partial one.

Other Things

The song’s pace is brilliant. The music and singing pitch are all based around the classic James Bond type music. It has a great beat and I’m sure this will do wonderfully.

This gets it’s own paragraph: Tiffany should burn that blond wig. And it’s good that Jessica is finally back to at least a kind of shade of brown. She doesn’t stand out as much and it gives the other members some turn in the spotlight.

There is a pretty even cover of the members in the MV, except for Hyoyeon. They really need to give her more face time. She gets the least in every MV, since debut.

S.E.O.U.L. Song- Super Junior and So Nyeo Shi Dae/ Girls’ Generation

This song was a duet between the two groups. It was made for the Seoul Tourism Board, who named both groups Tourism Ambassadors for the city. The MV features Super Junior members Leeteuk, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Ryeowook, Donghae, Kyuhyun, Yesung and Shindong and So Nyeo Shi Dae members Taeyeon, Sunny, Jessica, Sooyoung, and Seohyun.

Lyrics
The song is definitely an add for the city. It calls Seoul the city where dreams come true. Each person sings of being lost without purpose and finding themselves in the city.
“Yes! Feel the world full of hope/ Yes! Towards that high future over there/ S-E-O-U-L call it with me/ the beautiful world that makes my dreams come true/ the place where joy overflows wherever I go/ I love  you/ S-E-O-U-L shout it with me/ the happiness that can laugh/ happiness/ we make a world where everything becomes one”

Dancing
There is no dancing for this song

Story: 5/5
There is a story in this MV, actually a few. The members of Super Junior and SNSD are paired up, forming mini-stories of their own about finding love in Seoul. Sungmin and Jessica have the smallest story as photographers who go around the city taking pictures of the people and places. Shindong plays a police officer who is in love with elementary teacher Sunny. He tries to attract her by doing his best to help her keep the kids safe and in check on a field trip. The kids help him to confess his feelings to her. Maknae (youngest member) line Kyuhyun and Seohyun form a love story as well. Seohyun is a worker for a company who is sent out to dance around a park in their mascot costume. Kyuhyun is a caricature artist who works in the same space. He falls for her and draws her picture. She also has a crush on him. When she takes off her mask for  a break she sees him coming over, puts it on (backwards) and flees. The next day he draws a picture of her face. When she is walking home he is standing with a helmet similar to hers on, also backwards, and a heart backpack to represent how he has a crush on her. The final story is acted out with three members: Super Junior Leader Leeteuk and member Siwon, and SNSD leader Taeyeon. Taeyeon and Leeteuk are friends. Taeyeon has a crush on Siwon, who she sees running on the same jogging path every day. She wants to talk to him, but can’t keep up with him to even say “Hi”. Leeteuk teaches her to ride a bike so she can keep up. She can never get a hold of the balance, but you see her finally ride after Siwon and the two start a conversation and date. It is revealed Leeteuk put training wheels on her bike.

Other Interesting Things
I love the little stories in this MV. Each of them is really cute. Super Junior members Yesung, Eunhyuk, and Ryeowook do not appear in more than small shots, and really Ryeowook is still beating them with his solo shots walking through the city. Super Junior member Donghae and SNSD member Sooyoung have a kind of mini-story going, but they are not a couple. Donghae is a stall owner and Sooyoung has a shop of her own. Each rests and takes happiness from dancing, but they are never together, so there isn’t really a story with them.

Kissing You- So Nyeo Shi Dae/ Girls’ Generation

Another ultra cute SNSD song. This one came early on in their career.

Lyrics:
The song is typical SNSD- cute. It’s about wanting to walk with the boy you love and wanting to be with them. It is kind of like a confession of love, but I think a lot of it is later on in the relationship just letting them know you still love them.
“We walk while matching our feet/ holding our hands/ I want to lean on your shoulder/ and tell you/ “Thank you, I love you/ I will only give you happiness”/ kissing you, oh my love/ tomorrow you are lying next to me in the warm sun/ When I sing you a love song you smile/ the sweet and happy words/ “I love you””

Dancing:
Again, typical SNSD cuteness. It is a very light dance and very cute.

Story:
There isn’t much of a story to the music video , it is just cute

Other Interesting Things
Ok, brilliant casting here! You may have noticed the boy in the song, and he might look familiar. That is Super Junior member Donghae. His cute image fit the song perfectly and the shots of him just goofing off with the members was great. He really fits well with SNSD here. But his appearance also promotes Super Junior, as some of those dances he does are from Super Junior songs. Fans will immediately pick up on the hip thrust from “U” (it was a famous part of the dance that carried over into the Super Junior M version) as well as the stomp from “Don’t Don”. Don’t believe me? Watch those Super Junior music videos then watch his dance again.

The song was performed with the members holding over-sized candy, just like in the MV, it keeps their cute image and kind of stuck them under it until “Run Devil Run”.

Ok, I really like the style of this music video… Except Hyoyeon’s hair. For those of you who don’t know the names she is the one with the horrible pigtails. Seriously, I don’t know where that hairstyle came from~

Gee- So Nyeo Shi Dae/ Girls’ Generation

This song is legendary. It is really amazing how much popularity it gained! SNSD, who were already extremely popular before it’s release, gained even more fans with this song. It is *still* winning them awards and is at the top of charts. Think of it as the “Sorry, Sorry” of SNSD (same songwriter in fact).

Lyrics
The song is about wondering if they should confess to the boy they love. It talks about their shyness and their nervousness around the boy. The lyrics are very cute and innocent.
“What do I do about my trembling heart?/ my heart kept thumping/ so I couldn’t fall asleep at night/ I guess I’m a fool/ A fool that knows only you/ Yes when I look at you/ so bright so bright my eyes are blinded/ no no no no no/ so surprised surprised I’m shocked/ oh oh oh oh oh/ so exciting exciting my body is trembling/ gee gee gee gee gee/ your glittering eyes/ this sweet aroma”

Dancing
I think, just like with Sorry Sorry, the dance is partly to blame for it’s intense popularity and it’s ability to get stuck in your head for a long time. The dance is extremely cute and it combines a lot of popular cute movements and gestures into the dance. Just watch it, you’ll see. Even though I am a girl I have to admit the dance is adorable.

Story: 2/5
Don’t get me wrong, it’s adorable and I think it works perfectly with the music video, but if you watch the story for content you’ll realize it makes no sense whatsoever. The story starts out with Minho, employee of the month at a boutique, arranging 9 mannequins carefully before leaving work for the night. After he leaves the mannequins come to life. I think the song is supposed to be their love for the boy who has been taking care of him, as they are often swarmed around his picture on the wall. They spend the night wandering around the store and trying on different clothes to be cuter for him. They start to get back in place, but decide to leave. In the morning Minho returns to find the mannequins gone and sees their writing (Gee) all over the blackboard. He smiles and leans against the wall. See? you don’t notice when you are watching the video that it makes no sense.

Other Interesting Things
As I said directly above the story features future SHINee member Minho (they had not yet debuted at the time).

This song became infamous in Asia. I think a lot of the promotion for this song came maybe not from SNSD itself but from boy groups. The song’s cute nature and easy dance made it perfect for them to mimic and sing along to. I will write a Rant on it for the list of people who have mimicked it. There are seriously that many! See “Rant   #9- Gee”.

I like this music video. There is nothing complicated to it, it’s very simple and cute, like the song.

Bad Oppa- So Nyeo Shi Dae/ Girls Generation

This is only sung by members Jessica, Seohyun and Tiffany. A translation note: the word “oppa” is a Korean term girls use to refer to boys older than them. It translates to “older brother”, but it is used for brothers and elder male friends. In the English subbed MV they use the word “Unni”, that is pretty much the same as “oppa”, except it is what a korean girl uses to refer to an elder girl. Literally it means “Big sister”, but the alternative is “Auntie”, which refers to MUCH older women (like 10+ years), so that is why it translates to “woman”.

The English subbed MV is also set to Karaoke, meaning it highlights the words they are saying. In Korean the word order is different than English, that is why the words are highlighted in reverse of how they are said in English.

Lyrics:
Good god this song is depressing! Seriously, emotionally unstable people shouldn’t listen! It is about being desperately in love with a man, and he knows they are, but yet he will not go out with them or give them a chance. It is a slow and mournful song, ballad style. I love sad songs though so this one is really good, but it is severely depressing, just a heads up.
“Is it that hard to eat with me once?/ you said you forgot her/ you said you’re alone/ then why are you meeting her?/ Am I still not it?/ Am I still not enough?/ just trust me once/ I could do better”

Dancing: NA
This song was shot specifically for something, I can’t remember if it was an OST or an advertisement, but there is no dancing.

Story: NA
No story beyond the lyrics, sorry. The words lend themselves to a really good story, but I think the decision to have only solo shots of the three conveys the emotion of the song better than a story would.

Other Interesting Things
There are no sets for this MV. The members sang in front of a green screen and the backgrounds are very simple, and either pink, orange or green. They are very light and simple, no bright colors, and no sharp lines. Each member is wearing a simple white dress on top of all this, so it is a very light MV, which makes it sadder somehow~

Baby Baby- So Nyeo Shi Dae/ Girls Generation

I think at some point every group does an informal MV for their fans, and this is SNSD’s.

Lyrics:
The song is about wanting to confess to someone how much you love them and about how much they have done for you. The song is very cute and child-like. Part of it is the confession itself, while part is telling the boy he has to accept their heart because they love him. Before you think it: I know the English translation is kind of awkward, it’s a clean song, I promise.
“Please baby baby baby/ you are inside me/ you came in so deep/ afraid you might see/ my bashful confession/ baby baby baby/ going to you cautiously/ in a small voice I will only let you hear”

Dancing: NA
You don’t actually see any dancing that goes with this song specifically, I’ll explain in the “Story” part.

Story: NA
There isn’t a story to this MV. It is an informal music video for SNSD’s fans, who shot them to fame in a truly remarkable span of time (Within a year they were among the top groups in Korea and are known as the “Living Legends” of girl groups, even though they are only 3 years old). The music video is compiled with behind the scenes shots from the music videos of “Into the New World”, “Girls Generation”, and “Kissing You”. There are also shots of photoshoots and the backstage for their debut song. It is very informal and cute.

Other Interesting Things
Like I’ve been saying, it isn’t a normal music video, so I can’t really say anything here. It is shots of SNSD working together and having fun from before their debut to the filming of their first three music videos.

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.