Review: Ram–“Deceived by Love”

Ram is deceived by love in her new music video.


Did you like the song?
I generally don’t much care for ballads, but this one was lovely (and short!). It had a great, dramatic opening with a full orchestra, and the song musically kept my interest.

What was your favorite part of the song?
Other than the very theatrical opening, I liked this crescendo and every time Ram sang “nega ottokhe.” It’s so pretty. For such a short song (just 2 minutes and 25 seconds) it has lots of interesting parts!

Does the English make you want to rip your eardrums out?
These ballads don’t seem to have much (or any) English. Perhaps they’re not trying to reach an international audience with the ballads as much as the faster-paced songs. It could also be that lesser-known artists aren’t trying to compete on an international stage until they firmly build their Korean base. No fun! :) Anyway, a problem I am having here is picking an English title for the Hangul 사랑에 속아. Should it be "Crossed in Love"? "Deceived by Love"? "Tricked by Love"? "Falling in Love"? I went with the second one, "Deceived by Love," because I thought it made the most sense, but I honestly don't know which is the most accurate translation. People who know Korean, I'd love your thoughts on this!

Did you like the video?
It’s okay, but the concept has been done before and better. The way the couple’s hardcore fighting segues into passionate kissing reminded me strongly of Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” (feat. Rihanna) and to a lesser extent Bang Yong Guk’s “I Remember” (feat. BEAST’s Yoseob). However, unlike in those videos, where the actors just really went for the kissing scenes (and sold me on their authenticity), here the actors seemed to be holding back a bit, slightly too gentle for the passion that was in the fighting, when it really calls for a kind of kiss that leaves you bleeding!

Ram, actor Byeon Geun Hyeok, and actress Han So Yeong
Was there a storyline? If so, did it make sense?
A woman looks back on the disintegration of her marriage. There was an interesting color scheme in this video, where I think the blue-greyscale were the unhappy/fight scenes and the happier scenes were colored in sepia. A good illustration of this is in this scene, where they’re somewhat okay and it’s sepia, then he slams her against a wall and it’s tinged blue, but when the fight turns into romantic passion, it returns to sepia.

This puts a new spin on rose-tinted glasses.
Was the dance cool and distinctive?
No dance here other than the choreographed slaps and punches. Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a music video where the girl punches a guy and then he hits her back (even though I know it’s unfortunately prevalent in real life).

Do the members look good?
If I’m not mistaken, there are three people in this MV: Ram (who sings) and actress and actor Han So Yeong and Byeon Geun Hyeok. I have to say I’m not a fan of Geun Hyeok’s hairstyle, and anyway I think it’s the girls who steal the show: both are great actresses with good range here.

Han So Yeong and Byeon Geun Hyeok
Which member stood out the most?
Ram (which is a relief). Her acting is so convincing, and I also love her eye makeup and her hair spread out on the pillow.

So pretty!
Do you like it enough to buy the song?
I seriously considered it, but in the end, I don’t think so. Despite this, I do really like the song, I just tend to only buy Kpop songs I can dance to.

Any ending thoughts?
Ram is a rookie solo artist, and I think this song will be good for her career. I definitely like it more than other ballads.

Boyfriend’s one-liner:
“She rips his wife-beater, then she’s surprised when she gets beaten?”

You don’t rip the shirt.
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