There's certain music that you can only fully appreciate when you understand the lyrics, and The Winning by South Korean soloist IU certainly falls into this category. Hear me out: as someone who doesn’t speak Korean, I did enjoy the mini album on my first listen. The music had a calming effect, IU’s angelic vocals paired with smooth instrumentals. It wasn't until I read the lyrical translations on Genius.com, however, that tears came to my eyes from the sheer beauty of the album. Through the lyrics and sounds in The Winning, IU weaves a story of life and success, and all that lies in between.
The Winning begins with “Shopper”–a song that probably brings out the stereotypical teenage girl in all of us and the desire to “shop all day.” The chorus sounds distinctly airy and light, almost dreamy. While the soloist could simply be singing about a particularly large shopping spree, the lyrics also contain a metaphor. The lines “Time is short/ Make ‘em all yours,” from the chorus indicate that we’re thinking about more than just shopping, but at life as a whole. The message is that, because our lives are short, we should make the most of our time, greedily asking for more stories and experiences. Though time is short, the line, “This shop will never close, forever,” points out that it's never too late to make the most of whatever time we have. Additionally, every generation is able to “shop” at this “store”, which represents life.
Next on the album is “Holssi”, or 홀씨, which translates to dandelion or spore in English. Similar to “Shopper”, “Holssi” has an airy sound. This is paired with a slower tempo, which sounds like a playful form of R&B. The theme of the song is to embrace the struggles of life and fly away like a spore or a seed. IU encourages her listeners to, “Follow me.” The implication is that, because the singer is capable of flying away and chasing her dreams without a care in the world, others must be able to as well, including her inspired listeners.
Following “Holssi” is what I would deem the strangest song on the album, and perhaps the most fascinating. “Shh…” is a collaborative effort that includes IU herself, Hyein of New jeans, and Joe Won Sun as vocalists, and Patti Kim as a special narrator for the song's interlude. With so many voices in a single song, and each voice from a different generation, it's no wonder “Shh…” is so unique in sound, form, and content. The song is fabulously complicated, and I honestly struggled to put together its meaning without first hearing others' opinions on what it means. As it turns out, “Shh…” is the epitome of every relationship between females, and of the unspoken conflict each one carries along with it. The song contains the story of a daughter who is deeply connected to her mother, who wants to follow her example, even when mother and daughter end up hurting each other in the process.
“Love Wins All”, the next track on The Winning, is dramatic and emotional, with a sound that's fit for cinema. The lyrics pin love up against life’s challenges, as IU desires to, “Run away from the world, run on,” or escape reality with her lover. The fragile bridge with the lyrics, “Destroy me slowly and chilly, ruiner/I want to get sad with you, my lover,” brings home the idea that, even when it becomes impossible to escape reality, love still wins, because she is still with the one she loves. Even if everything ends, it ends with love.
“I Stan U” is a perfect way to end the album on a hopeful note. Bright, inspiring, and magical, this final track delivers the message that, “I believe in you/You're stunning, so stunning.” Having explored her own journey, IU now encourages her listeners on theirs, assuring us that we are unique, that she'll be our audience no matter what we do. She encourages listeners to, “Go, achieve your own victory,” to do what we love, and to remain playful and childish through it all.
With the master-level sound and lyricism in The Winning, IU tells a valuable story to inspire listeners. Starting with her current life, the singer acknowledges how far she's come and the desire to keep going forward for more in the first two tracks, “Shopper” and “Holssi”. The center of the album really peels back the layers and pays respect to the bittersweet relationships which inspired this journey. “Shh…” tells of difficult, unspoken relationships which IU shares with the females in her life, and “Love Wins All” explores the power of love itself, and especially romance. Having taken this short detour into her history, IU finishes off the album by assuring others that they can have a journey just as amazing as hers. This is what concludes the beautiful story of The Winning.
The Winning begins with “Shopper”–a song that probably brings out the stereotypical teenage girl in all of us and the desire to “shop all day.” The chorus sounds distinctly airy and light, almost dreamy. While the soloist could simply be singing about a particularly large shopping spree, the lyrics also contain a metaphor. The lines “Time is short/ Make ‘em all yours,” from the chorus indicate that we’re thinking about more than just shopping, but at life as a whole. The message is that, because our lives are short, we should make the most of our time, greedily asking for more stories and experiences. Though time is short, the line, “This shop will never close, forever,” points out that it's never too late to make the most of whatever time we have. Additionally, every generation is able to “shop” at this “store”, which represents life.
Next on the album is “Holssi”, or 홀씨, which translates to dandelion or spore in English. Similar to “Shopper”, “Holssi” has an airy sound. This is paired with a slower tempo, which sounds like a playful form of R&B. The theme of the song is to embrace the struggles of life and fly away like a spore or a seed. IU encourages her listeners to, “Follow me.” The implication is that, because the singer is capable of flying away and chasing her dreams without a care in the world, others must be able to as well, including her inspired listeners.
Following “Holssi” is what I would deem the strangest song on the album, and perhaps the most fascinating. “Shh…” is a collaborative effort that includes IU herself, Hyein of New jeans, and Joe Won Sun as vocalists, and Patti Kim as a special narrator for the song's interlude. With so many voices in a single song, and each voice from a different generation, it's no wonder “Shh…” is so unique in sound, form, and content. The song is fabulously complicated, and I honestly struggled to put together its meaning without first hearing others' opinions on what it means. As it turns out, “Shh…” is the epitome of every relationship between females, and of the unspoken conflict each one carries along with it. The song contains the story of a daughter who is deeply connected to her mother, who wants to follow her example, even when mother and daughter end up hurting each other in the process.
“Love Wins All”, the next track on The Winning, is dramatic and emotional, with a sound that's fit for cinema. The lyrics pin love up against life’s challenges, as IU desires to, “Run away from the world, run on,” or escape reality with her lover. The fragile bridge with the lyrics, “Destroy me slowly and chilly, ruiner/I want to get sad with you, my lover,” brings home the idea that, even when it becomes impossible to escape reality, love still wins, because she is still with the one she loves. Even if everything ends, it ends with love.
“I Stan U” is a perfect way to end the album on a hopeful note. Bright, inspiring, and magical, this final track delivers the message that, “I believe in you/You're stunning, so stunning.” Having explored her own journey, IU now encourages her listeners on theirs, assuring us that we are unique, that she'll be our audience no matter what we do. She encourages listeners to, “Go, achieve your own victory,” to do what we love, and to remain playful and childish through it all.
With the master-level sound and lyricism in The Winning, IU tells a valuable story to inspire listeners. Starting with her current life, the singer acknowledges how far she's come and the desire to keep going forward for more in the first two tracks, “Shopper” and “Holssi”. The center of the album really peels back the layers and pays respect to the bittersweet relationships which inspired this journey. “Shh…” tells of difficult, unspoken relationships which IU shares with the females in her life, and “Love Wins All” explores the power of love itself, and especially romance. Having taken this short detour into her history, IU finishes off the album by assuring others that they can have a journey just as amazing as hers. This is what concludes the beautiful story of The Winning.
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