Review: Baby Soul (feat. Wheesung)–“Stranger”

A relationship on the rocks eventually disintegrates. (Too Confuscian?)


Did you like the song?
From Infinite’s company, Woollim Entertainment, comes the first member of an as-yet-unrevealed girl group. (There’s been some speculation that the actress in the music video is also a trainee in the girl group, but I haven’t yet seen confirmation of that.)

Man, this song and its lyrics made me so sad. I actually teared up. She just wants to be close to her man, but he keeps shunning her and won’t get close to her.

But, um, aside from that, I think there’s just something about ballads that Wheesung is involved in. They’re so musically interesting that I…forget they’re ballads. It has elements of rock ballads that I really enjoy (yes, give me more of those epic electric guitar riffs, please) And Baby Soul’s voice is gorgeous.

To be honest, though, I wasn’t really feeling the give-and-take duet aspect of the song. Clearly Wheesung is an amazing veteran singer, but in this song I don’t feel like his part was better or more interesting than Baby Soul’s, nor did it really add anything.

What was your favorite part of the song?
Probably the part leading up to the chorus starting where the backup vocals kick in. I like that line right after the backup vocals sing.

Does the English make you want to rip your eardrums out?
No English. *tear* At first I thought the backup vocals were saying “ajusshi” (to address an older man) but they were actually saying “aju swibjanha” (“It’s really easy”).

Did you like the video?
It was okay, very typical. The artist singing is tinted in one color (warmer, reddish ones here), the action is tinted in another color (a cool, almost sterile bluish color), and happier times are made a bit fuzzier.

There’s nothing new here; I feel like I’ve seen this music video before. But, hey, it’s not bad for a ballad. At least nobody got run over or actually died…hmm, scratch that. Actually, I think she may be dead.

Was there a storyline? If so, did it make sense?
I think the video is supposed to be about a formerly happy couple who have grown apart and end up separating. But what I’m getting from this video is it’s about wife who dies and then stalks her husband from beyond the grave until she accepts the fact that she has died and that he is trying to grieve.

The main scene that convinces me is this one towards the beginning of the music video. (If you’ve seen The Sixth Sense, you tend to become hyper-aware of things like this.) She’s standing there on a bridge, and he comes up to her, stops, and seems to acknowledge her (maybe), but keeps his hands in his pockets. Also note that he doesn’t appear to say anything during these entire scenes, while she’s talking a mile a minute, it seems.

“’Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket, and the other one’s trying to get this dead girl off me…”
Then they keep walking, she hits somebody and falls over, and he not only keeps walking, he doesn’t even acknowledge her falling. (Granted, the woman who hit her does, but that could be explained by her feeling a sudden blast of cold air or something.)

Happy Birthday to the ground.
Now, his weird behavior could be explained as him just being a cold bastard, but that would make him really cold, like almost sociopathic. Who doesn’t even flinch when their girlfriend or wife falls in a public place? No matter how much you may hate her or feel distant from her, you would still at least look at her, surely? Nope, there’s only one way to explain this: she’s gotta be dead.

The last scene cements it in my mind, too, where they’re both under the umbrella…

…then she disappears.

It’s the creepiest magic trick in existence!
Was the dance cool and distinctive?
No dance, either.

Do the members look good?
The actress and actor are very cute together, despite their depressing story. But what is with the camera work being constantly blurry during Baby Soul’s scenes? It makes it hell to screencap, but that’s not my main concern. My main problem is actually the same one I had with Infinite’s “Paradise,” and that is: when it’s harder to see the members, it’s harder to get to know them. Maybe they’re deliberately keeping Baby Soul “mysterious,” but then why bother debuting her ahead of her group at all?

This is one of the clearest shots I could get of her. :(
Which member stood out the most?
Since I couldn’t see Baby Soul clearly, I am tempted to give it to the actors’ hands here. They focused on them a lot in the first scenes.

So pretty-looking.
But in the end, I think I have to give it to the mystery actress whom I think is playing a ghost.

Do you like it enough to buy the song?
I enjoyed the song, just not enough to buy it.

Any ending thoughts?
I’m definitely looking forward to the Woollim girl group. If they’re anything like Infinite…well, I would be very pleased.

Boyfriend’s one-liner:
“Yup, if my girlfriend got pushed to the ground, I’d keep walking and then be ashamed of her to the point where I’d have to leave.” (We still aren’t talking, btw. .____.)

So how’s the holiday shopping going?