Why I Played "When We Were Us (Beautiful Days)" by Lovelyz for Almost an Entire Hour Straight

I’m usually not a huge fan of bubblegum K-Pop outside of TWICE. The artists that got me into K-Pop were R&B and neo-soul artists like DEAN, Zion. T., and Zico, but I eventually branched out. Even though I’m now a shameless ONCE, I didn’t expect much when I first took a look at “When We Were Us” by Lovelyz.

The first verse didn’t blow me away. Synth heavy with minimal bass, percussion, and a predictable chord progression - standard fair for a group like Lovelyz. At this point I felt no difference in the song from the groups biggest hit “Ah-choo”. I actually like that song, but it was also released four years ago. The hook is where everything changed for me. Something about the hook struck me in a way I don’t often feel. Up to that point I had been halfheartedly listening while eating dinner, but the hook transfixed me so much that I stopped eating entirely for the rest of the song. Upon finishing my first listen I was at a loss for words. I was expecting an enjoyable if not forgettable track, but that wasn't what I got. At the time I was fairly sleep deprived, and ended up falling asleep shortly after with that question still in mind (I didn’t even get to brush my teeth, I just knocked out hard. Gross).

The next day the hook was still ringing in my head so I played the music video and ended up listening to it on repeat for 50 minutes while I did chores. Whenever I start obsessing over a song like that I have an uncontrollable urge to break down the entire song. I did the same for Zimzalabim because it was doing my head in not looking into it on a deeper level. A quick look at the chords revealed at least a part of what made the song so striking to me.

The chorus chords go as such (it's hard to match chords to words because of differing grammar structures so I just lazily threw the associated block of lyrics under the chords):

First Half of Chorus:

[F#m7 - Bm7 - E - A

F#m7 - Bm7 - E - A

Don’t forget. The dazzle of the day when we were “us”, and the two people who were together as if in a painting. It was so much more like a dream than a dream. You and I on those days.]

Second Half of Chorus:

[F#m - Bm - E - A

F#m - Bm - E - A

Don’t worry. I’ll collect the pieces of you and treasure them so I don’t get sad about the season that lost us. Goodbye, I’m turning back now, as if we’re meeting tomorrow.]

If you aren’t familiar with chords that’s okay (I barely am myself). Essentially those chords marked with a “7” take on a different character than their normal counterparts. A very generalized summary of the use of 7th chords is to add color to a chord progression. 7th chords also have a little bit of innate dissonance that encourages movement to another chord. Knowing that is all you need to know to understand the simple beauty of “When We Were Us” and its hook.

Starting the hook with two 7th chords starts the chorus with a bit of tension before returning to more familiar E and A chords. This happens again before the 7th chords are removed and replaced by their “standard” counterparts in the second half of the chorus. Many say that minor 7th chords are somewhere in between the “happy” major chords and “sad” minor chords. Those minor 7th chords create an air of contemplation and tension at the top of the chorus that perfectly reflect the lyrics of the song. In that first half, Lovelyz are remembering the days with a love they are no longer with. There are feelings of loss, regret, and nostalgia in their words. This resolves to the more stable, but undeniably “sadder” minor sound of the F#m and Bm chords. In this part of the chorus we hear lyrics that suggest the singer is making the decision to try and be happy by moving on, despite the sadness and regret they still feel. A sad but confident decision mirrored by the sad but confident chords.

This song is about accepting and cherishing your past while having the courage to move forward, even if it’s still painful. That's why the minor 7th chords landing to sadder, but more stable minor chords works so well in the context of the song. "When We Were Us" would always tug a bit at the heartstrings with its lyrics, but when they’re backed up musically by a fitting chord progression you get an unforgettable song. One that a male 22 y/o hip-hop nerd will play for 50 minutes straight.

To sum up that block of half-baked music theory above: Lovelyz created more meaningful lyrics by supporting them with on-theme chord progressions. Also, sleep on beds, not Baby Soul. The woman can sing.

Arbitrary Rating:

7 minor 7th chords/8