[#20] JYJ - "소년의 편지 (The Boy's Letter)"

From: "IN HEAVEN" (Album)
Released: September 2011, South Korea
Rating: 3.58

So. Here we are. It's time for me to talk about a JYJ song. I notice that whenever I say something positive about JYJ, I'm labelled as an obsessed "fangirl" (which I am, but in this sense it's most probably derogatory), however when I point out that they're people too and they have flaws, either people call me an anti-fan for "putting them down" and/or "not encouraging them", or tell me I'm over-thinking things. So I assume, the solution is shutting up about anything JYJ-related, which, of course, I refuse to do. So I'll go on with this review.


I'll say flat-out that this song is far from perfect. It is, but just like why I like DB5K in the first place, the good far outweigh the bad, and so this is on the list, at #20, whether anyone likes it or not. It's imperfect because of how the song is structured itself -- it's too long in a bad way, and it drags on at the end.

In my opinion, the song should've ended at the 3:36-mark, after, or during, Yoochun's part. It should've been done by then, because essentially, that piano part, and even Yoochun's solo itself, was actually already the resolution. It's like having your happily ever after in a story, then having this really useless, fluff-fest, of an epilogue that involves the main characters having a kid. It's like a sequel - it's not necessarily that bad, but it's as if you're milking a dry cow, nothing will come out of it.

Don't get me wrong, those extra 2 minutes are stunning, with all their voices soaring in different, yet cohesive, directions and really showing off just how talented all three of them are, but one, like I said a while ago it drags, and two, it hardly has anything to do with the song proper anymore.

But, again like I said a while ago, the fact that it's a gorgeous song in itself far outweighs that. In fact, I kinda like cheesy, fluffy sequels. For fun.

"The Boy's Letter", despite being dragging at the end, when you pass that, the song is really something else. It was made to show off Jaejoong and Junsu's vocals, and it's one of the few songs on "IN HEAVEN" where they got Yoochun's part spot-on. It's a very JYJ ballad, with all the strings and whatnot, and it's really what these three do best.

I'm getting carried away here, aren't I? Basically, the reason why this is on the list is because I like it. Because it's a joy to listen to a well-sung ballad, and because the good qualities surpass the bad.