The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of All Time: Number 2

Readers, over the past two months, I have worked to create a list of my favorite K-Pop Songs of All Time. For over ten years, I have enjoyed K-Pop, seeing it blossom into a global genre with millions and millions of adoring fans. I have found K-Pop songs I love, made friends over the genre, and seen legacies built over the years. Some of the songs that have made me feel the most are from K-Pop. Given all I have felt and seen, I thought it was finally time to create a ranking of my favorite K-Pop songs of all time.

I don't claim this ranking is perfect, no ranking of this can be perfect. I can only claim that I did my best to provide my personal opinion, with my personal biases, from my years of enjoying Korean music. There are many more boy band songs than girl group (I just prefer their general soundscape), and many songs come from the second generation (2005-2013).

In a way, K-Pop is a bit of a misnomer here. I have included Korean songs outside of the idol sphere, and songs released nearly a century ago. The end result is a list full of songs that left their mark on me. I hope you, the reader, enjoy this list. You may (and almost certainly won't) agree with my ranking, but that is what makes a personal list like this so wonderful.

With that said, let us enter the rules and regulations for what has been qualified as K-Pop for this list.

• Any musical piece released in South Korea, or any of its direct predecessor states, AND/OR is predominantly in the Korean language, Jejuan, or any of their dialects.
• The musical piece must be lyrical in nature.
• Any song, single, or b-side, is eligible.
• This list is MY personal opinion.
• Song rankings may have changed since previous lists and/or reviews.
• The criterion for "the greatest" is a mix of my personal experience, the overall songwriting (lyrically, compositionally, and performance-wise), and the influence of the track in question.
• A song refers to a particular recording of the track and not the basic composition.
• Only one entry per composition.

With all this said. The list will begin tomorrow. For songs 100-11, they will be grouped into daily posts of 10 (100-91, 90-81, etc.). For the top 10, however, each song would get a post of its own.

I hope all of you enjoy this list over the days! Please give your thoughts in the comments, and I will gladly reply when free.

Support 10/10 - Music and Purchase Your K-Pop Albums Right Here

Previously:

Honorable Mentions

100-91

90-81

80-71

70-61

60-51

50-41

40-31

30-21

20-11

Number 10

Number 9

Number 8

Number 7

Number 6

Number 5

Number 4

Number 3

2. Kara - Step (2011)

Lyricist: Song Soo-Yoon (Sweetune)

Composition: Han Jae-Ho (Sweetune), Kim Seung-Soo (Sweetune), Hong Seung-Hyun (Sweetune (Arrangement))

After a messy contract dispute ended up going nowhere, Kara returned at the peak of their commercial prime with one of the most iconic songs of their career. A bona fide classic, Step was the peak for Kara's and Sweetune's legendary careers, resulting in a euphoric release of pent-up emotions into an explosive blend of dance-pop groove and joyful melodrama. Twelve years after its release, its reputation and acclaim have only grown. It set a standard for the then-young 2010s, one that not a single musical piece was able to top.

By 2011, Kara were already one of K-Pop's most iconic and beloved groups globally, with massive fandoms in both Korea and Japan. This was, in large part, due to the efforts of their regular composers; the production team Sweetune. Sweetune's synth-laced dance-pop sound with loads of emotional catharsis made Kara a household name. Step is the culmination of everything they had been working on up to that point, and it is grand.

Step's lyrics are of a post-break-up song but tackle the theme in a much more upbeat and optimistic look at the concept. Tragedy may face you in life, but you just keep on going, louder and strong than ever. The song opens with "I won't fall anymore, goodbye sadness, I won't get too close anymore, goodbye tears, believe in yourself, no more sighs, such trivial worries, with a smile, bye-bye." Step doesn't try to pretend it isn't hard, but keeps on persevering even when it is hard.

These themes are expressed through the most joyful composition ever made. The song opens with its beating heart, its synth riff. It is almost arpeggio-like, before crashing down like a wave for one fantastic percussion snap. It is a euphoric centerpiece for the melodic drama that makes Step so good. Right afterward comes the youthful chants of "la la la." They could sound bratty but instead are performed by Kara in a way that makes them sound lighthearted and energetic as if they were a fun race through a sunny boulevard at the highest speeeds.

The first verse sees all the members get lines playing off each other. One of the most underrated aspects of Kara was their musical skills, particularly as vocalists. Step is practically begging for the vocalists to play off each other, from Jiyoung's confidence, Gyuri's dreamy joy, Nicole's skill as a transition, and Seungyoon's skill as a main vocalist. The pre-chorus sees the legendary Goo Hara take over, thanking the one in her life for the memories and experiences he or she left her. While the basic structure suggests this is a break-up song, the lyrics leave it ambiguous enough so it could be for any influential person in your life. Small guitar tinges and a pause on the nonstop synth thrashes assist as Hara takes the lead as the melody soars and glides. Just when you think it is about to peak, we get one of the greatest choruses in music history.

Step's chorus is majestic. Where is one to even start writing about it? The gleeful call-and-responses? The fantastic vocal layering? The triumphant melody? The thundering '80s synth-rock instrumental? The euphoric post-chorus? Step's chorus is one where everything that could have went right, went right. Every element is indicative of a great song, but they come together to form an experience that might appear once a decade if even that. Sweetune's productional roots have always been in metal, and they add its intensity to the glorious synth-pop, to create a shining example of what happens when a composition of fully thought-through. What I love is all the motifs the song already established coming back, from the "la la la" to the flying synth riff, to the focus on call-and-response. All of this serves a soaring melody that takes any listener beyond cloud 9. As the members sing that they will start again, beyond all their troubles, and increase the volume, the song swells into something perfect.

The second verse decides to keep all the strengths of the first verse, while only expanding them. The lyrics speak of always growing, and how that is the pure joy of life. The instrumental starts slow before swelling back to its full speed, burying loads of influence under its ever-growing instrumental until the torrents arrive at the fantastic pre-chorus. This time, the pre-chorus is shortened for the sake of brevity. It still holds the impact it initially did, while the speed makes sure the listeners never get too comfy and are always up for any change-ups.

We then get the golden chorus again. This time, however, the post-chorus "la la la" is replaced by an entirely new refrain, one I love so dearly. The members boisterously shout "In my life I recklessly get louder!" The rock guitars come to the forefront, with descending, crunchy guitar riffs replacing the productional snaps. I love the instrumental here, as it captures the best of Sweetune, merging metal speed and intensity with euphoric synth-pop.

This piece of pure gold is followed by a nice little scream and a poppy little rap verse. Compared to the personal euphoria of letting go seen through the rest of Step, the rap verse acts as a nice interlude encouraging you to do your best and never give up. Nicole, assisted by Hara and Jiyoung. This is a fun little break before the song completely pauses for the middle eight's final phase. Gyuri and Seungyoon sing a few lines of living your life as best as possible in its short time, which segments nicely into...

... a thunderous finale for one of the greatest songs of all time. The chorus plays at its full grandeur, while the "recklessly get louder" segment, instrumental and all. And it is glorious. Every element of Step blossoms into a golden closing where the "la la la" -s, middle eight beginning, and the chorus come together. It is brief and brisk, but the best moment in one of the best songs.

Personally, whenever I feel down, Step is one of the songs that cheer me up. Which made it all the more tragic in 2019, when Goo Hara passed away, one of the creators behind a song that saved and cheered up millions of fans. Step has not only become a testament to her incredible influence, but a legendary K-Pop song for everyone involved. When Kara came back in 2022, Step became the focal point once again. It is Sunshine in a Bottle and is one of the greatest K-Pop songs of all time. 

Next: Number 1

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