Here it is, the one song that made me fall for him.
I really love everything about this performance: the song itself, Dong Ha's voice of course, the instrumentation with the brass band, his tacky yellow jacket with huge red feathered flower, the tacky glittery dancers, and how he is poking gentle fun at the original singer, imitating his gestures on stage. At the same time, Dong Ha is making this song his own, because he is not singing it in trot style, I don't think.
o o o
The first time I heard the word "trot", and the meaning of it, was after Miki returned from Korea in February 2014.
We were at some point talking about k-pop, and I told him how amazed I was about the fact that the pop music in Korea is so modern, so contemporary, so fantastic to listen to, so rich and versatile, for such a small country. Because, I had just started discovering it all - which culminated in the discovery of Jung Dong Ha - shortly before Miki came back!!!!
It's true that Miki had told me about the contemporary k-pop, and how it was gaining popularity around the world, even before he went to Korea, 2 years earlier! Somehow I had not taken it in, and forgot.
One year passed, and perhaps it was because of the sudden explosive popularity of "Gangnam Style" by PSY, and his visit to USA, and his many performances on US TV programs, that I went on to research k-pop more. From there, I was blown away by Lee Seung Chul's 25th Anniversary stadium concert, and many others.
Then, I got hooked on Immortal Song2. I was in awe of all the talented singers and musicians. I told Miki how big a surprise it was for me.
o o o
With laughter, I described to him what my idea of Korean songs had been until now, and how wrong I I had been. But then, Miki said "Oh, but they do sing like that, there are songs like that - it's a special style of singing, and it's called trot. It's popular, too." And he then showed me some videos on You Tube with pure trot singing. That was a little too much on the Asian folk music style, with mostly older people performing. I wasn't very enchanted.
o o o
So what does Jung Dong Ha have to do with it? Other than having sang that one song on the TV competition? Well there is a little bit more connection. Enough connection to justify a post about trot, on this blog dedicated to Jung Dong Ha.
One is, I remember reading an interview where he stated he actually likes trot. I wish I could find it now. Then there is an interview on Arirang TV station, from 2009, where young Dong Ha was asked to show his "mimicking talent", so he sang part of the well known Boohwal song "Heeya" in trot style. He then asked the host - "please don't tell my band mates that I sang like that".
Recently, last August, Jung Dong Ha was reported to attend a wedding of his friend, a YOUNG trot singer Park Hyun Bin.
So I went on to Youtube to research trot some more. I also briefly discussed it with Miki. He was able to tell me more. I was told the following. It is not a dying form of singing. There are many old singers who do this, but there are young singers too, who perform in this style. Trot songs usually tell of very high emotions, frequently they have just sad, sentimental, if not completely cheesy lyrics. Seems like there is also an opposite end - the songs can be jumpy, and playful, and tell the listener about being overjoyed with something, and inviting them to participate in the fun. They express the simple joy of life. The melodies often have elements of folk music; they are not sophisticated, and certain melody phrases are repeated multiple times. In addition to all this, to sing trot involves certain special vocal technique, different form the "normal" singing, said Miki. He said that if someone sings trot for several years, they won't be able to go back to regular singing.o o o
My own research of trot style lead me to gradual changing of my attitude towards it, from thinking "ugh, it's boring, and just very cheesy, and tacky, nothing to be impressed with" to "wow, trot is interesting, pleasant to listen too, fun to sing (and dance) together, very unpretentious music for everyday people, and it can be crazy entertaining". I began to notice some "sub-styles". Here is an example of "classic" and "classy" trot. The traditional instrumentation, cute young dancers, gorgeous folk costumes, and the main singer who is top vocalist. It's almost pure folk music. Listening to this captivates my heart! Seems like so many people in Korea are enthusiasts of trot - look at the size of that audience - amazing!
But this one below is different, more like pop type trot:
When I came across this video, I was thrilled to recognize the song! It was included in a very funny scene in a drama "Fated To Love You". In the drama, the main character, Lee Gun, is found by his wife at a kareoke place, singing and dancing this song, with a bunch of women from a poor fishing village outside Seoul. The women are relatives and friends of his wife, Mi Young. She is completely shocked seeing this, and happy that "Gunnie" has no trouble or problem having fun with everybody, despite of vast gap of social status between him and those ladies. He is a CEO of a huge company, and a heir of a big fortune. Yet, he never seems to be really aware of his status. He does what he wants. It's after this scene, that I started to really like Lee Gun. He had already shown signs of being a decent man earlier, but before he did that singing, I thought he was a pompous clown.
o o o
Many trot songs must be extremely well known and beloved by the Korean public. I am saying this based on the Korean TV shows (so called "dramas") and movies. I started noticing that there are frequently scenes where someone starts singing, and everybody joins, knowing the exact lyrics. It's almost like Old McDonald song here in the USA. Or, like Country Music songs, they tell about sad or joyful emotions and events, that everyone can relate to, because everyone has gone through such things at one time or another. And, they are good to sing together in company of friends.
o o o
Now back to Jung Dong Ha. He sang a couple of other trot songs, not during IS2, but at something that's called Open Concert, which is televised. He sings with a trot band, which is not very young, but more or less contemporary. The performance is from Spring 2013. Here, the scenario seems to be more urban folk, rather than country side. Miki explained to me what one of the songs was about - I think it was the first one. Dong Ha is a cynical gigolo, whose feelings were hurt, and he is angry too.
"A woman that I loved used me, and then left me. So, I don't care any more. From now on, I will never love women. I will seduce them, and use them , but I will be completely cold, and will never ever fall in love again". The second song is more or less similar story. Awww. :)
The above examples of trot are quite respectable. But there is something else about trot, that makes some people cringe and dislike it. It's the shameless kitsch, that so many performers utilize in their numbers, without feeling embarrassed. I think an example of such, is Dong Ha's friend, Park Hyun Bin, singing his very big hit from a few years ago, "So Hot!".
I'm listening and looking at this, and I'm laughing, and thinking, "This is sooo bad, so terrible. This is so cheesy!". Yet, why do I want to jump up and down on my chair to this rhythm? Why do I have irresistible desire to clap my hands and tap my feet? Maybe I should just let myself go, and do that?
What is this guy singing about? Maybe he sings that he looks hot in his ridiculous pink jacket?
o o o
Yes, what I learned about trot is, that it is a little like fake old Hollywood stuff; or Las Vegas shows.
There are shiny, flickering lights on stage, costumes with a lot of colors, and GLITTER seems to be obligatory. The male artists wear pink, yellow, shiny blue, or gold jackets. There is exaggerated gesturing, and overdone facial expressions, to convey how they feel. Backup dancers (and singers) are almost always there on stage, with the contemporary trot singers. They are also dressed in some outlandish clothes. Although, I have to say, Park Hyun Bin's backup dancers look very cool! Ha, ha!
The most noticeable characteristic about trot is the instrumentation - with brass band, and some keyboard sound. Also there seems to be a very strong, repetitive beat. Easy to identify.
o o o
I think trot may be making a come back now in Korea, or maybe it never lost popularity? Anyway, this year among new dramas of 2015, there was one named "Trot Lovers". There is a girl who likes to sing trot, because her deceased mother was a trot singer. The girl auditions for a spot in a talent agency, and because she is extremely talented, she gets in. She meets a rock singer, who detests trot, and makes fun of it, but the two fall in love. They experience various ups and downs in their singing careers, and in their romance. There are a couple of side stories, which mostly are not worth mentioning. But the whole drama is rich in singing, and the trot girl has beautiful voice, and her singing is very captivating.
Below is an example of how they insert of a song. This is a fantasy scene, where the singer and her little sister, in front of their house, pretend to be on stage Lights! Costumes! Brass! Music!
Another scene is a little funny. The girl has been suspended from performing with her agency, because of some misunderstanding. She then spends he punishment time singing anywhere she can. On the street, in a shopping mall, etc. Here, she and her friend give a performance at an outdoor soup kitchen for homeless men. She is the only one who knows performing. Her friends have no idea what they are doing, but they pretend to be proper back up singers, and back up dancers. Of course, the dancers have to have glittery jackets, LOL!
And a very last scene of the show, where the girl sings as a goodbye to her boyfriend, because he is leaving for the USA. All the friends are there too. He decides to join her on stage, and even sings with her, that trot song, that he dismissed before.
I liked this show very much, just because of the music. Actually, that show is, in large part, the reason I decided to make a post about trot genre. The primary reason, of course, is Jung Dong Ha connection.
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o o o
Hey! Is this newest performance by DH, an admission of love for the trot style? It struck me as a kind of song that he doesn't usually sing. I even inquired with a Korean Fan Club people, asking if this is in fact a trot song. The answer was, that it isn't. It is supposed to be more k-pop style. Hmm, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. What do I know?
But here is what I'm seeing:
- jumpy, repetitive beat - check
- back-up dancers dressed-up in glitter, and swinging their arms and legs - check
- brass band musicians very prominent - check
- everyone seems to know the song - check
It looks like trot to me. But I may be wrong, because I don't know the nuances.
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OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION OF TROT (Wikipedia): "
"Trot (Korean 트로트 teuroteu; sometimes called 뽕짝 ppongjjak due to its distinctive background rhythm) is a genre of Korean pop music, and is recognized as the oldest form of Korean pop music. Formulated during the Japanese rule in the early 1900s, the genre has been influenced by Japanese, Western and Korean musical elements. (...)While the genre’s popularity declined during the 1990s, most recently, it has been subject to revivals by contemporary South Korean pop artists such as Jang Yoon Jeong, Super Junior-T and BIGBANG member Daesung.
The name derives from a shortening of "foxtrot", a ballroom dance which influenced the simple two-beat of elements of the genre. Trot music is described as two-beat rhythm or duple rhythm, traditional seven-five syllabic stanzas, and unique vocal style called Gagok."
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LAST MINUTE DISCOVERY ON YOUTUBE!!! Oh, my goodness! Just by chance, I found this video from 2011. It is from some concert with Boohwal. Suddenly, in the middle of a rock concert, Dong Ha jumps into a well known song, called "Southbound Train". Too bad the audio is a little rough.
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