The Hidden Meaning Of OST Lyrics

by Mokona, March 28, 2018

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One of the things that make Korean dramas special to me is the combination of great stories, pictures, and OSTs. However, few fans really pay attention to the lyrics of the OSTs. Here are some examples of easily missed lyrics:

Heirs

Character description of Choi Jong Do

The theme song of a character is an important element in Korean dramas. Maybe you get the mood of the melody but if you don’t know the lyrics, you miss a lot. The Song Growing Pains 2 by Cold Cherry describes Choi Jong Do’s personality. It is not only a love song for the female lead! It is a song about the structure of his personality which explains why he acts like he does. You realize this when the song is playing for him and Kim Tan as well.

“I’ve never learned about love but why are these feelings coming to me?

It hurts so much that I can’t handle it so I can’t go to you.”

In fact, he never forgot his friend but doesn't know how to forgive and at the same time, he doesn't know how to handle all the feelings he has: his growing love for Cha Eun Sang, regret for things he did, the rejection from his dad, and that he is missing his mom so much. But if you never learned about love, how should you know how to handle it?

Moon Lovers

Farewell Song

Every time the first tunes of "Will Be Back" by Im Sunhae start to play, I started to cry because this song was only played when someone the viewer was supposed to like was about to die. If you pay attention to the lyrics, you realize the song is about losing someone you love and I was even more touched.

"The fallen flowers scattered by the season
Remain alone, lonely and sad

The sky without the stars is sad
Like the falling rain, it is crying

Flowers bloom and wither, just like my heart
Tell me with the wind

When the first snow falls, my wish will come true
I believe in that, an earnest wish

If you know my longing heart
Please come back to me"

The lyrics talk about how some things cannot be stopped and how empty the person who is left behind feels. Also consider the scene where it was played for the first time, the first snow was falling and Lady Hae's last wish was to have a last walk with her husband. She died happily.... but Hae Seo loses her closest relative and friend who protected her.

Gu Family Book

Twist and New Significance

The message of some songs seems to be totally obvious but if you consider the scenes they are played in, it can give you a new perspective. At the beginning of Gu Family Book, I thought Suzy’s Song "Don’t Forget Me" refers to the fact that Kang Chi cannot remember her and that they meet during their childhood.

“Farewell only comes once but why does longing come a lot?

I have never forgotten you for a single moment, I love you!”

But in the last episode, I realized it was more about asking someone to not forget you in the future because you cannot be with them anymore. It connects the past, present, and future and underlines the sadness of the situation. So, a song of nostalgia becomes a farewell song.

“I’m not asking to relive a love that has already passed

If you are smiling at thoughts of me sometimes.

I won’t have any more lingering attachments.

So don’t forget me, me, me”

It also happens that the last part of the song only gets played at a certain point of the story. This way to use a soundtrack is very common but always manages to amaze me.

Dream Knight

Spoiler Song

In some dramas, the OST prepares you for a sad ending. It is building up a mood and you face an inner fight with the knowledge that this cannot take a good ending and your unrealistic hope that in Dramaland, everything is possible. A classical example is JB's song "Forever Love" in Dream Knight.

This song is playing a few times from the moment JB made his decision and will be his last words to his love.

K2

Background Story Hint

The OST often supports different facts of the story or is a hidden hint to the background of the drama. For example, the OST of K2 contains phrases such as: “Spare my life I will run into the woods and never come back”, which is a quote from the fairytale Snow White. Also, the fact that the OST is mostly in German contributes to the brothers Grimm, who wrote the story. So when I realized this, I suddenly saw the Snow White and the Huntsman's story in this drama.