So my camera’s memory card crapped out, swallowing about 400 pictures of Korea’s amazing Fall colors. Yeah, I know a lot of countries have Fall colors, and I know it’s stylish to mock Koreans for acting as if Korea’s the only country in the world with four seasons, and Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk invented Spring, but on a weekend like this, I fully understand the excitement over Korea’s four distinct seasons. So, in the absence of Autumnal photos (dammit), here’s a random youtube find:
Foreigners (gasp! foreigners!) sing a nice little a capella version of Korea’s best-loved folk-song, Arirang, around a dinner table.
It’s a great song, beautiful as all-get-out, if you find a good version of it, though as I’ve blogged before, kind of like the The Star Spangled Banner (been done badly before): in the hands of the wrong show-off, it can turn into a piece of overwrought yuck (speaking of self promotion and misuse of a cultural treasure, here’s the last time I mentioned arirang, as pertaining to its being plundered for the closing credits of a horrible movie, in a crass, cheap ploy for movie promotion based on nationalistic pride… Yaaay D-Wars!).
Here’s my favourite version of the most popular song in the Arirang tradition (there are actually a bunch), and I like it because of the singer’s deep, gritty voice (all the best traditional Korean singers have that earthy quality in their voice, I think) the song’s slow build-up, ending with the crowd singing along at the climax.
(crossposted at blogoseyo)
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