Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard!
December 2011 Overall Thoughts
Historically, December tends to be pretty barren when it comes to K-pop releases. There are a lot of holiday tracks, but new comebacks are usually saved until January. With that said, 2011’s grand finale offered a few classics.
I don’t usually rank holiday-themed tracks very high, but my number one pick of the month is – without a doubt – my favorite seasonal song, and gets dozens of plays every year. Like many months in 2011, December was the Sweetune show, with two of their songs making my top three. Sandwiched in between is one of the year’s most memorable debuts, and a standard go-to for idol cover dances to this day.
Elsewhere, we have a bit of a hodgepodge. There’s the Korean recording of Donghae & Eunhyuk’s fun Oppa Oppa (I like the Japanese version better, mostly because it has the definitive music video), and another B.A.P pre-release in the form of Yong Guk and Zelo’s hip-hop throwback Never Give Up.
As we say goodbye to 2011, K-pop was poised to explode with new acts and music, in a year that would lead to some of the industry’s very best songs and unprecedented global impact.
Honorable Mentions
Bang Yong Guk & Zelo – Never Give Up (video)
Chocolat – I Like It (video)
Donghae & Eunhyuk – Oppa Oppa (video)
Orange Caramel – Funny Hunny (video)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I forgot Troublemaker existed.
LikeLike
I will start with my second comment: I also have Trouble Maker on my very short list for Dec 2011,
Now, first, sorry you have it all wrong. The definitive Oppa Oppa version for ELF is the “Ketchup and Mustard” quasi live version. (The dance is live, the backing track is overdubbed.)
The second most loved version for Elves is the bootleg version from Kyuhyun’s sister’s wedding. Yes, they sung this song at a wedding. Welcome to the super show. I suppose in a way, it is not that dis-similar to the compulsory YMCA, Macarena, and Kool and the Gang songs at American weddings. Sugar Hill Rapper’s Delight if you’re lucky.
Finally, we Elves were all gifted with multiple performances of Oppa Oppa by Donghae, Siwon, and Changmin when the trio were all doing their “service” in the Seoul police. They seemed to perform once a week with ample bootleg versions of those, each with a surprising number of views. The Seoul police had a helluva promotional dance crew for 21 months there.
LikeLike
I really always wished Troublemaker got more releases. Now was an awesome release.
LikeLike