First Take: Sunny Hill's The Grasshopper Song

 

Sunny Hill is back! One of ROK's most overlooked talents is back with a new song and an awesome music video. Again, Sunny Hill is trying to show us that K-pop doesn't always need to be about first loves or make-up. With a fun electronic beat and meaningful video, The Grasshopper Song is telling you to get away from your daily routine and enjoy life.

Like other Sunny Hill songs, this song is more than what you see. Sometimes K-pop is so predictable that you can watch the music video and understand what the singer is trying to say. Sunny Hill is different, and they make me want to read the lyrics. Thankfully the YouTube source that LEON Entertainment, their label, released had English translated lyrics so I don't have to worry about translations. The song and video speaks of people so stuck in their daily routines that they're missing out on the beauty of the world. But to tell you the truth, I don't really know why the song is called The Grasshopper Song. Is there a Korean proverb that I'm not aware of? The lyrics didn't mention anything about grasshoppers so I suppose it's a Korean thing. Where I come from grasshoppers aren't common so they don't really inspire proverbs or anything.

After being blown away by Pray, I had high expectations for Sunny Hill. Sadly, this song didn't come to par. I guess I had a certain idea of Sunny Hill in my mind that if they started doing something different, it just wouldn't fit in. I'm not saying the song is bad. I'm glad they released a new song in K-pop, providing fresh sounds in a sea of boring. But perhaps this type of song is not my style. I wanted the girls (and boy) of Sunny Hill to show their vocal chops which I'm so awed by, but they failed to do so here.

I actually liked the video better than the song. I love the quirky sets, which Sunny Hill did show in Midnight Circus. They also provided a very good story representing the song without going to dramaland. In this video, Sunny Hill welcomed you to two different interpretation of people's lives. One is the orderly and gray world of the everyday office man. The sole male in the group, Janghyun, represents this group of people. He seemed happy at first, working his days in a cramped space selling sugar. When he saw a lady that didn't look like "his people", he became curious and followed her. Here he was introduced to the real life, where the people had colorful hair and crazy clothes. Everyone was having fun, and he was dazed in trying to fit in. When he lined up to get some sugar, he was dragged away. I think this represent the lyrics "unreachable happiness is just a mirage". Sunny Hill is trying to say life isn't what it seems. You have to get out of your daily routine to really enjoy life. But don't lose yourself for everything isn't always as pretty and colorful as it seem.

I really appreciate how there's still people in K-pop like Sunny Hill that doesn't think of us as dumb fools. They still think the audience is smart enough to decipher their own ways of the story they tell. Despite me not loving the song as much as I expect myself to, the song is quirky and fun and provides a new flavor in K-pop which I appreciate wholeheartedly. I'll definitely be watching their live performances which is where they truly shine.

Update Jan 24: I now understand the grasshopper part! Muhaha... Okay, so basically the song is a retelling of the movie A Bugs Life where the ants have to work their ass off and the grasshoppers are the ones who enjoy the fruits of their labor. Apparently it's also an Aesop's Fables. Oops forgive me. Thanks Simon and Martina! Take a guess who the ants and grasshoppers represent? I can now sleep peacefully.