Ever since their debut, Woollim Entertainment’s first girl group, Lovelyz, was known for their bright and colorful music. Some may even think of them first whenever we talk about songs that are cute and innocent at the same time.
During their first trilogy, circa 2014-2015, Lovelyz indeed released music that are full of butterflies and puppy love. The Candy Jelly Love – Hi~ – Ah-Choo! Trilogy was loved by many and therefore brought Lovelyz into the limelight. However, as the group aged and matured, their music shifted to a more mature note as well.
Now, aside from being that girl group full of cutesy members, Lovelyz is also known for releasing songs that are rather ironic- having bright sounds but dark lyrics. This went on and therefore created an inside joke in Lovelinus (Lovelyz fans) and perhaps non-fans as well.
Lovelyz is one of the girl groups with the most artistic and creative lyrics to their songs, but for them, majority is about heartbreaks, unrequited love, moving on, and missing somebody who’s gone.
One of their most popular songs is “Destiny“, which is a masterpiece in its own realm. The sound is elegant and mature, which was a first for Lovelyz. Some of Destiny’s lyrics are as follows:
“Why do you keep circling around her?
When I revolve around you like the moon”
“Do you dream of her tonight?
Even when I shine on you”
“You’re my Earth
The center of my day”
“For once, if I could stand between you and her
To hand you the ring of light”
These lyrics, or I must say the lyrics of Destiny in general, are very artistic and well thought of. It compares the first person to the moon, the second person to the earth, and the third person to the sun. It depicts how they are in love with someone, but that someone is in love with someone else; like how the moon revolves around the earth, but the latter revolves around the sun. The part which impressed me the most is the last quoted lines above, which is about a “ring of light”, or an eclipse where the moon literally comes in between the sun and the earth.
“WoW!” is characterized by a rather experimental and quirky sound not typically heard from K-Pop girl groups. Along with the song is a music video that gives nostalgic old-school feels. WoW! is quite ambiguous, but one thing’s for sure is that it is really cute. Here are some of its lyrics:
“Something was in my eyes
Don’t misunderstand it for a wink”
“Love is a special two-dimension
A mystery with an unknown depth”
As I’ve mentioned, it is quite ambiguous, but after some analysis, one will be able to decipher its message. The song is actually about the relationship between a fan and an idol. It means to relay the message that though they are thankful of the love they receive, one must not go past its boundaries and that the relationship between one another should be kept at bay.
“That Day” is definitely my most favorite Lovelyz title track (if we don’t count Goodnight Like Yesterday). Everything about it is really good! Of course, its lyrics are no exception.
“All day, I was crying on the day we broke up
So much that my eyes got puffy”
“Breathe in all the sad memories and blow them all out
You’re in my faraway memories, which lingers in me”
“It’s melting, all the hurtful words
It’s flowing away, all the painful memories
It’s disappearing, all the aching scars”
The lyrics of That Day is thinking about a breakup that left the first person scarred, but alas, she is finally moving on. As opposed to its very bright and cheerful sound, this may sound like a song of confessing love or about a guy someone likes, but no, it’s about moving on from a heartbreak.
Truly one of Lovelyz’s most underrated comebacks is the ever ethereal “Lost N Found“. The sound, like WoW!, is quite ambiguous but it is definitely the peak of Lovelyz’s elegance and classiness.
“My effort to write in pretty letters
Clearly tells you I think of you more than just a friend”
“But this too is love, I’ll call it like that
But still, this is a bit sad
I can’t just let you go like this”
“I like you, I said it lightly like that
Like it was a joke, I beat around the bush a bit
But I love you, I wrapped it up just as it is
But it has no owner, so it’s just getting dusty”
Lost N Found’s lyrics is very high school, actually. But at the same time, it’s sad despite the bright tone of the song. It is simply about someone who doesn’t just like the other, and is already in love. The thing is that the second person doesn’t know or even pretends not to know the first person’s true feelings.
Definitely Lovelyz’s most underrated title track; “When We Were Us (Beautiful Days)” deserved nothing but love for how much of a masterpiece it is! With Lost N Found’s elegance, Now We’s cheerful beat, Destiny’s melancholic touch, and For You’s aesthetic, When We Were Us proved to be one of the group’s strongest comebacks.
“Don’t forget
The dazzle of the day when we were “us”
And the two people who were together as if in a painting
It was so much more like
a dream than a dream
You and I on those days”
“Don’t worry
I’ll collect pieces of you and treasure them
So I don’t get sad about the season that lost us
Goodbye.
I’m turning back now
As if we’re meeting tomorrow”
As usual, though the sound is quite upbeat, the lyrics are somehow saddening. The song is actually the Lovelyz song with the longest title with its Korean title being “그 시절 우리가 사랑했던 우리 (Beautiful Days)”. It is about them reminiscing a love that rooted from childhood and trying to turn the page of the book to another chapter, waving goodbye to the memories of the past but with a faint hope of meeting once again somewhere down the road.
Lovelyz can be more known nowadays as a contestant of Mnet’s popular show “Queendom”. There, the girls showed brand new sides which the public has never seen before. On the show’s final episode, Lovelyz performed an original song titled “Moonlight“, which marks an end to their lyrics’ long-lasting quest of moving on.
“It’s over I found myself
I’m already halfway out
A fated Sad Ending
I’ve found myself now”
“Babe when I leave you
I flutter in the night sky
I’ve got only me”
“It’s over I love myself
I’ve erased you now
A Happy Ending has started
I’ll find myself again”
Moonlight was not just a song but is more of a story, a story wherein in the end, Lovelyz finally learned on how to be independent and love themselves. This may be considered as a dramatic end to Lovelyz’ moving on, heartbreaks, and unrequited feelings. Aside from its lyrics, the song also managed to showcase the group’s undeniable vocal prowess and also show yet another different side of Lovelyz.
With their new found popularity on Queendom, Lovelyz raises nothing but expectations for their future comebacks. What fans, including me, anticipate is what kind of song will the girls deliver. Will it be an empowering song, following the note of “Moonlight”, or was it only a one time shot and they will revert to crying in the corner again. Nevertheless, Lovelyz is that group that has never ever disappointed me with music and artistry, I am looking forward to spending more years with their music.
