Welcome to the eighth article in our series, “K-Pop Lyrics Explained”, where we take a look at the lyrics to some of your favorite K-Pop songs. Previously, we explained WonHo’s ‘Blue’, WEi’s ‘Starry Night’, Park JiHoon’s ‘Serious’, BTS’s ‘Yours’, SF9’s ‘Trauma’, WonHo’s ‘White Miracle’ and Coldplay’s ‘My Universe’ with BTS.
Today, we’re taking a look at ‘TANG!♡’ by WINNER member MINO.
Making the end of the year more special than ever, MINO released their third full-length album ‘TO INFINITY’ with the title track ‘TANG!♡’. Just as the name suggests, this song packs a punch: one of energy and enthusiasm. As is always expected with MINO, there’s a fusion of genres that define this song and it’s definitely a sonic experiment. However, what makes the song even better is the lyrics!
Read on for a full review of MINO’s ‘TANG!♡’!
“Where did you come from, outer space maybe / With the fox expression, I can’t hear what the fox says (What did you say?)”
MINO’s encounter with an incredibly amazing woman leaves him smitten. However, her heart is totally alien to him. The reference to “outer space” reaffirms this even further, reminding us that MINO has no idea how to deal with her feelings or decipher hers. A clever allusion to the iconic song “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say)” by Ylvis It’s very well received too.
“If I show you a copy of my bank statement, will you come? / How should I stage my attack? Should I study / Wow, there’s enough bullets / Just open your mouth, a steak is flying, fly, fly”
It’s clear at this point that MINO expresses his love language through gifts, and really doesn’t know any other way to get emotionally close to someone. This is not to say, however, that your own feelings are insincere. On the contrary, his desperate attempts to convey them are what prove his ingenuity.
“This is just my heart / An expression of it / So take it”
There is a clear division of feelings here, because for MINO, the woman is a chimera that he just can’t understand, and on the other hand, she doesn’t seem to understand him either! The entire second verse is devoted to this feeling.
“Don’t feel pressured, ever / But please be my oriole / When I see your back, I’ll immediately give you a hug back.”
It’s here that we see a soft vulnerability in MINO, where he admits to his emotional needs, giving us a clear view of where he’s coming from. His wounded heart built a barricade big enough for him to resort to materiality rather than an honest confession to express his feelings. It might even be implied here that the latter could have resulted in painful heartbreak in the past.
“Honestly, I wanna buy your heart / Tell me how to seduce you / I’m dumb, so I really don’t know what’s in a woman’s heart / What kind of things I need to do”
MINO is opening up more and more towards the end of the song, as he himself confronts his efforts to win her heart. He is well aware that his money is more of a coping mechanism than power and that, in the end, it will only attract superficial feelings.
WINNER’s YouTube
“Don’t avoid me / I don’t want to get hurt again”
Eventually, MINO relents and reveals that his behavior is born out of hurt and pain. As the music video builds to a seemingly anticlimactic ending, we see MINO mustering up the courage to ask his date out. He knows he needs to come clean and he needs to do it now or he will lose her forever.
What did you take away from MINO’s ‘TANG!♡’? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section below!
