Previous Entry (#20~11):
https://jdbae.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/top-100-korean-songs-of-the-decade-2011/
10. g.o.d. – 길 (The Road)
Album: Chapter 4: 길 (The Road)
Release: 11-12-2001
(Song starts about two minutes in.)
Formerly five-man boy band g.o.d. (stands for Groove Over Dose. Yeah, everyone ignores it.) had talent that remains questionable–a couple of the members were okay at rap, and the four members besides lead vocal Kim Tae-Woo had only so-so singing ability before some went solo. What isn’t questionable is the importance of the social messages that their songs contained, compared to the slightly less concerned idol groups today.
“The Road” was actually not as popular as their former “To Mother” or “Lie”, among others, but to me the song signifies the apex of g.o.d.’s musical achievement. The five members’ easy vocals float over four minutes of minimalist instrumentation, where strings (both soothing and haunting at once) punctuate acoustic guitar and appropriately light percussion; the two lead vocals, Kim and Son Ho-Young, cry out with characteristic emotion. What really makes this song is the lyrics: in a time of uncertainty for many teens and young adults, when a still-recovering-from-crippling-recession left little opportunities, g.o.d. sang of the struggle that they had with their future, of the role of destiny, and of dreams. Large numbers of people still testify to the powerful effect that this song had on them when they were young, and I feel that its message, summed up by the chorus, rings more true than ever today.
Why I am I standing on this road
Is this really the road for me
Will my dreams come true at the end of this road?
What do I dream about
Who is that dream really for
When I achieve that dream, will I be able to smile?
Found In Translation 