Gloating

[koganbot]

Today's Billboard Korea K-pop Hot 100 chart:

1
Bar Bar Bar
Crayon Pop
1 2 6
First heard the song thanks to David Frazer posting it here. Odds are you first heard it from me.

"Bar Bar Bar," live on June 8:

Click to view

Not that I'm any kind of great prognosticator. This is me on June 27: "'Bar Bar Bar' enters the Gaon Chart at 143, three lower than

Comments

[koganbot]

I'm glad you mentioned the '80s; I'm surprised that no one else I've seen has, since one of my first thoughts when I heard "Bar Bar Bar" was that it could have emerged from Los Angeles circa 1980. Of course, as Kuhn points out, in looking back at anything it's easy to unconsciously interpolate later elements. So I haven't really reexamined 1980 to test whether I'm right, or if I were to take a psycho-teleporter back to my 1980-consciousness some element of "Bar Bar Bar" would jump out as strange and novel in comparison to what I was expecting from power pop. And of course, some of that '80s power pop was self-consciously recalling the '60s (which is why I referenced Townshend and Davies over on the Jukebox comment thread).

Speaking of 1980s, a recent throwback you might like more is Baek Ji Young's "떠올라" (which pop!gasa translates as "Remember"; a lot of YouTubers call it "Reminded of You"):

The lyrics could have come from the same heartbreak and hate that are all over her ballads, but the music is far more lively.

Naturally enough, David and I hear the track as freestylish.