[PLAYLIST] Catchiest K-Pop Songs

‘Earworm’ is a term often used to define when a song or melody becomes stuck in your head – playing over and over again. Aside from sounding a little like a terrifying creature from a horror film, this term typifies the sense of annoyance that can sometimes come along with having a song firmly lodged in your head and being unable to remove it.

K-Pop is notoriously good at slipping itself into your mind and setting up camp, whether you want it to or not. This can even occur after the very first listen – aided by the catchy tunes and frequently English hook-lines.
We have decided to gather a selection of K-Pop that we find particularly catchy. Please let us know your own choices too!

1. Tasty – ‘You Know Me’

English hook-lines are not the only ones that can get lodged in international fans’ minds. Even a simple Korean sentence can do the same. Don’t tell me you have never shouted ‘Neo na ara!” along to this song at least once! It’s certainly fast-paced and begs to be bounced along to as well as one that will stick around.

2. SHINee – ‘Replay’

This one is a personal choice as I have actually banned myself from listening to this song purely because, if I do, it will certainly get stuck in my head. Even the act of placing it in this playlist has resulted in me singing it to myself as I type this. It just seems to have an inevitable effect on my brain! “Noona neomu yeppeo…replay replay replaaay!” AHH!

3. Park Jin Young (A.K.A JYP) – ‘Honey’

This is that JYP classic that has been subject to so many covers and parodies over the years. There is no denying that it is pretty cheesy, but again, it has a quality that ensures it stays with you. It’s jazzy and fun and will have most K-Pop fans busting out their most exaggerated JYP impersonations.

4. Girls’ Generation – ‘Gee’

Yes! Here is another K-Pop classic that had to be included in this catchy playlist. Perhaps it is the repetition of “Gee gee gee gee baby baby!” and the exclamation of “No no no no no!” that makes it so easy to sing along to? The melody in itself is also very infectious, whether you are a fan of this cutie song or not.

5. EXID – ‘Up and Down’

This track could be said to have two levels of ‘catchiness’ potential in that both the hook and the entire chorus are incredibly catchy, despite being very different in sound. The EXID girls really show their versatility in this slick and well-produced track, combining a rap attitude with beautifully harmonic vocals.

6. Lee Hi – ‘1,2,3,4’

This debut track from ‘K-Pop Star’ runner up Lee Hi ensured that she showed off her caramel-like vocals, but it is definitely the beat and that most simplistic of hooks that makes it really stay in your head.

7. Super Junior – ‘This Is Love’

This is a great song to have playing in the background while you are working away on something. It is smooth, yet it has an energy about it that you can bop along to. Add to that an English-laden chorus and you will have a song you will want to play over and over again. The short lines of the verses are more heavily divided than in the usual SuJu track, giving each member a little chunk to sing at a time, this also seems to increase the catchiness as it makes the Korean words a lot clearer to hear.

8. RaNia – ‘Dr. Feel Good’

Here is a debut that got many tongues wagging, for mainly the wrong reasons. It is a very sexy song written by American singer-songwriter Teddy Riley and was apparently originally created for Lady Gaga. The looping electronic sound, coupled with that risqué chorus serves make it stick around.

9. BTS – ‘We are Bulletproof’ Pt. 2

Bangtan Boys are a group that have the ability to take a very Western sound and inject it with their tough Korean attitude. This means that bafflingly fast rap verses are seamlessly interspersed with English lines and harmonies, all the while accompanied by a stompy beat.

10. GOT7 – ‘Girls Girls Girls’

GOT7’s glaring sense of self-confidence here is counteracted perfectly by the cute infectious nature of this song. We can easily overlook their cheeky insistence of their popularity with girls when we hear this catchy song. It has a slight flavour of their label mates Wonder Girls’ past songs, making it an instantly identifiable JYP creation (aside from the JYP whisper of course). “Girls Girls Girls, they love me!”