Amy’s Top50 Songs of 2012
2. SunnyHill – The Grasshopper Song (베짱이 찬가)
Though SunnyHill’s The Grasshopper Song has that infectious “Ring Ring Ring-a-Ring-a Ring Ring Ring-a-Ring-a” and the “bingeul bingeul,” take a good listen and check out that incredible instrumentalization — the strings (violins, violas, cellos… whatever they may be) layered with the beat. We almost never get this good in pop music.
It just… it didn’t matter that I spent all of March listening to this song all throughout my trip in Taiwan and then Seoul — at least three or four times a day on TV or in the streets. Even my mother knows the catchy part of this song.
You can get the single, with two extra tracks, on iTunes.
Plus, the lyrics have a decent message of not over-working yourself, enjoying life, and the whole thing against the ants from that Aesop fable that everyone learns as a child. [1]
1. Faye Wong – Wish (愿)
Only Faye Wong could take a religious chant and make this.
Lyric translations credit to our very own Adrienne~
Life consumes itself in the blink of an eye,
amid the eternity of time and space.
The process, not the destination,
is what truly matters.
To meet you again
somewhere along the way
is my one and only wish.
The dreamlike and peaceful qualities seem to be the exact opposite of most of the tracks on my list, but Faye’s vocals — and spirit… can the spirit of a person travel through music??? — take me to places that I just… can’t. I have to admit, this is a rather difficult track to listen to while working, because I have to just drop everything I’m doing and absorb it like I do with everything that Faye has ever released — in torturous droplets — for the past couple of years.
And despite being released on December 31st 2011, Faye Wong’s Wish is my track of the year.
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So there you go, fifty artists, fifty different songs.
I was rather surprised with the increase of tracks in Spanish and the number will probably increase for next year. In contrast, a lot of American, Canadian and English groups or solo artists made their comebacks this year with rather disappointing results.
Overall, though, I spent an amusing year listening to music from all over the world and can only look forward for more.
How about you? What were your favorite songs this 2012?
whoa you listened to a lot of music! Really liking the cumbia tracks.
@Diandra Rodriguez, I know! And somehow it still feels like it’s not enough xD Anyway, let me know what you think of some of the other tracks :)
@amy, yeah, sometimes you find a lot of the best stuff from one year in the next! I’m going to have to check out more stuff by Clover.
@Diandra Rodriguez, Clover has a couple of songs only… that I know of. La Vida Loca is all sorts of fun xD
is there a playlist?
@GIACOMO, there isn’t… unless you count my iPod, since there’s no single place that has all the songs (in complete form). But I could try to put something together on YouTube
Marina & The Diamonds, Mika Nakashima, Fiona Apple, B.A.P, Kaela Kimura, Regina Spektor, St. Vincent, Big Bang, G-Dragon, Sa Ding Ding, Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchstra, Singer Sen, Ga In, Imogen Heap, Meisa Kuroki, Sunny Hill, holy crap – Faye Wong, too!?? (she’s my fave chinese singer, followed by Sa Ding Ding, Singer Sen and Shang Wenjie tying for 2nd place) – you did it again! We’re like music twins! :)
@Eri, Oh you should def. check out track 28 on the list. I think you’ll love Hamacide’s track with ChaCha. And we do seem like music twins! xD