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Introduction to Lyric Writing: Exploring K-POP Idol Songs Through Translation and Original Lyrics

Introduction to Lyric Writing: Exploring K-POP Idol Songs Through Translation and Original Lyrics
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A few years ago, several Korean idols (singers) appeared on NHK’s New Year’s Eve “Kōhaku Uta Gassen.” It became a perfect talking point for those who wanted to forcibly steer the discussion into politics, but personally, I hope that at least music and sports can transcend the political realm and speak heart to heart to people.

There seems to be a mood that Korean idols are already over, but last year the K-pop group TWICE performed on Kōhaku.

The momentum of BIGBANG and BTS shows no sign of slowing down, and I think K-pop has already become a standard form of music among young people, unaffected by trends coming and going.

This time, I’d like to translate lyrics from such K-pop idol songs and also unravel the songs themselves from a lyricist’s perspective.

Model masterpiece divine song: Apink | Mr. Chu (On Stage)

The Japanese version of the lyrics isShoko FujibayashiI am Mr./Ms. ____.

The World of Lyric Translation

There’s more work for lyric translation now than there used to be.

It’s quite challenging to pass competitions, but I also receive many requests for lyrics translations.

This is clearly thanks to the entry of K-pop idols and artists from Taiwan and China into the Japanese music scene.

By the way, broadly speaking, a translated song I like is Wink’s “Ai ga Tomaranai.”

Based on Kylie Minogue’s original song “Turn It Into Love,” Nemuko Oikawa wrote the lyrics (Japanese adaptation).

When people hear the word “translation,” they tend to picture someone groaning over a dictionary in one hand and a grammar book in the other, turning a foreign language into Japanese—but in fact, that’s not what it really is.

A professional translator has already provided a literal translation of the foreign language.

While looking at the lyrics that had been translated into Japanese, the lyricist...Matching the number of characters to the rhythm, the melody, and the notesThat is the main part of my job.

Hearing it put that way, it sounds like anyone could do it, but writing lyrics in translation isn’t just about matching the number of characters to the score.

If requested, one important task is to paraphrase through imagery—so as not to break the original lyrics’ world.

This is exactly where a professional shows their skills.

For example, a part of the lyrics

I will kiss you in the elevator.

I will kiss you in the elevator.

“にする” is a literal translation.

But considering the number of vowels in English and the length of the syllables when pronounced, keeping the literal translation as is won’t fit the notes and won’t turn into good music.

It’s only a rule of thumb, but for English of about this length, you have to fit it into roughly ten Japanese characters or fewer.

So, these English lyrics

I can’t wait until we get to the room.

I propose, how about this?

I want to say that swiftly folding a sense of tempo into the notes—that is the craft of a lyricist.

I think translators who produce movie dubs do similar work to this.

Translators may worry about the length (timing), but I don’t think they care as much as lyricists do about rhythm, the number of notes, or intonation.

For the above lyrics, if the flow allows for somewhat dialogue-like phrasing and it fits the rhythm

Can I kiss you now?

I wonder if lyrics like that would be allowed too.

Images inevitably invoke metaphors.

That metaphor will be extremely useful for your future lyric-writing.

Even if you’re not familiar with lyric translation, comparing a lyricist’s adapted translation with a literal translation of the original song will surely be highly educational.

Emphasizing the worldview

In many cases, lyricists are asked to translate in a way that preserves as much of the original lyrics’ worldview as possible.

In cases where the PV has already been completed, we say, “Follow the worldview of the PV.”

For example, if it's a story where space appears or a crying face of a rabbit played by a human shows up, then the lyrics have to be aligned with the world of that music video.

It may sound a bit sarcastic, but the work of setting aside those mentally unfathomable passions somewhere is quite necessary.

How was it in the case of this song?

Let's compare the literal translation with a portion of the lyrics.

The literal translation is a compilation of the greatest common elements gathered while using a translation app.

If we meet once, I’ll want to meet you twice.

If we meet two or three more times, I'll want to hold you even more.

Pairing with you, wearing it on my finger.

I want to walk this path together with you.

Even though we just met a moment ago

On the way home alone... I want to see you.

Pair couple ring, couple ring

I want us to hold hands and walk together, matching each other.

As you can see by comparison, when translating the same phrase from Korean into Japanese, the Korean version contains more information.

The same phenomenon occurs when translating English lyrics into Japanese.

I’m not a linguistics expert, so it might just be a coincidence.

I think this is true of any language, but Korean in particular feels like each single word contains an exceedingly rich world.

In any case, it's not possible to turn it into Japanese lyrics while preserving the same amount of information.

Since you have to choose your words while preserving the original meaning—and even infuse the lyricist’s own coloring—writing a translation is arguably much harder than starting from “nothing.”

The tanka poet Machi Tawara published the poetry collection Chocolate Translation: Midaregami based on Akiko Yosano’s Midaregami (Tangled Hair).

This is something that could be called a modern-language version of “Midaregami.”

I've read it too, and though it's rude to put it this way to a first-rate tanka poet, this is precisely a craftsman’s artistry in words that seeps out effortlessly, without contrivance.

While keeping the ideas analogous, build knowledge in contemporary language and attach a tanka-like punchline to each piece.

I also wonder if the intellectual manipulation of language is an area that can’t be changed by effort.

idol-like metaphor

Mr. Chu Lips Chu! Sparkle Chu!

a rose-colored world

Softly spinning, it's my first time.

It's a cute chorus. You'll understand when you listen to it, but the 'Chu' parts that fit so well with the track are highly addictive.

Here, we make use of the original lyricsChuI’m using it as is.

The phrase “rose-colored world” is a pretty clichéd lyric, and if you go back through Japanese popular songs, it seems like a phrase that would come up endlessly.

It’s amazing how words that come in through the ears can be so mysterious—this seemingly ordinary phrase makes my heart skip a beat.

The part that goes “Spinning around all fluffy, it’s my first time”—it’s by no means a mature lyric, but it’s a set of words that falls within this group’s color, “pink.”

Writing lyrics that do not deviate from the group’s color is also an important approach for those who write lyrics for idol songs.

Give me a kiss sweeter than chocolate

Oh, darling

Your name, Mr. Chu

In the original song, “Kimi no Namae Mr. Chu” is “Anata wa watashi dake no mono Mr. Chu,” which means “You are mine alone, Mr. Chu.”

Since the loved one’s lips belong only to me—that metaphor is skillfully encapsulated in the single phrase “Mr. Chu,” so the original lyrics must also be exquisitely crafted.

As for metaphors

Neither prosaic nor literary, an idol-like metaphor such as “Mr. Chu” could well serve as a model for future lyrics.

A Promised Kiss, Please

No change of heart!

Don't hurt me, baby.

It depends on the sound quality, but I felt that the “Kiss,” “NG,” and “Baby” here are placed in a well-balanced way.

It’s truly mechanistic in structure, with English words sprinkled here and there like accents.

Some lyricists make heavy use of English at the key moments, while others insist the chorus must always be in Japanese.

I don’t have any strong preferences, but I feel like recent idol songs have less English in their lyrics.

Well, since we live in a world where “kiss” and “baby” already feel like Japanese, I figure that instead of using complicated English, straightforward lyrics like “I love you!” might actually resonate more deeply.

Lyricists who don’t use much English, please try using English proactively.

You'll be able to pay much more attention to rhyming than before.

Model song: BLACKPINK | PLAYING WITH FIRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnDmLiVU3UQ

The lyricists are TEDDY and Emyli.

Group color and language as surface layer

The image color I mentioned earlier for Apink is pink.

And as for this group BLACKPINK, despite having the word PINK in their name, I think their image color is black.

not Japanese-stylematte black。

Their polished music and stylish appearance evoke a very cool shade of black.

Rather than saying that the two groups with the pink lettering stay out of each other’s territory, it’s more that each group...I'm forging my own path.This is an image.

How about Japanese idols?

If I were to broadly categorize currently active top idols... writing it like this would surely invite criticism from many directions, but if I dare to classify them (this is purely my personal opinion)

Shall we say something like that?

In the sense that we’re living in the same era, we’re rivals.Each field is subtly guarded.It can also feel that way.

You can also note how the lyrics are very thoughtfully crafted to respect each group’s color without breaking it.

For example, songs performed by Stardust idols don’t feature messy, melodramatic romances, nor do they include phrases that hint at nighttime affairs.

Perhaps every group has taboo words or a sanctified realm of language that is implicitly understood.

In the idol world, where groups constantly form and disband, it’s understandable—but that very “taboo” can sometimes limit the scope of a group’s activities.

If you interpret it solely from the lyrics, in that sense it seems that the Hello! Project groups provide the widest range—from hard to soft—of fields to nurture their idols.

Of course, what you can infer from the lyrics is only one small facet of the artist.

Let me get back to the point.

From their visuals to their music, BLACKPINK is the coolest group in K-pop.

Music production that is conscious of trending Western pop doesn’t fit within the bounds of a mere idol.

Calling them an idol or an artist doesn’t do justice to how monumental they are.

Mom says

Be careful with men.

Love is like playing with fire

Because you'll get burned

Mom always told me that.

Be careful with men.

Love is like playing with fire.

You'll get hurt.

Both the original lyrics and the Japanese lyrics end up having roughly the same meaning.

The lyricist has transcribed and adapted the words to hew as closely as possible to the original lyrics.

I was especially struck by the parts in the lyrics where “love” was replaced with “romance.”

For the words of the Japanese peoplePlaying with fire = loveI think there is some level of recognition.

To put it grandly, language is a distillation of a nation’s history—or, to put it another way, the surface layer of an individual’s experience—and I felt that this word, whether “ai” (love) or “koi” (romantic love), had been translated with exquisite nuance.

From a Japanese sensibility, “koi” (romantic love) can include elements of play, whereas “ai” (deep love) is likely seen as something weighty and distilled; the wish is that only this concentrated “ai” remain universally constant, untainted by frivolity.

It may be just a translation of a single song, but it made me think about the depth of continental-style views on love, where even love itself can be taken as a mere flirtation.

A universal language of lyrics

Another part of the lyrics above that caught my attention is the katakana spelling of “kega” (injury).

When you write the word for “injury,” it tends to evoke cuts and scratches,The katakana word 'ケガ' doesn’t sound that serious.。

Also, the expression “wounds of the heart,” etc., carries a certain lightness that evokes failures in relatively shallow romances.

Partly due to the rhythm, we couldn’t fit the lyric “You’ll get burned,” but I think we turned that pinch into an advantage and matched the words cleverly.

As I said before, once it’s sung, it doesn’t matter whether it’s written as “怪我,” “ケガ,” or “けが.”

Lyrics are non-literary, and in a good way they don’t even possess an anti-literary spirit, but I would like to believe that lyricists nonetheless bear the responsibility to construct a world of words at a high level in their own way.

Lyrics are meant to be sung, and I want to always keep in mind that a level of pride like that is necessary.

A trembling heart in love

On and on and on

Dedicated to you

All of me

Look at me Look at me now

It’s your fault.

The population of South Korea is about half that of Japan.

Therefore, if South Korean companies target only the domestic market in Korea, they cannot expect significant sales.

So, from the beginning,Creating products and content for a global audienceI’ve heard that you’ve been working hard on it.

Of course, likewise, many Korean artists are active on a global scale.

That's why there's a lot of English in the lyrics.

It’s not uncommon for the chorus to be entirely in English, and there are also songs where nearly half the lyrics are in English.

The English parts in the lyrics above are also in English in the original song.

It’s common to see patterns where the native language is inserted every other line of the lyrics.

This is also common among Japanese artists, so I think it’s good to remember it as one form of lyric writing.

There are many lyrics that present something in English and then simply follow it by putting it into Japanese.

I want to be close to you.

It is of the type.

It’s not very interesting if you use it too much, but it’s a combination that’s easy to use.

I'll get burned. It can't be erased.

This love is a Bundang Line.

“Pulchannan” means playing with fire.

Phrases like “the blazing flames of love” or “the fire of love” seem so common that they feel almost like a universal language of song lyrics around the world.

Hearing 'flames of love' suddenly reminded me of The Doors' 'Light My Fire.'

The translation was done by Akira Kagami.

The original title of this song is “LIGHT MY FIRE.”

The same English lyrics are used in the song with the wording changed to “Burn me.”

I can find plenty of learning material in the lyrics, realizing there are ways to use words like this too.

Incidentally, Jim Morrison of The Doors left around a hundred songs, including those credited to THE DOORS (and my apologies to fans if there are actually more), but he hardly ever used the word “fire” in the lyrics of his other songs.

Whether it’s because they have a special attachment to “LIGHT MY FIRE,” or just a coincidence.

Now that the person has passed away, there is no way to look into it or ask about it.

I can’t hold it back anymore.

Fire spreading at a furious pace

Hey, don’t stop.

Burn it to ashes

Lyrics and words that were frequently used in old rock songs are now appearing often in idol music.

It feels like vintage girls’ rock is reemerging in the guise of idols.There is.

The words “uncontrollable,” “breakneck speed,” and “burn it all up” are typical lyrics in love songs.

Since these are lyrics that appear broadly across rock music, you could say that aspect excessively amplifies BLACKPINK’s coolness.

Their attitude—one that even conveys an exultation akin to over-eagerness and seeks to settle everything through performance—will surely continue to win them more and more fans.