So, Checkmate is my favorite song on the album. It is about society and this stereotypical Asian method of working and living. I think the song is more of an encouragement to young people aka students. I think the lyrics are more subtle than the video, where you kind of have to be blind not to understand. I also love how he sings it with a Chinese (awesome and incredible artist whom I checked out) singer. Maybe I think too deep but that has a connection with the message of the song.
A song that I enjoy listening before I sleep is Without You. Besides the melody itself which I find interesting, I really lile how smooth it is and how well he takes the high notes when he sings it live. And, I have a soft spot for it. I liked it instantly and when I looked it up, I just found the lyrics very familiar. Overall, I like it as a whole. I can't say something is better than the other because it hit me right in the heart.
The single, One Fine Day is...well it is good but then again. The lyrics as translated in any other language but korean are nothing amazing. They are very simple and very cliche, in a way. They are a little childish, from what I have been told by a poet. That is one of the reason I rarely look korean lyrics up. Most of them are not exactly what you expect them to be. On the other side, the MV is not bad. It shows the misunderstanding between Yonghwa and his girlfriend. I like how in the beginning, we are sure that she is over him but at the end, we realize she's not and she actually cares for him and gets disappointed when she sees him leave. I like how sorrowful that scene had been made.
One song I never expected to see Yonghwa doing is Mileage. Even though we all kind of confirmed the fact that he is lazy and not the best influence as a person through different shows, I really like how this song turned out. Except YDG, whom I respect, i like the MV idea. Besides, it's about life of a husband. That job is hard and complicated and once you start it, it never ends. So, it's a refreshing songs in terms of idea and rhythm. And when you see Yonghwa dancing is just funny. He is not a dancer.
If Mileage was a surprise, imagine how it felt when I listened to Energy with Verbal Jint. I love rap and I love the feel you get from songs like Energy but sadly, I didn't find any interest in this song. It's not bad but it's something you hear in so many places that you kind of get sick of it. It didn't make my playlist bug I may be wrong and just didn't feel it. My mom likes it better than me and she is very judging. Verbal Jint does his job well and has the flow but it doesn't reach to me. The lyrics, though, are my short life story. A bad day when you are tired and the solution to that is the energy coming from your loved one. It's something we all experience, mostly people from the forever alone club (welcome to the club).
His duet with Yun Do Hyeon touched me more than One Fine Day. It has this certain feel to it, maybe because it's a duet and there's more power to it. Also, it sounds like a soundtrack. Once a song gives you that impression, it makes you think. You start to imagine all these scenes where that song can appear in and it gives you something to think about for a while.
Last Leaf is a song that inspired me to write my own set of lyrics. Much as half of the album, it's not exactly a love song. It's a song for the fans, a song that makes you think about the difference between being lonely and being alone. It talks about the world and somehow, it's a little personal. He wants his fans to know they are not alone. That's cute and somehow, I don't think that was his intention at first. I think he went a little with the flow.
And lastly, we have 27 years with Peter Malick. That is a song that expresses how he feels being 27 years old. That's not old at all, if you ask me. But we all feel different while ageing. Anyway, this song is more mature and makes the listener have a close in to his feelings. It's a cute song that makes you go back on the memory lane. I know it did to me. It's like a page from a journal, if you ask me.
