When North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un released his latest song two weeks ago, surely he couldn’t have foreseen it becoming a hit on TikTok.
But the propaganda tune has gone viral online with Gen Z users bopping around to the synthy-electro pop.
Most are clearly quite oblivious to the Korean lyrics praising a man who’s vowed to “thoroughly annihilate the US” and launched dozens of ballistic missiles
But the sunny pop hides something more sinister, experts say.
there’s more than just commercial considerations at play when writing a chart-topper in North Korea - authorities want an earworm that penetrates minds.
There’s no space for abstract phrasing or timing that’s overly complicated , says Alexandra Leonzini, a Cambridge University scholar who researches North Korean music.
Melodies have to be simple, accessible, something people can easily pick up.
Tunes also need to be pitched at a vocal range where they can be sung by most people. The masses can’t keep up with vocal gymnastics, so forget about multi-octave riffs.
the songbook also rarely contains any tracks with real emotion
Hive mind npc communists brainwashed by appealing simplicity of juche-pop hit
Pyongyang keeps its pop tracks for those at home. The state has paraded its opera troupes and symphony orchestras on overseas missions – but its lighter ensembles are kept for a domestic audience only.
It’s streaming. You are literally writing an article about it going viral
The song sheet and lyrics of the latest songs - which only come out sparingly - are printed in newspapers and magazines;
“A song is almost like the newspaper in North Korea.”
they print the “songs” in these newspapers, but it’s almost like the songs are the newspapers. What else is in the newspapers? Idk probably just more songs
usually they also have to learn dances to go with it
“By the time the song has sort of been taken into the body, it’s become part of the person,” he says
“I am currently hitting the griddy for Ukraine”
Meanwhile on TikTok, users are just enjoying the music.
For many American users, the irony’s not been lost on them that a Communist song has gone viral on the Chinese-owned app while US lawmakers are trying to ban it.
praising a man who’s vowed to “thoroughly annihilate the US” and launched dozens of ballistic missiles […] But the sunny pop hides something more sinister
lmao that’s unintentionally very funny
You don’t understand, he VOWED to annihilate the US
That’s much worse then ACTUALLY destroying or destabilizing places like Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Iran, Korea, Libya, Laos, Cambodia, Bosnia, Syria…
Everything bad country does is propaganda. Everything we do is not propaganda. I am very smart.
authorities want an earworm that penetrates minds.
Everything is communist brainwashing
Fun fact, the CIA invented the word brainwashing during the Korean war to try to explain why American POWs captured by China felt sympathy towards China when they returned home.
Fun fact, the CIA invented the word brainwashing during the Korean war to try to explain why American POWs captured by China felt sympathy towards China when they returned home.
The OG before ‘Trotsky invented racism to shut down all political debate’ lmao
uncritical support for the DPRK in its heroic struggle to liberate occupied Korea from the genocidal American empire
Next up, we have Toby Keith and Ted Nugent talking about how America’s Red White and Blue Freedom: We’re Gonna Bomb Iran Tour is about family, community, and togetherness. But first, here’s Eric Clapton talking about how the presence of immigrants in London makes him remember being so strung out on heroin he threw his son out the window of his penthouse, and that’s why those boats full of refugees should be sunk at sea with torpedoes by our brave lads in the Royal Navy.
Glad someone posted this - I read it and was stunned at their talking points. It’s not hard to put a case up against North Korea, especially in the average westerners mind, yet the BBC decided to go for the racist magical psyop explanation of what is quite simple a catchy patriotic song.
As if post 9/11 Country Pop wasn’t the most brainwashed genre that’s ever been produced.
“Enemy is both weak and strong” is reaching the levels prevously unheard in both directions at the same time
There’s no space for abstract phrasing or timing that’s overly complicated , says Alexandra Leonzini, a Cambridge University scholar who researches North Korean music. / Melodies have to be simple, accessible, something people can easily pick up. / Tunes also need to be pitched at a vocal range where they can be sung by most people. The masses can’t keep up with vocal gymnastics, so forget about multi-octave riffs. / the songbook also rarely contains any tracks with real emotion
all this nonsensically critical technobable and it’s like some regular-ass song
the songbook
yeah let’s extrapolate an entire country’s musical culture from one song book. no fucking shit you want your national music to be accessible to people who aren’t formally trained.
No one talk about the American songbook that has complicated melodies like There Will Never Be Another You
But there’s more than just commercial considerations at play when writing a chart-topper in North Korea - authorities want an earworm that penetrates minds.
In NK they penetrate minds with catchy songs.
Also, the mendacious Asiatics produce art for reasons other than profit
