Let’s talk about Le Sserafim their latest release: Crazy!
I may or may not have written an essay about this album, so let’s get into it. Just a small note however… I had to talk about both Crazy the song and the music video at the same time. It just explains everything so well, but I did section it off so hopefully it all makes sense especially if you are just getting into Le Sserafim their music.
Chasing Lightning
Le Sserafim is back again with another strong catwalk sound! Everytime I think their intro song can’t be more meaningful with their next comeback, they smash that record I keep in my head like it is nothing.
In the intro the five of them are sharing thoughts about things they are into, stuff that they are crazy about. With the message: “Listen to your own heart and change this moment!” Unlike the intro tracks from their previous albums, they switched things up here by opening with an everyday conversation.
When the first part of the song passes, the second part begins and it is the flipside of what they said at first. It feels like the girls are talking to each other and encouraging each other to do the things they love to do, despite the hate that they receive from the public. This track is about throwing yourself into the emotions of the moment, even if you don’t know how it will end. It conveys the message that even if you can’t change your environment, like the weather, you should listen to your heart and try to change the ‘here and now’.
The instrumental would be perfect for a club and I think the high level energy goes well with the lyrics. It’s refreshing, and the techno-style music and sensual hook make a strong impression
Crazy – the music video
All about girlhood. 5 different people, but they decided that they are still girly girls. The crazycore relies on rebellion and freedom, but also their desire to fulfil their potential how they self see fit. In order to reach that goal the girls challenge themselves every day. They put themselves on trial like Galileo. Because only by questioning the norm, you can find your own truth. This is the type of crazy Le Sserafim reference to in their song and I absolutely love how such a catchy song is about so much more than just what you hear at first listen.
In the music video Galileo is holding an antenna, but why you might ask. Well, that is actually to make it a point that both Galileo and the Fimmies are chasing lightning, just like they said in the intro song. That is about following your ambition, believing in your freedom of ideas and expressing your truth no matter what others think. You can even see it back in the style of dancing they chose to do for this era: Voguing, a style that was formed from the Ballroom scene. Which is an American underground culture rooted in black and latino LGBTQ+ history.
It made me incredibly happy that the iconic House of Juicy Couture were the dancers in the music video. This dance crew made the Ballroom scene for what it is nowadays. The dance style is known for its sharp, linear movements. Very different from the Fimmies last comeback with Easy.
Crazy – the song
The first thing I thought when listening to the song: they are all rapping! It fits the song so well, cause it wants to sound laidback while this is such a high energy production by blending EDM-based house music with urban-style rap. The unique lyrics, and attractive chord patterns that make it fun to listen to. There are so many great lines in the song, but I think I like the lines that refer back to themselves the most. For example Sakura with her “I am an Otaku, bestie”. Be unapologetic yourself and live life according to your own rules.
In the lyrics they talk about giving the sun a kiss even though they know they can get blind by doing so, meaning: they are not stopped by the limitations others impose on them. Why? Because they broke free from their own minds. And I adore the way they showed that when it comes down to the music video and the intro video. The goldfish plays a major role in both videos. If a goldfish is kept in a small bowl, it will stay small. But if the fish is given more space to grow, then it will be able to thrive and become bigger than ever before. Of course this suggests a problem of the mind, that’s why I think it’s so creative that a goldfish actually “breaks free” from Yunjin her head. When that happens the whole room turns into an ocean aka all the room to grow now.
The intro video ended with Cheawon turning into a goldfish, while the Crazy music video starts with the whale shark in the back. That is the largest fish in the entire world.
Crazy is a fun song with a very cool and interesting concept, but at the same time the hidden message is even bigger: if you want to become the big fish, you must allow the little fish to break free and grow.
Pierrot
Pierrot, the famous character from the Italian commedia dell’arte, was portrayed by the composer A. Schönberg as the moonstruck and fantastic clown, who symbolises the putting on of a mask to hide one’s true feelings or opinions.
This hip-hop-style song samples Kim Wansun’s Pierrot Smiles at Us. There are elements of the original song throughout the intro, melody, and theme, starting with “I’d rather have a smiling Pierrot”. The lyrics express respect and support for senior artists such as Kim Wan-sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Lee Hyo-ri, and IU. It’s a message to people living in the same era that instead of worrying about the same old routine, the distant future, and things that won’t happen, let’s go crazy together.
The song gets even more powerful with Yunjin’s operatic voice. I love how they touch back on hip-hop from their Easy era, but found a way in which the music sounds amazing and so complete on the Crazy album as well.
1-800-hot-n-fun
The Rock and Roll girly in me absolutely adores this song! The catchy guitar riff, hip-hop sound and a personal thoutch from the girls in the lyrics. “Where the heck is Saki?” Well, Saki is the nickname for Sakura and you can even tell in their choreo, case it’s Sakura who poses when one of the girls sings that line. This track showcases the Fimmies attitude of having fun with whatever they’re doing. I love that there is always one rock song on their album, I personally think that the sound fits the girls very well, not just because of the sound but also the fun they always seem to have on stage.
미치지 못하는 이유 (Crazier)
The Reason I Can’t Go Crazy is actually the direct translation and reflects the feelings of the song much better than the English title. The first four songs each have their own take on ‘crazy’. But this last track, Crazier, is about the absence of ‘crazy’. Huh Yunjin, the main producer of this song, explains: “The message of the song is that youthful life can be beautiful, even if lacking in crazy, which we wanted to convey with sincerity and empathy. Having this as the last track on the album is like us posing a question to you: ‘What does ‘crazy’ mean to you?’”
This must be their strongest ballad till date, you can tell how much Yunjin has grown as a producer with even vocalguiding the girls! This song is the perfect ending for this mini-album.
The masterpiece that’s called Crazy
Never before have the Fimmies and their team put out an album that’s so cohesive while still exploring genres, but nevertheless it conveys the typical Le Sserafim sound and message. The girls have gone through a massive vocalgrowth, at the same time I like how they are also still looking for what they can do more, for example when they all rapp on the Crazy track.
And then the visuals are wow… the lore, the girls’ thoughts and the dance style that suits this era the best. Everything comes together in this album with just a single word: Crazy!
Love,
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