A Korean student of mine sent me a link to a video of a performance of a famous but TV-shy Korean singer, Yim Jae Beum. My student told me that the song in the video has become the most popular song in Korea these days. Along with the link, my student also sent me an English translation of the song for me to understand its meaning. Yes. The song was in Korean. However, I didn't really care so much for the translation and went on to watch the video.
I wasn’t very keen on watching the video really, but I had to. Why? Because, that would be the topic for discussion in our class the following night. So, I watched it. To my surprise, I found myself crying. No. It wasn’t because some of the people in the audience were shown to be crying. What was it then? Why even without understanding the song did it move me to tears?
This made me stop and think. What made this song moving? Was it the music? The music was good. It was played with the piano, some percussion and stringed instruments. There were also back-up singers that enhanced the melody of the song. Was it the music? No. It wasn’t it. I actually barely noticed the music. At first, I only noticed the piano at the beginning of the song, and then the music faded from my consciousness as I continued to listen to the singer and the song.
Could it be Yim Jae Beum’s voice? His is husky; similar to that of Michael Bolton’s that’s why he’s fondly called the Michael Bolton of Korea. But, if it were so, then I would have been moved by Michael Bolton’s songs such as “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”. Personally, I didn’t find Yim Jae Beum’s voice appealing. Don’t get me wrong. He’s got a good voice, just not my cup of tea, though. Conclusion: No. It wasn’t the voice either.
I watched the video again and again just so that I could get my hand at the answer. As I did that, I found out that for most part of the song I was looking at the singer’s eyes, facial expression, and body language. In lieu of the words that I did not understand, I tuned in to the non-verbal messages. What really got me was the sincerity of Mr. Yim’s performance. I felt he sang his heart out. Without understanding a word, I felt the longing in his voice for somebody. I felt the sorrow that’s in his heart. With how he sang the song, it was like he literally cut his chest open and exposed his heart. There was even an instance along the performance that his eyes were red and teary. That moved me deeply. This is one of the most honest song performances I’ve ever seen. And, it tugged me straight to the heart.
Here’s the video of Mr. Yim Jae Beum’s heart-moving performance.
After watching the video, I went to look at the English translation of the song sent by my student, Kim Ki Ryang, through a private message on my Facebook. The song’s message is very encouraging. Its main message is that we all go through tough and trying times in life. But even though, there’s somebody who’ll always be there to see us through. I guess this was the very desire of Mr. Yim Jae Beum’s heart as he was singing the song. Thus, he was able to give a genuine and sincere performance. Above all, he was able to move his audience even those who do not know Korean. Two thumbs up and a standing ovation.
Music is indeed universal. It transcends geographical and cultural barriers.
No comments:
Post a Comment