When I became interested in Korea in the late 90s, K-pop was barely a thing, and the Korean Wave (Hallyu 한류) was just getting started. Today, K-pop is the reason many people visit Seoul or learn Korean. And although pop isn’t my genre of choice, I’m not immune to a great melody or some precision dancing. The following songs were impossible to avoid on the streets of Seoul and ended up fixed in my memory.
These are the favorite K-pop songs of a person who doesn’t listen to K-pop:
Wonder Girls - Nobody
I prefer the Korean version, but as is common in K-pop, the chorus is in English. Skip to two minutes in for the start of the song.
Son Dambi (손담비) ft. Eric - Crazy (미쳤어)
This song features a catchy Korean chorus and an infamously risque chair dance. Just try not to sing along, ‘내가 미쳤어 정말 미쳤어…’
Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra
The dancing in this is hypnotic.
Super Junior - Sorry Sorry
Another great video for choreography, and it might be the most likely to get stuck in your head - although good luck repeating it accurately.
Girls’ Generation - Gee
This is bubbly, poppy stuff.
Sistar - Ma Boy
Another one that might have you attempting the dance moves.