Review: Wheesung (feat. Ailee)–“They Are Coming”

Wheesung gives fans one last emotional ballad before he enlists in the army.


Did you like the song?
Okay, so I keep complaining that I hate ballads, right? The truth is I can usually only stand ballads if there’s something extra-special about them or if I just love the singers enough (i.e. DBSK, 2AM). But I adore this song. It’s beyond gorgeous. And the part I like best is that Wheesung makes the emotions stand out audibly not only in the parts where he’s belting it out but also—in fact, moreso—in the parts where he is singing/speaking softly. Take this part for instance, where he’s reminiscing about how good his relationship was in the past. Hear his voice kind of break on “guraessosso”? I totally believe him when he sings this song that he’s actually gone through this kind of pain.

What was your favorite part of the song?
This song is also very musically interesting: it actually goes somewhere and has two…well, I would call them climaxes, but I guess that could be considered a little dirty. Anyway, let’s just say awesome moments: here and here. I like the first of those moments the best, when it crescendos to Wheesung’s voice holding out the long note while Ailee comes in rapping in the background and the music just goes where you want it to. But the second moment, where the music goes all quiet just to come roaring back, was pretty cool, too.

Wheesung and Ailee.
Does the English make you want to rip your eardrums out?
I’d never heard of the girl who raps on the song, Ailee, before, so I looked her up: she is a Korean-American from New Jersey! That explains her flawless English. She became Wheesung’s trainee after placing first on the (appropriately titled) show “Singer and Trainee.” You can learn more about her on her Twitter or Youtube page. In my opinion, she’s an even better singer than rapper.

If you’re curious about the meaning of this song’s title, I believe it means “they are coming, those vicious guys: tears and separation are coming,” as it suggests in the lyrics. So “they” is a personification of the heartbreak at the end of a relationship.

Did you like the video?
Yeah, it kept my interest pretty well, though I’m not completely sure I understood it, and I certainly don’t know why everything was tinted either a sickly yellow or a sickly green. Ew. All my screencaps are going to be nasty as a result. Anyway, my favorite parts were seeing the backup dancers, to be honest.

Was there a storyline? If so, did it make sense?
This music video is about a couple that is torn apart by pearls. There’s a super happy couple, and then suddenly she has a pretty pearl necklace, and then their relationship falls apart.

Clearly the necklace is to blame.
Seriously, though, there is probably lots of symbolism in this video that I’m just not getting, but here is my interpretation: we have a happy couple who know that sadness is going to try to come and sabotage their relationship. The guy can see the “bad guy” of unhappiness at the door, even.

The couple sees unhappiness personified.
They start to yell at each other and throw pearl necklaces at each other while longing for happier times when they were younger. He sees a happier version of her when he holds her head in his hands, and he sees a happier version of himself when he looks in the mirror. He believes that he can maybe save them from these personifications of heartbreak who are coming to tear apart their love, so he grabs her arm and tries to get her out of the house. Which duly starts freakin’ exploding.

Dang.
I’m guessing this means that he tried to salvage their relationship, which was literally falling apart before his eyes. But here’s the part that make me sad: he’s trying to save it, but the woman lets go of his hand. So basically she decides to give up on their love. And he turns and runs out, getting himself away from the unhappiness and leaving her behind. Depressing, huh?

Was the dance cool and distinctive?
OMG, we actually have interpretive dancing going on! Sweet! And all the backup dancers are women in white dress shirts and black pants instead of…I don’t know, tight dresses and high heels? Cool. See, women don’t need revealing clothing to be sexy! I like how the lead dancer interacts with Wheesung and makes him part of the dance, too.

Wheesung with the lead dancer.
Do the members look good?
Well, Wheesung looks cool, but I wish Ailee’s face weren’t half-obscured by shadow all the time. She’s gorgeous, and covering up her face doesn’t really add anything to the music video, does it? Why can’t we see her? Plus she’s not in any of the live versions, either. :(

What does this accomplish, other than being creepy?
Which member stood out the most?
I loved Wheesung in this, but I’m going to have to give it to the lead actor here. I could really feel his pain and desperation at having to make the choices he does in the video, as well as choosing to eventually leave his partner.

Also he vaguely reminds me of JYJ's Yoochun, which is never a bad thing.
Do you like it enough to buy the song?
Yup—mark it down, I finally like a ballad enough to get it. :)

Any ending thoughts?
Wheesung showed remarkable dedication (or perhaps insanity) in his comeback performance of this song by performing while he had gastritis (causing abdominal pain) and the flu. He went to the hospital after the performance.

This is his last album before he goes off for his two-year mandatory army duty. (Man, it seems like everybody’s doing that these days.) I will certainly be awaiting your return, Wheesung!

Boyfriend’s one-liner:
“Did she just turn him down for an exploding house? In retrospect, men are a dime a dozen, while exploding houses are pretty rare.”

Thanks for reading! Please share your comments below! :)