Top 10 TVXQ! Songs

This is a list I have been threatening to make for quite a lot of time but didn't have the guts to do. TVXQ are musical legends and my favorite musical artists in Korean history. They have so many classics, I'd give all these ten songs, and many more, a perfect score. Each and every single song here is a must-listen and a classic and should be checked out instantly.

For this list, I included any songs released under the TVXQ name, from either the quintet or duo era. Solos were excluded, with the exception of those under the group name. Singles and b-sides are included. Enough of the intro let us get into the list! The honorable mentions (in no order) are absolutely stacked, with each being a stone-cold classic in its own right.

Honorable Mentions

Hug

Tri-Angle (Ft. BoA and TRAX)

Bolero

9095

Keep Your Head Down

Balloons

Survivor

Catch Me

Viva

Master

Jealous

Mirotic

Wrong Number

Loving You

Purple Line

Darkness Eyes

Chance of Love

Summer Dream

Hot Hot Hot

I Don't Know

Dongbang Tuhui

Android

Before U Go

Stand By U

10. Something (2014)

An utter left-turn from the group's edgier pop-rock origin, Something makes a move into stylish '30s Jazz with the panache and style only the best performers could aim to work with. Thankfully, Changmin is at his utter best here. Without any major ad-libs, he relies exclusively on his sheer vocal charisma, and makes the best of each moment. With Yunho assisting, Something remains a fantastic introduction, and the best example, of TVXQ's R&B influenced sound of the mid-to-late 2010s.

9. The Way U Are (2004)

Of all their debut year songs, The Way U Are is not the most artistic nor the most timeless, but it is unequivocally the most entertaining, with a hook for the ages. Pop R&B has always been TVXQ's bread-and-butter, and The Way U Are is simply put, their first and best example of this style. The slinky pre-chorus, the instantly iconic chorus, and the middle eight, The Way U Are has hooks for days to spare.

8. Hi Ya Ya (2005)

Simply put, the best summer song this decade, and perhaps of all time. Nostalgic, refrain-heavy, with TVXQ's vocal harmonies on peak display, Hi Ya Ya is the sort of song that requires a great vocal performance, and that Acapella bridge still remains incredible years later. There is a reason I chose this song for last year's Song of the Summer collaboration. (Full Review)

7. Phantom (2006)

Perhaps the most underappreciated K-Pop song ever, and certainly the most underrated song within TVXQ's star-studdded discography, Phantom is peak spaghetti-western motifs merged with a surging and ghostly melody, a melody for the ages. Phantom's final key-change might be one of the most subtle, yet effective, usages of the trick in pop history.

6. Athena (2010)

Now, we know that TVXQ would go onto have a still-successful career after their split, but there was no such gurantee in 2010, and Athena, the group's first song as a duo, would have to be the first inkling of proof. An early production by the now-acclaimed Hwang Hyun, Athena is not only one of the best K-Drama OSTs of all time, but the best duo TVXQ song ever. Changmin lets absolutely loose in the post-chorus, for what just might be one of his best performances of all time.

5. O-Jung-Ban-Hap (2006)

The Hegelian dialect is often used as a description of division and control within modern references, but TVXQ, with Yoo Young-Jin behind them, provided this stunning song based on one of the most famous philosphical ideas of the Enlightenment, surging with optimism and hope, along with pacifist undertones. Musically, the song surges with rock influences galore, coming back to life every time you think it is down for the count.

4. Break Out (2010)

By March 2010, it was clear to everyone affiliated with TVXQ that the group was breaking up at the seems. However, they had one last classic left in the wings. Break Out is sufficiently dark and dreary for what might be one of the most dramatic chapters in East Asian music history, but surges with some clever choices. The vocoder merging with the raw voices, the gritty production, the surging melody, the emotive performances, everything comes together for a perfect farewell, one that raised expectations for everything to come. Few songs have been as dark yet energizing. Break Out was truly the end of an era, as well as the beginning of one. It was the song that made me a TVXQ fan.

3. Why Did I Have To End Up Falling Completely In Love With You (2008)

Given TVXQ social commentary lyrics and rock influences, they were as far from a typical boy band as possible. However, one of their songs remains the quintessentially boy band-esque Doushite Kimi Wo Suki Ni Natte Shimattandaro, also known by its translated name Why Did I Have To End Up Completely Falling In Love With You. Everything about this song is dramatic, but TVXQ provide so much heart into the track it is hard to not end up near tears once the song reaches its conclusion.

From its iconic music video to its equally iconic live performance, Doushite is a song that remains one of the group's most iconic. Everything is in perfect tandem here. The lyrics tell a story of letting go with some of the best writing ever for the group. Of course, I'd be remiss if I did not mention Jaejoong ultimately letting it rip in the song's finale, with what might be one of his best performances ever.

2. Love In The Ice (2007)

When I heard Love In The Ice years ago, words left my mouth, and I was reduced to tears. This could have been youthful drama, but Love In The Ice remains one of the few songs that still effects me as such all these years later. Its iconic Five In Black live performance remains perhaps one of the, if not the greatest live performance of all time, and the song has only improved with time.

The poetic lyrics, the dramatic instrumentation, and the surging melody, Love In The Ice is even more than the sum of its incredible parts. Of course, the most notable facet of the song is the incredible vocal performance, perhaps unrivaled in the history of pop music. All the vocal harmonies lead to the greatest bridge in pop history. All the members perform ad-libs, leading to Yoochun letting loose his long-hidden vocal abilities, while everyone also gets fantastic moments.

To put it simply, Love In The Ice is a perfect pop song, and one of the best musical pieces of all time. Yet, it barely missed the top spot...

1. Rising Sun (2005)

To put it simply, the best song to ever come from the Korean penninsula. Rising Sun is pop music at its very best, boundary-pushing and experimental, while still meaning something at its core. No moment has been sharpened to perfection, but each moment flows slow well to the next. A merger of rock opera, rap rock, hip-hop, SMP, pop, screamo rock, experimental pop, art-pop, and more, Rising Sun remains unmatched all these year's later.

Where do I even start? The legendary chorus? Changmin's greatest vocal performance ever? The brilliant slow down segment? The existential lyrics? Yoo Young-Jin's incredible production? Rising Sun is the original Frankenstein song, a merger of several dispirate elements into a cohesive whole. This is also how it is best experienced; as a cohesive whole. It has so many incredible moments, but they all flow together to form something beyond comprehension. To put it simply, Rising Sun is one of the best songs of all time.

It has been nearly seventeen years since Rising Sun's release, but the song remains as galvanizing, if not more, since its release. Some artists try their best and can only release a song have as good as Risng Sun, becoming legends in the process. TVXQ released Rising Sun while the members were in their teen years, leaving a song that will likely long outlast the group or Yoo Young-Jin's career. (Full Review)

Purchase Rising Sun and more of TVXQ's song right here!

Image Source: Kpop Music