"Arirang" for Today's Koreans

The thing that struck me the most while listening to Yang Hui-un's "Morning Dew" was how very much it sounded like an American folk song. Keith Howard describes how the norae undong ("song movement") that resulted from the 1970s' student democratic demonstrations drew inspiration from the musicality of people such as Bob Dylan. This fits very neatly into the ideas that Howard presents in "Korean Folk Songs for a Contemporary World." In this piece he shows how contemporary Korean singers and musicians who use the Korean folk tradition as a source see how change and fusion allow contemporary audiences to enjoy and "understand" folk songs. The "traditional"-ness of folk songs can be a turn-off for Korean urban youth, but by adding synthesizers or the equivalent of epic drum solos or making them dance-y allows folk songs to be relevant to modern listeners. At the same time, the meaning that singers and/or audiences put behind songs such as "Arirang" have also changed. While the original lyrics showcase a woman weeping for her absent lover, "Arirang" now has a nationalistic undercurrent and allows Koreans to show pride in their identity. Although contemporary presentations of folk songs are radically different from what the Korean government is preserving as Intangible Cultural Assets, they still represent a powerful and long-lasting folk tradition in which the Korean people make music that tell their stories.

Here are various videos to show how contemporary Koreans are using "Arirang" to showcase their Korean identity:

A guitar version
Korean fans at a World cup match
At a Korean concert for the 2006 World Cup (Isn't it great that national pride is best on display at sporting events?)
Something else related to the World Cup
A performance by a Chinese singer (So, "Arirang" doesn't have to have a nationalistic meaning since people of other nationalities can perform it too.)

Finally, just for fun, a fusion of Korean traditional instruments, Korean modern breakdancing and beatboxing, and Pachelbel's "Canon in D."

I bet you get these songs stuck in your head. I had Seo Taiji and the Boys' "I Know" stuck in my head all week.