This week's theme: songs. And, yes, there have been a large number of them, from "럭키 서울" (1949) to "광화문 연가" (1987), "서울 서울 서울" (1988) and the decidedly mediocre "SEOUL" (2009)--sorry Super Junior.
Our lecturer for the evening emphasized the changing themes of Seoul songs that tracked the fortunes of the city, from the desire for success (욕망) to a longing for the suburbs. But what (for me) seemed to tyoify all of the songs was the wild swings between desire and loss.
Let's take 광화문 연가-- "이제 모두 세월 따라/ 흔적도 없이 변하였지만/ 덕수궁 돌담길엔 아직 남아있어요 . . .언젠가는 우리 모두 세월을 따라 떠나가지만/ 언덕 밑 정동 길엔 아직 남아이어요."
Lots of loss there, but also the inevitability of change? But is this "New York, New York"?
Our lecturer for the evening emphasized the changing themes of Seoul songs that tracked the fortunes of the city, from the desire for success (욕망) to a longing for the suburbs. But what (for me) seemed to tyoify all of the songs was the wild swings between desire and loss.
Let's take 광화문 연가-- "이제 모두 세월 따라/ 흔적도 없이 변하였지만/ 덕수궁 돌담길엔 아직 남아있어요 . . .언젠가는 우리 모두 세월을 따라 떠나가지만/ 언덕 밑 정동 길엔 아직 남아이어요."
Lots of loss there, but also the inevitability of change? But is this "New York, New York"?
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