We’re back with another K-pop time capsule, and today we’re listening to ‘Going Crazy‘ by Ji Eun. This bop came out in March 2021, and we thought it deserves some love even 10 years later.
The artist
Song Ji Eun, or simply Ji Eun, debuted as a member of the girl group ‘Secret’ back in 2009; Just a month later she made her solo debut as well. The group’s other members were Jun Hyo-seong, Jung Ha-na and Han Sun-hwa.
Probably the most recognizable, if not straight up iconic, song by Secret is ‘Shy Boy‘; A tried and true earworm, that songs mixes the band’s girl-next-door vibe with some strong ‘Grease’ influences. Give it a listen, you’ll be do-bap-do-do-bap’ing before too long. Secret continued group activities until 2018, which is a very respectable run by all accounts.
Ji Eun’s own solo career has been going strong this whole time – ‘Going Crazy‘ was her biggest hit in terms of charts.
The song
There’s a definite early 2010s aesthetic in the video – I feel like K-pop was going through a bit of grunge phase in terms of looks and motifs. It’s a hip-hop ballad and it features Bang Yong-guk (former B.A.P.) rapping as well.
Fun fact, apparently the producers felt inspired to showcase a ‘darker’ side to Jieun, which prompted this song and videoclip. And trust me, the videoclip is important. Their idea for ‘Going Crazy‘ was a stalking storyline, to contrast her bubbly image in Secret.
Now, the song talks about a woman who cannot stand her horrible, obsessive, stalker ex. This seems pretty dark already, but clearly this was not enough. The following is how I think the brainstorming process for the videoclip went:
A: How to visualize stalking without accidentally making such creepy behaviour look cute?
B: Make her drive a car.
A: Oh like she’s trying to get away?
B:… sort of. The ex will be in the trunk, tied up and blindfolded.
A: uhm….
B: And then, she stops and sets the whole thing on fire. It’s like a metaphor. But literally.
Everyone: BEST. IDEA. EVER.
Which I guess brings us to the end result, which is, well, definitely dark. There was a whole controversy about this, which shouldn’t really have surprised anyone. I’m sure this played a part in getting this song to the top of current music charts in Korea at the time. Controversies about the video aside, there’s a lot of merit to ‘Going Crazy’, particularly Ji Eun’s emotional vocals. Please enjoy the song, and make sure to watch the whole thing!
You can find ‘Going Crazy’ by Song Ji Eun on Spotify here.
