Arirang (아리랑)
Having covered food and taekwondo in my previous cultural posts I wanted to take the focus this week to music - and no, sadly, NOT Kpop music. I chose this song because I really love music and have played instruments/sung since 2nd grade. Music has always been something that has the ability to connect many individuals and is so moving. It is also incredibly important and diverse based on different cultures and countries. The sounds and instruments of different countries become tied to those countries. For example, the sound of the Pipa from China is very well-known and produces familiar sounds in Chinese music. I tied my love for music into my Korean learning by looking for famous Korean songs.
There is an extremely popular folk song in Korean called Arirang and it is often referred to as the unofficial anthem of Korea. The word “Arirang” does not have a precise translation in Korean. First I’ve included a link to a live performance of a version of Arirang on a Korean singing show by the singer So Hyang (소향). (Bonus: she is wearing a traditional Korean dress called a Hanbok.) Here she is singing a version called Arirang Alone. I chose this version because it is absolutely beautiful. My friend actually showed me this version of the song in high school. I didn’t think much of it then but then I remembered it and have now watched it at least 10 times. Before beginning the SDLC program and learning Korean I always thought Korean was a beautiful language but this song and its language are so genuinely moving confirming that Korean is indeed a captivating language (at least to me).
Please listen to this video to make your ears happy and hear what I’m talking about!
Title: So Hyang - Arirang Alone (소향 - 홀로 아리랑)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFyndK9VOCk
I kid you not when I say this song brought tears to my eyes. It really reminds me of a lullaby and is such a beautiful song to have as an unofficial national anthem. The song itself has around 3,600 variations of about 60 versions of this song and it is approximated to be around 600 years old (Wikipedia, n.d.). Titles of the different versions are named after their place of origin. More impressively, this song is included twice (because of one submission from North Korea and one submission from South Korea in 2014 and 2012 respectively) on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The song itself has lots of history but it is still sung today in both North and South Korea and can be seen as a symbol of unity between the divided nation.
Now onto the origin of the song! No one really knows the exact origin of the song. However, it is believed to have originated in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, South Korea. The song is believed to be the love story of a bachelor and a maiden who fell in love while picking flowers across a wharf. There are two versions of the legend and in the first version the bachelor cannot cross the wharf and they sing this song to each other across the wharf but in the second version, the bachelor tries to cross the wharf and instead drowns. This and the light and lovely sound of the song make the song very much feel like a love song. The song also was once used as an unofficial anthem as a resistance song against the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Today the song still so popular the mega-famous Kpop group BTS even has a cover of it (find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZOQ6HjHEC0). The song has also been sung at the 2002 World Cup and during the 2018 Olympics. There is also a radio station called Arirang Radio which was created in 1996 and is an English-language international broadcaster based in Seoul, South Korea.
There is so much beauty to this song and I’ve included the lyrics to one version below along with the sheet music if anyone plays an instrument.
Lyrics:
아리랑, 아리랑, 아라리요
아리랑 고개로 넘어간다.
나를 버리고 가시는 님은
십리도 못가서 발병난다.
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Arirang gogaero neomeoganda.
Nareul beorigo gasineun nimeun
Simnido motgaseo balbbyeongnanda.
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Crossing over Arirang Pass.
The one who abandoned me
Shall not walk even 4 kilometers before their feet hurt.
Piano sheet music:
I wanted to include this song because I absolutely love how deeply connected to Korean culture it is. Music is such a powerful part of any culture and this song was such a beautiful depiction of Korean culture. The message of the song is thought to embody the spirit of the Korean people. It is known as the unification song between Korean people through its soft and enlightening melody and lyrics. This song is about the heart of Korea — not North Korea, not South Korea, but just Korea.
This song is a reminder of how important a song and music can be to a culture while also having a complex history. I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do! :)
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arirang
https://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/65049/Traditional-music_2.pdf
https://www.morninglands.com/arirang-the-national-song-of-korea/
https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=19181
http://123.141.57.30/Homepage_Eng/contents/arirang/history
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/arirang-lyrical-folk-song-in-the-republic-of-korea-00445
Replies
Mallory,
This is absolutely beautiful! I had heard of the cover done by BTS for Arirang. Listening the performance in the video, I have gained a deeper appreciation. Arirang being referred to as the unofficial Korean anthem, being sung in the World cup, and even the Olympics further testifies to it's beauty. I have just added this to my Korean music playlist on Spotify. I can see myself listening to this on repeat; Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi Mallory!
I also researched about Arirang last semester and was able to learn the BTS version of it with my language partner. This is such a powerful song, especially considering its historical meaning and it being the unofficial Korean national anthem. I was also really surprised to find out it has so many variations and it has been around for so long. Thank you for posting this!