Cursory and Entirely Surface Level Analysis of Red Velvet's "Zimzalabim"

The first thing that stood out to me in this song (besides those crazy bells) was the hard to follow form. Because the only other thing I had to do was a mound of homework and projects, I thought it would be productive to go through the whole song and write this essay that nobody asked for. Enjoy.

Intro (0:00 – 0:21):

A timpani beat is established with a descending synth. We’re then hit with a light drum roll from what sounds like toms or a muffled snare drum. There’s also a subtle descending piano riff that gives off a fun-house/haunted carnival vibe (I heard F, E, D#, E, B, C). This riff then hits again a half step down. I got flashes of “The Greatest Showman, but it’s Korean and electric”. It’s clear that Red Velvet want to put on a show with this album, and the festival concept intertwines nicely with this intro. We then get some ascending synth hits as we head into the first verse. Of course, because this song is wild, they throw us off with 4 measures of syncopated bells.

Part A – Verse 1.1 (0:21 – 0:37): Rap Section

Right out of the gate we get a bass line that seems very unlike Red Velvet. Most Red Velvet bass lines are clean, but Zimzalabim breaks that trend with a much dirtier, more dub-step-like bass. The lyrics are rapped, which is a bit unusual as well for Red Velvet. Even in their song with more rhythmic intros like “RBB”, they still maintain melodic stylings. Behind this section is drum line snare.

Part B – Verse 1.2 (0:37 – 0:52): Melodic Section

Transitioning from the rap section we finally get to a more traditional Red Velvet sound. The bass gets a little less dirty, and some familiar syncopated synth reminiscent of the chorus hits in Red Flavor join the composition. We also get some familiar vocal layering like the percussive vocal layering in the intro to “Russian Roulette”. The synth has ditched the syncopation and is hitting full chords as we head into the chorus (if you can call it that).

“HEH”

Part C – Chorus (0:52 – 1:11): “Zimzalabim” or “Wait, was that the chorus?”

The bells from the intro are back with a vengeance. Although they’re pitched, their presence gives an atonal and entropic sound to an otherwise simple chant chorus. They’re accompanied with a combination of syncopated bass hits and claps. The lyrics are basically a chant, and by the time you’ve gotten over how out of character this chorus is for Red Velvet, it’s over. It’s one of those choruses that momentarily makes you question your understanding of form in music. Although this chant section does come in on the drop, it’s rhythmic focus and musical distance from any other Red Velvet chorus make it alien despite its freshness. If I could compare it to anything, it’d be the cognitive dissonance I experience listening to iKON’s “Killing Me”. The actual “chorus” feels like a pre-chorus to the dance break (which of course has no words but feels like a chorus because of the drop). While Red Velvet are one of the least formulaic mainstream groups in K-Pop because of their ever-evolving style (just compare “Happiness” to “RBB”), this chorus really is something else.

Part D – Verse 2.1 (1:11 – 1:18): Hey It’s Red Velvet again, we missed you

And we back. Kind of. The synth hits from Part B return with a different rhythm with less syncopation. The melody is sung, but keeping in style with the song so far, it doesn’t move around the scale too much.

Part B – Verse 2.2 (1:18 – 1:25)

Essentially the same as the first instance of Part B, except with the synth hit pattern from D.

Part E – Rap Break (1:25 – 1:40): Men quake in their gaming chairs as Irene raps

As is common with rap breaks in K-Pop, the instrumentation in this section is stripped down with less bass. The timpani from the intro makes a noticeable return accompanied by hi-hat hits. The first 4-bar phrase transitions into a call and response phrase backed by the same drum line style percussion from Part A.

Part B – Pre-Chorus (1:40 – 1:47): Why this song is confusing

A modified version of Part B makes an appearance, this time acting as a true pre-chorus.

Part C – Chorus (1:47 – 2:02): Nothing to say here. Zim your Zalabims, ya’ll

Part F – Wub Wub Wub -> Bridge (2:02 – 2:40):

A song with seemingly endless style changes switches it up again with a wub wub dub-step/techno-house bass line and reverberating trebles. Right when you think you’ve caught the groove again, the song dives headfirst into a traditional bridge. The bass line drops out completely and the vocals are shockingly clear and mellow in comparison to the song up to that point. Vocal harmonies are layered in with submerged sounding descending piano chords, all with a strong but ethereal quality that completely betray (in a good way) the tone and timbre of the other sections. Multiple listens have yet to take away from the sonic shock this bridge section brings, which I would attribute to the ceaseless go-go-go nature of the song (or sleep deprivation). Listening to this song comes with a constant feeling of being one step behind the group, and this bridge capitalizes on that feeling nicely with a moment of clarity. At the top of the 9th 4-bar phrase, the previously washed out drums along with funk guitar begin to slowly crescendo (one of the only times dynamics are played with in this song) as the vocals hit their high point.

Part C – Chorus (2:40 – 2:55): Raising an octave is modification

A modified version the chorus with the vocals raised an octave and the wub wub from Part F added.

Part B – Outro (2:55 – 3:10): Modify it one more time

The song closes out with another modified version of Part B. This time the previously used drum line pattern is added.

Scattered Conclusions

At the very least, Zimzalabim is a song that you won’t get bored listening to. Red Velvet has a well-known reputation for actively rejecting formulaic style choices, and Zimzalabim keeps that reputation alive. Although most K-Pop songs are already quite good at mixing up the standardized form (especially in comparison to the boorish simple form of mainstream J-Pop), Zimzalabim takes that up a couple of notches. Recent Red Velvet releases have been melding their Red and Velvet sides together. That contrast worked to great effect in this song with a memorable bridge that popped hard af. Overall, I appreciated how much of a struggle it is to discern the sections of this song, while also holding some trepidation towards the ultimate effect of that struggle.

One notable change from the standard Red Velvet sound was the addition of an BLACKPINK/f(x) style hard drop. This came with a similar amount of rap that would be found in a BLACKPINK song. I don’t know if this was the best choice for Red Velvet when you consider their singing talent. Even the more melodic verses in the song were tethered to one octave (except for DAT BRIDGE). I think more vocal freedom could have served this track well, although it would have disrupted the direct and arrow-like style of the song.

For better or for worse, this song is different. When Red Velvet wants to go in a different direction, they don’t half-ass their turn. Personally, I’m a bitch for bridges (TU WA I SU), so I liked it.

Arbitrary rating out of an arbitrary amount of points:

8.5 Irene "Heh"s out of 10.1