Two of arguably South Korea’s top solo acts are back with ballads about melancholy loves, each representing the pangs felt by the opposite gender.

On the male side, we have Rain who as most fans would know has been out of the korean music industry for quite sometime now. He is coming back to his roots with this comeback album entitled Back to Basics, following his dalliance with the Hollywood scene with his movies Speed Racer and Ninja Assassin. In this MV, the title single Love Song was reported to have been penned by Rain himself and shows a man desperately being vulnerable as he yearns for a lost love (played by actress Kim Ye Seul). The scenes of their more happy times are interspliced with those of him chasing her as well as glimpses of what might have causes the breakup — scenes of fame.

On the other corner, we have KPop’s sexy queen Lee Hyori who we previously reported on as having a Lady Gaga-esque comeback concept with her album H-Logic. She surprises us with this soulful slow song entitled Swing (featuring a rap section by singer Leessang). The song in itself is hauntingly eerie, and quite uncharacteristic for the singer diva who frequently releases catchy dance tracks in the past… The visual impact works because Hyori’s raspy voice complements the alternating views of a clown dragging a seemingly old travel bag across the seaside to closeups of the singer’s face. The song reflects about a woman feeling as if she is following behind her former lover, a somewhat “old baggage,” and that in turn she has made her once lover a “fool.”

Author’s Note:
Swing was interesting due to background music that is similar to a familiar Mexican folk song. Love Song is true to its name, albiet being saddening. Interestingly enough, both artists sport the “teardrop mascara” look in both comeback… Lee Hyori in her own MV, and Rain in his comeback photos.