The more I commit myself to accepting the fact that I am a fangirl, and G.O my one and only true bias, the more I believe that there is no such thing as coincidence. On August 17th, after a long hiatus of my series 116 Reasons to Love Byung Hee, I published a post entitled Undercover Cover Lover, a discussion, for the most part, of the English songs G.O has covered over the course of his career with Tykeys and now MBLAQ. Two short days following the publication of that post, a video leaks of G.O covering yet another Western R&B artist’s song: John Legend’s All of Me.
If it is a coincidence, then I’d have to say the universe has a pretty cheeky sense of humor. That aside, the 1:41 clip of just his voice and piano lays further foundation that G.O is sincerely born to sing and is a master at his craft.
To take a quote from my very own post, I stated that the songs G.O has chosen to cover “shared a common thread that seems to be a prerequisite for a song if it wants to agree with G.O’s musical palate: it needed structure, melody and emotion.” John Legend is a Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award winning vocalist, musician and composer. He is exactly the type of artist I would expect G.O to admire and respect. It does not surprise me that he chose to cover one of Legend’s biggest hits. Legend co-wrote and co-produced All of Me, a song written for this then fiancé (and now wife) model Chrissy Teigen. Incidentally, it hit number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on May 17, 2014, which happens also to be my birthday. (Aaaahh…universe!!^^)
All of Me is a power ballad driven by piano and vocals. It has all of the attributes aforementioned (structure, melody and emotion) and is the PERFECT music vehicle for G.O. The song’s melodic phrasing is demanding, but G.O’s voice is a powerful and well-tuned instrument. His perfect pitch, tone and range compliment this ballad well. The melody itself wraps gently around the lyrics, and G.O’s voice cradles them both with emotion and tenderness.
And oh my, those lyrics…..
What would I do without your smart mouth?
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
You’ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can’t pin you down
What’s going on in that beautiful mind
I’m on your magical mystery ride
And I’m so dizzy, don’t know what hit me, but I’ll be alright
My head’s under water
But I’m breathing fine
You’re crazy and I’m out of my mind
‘Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I’ll give my all to you
You’re my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I’m winning
‘Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh oh
The words of a man who has fallen in love and is stupefied by it. Confused by it. Imprisoned by it. There are later lyrics I would give anything to hear G.O sing, specifically:
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you’re crying you’re beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I’m around through every mood
You’re my downfall, you’re my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can’t stop singing, it’s ringing, in my head for you
Can you imagine? I love the poetry in the lyrics of this song. It reminds me a lot of Wildflower in that same way. It’s interesting. Both songs poetically touch on the deep love of a complex woman. Honestly, I TRULY believe that G.O delves deep into a song’s psyche. Then, after carving away at all of the layers and intricacies of the song, he climbs inside of it and becomes fully submerged.
I also want to point out how well G.O annunciates. In my opinion, he has always been very good at annunciating English in the songs he has covered. And even though this recording is not crystal (recording studio) clear, you can still hear his perfect annunciation.
Big.Long.Sigh……
There is a part of me that secretly wishes that he was perhaps rehearsing this song to perform it at the Lee Jae Hoon concert that was supposed to happen today actually, but was canceled. Hopefully, it will be rescheduled to a later date in the fall, and this song will be on G.O’s set list.
If so, I hope to be in the audience that evening to see this amazing young man continue on his path and journey to becoming what he is surely destined to be: a legend in his own right.
[Image/Video credit: As tagged or property of their respective owners and used for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.]
I hadn’t heard that song… becaue honstly I don’t really listen to much American music, or watch American TV or movies anymore.
And there have been countless times when I’ve heard a Korean artist cover an American artist’s song… only to discover I prefer the Korean artist’s version. There is just something about Byung Hee’s voice that just draws me in. How can he make me love a song I’ve never heard before… just by the way he sings it? LOL
When I first discovered MBLAQ… I believed the hype for a few weeks that Lee Joon was like a mini- Rain. And then I watched Hello Baby. And I got to know all of MBLAQ then, and Lee Joon wasn’t even on my radar anymore. While I think all of the boys of MBLAQ each had something about them that reminded me of Rain… it was G.O. that made the most impression. I realized at that time, that even though Seoungho is the leader… G.O. is the heart of MBLAQ.
So, why do you think you went from being a fan of Rain to turning to G.O. instead? How did G.O. steal your heart?
Indeed, G.O has a way of drawing you in with his voice. But I think it is more than that. It is, in my opinion, the way in which he interprets the story in the song. It is just so honest. I don’t believe he has chosen songs to cover arbitrarily. And once he commits to the song, that is where the wonder and beauty lie because he just…surrenders to it. I recall in one of his Immortal Song 2 performances, the legend said to him that because he is so sensitive inside, he has the ability to make any song his own. You can just see in the songs he has covered how they resonate with him – Song For Your Tears is not only wonderful, albeit heart wrenching, to listen to, but also to watch, to see how the song consumes him. It is simultaneously heartbreaking and breathtaking. He is not only a remarkable talent, he is truly a genuine and kind young man. Gracious and sweet beyond comprehension!
The way I see it, Rain led me to G.O. He was my guide. He primed and readied me. It was necessary for me to be in Rain’s world for the time I was there to get to G.O. I feel it all played out exactly how it was supposed to. And honestly, I feel more of a connect with G.O. Simply put, G.O is the one – he is my one true bias.^^ And, he has a hold on me tighter than Rain ever had, and doesn’t want to let go! Nor do I want him to!!^^
How did G.O steal my heart? I think I summed it up pretty well in my post, “When Your Bias Stakes His Claim.”^^
https://thefangirllane.com/2014/11/15/when-your-bias-stakes-his-claim/ ~~♥