The one thing I've learned in the year and a half that I've been writing these Way Back Wednesday columns is that if I want to elicit the largest reaction from readers, all I need to do is mention TVXQ. Members Yunho, Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu, and Changmin comprised one of the most successful groups in K-pop history and the mere mention of their names (or lack thereof) lights up engagement like no other group.
As important and popular as the group is though, I have to admit that I don't know very much about them. TVXQ debuted during a transitional period of K-pop when the first generation of idols were on their way out and the new generation of idols were just getting started and as a result, many fans, like myself, missed much of the TVXQ explosion because we just weren't following it as closely. So week after week of reading comments about the guys, I decided that what I needed to do was revisit some TVXQ classics and present my list of their 10 best songs.
Just to set the ground rules and stay within the Way Back Wednesday theme, I'm going to only include songs released during the original group's run (2003-2010) and mainly their Korean songs (sorry Japanese fans). I'm sure that this list will annoy many and possibly delight a few but let all of us know which ones we missed.
"Hug"
The group's first #1 hit and the song that started it all.
"Rising Sun"
This song is when I first noticed these guys after seeing a live performance that had the biggest production value I had ever seen in K-pop to that point.
"Balloons"
This pop remake of the 1986 classic by the band 5 Fingers reintroduced a great song to a whole new generation.
"Believe Me"
I think Jaejoong is sporting some of the shiniest, most manageable looking hair I've ever seen.
"Forgotten Seasons"
It's not really a TVXQ song but Jaejoong does a good job covering this Lee Yong hit from the early 80's.
"O"
I thought it was funny that the other singers tried to be cool and show absolutely no expression but I guess the biggest fan club in the world did not.
"My Little Princess"
I'm always surprised at how SM Entertainment finds these kids who are so incredibly good looking and talented. That includes the real reason why I first watched this video: Lee Yeon Hee.
"Wrong Number"
This is the grown up, big boy version of TVXQ. Plus the song is really catchy.
"Love in the Ice"
The song that brought TVXQ to a new level in Japan, the song that made them get their very first #1 on the Oricon chart. This is the Korean version and I think I've heard this song about 100 times in a norebang with guys trying desperately to impress the girls. I'm not expert but this has to be their most popular ballad.
"Mirotic"
My personal favorite song from the group and one that came to epitomize the modern K-pop genre, "Mirotic" has been covered, flash mobbed, and viral video'd by their legions of fans. It's also the last big hit the group would have together before the members of JYJ decided it was time to strike out on their own. A sad end to a very important group in K-pop.
After going back and pretty much listening to as much of their music as I could, those were the 10 songs that stuck out to me. Which ones did I miss?
Special Bonus Coverage
One way that I got to learn more about the group was through their appearances on variety shows, especially when they visited the shows 'Xman' and 'Love Letter'.
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