[#31] Super Junior M - "Destiny"

From: "Perfection" (Mini-Album)
Released: March 2011, China
Rating: 3.05

I will neither confirm nor deny the presence of any other Super Junior songs on the countdown, but if you've read any of my tweets concerning their releases this year, you'll probably be able to guess whether or not you'll see them on my list. But anyway, Super Junior M were brought back this year, complete with a mindless and empty lead single, but I managed to find this gem buried in their mini-album.


It was actually between this and the Chinese version of "My All Is In You", but seeing as I'd heard that song way too many times in both Korean and Chinese and apart from the lyrics there wasn't that big a difference in the versions, I went with "Destiny". It's fresher to the ears, and has a heavier, but ever so slightly more epic sound.

"Destiny" sounds like it came straight out of the soundtrack of "Meteor Garden", or some Taiwanese drama that was blown out of proportion so they made this really elaborate opening sequence, complete with a song by this HUGE star. Yup, sounds about right. I mean come on, can't you imagine this montage of all the actors and their characters flashing during the chorus? Can't you?

It's got a really pretty melody, accented by all your standard soundtrack instrumentation, complete with a string section. And really, who can go wrong with such a gorgeous song?

Best of 2009: September #7 - #3

YES! We've finally made it to September, my birth month. But aside from that, this post will be monumental because it'll mark the first time I have A BRITNEY SONG on the countdown. Yes, BRITNEY.

#7: No Angels - One Life

They're German, right? OK. One Life is pop down to the last note and it's well-made pop. This is proof to me that even with kpop taking over my musical tastes, Europe still has something to offer. Yay!

#6: Britney Spears - 3

I know what you're saying right now "WHAT????". LOL. But really, lyrics and video aside, 3 impressed me to a certain extent - far enough for me to put it on the list.

#5: Pixie Lott - Gravity

Pixie, Pixie, Pixie. Late last year I discovered her and ever since I've been watching her career go from strength to strength - I'm actually REALLY glad she didn't get casted for the (brilliant) flop that was Britannia High because she got to do what she did this year! Pixie is living proof that people still know what pop is and this Ryan Tedder-sounding (did he produce this? Not sure) number gave me goosebumps. Her brilliant vocals with an epic song just made me melt.

#4: Super Junior M - Super Girl

Super Girl was the song I really, really waited for this year. On the day of the apparent release, I refreshed the SM Youtube channel hundreds of times until that evening, the full video and the full song were put on and I just exploded. I gave it a perfect review, called Yoo Young Jin brilliant, rested my case and Super Girl became a huge hit. Though the rest of the sub-unit's release kinda bored me, Super Girl remained brilliant and after getting sick of it for like a month, listening to it now just reminds me of the first time I heard it. Brilliance, whether it be in Mandarin or Korean.

#3: Been So Long - Jaejoong and Yoochun (DBSK)

I could've just as easily put Colors, another duet by the two, but I think this song is better than the aforementioned Japanese #1 single. AND up to a few days ago, I was debating over this and Shelter, the b-side to Colors, me and my indecisiveness. You might've guessed by now that this is the song that won - and for the right reasons. Been So Long has a lot more kick and a lot more character than Colors and it's a much easier listen than Shelter with all it's darkness. The rap is bearable (says someone who simply CANNOT stand rap) and the vocals are surprising - Jaejoong singing in a girls' range (he admitted it a while back but I knew all along. Hahah.) AND rapping, Yoochun's voice clearly in it's element - the guy sounds best with songs like this. It's a brilliant performance from the 2, really. I honestly couldn't stop listening to this song for days because it was so damn good. Best listened to at high volumes.

Super Junior M - Super Girl

As you all know, I live for a good pop song. It's not something serious, formally educated musicians around me will call 'good' but it's a guilty pleasure and something to help me learn musical elements (hahah.).

A good/outstanding pop song for me has an immensely catchy hook, an easy to pick up melody and repetitive elements but must be well-executed. The vocals outstanding, instrumental strong and arrangement tight - you don't find these kinds of songs every day. Most of the time they're pathetic attempts to create a hit or lazy, uncreative and recycled versions of good pop songs passed. If you're gonna take influences from something, you better take them creatively.(to people who know who SuJu M are, you can skip this part as it's just an intro the the group.) Which brings me to this song by Super Junior M. You've heard about Super Junior and how they're so big it took me nearly 4 months to memorize all their names and put them to face but they're also so big that their talent company split them up into what we call 'sub-groups'. Super Junior M is the sub-group for China - they, along with two Chinese members release material in Mandarin. As far as I know this is their first original China-only release because their previous singles were Chinese versions of Super Junior's Korean hits. Correct me if I'm wrong.

It's in Chinese. Yes. But I don't care - IT'S A SONG and IT'S DAMN GOOD.

In line with Sorry Sorry, Super Junior's Korean hit earlier this year, Super Girl is extremely catchy and insanely addictive - don't say I didn't warn you. There are a lot of techno/Eurocrap elements in the instrumental and although I hear a cheap loop somewhere there, it's almost completely covered up by the rest of the instrumental and the insanely addicted 'Oh Oh' 's throughout the song.

Now I said a good pop song must have a tight arrangement - this is what I'm talking about. The sections smoothly and cohesively transition from one to the other and there's practically no dead air throughout the song. The vocals are just - WOW. Donghae (the guy who starts the second verse) and Kyuhyun's (the guy who sings second in the first verse) voices are literally God's gifts to Super Junior.

An optional characteristic of a good pop song - it should sound extremely good at high volume(s). If you're gonna play it at parties or in public places it's got to be loud for a big space to hear it. So if it sounds even better REALLY LOUD then that's a plus point!

Actually, the tempo of the melody isn't that fast but the Eurocrap loop at the back makes it SEEM fast-paced. I always say that I hate songs with generic Eurocrap loops but that's because they weren't used properly - they were just slapped onto some random melody with absolutely no though process involved. Like anything else, if you correctly and creatively use something that almost always sounds cheap it will sound good and work wonders.

I'd hate to say this after all his slave-driving and the lawsuit with DBSK but what the heck - LEE SOO MAN CAN DAMN WELL WRITE/CHOOSE A POP SONG.

Listen to the song - IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Hahah. Possibly.

15/5!!!!! for being a heck of a lot better than some of the other songs I gave 5/5s to.