Last week I posted links to the first two parts of an interview with myself by Andre Goulet for his podcast, The Korea File (Part 1: "A History of Korean Social Movements" Part 2: "Korean Identity and Anti-Americanism"), and yesterday he posted the third and final part, titled "Weed, Counterculture and Dictatorship," about how rock music and the counterculture were suppressed under the guise of a marijuana crackdown in 1975.
The propaganda film I mentioned (found at ehistory.kr) was found and posted by Mark Russell here.
Thanks again to Andre inviting me to do this interview; have a look under "Episodes" here to look through the other interviews about Korean music, culture, and society he's done.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Songs of the Korean War
Today is the 64th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.
Last night's Royal Asiatic Society lecture, 'That Crazy Asian War,' by Michael Duffy, focused on American music about the Korean War.
A fairly comprehensive list of these songs, which can also be listened to, can be found on the page "Music About the Korean War" at authentichistory.com, with at least one other song to be found at Atomic Platters' small page on Korean War music. More information on the music with lots of youtube videos, and at least one 1980s Danish song (!), as well as a Lightning Hopkins song about the war can be found in this post by Jon Dunbar at korea.net.
One of the more absurd songs I heard last night was "When They Drop The Atomic Bomb" by Jackie Doll and his Pickled Peppers:
We also heard, Elton Britt's Rotation Blues, which is notable for its Korea references (to 'A-frames' and 'honey pots').
As for songs that I really liked, JB Lenoir's "Korea Blues" has an interesting take on the plight of the soldier overseas (though not a surprising one for a blues song):
I also liked Sonny Osborne's "A Brother in Korea," a bluegrass song (and about the only song from the time of the Korean War which came close to criticizing the war (or war in general)) which can be listened to here. As well, gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "There’s Peace in Korea," released the day of the Armistice, can be listened to here. And who knew that the 'crazy Asian war' referenced in "Ruby, don't take your love to town" (popularized by Kenny Rogers) was the Korean War?
Last night's Royal Asiatic Society lecture, 'That Crazy Asian War,' by Michael Duffy, focused on American music about the Korean War.
A fairly comprehensive list of these songs, which can also be listened to, can be found on the page "Music About the Korean War" at authentichistory.com, with at least one other song to be found at Atomic Platters' small page on Korean War music. More information on the music with lots of youtube videos, and at least one 1980s Danish song (!), as well as a Lightning Hopkins song about the war can be found in this post by Jon Dunbar at korea.net.
One of the more absurd songs I heard last night was "When They Drop The Atomic Bomb" by Jackie Doll and his Pickled Peppers:
We also heard, Elton Britt's Rotation Blues, which is notable for its Korea references (to 'A-frames' and 'honey pots').
As for songs that I really liked, JB Lenoir's "Korea Blues" has an interesting take on the plight of the soldier overseas (though not a surprising one for a blues song):
I also liked Sonny Osborne's "A Brother in Korea," a bluegrass song (and about the only song from the time of the Korean War which came close to criticizing the war (or war in general)) which can be listened to here. As well, gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "There’s Peace in Korea," released the day of the Armistice, can be listened to here. And who knew that the 'crazy Asian war' referenced in "Ruby, don't take your love to town" (popularized by Kenny Rogers) was the Korean War?
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Shin Jung-hyun's 1958 LP 'Hicky Shin'
Korean rock and roll in the 1960s and 1970s
Part 1: Shin Jung-hyun's 1958 LP 'Hicky Shin'
What would be considered to be modern popular music in Korea essentially came into being in the mid-to-late 1920s with the release of the earliest commercial recordings in 1925 and the introduction of radio in 1927 (initially split between Japanese language and Korean language broadcasting; a Korean-only station began in 1933).
As Michael Robinson puts in in his chapter on colonial era broadcasting history in Colonial Modernity in Korea (which can be mostly read here).
With the end of the Pacific War, American influence would make itself felt, especially during and after the Korean War. One major influence was AFKN radio, which began in 1951 and exposed anyone with a radio to American pop music. American films were also shown in Seoul, though the slower, but more thorough influence may have been the stage shows put on for US soldiers by Korean performers.
An in-depth look at the history of two variety show collectives which performed from the 1930s to the 1950s and at times entertained Japanese and U.S. troops can be found in Roald Maliangkay's essay "Koreans Performing for Foreign Troops: The Occidentalism of the C.P.C. and K.P.K."
Another chapter by the same author - ‘Supporting Our Boys: American Military Entertainment and Korean Pop Music in the 1950s and early 1960s’ - can be found in the book "Korean Pop Music: Riding the Korean Wave" (Keith Howard (ed.), Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental: 2006). For those not wanting to drop almost $200 on the book, both Yonsei and SNU have it in their libraries (in the music and international studies libraries, respectively).
One of the artists who developed as a musician playing on USFK stages was Shin Jung-hyun. As is noted in Mark Russell's article about Shin Jung-hyun, he was born in 1938 and moved around, living in Japan and Manchuria before returning to Korea after liberation. Orphaned at the age of 15, he moved to Seoul at the end of the Korean War.
If you go to the Youtube page, you can skip ahead to the second song, 'Twist Arirang', which is pretty damn cool. Interestingly, the song 'The Twist' only became popular in 1960, but other songs with 'twist' references existed before that song (and Shin's song sounded nothing like music one would do the twist dance to), so it's obviously not referring to that song. As a rock and roll version of 'Arirang', it predates by 40 years the Yoon Do-hyeon Band's rock version made popular during the 2002 World Cup. There are also a number of popular American songs Shin did versions of, in addition to his own material.
While the pop music of the 1930s instituted new forms of westernized popular music in Korea, this was the first album to introduce rock and roll to Korea. Few listened to it at the time, but eventually tastes would begin to change...
[I've (obviously) been rather busy recently, but hope to do more posts like this about 1960s and 1970s Korean rock music.]
Part 1: Shin Jung-hyun's 1958 LP 'Hicky Shin'
What would be considered to be modern popular music in Korea essentially came into being in the mid-to-late 1920s with the release of the earliest commercial recordings in 1925 and the introduction of radio in 1927 (initially split between Japanese language and Korean language broadcasting; a Korean-only station began in 1933).
As Michael Robinson puts in in his chapter on colonial era broadcasting history in Colonial Modernity in Korea (which can be mostly read here).
From 1933 until the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, Korean radio stimulated a revival of traditional music genres, created new forms of dramatic arts, introduced Western classical music and jazz, fed its audience’s insatiable appetite for modern, popular song (yuhaengga), and served as a vehicle for standardizing the Korean vernacular.This fascinating chapter goes on to describe the generational clashes between the old, who wanted to hear more traditional music, and the young, who wanted to hear popular songs, as well as the 'purification' campaigns carried out by Japanese authorities during the Pacific War which banned songs that, for example, had references to crying in them (Park Chung-hee would eventually take a page from this campaign). Some of the hit songs from the 1930s and 1940s can be listened to here.
With the end of the Pacific War, American influence would make itself felt, especially during and after the Korean War. One major influence was AFKN radio, which began in 1951 and exposed anyone with a radio to American pop music. American films were also shown in Seoul, though the slower, but more thorough influence may have been the stage shows put on for US soldiers by Korean performers.
An in-depth look at the history of two variety show collectives which performed from the 1930s to the 1950s and at times entertained Japanese and U.S. troops can be found in Roald Maliangkay's essay "Koreans Performing for Foreign Troops: The Occidentalism of the C.P.C. and K.P.K."
Another chapter by the same author - ‘Supporting Our Boys: American Military Entertainment and Korean Pop Music in the 1950s and early 1960s’ - can be found in the book "Korean Pop Music: Riding the Korean Wave" (Keith Howard (ed.), Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental: 2006). For those not wanting to drop almost $200 on the book, both Yonsei and SNU have it in their libraries (in the music and international studies libraries, respectively).
One of the artists who developed as a musician playing on USFK stages was Shin Jung-hyun. As is noted in Mark Russell's article about Shin Jung-hyun, he was born in 1938 and moved around, living in Japan and Manchuria before returning to Korea after liberation. Orphaned at the age of 15, he moved to Seoul at the end of the Korean War.
The post-War years in Seoul were tough. Shin woke up at four o’clock each morning to work in a pharmacy, then went to night school in the evenings. At night, in between, and any chance he got, he taught himself guitar.In 1958 (or 1959, according to some sources), Shin recorded and released the first rock and roll record made in Korea with the help of other musicians who played on the Eighth Army stages. Titled '히키-申 [Hicky Shin],' it may refer to his English name, Jacky Shin. The cover also describes it as 'guitar melody' in Hangeul and '경음악 선곡집' [album with a selection of songs of light music] in Hanja (though 경음악 perhaps had a different meaning then]. The entire album can be listened to on Youtube.
Soon Shin was good enough at the guitar to find work teaching at a music institute in Jongno, the center of old Seoul. He reputation grew quickly, and someone suggested he audition to play for the U.S. Eighth Army.
In 1957, he started playing rock music for U.S. Army bases (under the name “Jackie Shin”), where he would continue for ten years. The American Army circuit was a godsend for musicians then, with plenty of clubs (jazz standards for the officers clubs, more country music for the NCOs, and rock for the enlisted men) and decent pay.
“The American bases are where Korean rock developed,” Shin says. “At the time, Korean clubs only played ‘trot,’ tango, music like that.” Shin still remembers the music he most liked to play then: “Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around the Clock,’ ‘Guitar Boogie Shuffle,’ Duane Eddy’s ‘40 Miles of Bad Road.’”
If you go to the Youtube page, you can skip ahead to the second song, 'Twist Arirang', which is pretty damn cool. Interestingly, the song 'The Twist' only became popular in 1960, but other songs with 'twist' references existed before that song (and Shin's song sounded nothing like music one would do the twist dance to), so it's obviously not referring to that song. As a rock and roll version of 'Arirang', it predates by 40 years the Yoon Do-hyeon Band's rock version made popular during the 2002 World Cup. There are also a number of popular American songs Shin did versions of, in addition to his own material.
While the pop music of the 1930s instituted new forms of westernized popular music in Korea, this was the first album to introduce rock and roll to Korea. Few listened to it at the time, but eventually tastes would begin to change...
[I've (obviously) been rather busy recently, but hope to do more posts like this about 1960s and 1970s Korean rock music.]
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Park Chung-hee, Songwriter
Go check out Roboseyo's post on the 1972 Shin Joong-hyun song 아름다운강산 (Beautiful Rivers and Mountains). Beyond discussing Shin and the song (and linking to the various versions of it, including the psychedelic wonder of the 1972 original and Kim Jung-mi's version from a year later) he also let me know that the writer of 나의조국 ('My Country') was Park Chung-hee. I actually have an LP of that same name by the 'National Chorus Choir' which was released in March 1977, and the songs on it are all godawful (as I figured it would be - but seeing the song titles like 'Song of the Minjok' and 'Saemaeul Song,' along with lyrics and a picturesque enough cover, made me want to buy it).
Here's what 'My Country' sounds like - just to give you an idea of what Park Chung-hee wanted people to listen to:
The song was written in late 1976, as this December 11, 1976 Maeil Gyeongje article relates:
This very lengthy report gives a ton of information about the Saemaeul Movement, as well as a translation of the lyrics. Here's the song itself:
The style of the music, the fact that it was played every morning for citizens to wake up to, and the lyrics should give some idea of the culture clash at work between the youth culture of the day and the culture the authoritarian government wished to cram down its citizens' throats (or in their ears), a clash that ended in 1976 with the arrests of dozens of musicians, artists, and film directors. 'My Country' is essentially a victory cheer by President Park, and a reiteration of his vision for a counterculture-free society. But I can't help but notice how similar it is to North Korean music I've heard.
I'd thought of doing a long post about music from the 60s and 70s, but Rob gave me the (great) idea of doing a series of smaller posts. So up next will be a look at Shin Jung-hyun's first album from the late 1950s.
(Interesting that there are song titles in English.)
Here's what 'My Country' sounds like - just to give you an idea of what Park Chung-hee wanted people to listen to:
The song was written in late 1976, as this December 11, 1976 Maeil Gyeongje article relates:
President Park songwriter of 'My Country'As it turns out, releasing the song and officially claiming credit for it later was how Park did things. As this June 30, 1972 Kyunghyang Sinmun article, titled "President Park songwriter of 'Saemaeul Song,'" reveals, the Saemaeul Song was written in early May 1972 (two years after the start of the Saemaeul Movement) by the president, and the original recording featured piano played by a high school student. Park, however, had not wanted it known upon its release that he had written it, so "the writer of the song that people across the country loved to sing was hidden, but the fact was spread from mouth to mouth" until it was officially announced by the Blue House on June 30 that he had indeed written it.
It has been revealed that the lyricist and composer of the song 'My Country,' which has been played widely on radio and TV, is President Park Chung-hee.
This was revealed on December 10 by an official who knew this fact while returning in a car to Seoul after attending a Saemaeul leader convention in Daejeon.
The official explained that on a weekend at the beginning of October, President Park personally wrote the lyrics and composed the song 'My Country' and after that when it got into general circulation via TV President Park "instructed [them] to let the lyricist and composer be anonymous, and as of yet the lyricist and composer have not been revealed."
This very lengthy report gives a ton of information about the Saemaeul Movement, as well as a translation of the lyrics. Here's the song itself:
Saemaul SongThe funny thing is, while 'let me get you up' isn't how I'd translate it, it's more true to how things turned out, at least according to what a former Peace Corps Volunteer told me. Apparently the Saemaeul Song was played at dawn every morning through an outdoor speaker near his house, so the song did actually 'get you up,' or wake you up, at least. To paraphrase him, 'I don't know how many times I thought about going out and cutting that damned speaker wire.'
Written and composed by Park Chung-hee
1. Dawn bell rings, new dawn breaks
Let me get you up, for building Saemaul
Refrain:
My village a good place for living
Let us build with our hands
2. With thatched roofs replaced, with village roads widened
Let us create green, tending it carefully
(Refrain)
3. By helping each other, by working with sweat
Endeavoring for income boost, let us create a rich village
(Refrain)
4. We all strongly, working while fighting
Fighting while working, let us build a new father land
(Refrain)
The style of the music, the fact that it was played every morning for citizens to wake up to, and the lyrics should give some idea of the culture clash at work between the youth culture of the day and the culture the authoritarian government wished to cram down its citizens' throats (or in their ears), a clash that ended in 1976 with the arrests of dozens of musicians, artists, and film directors. 'My Country' is essentially a victory cheer by President Park, and a reiteration of his vision for a counterculture-free society. But I can't help but notice how similar it is to North Korean music I've heard.
I'd thought of doing a long post about music from the 60s and 70s, but Rob gave me the (great) idea of doing a series of smaller posts. So up next will be a look at Shin Jung-hyun's first album from the late 1950s.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
On the passing of Alan Heyman
[Update]
Jeremy Seligson writes about Alan Heyman's life here.
[Original post]
Alan Heyman, a Korean music scholar who first came to Korea during the Korean War as a medic and who had lived here since 1960, passed away on Saturday a the age of 83. My condolences to his family.
More about his life can be found in this Korea Herald article, and interviews with him can be listened to here.
I've posted several articles by James Wade from his 1967 book One Man's Korea before, and thought it might be fitting to include his portrait of Alan Heyman, who was a friend of his, from that book:
Judging from the life he led in Korea, perhaps the answer to the question posed at the end was 'no.'
Jeremy Seligson writes about Alan Heyman's life here.
[Original post]
Alan Heyman, a Korean music scholar who first came to Korea during the Korean War as a medic and who had lived here since 1960, passed away on Saturday a the age of 83. My condolences to his family.
More about his life can be found in this Korea Herald article, and interviews with him can be listened to here.
I've posted several articles by James Wade from his 1967 book One Man's Korea before, and thought it might be fitting to include his portrait of Alan Heyman, who was a friend of his, from that book:
Judging from the life he led in Korea, perhaps the answer to the question posed at the end was 'no.'
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Is the time of overpasses over?
Update:
A Donga Ilbo editorial about the demolition offers more information about late 1960s development plans as well as this: "The city government of Seoul has decided to open Ahyeon Overpass to the public from 11 am to 4 pm on Feb. 8 before demolition."
Original post:
The Joongang Ilbo reports on the demolition of the Ahyeon Overpass, Korea's first overpass, which was built in 1968, so that it can be replaced with a bus lane.
Not all overpasses were so unsightly, however. Here is what Samgakji Rotary used to look like between 1968 and 1994:
As this blog post (the source of the above photo) notes, the rotary was also connected with trot singer Bae Ho's 1966 song 'Doraganeun Samgakji (돌아가는 삼각지),' which can be heard here, and which is also referenced in some of the older restaurants in the area.
A Donga Ilbo editorial about the demolition offers more information about late 1960s development plans as well as this: "The city government of Seoul has decided to open Ahyeon Overpass to the public from 11 am to 4 pm on Feb. 8 before demolition."
Original post:
The Joongang Ilbo reports on the demolition of the Ahyeon Overpass, Korea's first overpass, which was built in 1968, so that it can be replaced with a bus lane.
The old overpass symbolized Korea’s rapid modernization, triggered by a huge increase in transportation infrastructure from the 1960s to 1980s. A total of 101 overpasses were built in Seoul during that period.Just in case you had no plans for Saturday...
But these days, many of the roadways built during that time have worn down and are widely considered to be blights on the urban landscape. Since the early 2000s, urban planners have adopted a more sustainable and passenger-friendly approach, taking aesthetics into consideration.
In 2002 alone, 15 overpasses were taken down.[...]
Seoul’s decision to transform Seobu Highway, a main arterial road, into an underground road partly reflects a shift from the past.
The Seoul city government is now considering demolishing other dilapidated overpasses, including the one near Seoul Station. It has already decided to close the Seodaemun Overpass in Seodaemun District.
Acknowledging the overpass’s historical significance, the city government will allow citizens to come and walk along the overpass on Saturday before it is completely demolished.
Not all overpasses were so unsightly, however. Here is what Samgakji Rotary used to look like between 1968 and 1994:
As this blog post (the source of the above photo) notes, the rotary was also connected with trot singer Bae Ho's 1966 song 'Doraganeun Samgakji (돌아가는 삼각지),' which can be heard here, and which is also referenced in some of the older restaurants in the area.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Did the Ministry of Defense declare 'Arirang' a subversive song?
From the Kyunghyang Sinmun yesterday:
While considering that one of the less-than-positive legacies of the current president's father was the destruction of much of the popular culture which is now drawing attention to South Korea (see Mark Russell's essay here, for example), including the banning of songs, widespread arrests of musicians (under the rubric of a 'war on marijuana'), and the destruction of much of the early 1970s rock music scene, it's likely not entirely fair to connect her personally to this story (especially if we take the military at their word and take into account that military units have been asking for songs to be deleted since the Noh Moo-hyun era), even if I might really like to...
(Hat tip to Ami.)
Ministry of Defense designates 'Arirang,' a song that even President Park loves to sing, a 'subversive song'The original MBN TV report is here. So... are we dealing with a heavy handed military here, or irresponsible, sensationalist media? Or a little of both?
The inclusion of the traditional song 'Arirang' on a 'list of subversive songs' maintained by the Ministry of Defense is causing controversy. MBN reported on the 18th that the Ministry of Defense had designated around 50 songs, including Arirang, as subversive songs and directed that they be deleted from Noraebang equipment.
According to the article, of the 50 songs included on the list of subversive songs the Ministry of Defense included mostly songs calling for peace or reunification such as "Our Wish" or "Come the Day," but among these were also included four traditional folk songs, "Arirang," "Nodeul Riverside," "Miryang Arirang," and "Ggaturi Taryeong." As a result, these songs cannot be sung at noraebangs on military bases and even at some commerical noraebangs.
As this has become known it has led to criticism on the internet. Sungshin Women's University professor Seo Kyoung-duk, the Korea promoter who last year led the movement to have Arirang registered with UNESCO as an intangible heritage asset, wrote, "Last year I put a lot of effort into having Arirang registered as part of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, such as placing one-page ads in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, but now that you can't sing it because the Ministry of Defense has designated it a 'subversive song'... I really don't have the words! Anyway, lets have civilians work together to protect Arirang."
The Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying "Other than North Korean songs, the Ministry of Defense has not requested the deletion from noraebang equipment of a group of normal South Korean songs." "Since around 2004, requests could be made by front line commanding officers according to their own judgement for noraebang equipment supplied to bases to have songs removed that are judged to be unsuitable for soldiers to sing." "After this, used noraebang equipment from military bases has been found to have entered the open market without being restored to its original condition."
Prior to this, while watching a performance held in the Blue House Garden titled 'Our flavor and style for cultural prosperity - Arirang,' President Park Geun-hye sang 'Arirang' with singer Kim Jang-hun.
While considering that one of the less-than-positive legacies of the current president's father was the destruction of much of the popular culture which is now drawing attention to South Korea (see Mark Russell's essay here, for example), including the banning of songs, widespread arrests of musicians (under the rubric of a 'war on marijuana'), and the destruction of much of the early 1970s rock music scene, it's likely not entirely fair to connect her personally to this story (especially if we take the military at their word and take into account that military units have been asking for songs to be deleted since the Noh Moo-hyun era), even if I might really like to...
(Hat tip to Ami.)
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