"A, B, C, Dumb Dumb..." by Daniel R.
The Basics
Let’s get the basic basics out of the way:
- Yes. I know I am late to the Red Velvet Party. Sleep.
- Yes. Red Velvet are slaying.
- Yes. I am snatched.
- Yes, these are my own thoughts, opinions, interpretations, and experiences (except where noted).
- Yes, I may be off-base, and you may strongly disagree with me. And that is okay.
K-Pop
I had no prior knowledge of the behemoth that is the Korean Pop music machine when I first forayed into K-Pop some time in 2016. In hindsight, I didn’t stand a chance against this addicting creature. For a long time, though, I mistakenly considered K-Pop to be somewhat of a novelty item. The occasional catchy and kitschy pop confections would temporarily draw my attention. But like chewing gum that quickly loses its flavor, there was no lasting impact.
Despite that erroneous and myopic perspective, I kept finding myself drawn to the production quality of K-Pop. It seemed the sound engineers and producers knew what they were doing… deftly creating crisp, tight, and above all else, great sounding pop songs. I initially stuck with the instrumental versions of various songs, deliberately choosing to forgo what I considered to be trite and generic vocal performances.
Dumb.
It wasn't long until I realized that my position on K-Pop vocals was incorrect. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of subpar K-Pop vocal performances and even downright bad K-Pop songs. However, this rings true for all genres of music from all over the world (especially the United States). Furthermore, what one considers good music or bad music is usually based on personal taste and preference and not much else.
The one exception is possibly Michael Jackson, whose music a good friend of mine once described as “objectively good.” She was talking specifically about the song “Man in the Mirror,” but I will gladly generalize her comments to Michael’s entire catalogue.
While this won't be the only time Michael Jackson is brought up, let me finish up my thoughts on K-Pop. I think it is lazy to be dismissive of K-Pop. Music videos that garner hundreds of millions of views on YouTube must be doing something right. I argue that there are many moments of brilliance to be found within K-Pop. This euphoric and transportive pop music transcends various cultural perspectives and differing world views.
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K-Pop group Red Velvet. (Source: soompi) This image brings to mind the surgical masks Michael Jackson often wore in the 1990s.
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Red Velvet
Red Velvet is a South Korean girl group that debuted on August 1st, 2014 with the single “Happiness”. Red Velvet was formed by S.M. Entertainment. Red Velvet originally consisted of four members: Irene (Bae Joo-hyun), Seulgi (Kang Seul-g), Wendy (Son Seung-wan), and Joy(Park Soo-young). Yeri joined the group in March 2015, prior to their Ice Cream Cake EP, becoming the fifth member of Red Velvet.
Similar to other mediums, music requires collaboration. Michael Jackson’s music is a shining example of collaboration. When one talks about the greatness that is Michael Jackson’s music one must take into account the various producers, sound engineers, musicians, writers, costumers, and so on. Red Velvet is no different. When I refer to Red Velvet throughout this essay, I am referring not only to the five visible members, but to the collective team behind Red Velvet.
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| Red Velvet's "Russian Roulette" logo. |
My introduction to Red Velvet was the murderous music video for “Russian Roulette.”At first I fell into the “quirky and cute” trap… allocating this as a “quirky and cute” novelty item while ignoring the dark and surreal brilliance of the song and video.
Dumb.
It took a while, but Red Velvet eventually became, and remains, one of my favorite K-Pop groups. In my opinion, Red Velvet’s creative output is the optimal choice to highlight everything that K-Pop has the potential to be… brilliant and accessible music that has real musical and intellectual depth. Red Velvet exhibit artistry that should be appreciated and taken seriously.
I will be focusing on what I consider to be Red Velvet’s magnum opus, “Dumb Dumb.” I will be analyzing both the music video and the song itself. While my focus will be on “Dumb Dumb,” I am sure other music from Red Velvet’s catalogue will also be discussed.
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| Red Velvet's "Dumb Dumb" logo. |
Dumb Dumb
The song “Dumb Dumb” was released on September 9th, 2015. The lyrics for “Dumb Dumb” were written by Set Ji-eum (of Jam Factory) and Kim Dong-hyun. (Source: wikipedia) “Dumb Dumb” was composed by Deanna Dellacioppa and Taylor Parks. LDN Noise was responsible for the beats. (Source: Billboard)
The music video for the song was released one day before the song, on September 8th, 2015. The music video was directed by Beomjin j of VM Project Architecture. (Source: cargocollective)
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| Irene on that Michael Jackson rap. (Soruce: onehallyu) |
At first I was being lazy and was quite dismissive of the song “Dumb Dumb.” Yet again I fell into the “quirky and cute” trap. I thought that the “Michael Jackson rap” was “cute” and the song and video in general “quirky.” Other than an always-welcome Michael Jackson reference, I found the song and music video to be rather inconsequential at first.
Dumb.
I am not sure what brought me back to this music video, something lurking in the periphery of my mind perhaps. A repeated closer look revealed something delightfully menacing and subversive lurking beneath the glossy surface.
The video moves at a breakneck speed (I attempted to count how many cuts there were but there are approximately 20 cuts in the first 20 seconds alone, so I gave up). This speed combined with repeated, abstracted and frantic tableaus makes it all too easy to overlook the important details hidden within the video. This could cause one to accidentally oversimplify the exquisitely produced pop art.
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| Two frames hinting at the darker themes and subtext of "Dumb Dumb." |
When “Dumb Dumb” was released, it received plenty of critical praise, Rolling Stone put it in their top ten best music videos of 2015 list. However, many reactions to and reviews of “Dumb Dumb” seem to fall in the above-mentioned “cute and quirky” trap. One example being Billboard’s review which begins “Red Velvet are embracing their quirky side”… oversimplifying the brilliance of the song and music video. (Source: Billboard)
I propose that “Dumb Dumb” is far from simple, cute or quirky. Rather, “Dumb Dumb” is a complicated musical and visual performance that aims to reach Michael Jackson-level pop art perfection… immediately accessible, slightly insane, and wholly enjoyable.
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| Welcome to "Dumb Dumb." |
The Chess Game, Though
The opening shot of the music video for “Dumb Dumb” is an empty table with five seats in an abstracted orange room. A few cuts later Red Velvet appear seated at the table, looking especially mischievous. An in-progress chess game also appears in the center of the table.
Chess is a rather complicated game. Computer game designer Chris Crawford defines a game as “an interactive, goal-oriented activity, with active agents to play against, in which players (including active agents) can interfere with each other” (Source: Wikipedia). This definition could also be applied to life itself. Let’s take this “life as a game” theme and explore it in the context of “Dumb Dumb.”
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| A plotting Yeri in the Chess Game Room. |
We visit the group seated around this chess game throughout the music video. However, it appears that they have no real interest in playing chess. Instead they look dangerously bored, breaking fourth wall and confidently staring down the camera. There is nothing dumb or playful about these girls. They look serious as hell. Threatening, even.
Eventually, we see the chess board, and all its pieces, scattered across the table and floating through the air, defying, or perhaps ignoring, the laws of physics.
If the chess game can be viewed to represent life, what is this scenario trying to say? Is it that Red Velvet have no interest in complicated games? Do the rules not apply to them? Are Red Velvet trying to convey to the audience that there really are no rules? Is life just a game where people blindly choose to follow silly and unchallenged rules?
It may seem like we are unnecessarily, and inappropriately, wading into philosophical territory. However, as the following pages will (hopefully) show, this is far from true.
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| The lorem ipsum machine found in the office. |
Lorem Ipsum, Though
“Dumb Dumb” moves at such a blistering pace, it is all too easy to sit back and simply enjoy the song and frenetic music video at face value. Though, if one were inclined to take the time, “Dumb Dumb” is a thrilling “Hidden Pictures” exercise.
One example being the third cut of the video. This frame lasts less than one second and shows a generic and vintage looking machine. Four dials on the machine’s front are labeled “Lorem Ipsum,” “Tellus Risus,” “Larcus Urna,” and “Alpha” respectively. This seemed oddly specific, so, naturally, I wondered what, if anything, these Latin words meant? Three of the four came up with nothing interesting. However, an amusing and clever surprise came from “Lorem Ipsum.”
Simply put, lorem ipsum is “dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry” (Source: lipsum.com).
Clever.
Clever.
While one may be tempted to roll their eyes at the obvious “dummy” and “dumb dumb” word play, I would suggest against it. This less-than-one-second moment goes unexpectedly deeper.
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| A bust of Cicero (Source: wikipedia) |
Lorem ipsum text is “typically a scrambled section of De finibus bonorum et malorum (On the ends of good and evil), a 1st-century BC Latin text by Cicero" (Source: wikipedia). De finibus bonorum et malorum is “a treatise on the theory of Ethics” where Cicero questions, among other things, “What is… the supreme aim of man’s endeavor, in the attainment of which is good.” Whoah. We find ourselves wading into philosophy yet again, and this is within the first three seconds of the music video no less!
Well-made pop art, including pop music, has the ability to bridge “high art” and “low art.” Michael Jackson is a brilliant example of this. In her addition to the 33 1/3 series, Susan Fast writes about Michael Jackson’s album Dangerous. In it, she interprets said album cover (created by artist Mark Ryden, with Michael’s input) through the lens of “high art.” She makes strong arguments for fascinating connections between Michael Jackson’s work and other “high art.” Including, the Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Napoleon I on His Imperial Throne by French painter Ingres, and The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch, to name a few. (Susan Fast, pp.97-126)
While Red Velvet may not be on the same level as Michael Jackson, they have managed to bridge these two art worlds in one brief frame that lasts for less than one second. For an instant, “Dumb Dumb” transforms from a seemingly supercilious song about crushing on someone to a meditation on the nature of good and evil!? Referencing a text that urges “no one can live pleasantly without living wisely, honorably, and justly.” (p. 62, Cicero) This flash of lorem ipsum rises from clever wordplay to a genius moment of contemplation.
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| Kaleidoscopic Red Velvet (Source: giphy) and Busby Berkeley. (Source: wifflegif) |
Busby Berkeley, Though
Visually, Red Velvet borrows a lot from Busby Berkeley. Specifically, his use of repetition of the female form. Red Velvet also borrow from Berkeley in that they hint at inhabiting the same fantastical space that Berkeley’s intricate dance numbers often did.
Berkeley was known for using repetition of the female form in large scale dance numbers. Repetition to the point of abstraction and, sometimes literal, objectification. Red Velvet employs this technique in several music music videos, including “Happiness,” “Russian Roulette,” “Red Flavor,” and “Dumb Dumb.”
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| Similar tableaus from Berkeley's "I Only Have Eyes For You" and Red Velvet's "Dumb Dumb." |
There is a moment where Wendy, who has been multiplied, is walking over a table (with an astonished Yeri looking on) that looks very similar to Berkeley’s obsessive “I Only Have Eyes For You”dance number. The duplication of various members of Red Velvet also bring to mind the compounding faces of Ruby Keeler from that same number. Red Velvet are also multiplied in kaleidoscopic imagery throughout the music video that brings to mind Berkeley’s psychedelic top-down shots.
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| Seulgi, Ruby Keeler, and Wendy. |
One of my favorite scenes from the music video is what I call the “Black Lodge Homage.” Throughout the music video we visit a room with red curtains in the background, a la Twin Peak’s Black Lodge, and a large box (labeled “DUMB DUMB DUMB…” via packing tape) with various pairs of disembodied legs sticking out. The disembodied appendages bring to mind Berkeley’s interpretation of “I've Got to Hear That Beat,” starring Ann Miller.
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| From top to bottom: The Black Lodge from Twin Peaks, The "Black Lodge Homage," and Berkeley's "I've Got to Hear That Beat." |
Given all of these Berkeley allusions, I think we can now move onto to the something a bit more fantastical: reality. Namely, the similarities between Berkeley’s and Red Velvet’s treatment of reality.
Berkeley’s dance sequences in film usually start in reality (i.e., a performance on a stage with an audience, a character performing a menial task who drifts asleep, etc.) but they almost always quickly ascend into pure fantasy. The performance itself seems to ignore the laws of physics… pure fantasy taking place outside of space and time. Perhaps something similar is happening in “Dumb Dumb.” At times, this video seems to inhabit a place outside of space and time. So, the question urgently becomes, which scenario *is* reality? The gravity-defying chess game? The pristine office space? The getaway car? The nefarious assembly line? More importantly, which version of Red Velvet is the *real* version?
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| Seulgi and editing equipment. |
To further complicate these questions is a voyeuristic scene within “Dumb Dumb”. Seulgi can be seen sitting in the office space, watching the group (including herself) performing the “Dumb Dumb” music video on a small television that is hooked up to editing equipment. This is not the first time Red Velvet has employed this meta-imagery in a music video. In “Happiness,” two members of the group are seen spying on other members of the group through a spyglass while the music video plays on a small television. Along with Berkeley’s voyeuristic inclinations and meddling of reality and fantasy, this also brings to mind the music video for “Thriller.” In “Thriller” we start in one reality (1950s era MJ/werewolf) only to learn that that reality is a movie being consumed by an audience. Or is it?
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| Irene's Red Dress Doll being produced on The Assembly Line. |
The Assembly Line, Though
One of the settings in the music video that we frequent is an assembly line with decor and a color scheme that Willy Wonka would approve of. However, what is being produced on the assembly line is much more bizarre, and frankly frightening, than any everlasting gobstopper could ever be.
The assembly line is being run by, and producing, what I refer to as (mostly for alliterative reasons) the Red Dress Dolls. What are the Red Dress Dolls though? Are they androids? If so, what is their purpose? They seem to be reproducing themselves autonomously but who created them originally?
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| Are you being served? |
One of the most deliciously disturbing images in the music video is the dinner table set up behind the assembly line. There are fancy candles and silverware set up on the table. The plates, though, are empty and inaccessible, covered by ornate birdcages. This theme is repeated in “Russian Roulette” where we see the group eating cereal that turns out to be nuts and bolts.
What is this telling us about the Red Dress Dolls? About Red Velvet? All living things must eat to survive, and the Red Dress Dolls show the desire to eat, but are barred from actually doing so. Do the Red Dress Dolls want to be human? Do the Red Dress Dolls think they are human? Are they androids programmed as such, to go through the motions of being human but never able to truly participate? To truly be alive?
An Aristotelean Aside, Though
It would not be a stretch of the imagination to picture The Red Dress Dolls inquiring about their existence in a way humans do. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Once again, we find ourselves wading into philosophy… though this is not unwarranted territory for Red Velvet.
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| A bust of Aristotle. (Source: wikipedia) |
Red Velvet’s debut single, “Happiness” not only has one of the most genuinely exuberant “BOOYAH!”s in the entire universe, it also confronts the Aristotelian concept of eudaemonia (happiness).
“Happiness” directly challenges the audience, imploring “Are you happy?”. In the song, Red Velvet observe, “This money, that power/ Only following that/ Those adults look depressed/ Those people are not truly happy…”. This seems to echo Aristotle’s view: “The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion, and wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking.” (Source: Nicomachean Ethics) There is also plenty of 15th century artwork being referenced throughout the sinister and existential music video, including Hieronymous Bosch.
Precedent-setting examples of Red Velvet creating a bridge between “high culture” and “low/pop culture,” and in their debut, no less.
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| Close up image of The Hunt for the Unicorn (Source: wikipedia), a shot from "Happiness," and a close up of The Garden of Earthly Delights (Source: wikipedia). Notice the similarities in the unicorn and the use of multiple birds. |
Precedent-setting examples of Red Velvet creating a bridge between “high culture” and “low/pop culture,” and in their debut, no less.
The Assembly Line [as Metaphor], Though
Another explanation of the assembly line completely reframes the entire video through a much darker filter. The assembly line could be viewed as a metaphor for the process of making music. The hints for this explanation are weaved throughout the music video.
We see various pieces of editing equipment dispersed amongst the video. We see Red Velvet in an office performing various mundane and repetitive office-related tasks. We see Red Velvet using the previously mentioned editing equipment. We see Red Velvet producing clones of themselves, the Red Dress Dolls.
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| Wendy and Yeri using the lorem ipsum machine in the office. |
Pop music, and music in general, follows a similar path.Teams of people work on it… producers, writers, instrumentalists, sound engineers, costumers, marketing, etc. The art form of a song itself is a sort of “clone” of the artist, available on-demand whenever and wherever a consumer wants it. I can imagine the assembly line where the physical albums are made to look eerily similar to the Red Dress Dolls being produced… endless copies of clones made in Red Velvet’s image.
“Dumb Dumb” as metaphor could also take into account the dark, uneasy undertones to this video. K-Pop has seen plenty of dark days that shouldn’t be ignored. In her song, “Coconuts”, Anna Wise is absolutely correct, stating “It’s a matter of opinion when it comes to what you’re thinking of me/ Everything is beautiful and ugly at the same time/ It’s all how you see.” This statement can easily be applied to anything and, indeed, everything.
Music, not just K-Pop, is a commodity; therefore, Red Velvet themselves are a product for consumption. Once again I find myself concluding that this video has more to say than its shiny, digestible exterior would have people think. “Dumb Dumb”, when viewed as a metaphor is a chilling and lucid commentary on the music industry and, more broadly, the nature of consumerism and the audience’s never ending need for consumption.
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| A shot from "Dumb Dumb." |
This may seem like a pessimistic and drastic viewpoint, but it can’t be ignored. Instead it should be recognized as part of reality, but it shouldn’t detract from the joy that this music brings. Red Velvet’s music has brought happiness to fans, myself included, all over the world. A happiness that briefly helps one forget about the overwhelming ugliness in the world.
Everything, Though
From 2:38 to 2:44 there are six seconds of distilled and menacing brilliance. This is everything. This is THE moment of the music video that gives me LIFE.
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| Everything! (Source: makeagif) |
This is Red Velvet’s “Thriller”zombie-dance zenith… pop music perfectly represented visually. There is no other option for the interpretation of these six seconds of music. Androids and factory machines brilliantly executing a broken-doll robot routine. Ending with a menacing and knowing laugh. Genius.
Not to take away from Red Velvet, but I feel it is important to once again point out the miraculous genius of Michael Jackson. Red Velvet’s dance sequence last 6 seconds (approximately 2:38-2:44). Michael Jackson’s zombie dance is 1 minute and 12 seconds long (8:28-9:40), with the entirety of the “Thriller” dance being 2 minutes and 7 seconds long (8:28-10:35). I am completely killed every time I watch these 6 seconds from “Dumb Dumb” in the same way that I am killed for 2 minutes and 7 seconds during “Thriller.” LIFE!
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| High fashion. |
The Fashion, Though
Red Velvet use costuming smartly and effectively throughout “Dumb Dumb”. Each ‘version’ of Red Velvet have their own distinct look.
One that is easy to overlook is their use of sportswear. It should be noted that using sportswear is not at all unique to Red Velvet. However, I feel that Red Velvet’s interpretation of this motif is particularly interesting. Red Velvet wear sportswear in several of their music videos, including “Happiness” and “Russian Roulette.” But the most compelling use is employed in “Dumb Dumb.”
In “Happiness” the sportswear is bedazzled, exaggerated and feminized. Taking into account that “Happiness” was their debut music video, this could represent Red Velvet asserting themselves on the same level as their male counterparts in both the K-Pop music industry and the world in general. They have taken a typically masculine (and western) symbol and appropriated it in a very Red Velvet Way.
The sportswear in “Russian Roulette” is realistic, simple and homogenous. This choice makes sense within the context of the video and allows the syrupy-sweet instrumentals and processed vocals to take center stage for the ultra-colorful and ultra-violent music video, resulting in a thrilling, albeit slightly queasy, experience.
In “Dumb Dumb,” the sportswear is torn up, cut, and mixed with non-sports items. Quite literally deconstructing the sportswear. This to me is a critique of the male ego and a dismantling of traditional concepts of masculinity, particularly Western masculinity.
Their exposed skin through torn uniforms is not sexualization but empowerment. Red Velvet are not fetishized objects meant for the male gaze. In their appropriation of sportswear in “Dumb Dumb”, Red Velvet position themselves above such archaic, base, and dumb concepts.
“Red Dress”, Though
The Red Dress. A take on the Alice in Wonderland dress. The “lost in wonderland” motif is omni-present throughout all of Red Velvet’s artistic output. The music video for their debut, “Happiness” is a Bosch-esque overload of fantastical images and adventures while the Alice in Wonderland allusion is more directly realized in their (underrated and under appreciated) “Rookie” music video.
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| The Red Dresses. |
The Red Dress Dolls appear on the album cover and various promotional images and is also a song from the same album as “Dumb Dumb” The Red. This direct reference to their own work suggests that perhaps the audience should look at “Dumb Dumb” in the larger context of the album… or at least in relationship to the song “Red Dress.”
Musically, “Dumb Dumb” and “Red Dress” have a lot in common. Big pop music with even bigger beats. The interesting contrast is in the lyrics. “Red Dress” is confident and sexually charged whereas, lyrically, “Dumb Dumb” is ostensibly shy and awkward.
“I’ll be confident like a red ruby/ I’ll be somewhat cunning like a red apple/ A feel good red dress,” is quite the contrast to “I should just act like I do normally/ But whenever I see you I act so stupid.”
This juxtaposition of the Red Dresses against the context of the “Dumb Dumb” music video could be meant to represent a duality between one’s desires and actions or fantasy and reality. Much like the Red Dress Dolls wanting to be human but unable to do so or the audience wanting to escape into fantasy but too afraid to break the rules and do so.
The Lyrics, Though
S.M. Entertainment describes “Dumb Dumb” as an “uptempo pop dance track with a groovy beat and addictive hook. The lyrics describe the feelings of a girl who feels like she can't help but act awkwardly around the person she likes.” (Source: wikipedia) On the surface the lyrics appear to support that explanation; however, I feel that an examination from different perspectives is warranted. I argue that two interpretations of the lyrics should be considered.
The simplest, and most obvious, interpretation of the song is that it is from the perspective of Red Velvet towards the object of their affection. This seemingly banal interpretation does merit a few questions, though. Are they all experiencing a similar experience? Is it about the same boy? Is it about Michael Jackson? The rap verse would seem to verify that this is indeed how the girls feel about Michael Jackson. Indeed, the bridge following the MJ rap verse is the most telling: “I can’t escape from you/ I hate you but I don’t.”
TALK ABOUT IT! I have often felt the same way regarding Michael Jackson. More specifically, Michael Jackson’s music, as I do not personally know Michael Jackson. I would imagine the same is true for Red Velvet, or at least whoever wrote and produced the song. Namely, that they are fans of Michael Jackson’s artistic catalogue. This lyric also brings to mind the end of “Thriller”: “For no mere mortal can escape the evil of the thriller.”
Whether this is a love letter to Michal Jackson or not, I still have a problem with it. My major argument to this interpretation is Red Velvet’s vocal performance and presence in the music video. They are on a desperate edge. Red Velvet are in control and not backing down. Nothing awkward or dumb about them at all.
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| More products on the assembly line. |
Regardless, continuing on with the first interpretation, if the girls all feel dumb (possibly around MJ), then who needs to “Beat It”? Their admirers? Their fans? Or, a simpler explanation could be that the producers, like me, are just big Michael Jackson fans.
This leads right into the second interpretation. The lyrics are from the perspective of a fan/admirer toward Red Velvet, with Red Velvet recounting their boredom with said admiration. This admiration could be quite literal (i.e., takes place in the *real* world). When Joy sings “[you] play me, play me, play me, play me…” she sounds agitated.
“Play me” could be used here in the colloquial sense to mean manipulation. Or, it could be literal; one literally plays a record/CD/song, and as discussed before, Red Velvet *are* the song. The latter interpretation of this phrase is downright frightening as it would also mean that we must take Joy’s insistence that we, the audience/listener, are “crazy, crazy, crazy!”
What are Red Velvet really trying to say? What do they know? Why are they hiding behind the guise of being awkward and dumb?
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| The Getaway Car. |
219, Though
According to one source, “dumb dumb” is said 219 times, all within the 3 minute and 22 second, or (202 seconds) long song! That is more “dumb”s than seconds!
The super obvious conclusion one could reach is that it is simply the title of the song, and what better way to get a song title in a consumer’s head than repeating it 219 times. But 219 times is a lot. I would argue that this is done to take emphasis to the extreme. These girls are more than annoyed and frustrated with the dumb world. Exasperated to the point of only being able to repeat, and repeat, and repeat, a simple, condescending phrase.
As always, let’s try and take this one step further as “dumb dumb” sounds identical to “dum dum.” The latter is often used in singing (scat singing for example) to use the voice as an instrument rather than a communicative device. The Fleetwoods "Come Softly to Me" comes to mind. In this song the gentle dum dum’s serve as a percussive backdrop to the somber and melancholy love song. Given how percussive “Dumb Dumb” is, I think there is a good chance that ‘dumb dumb’ is being used both lyrically and musically… another small, brilliant, and easily overlooked detail.
For a bonus Michael Jackson connection, in the intro to“Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'”, Michael Jackson can be heard in the background vocalizing/scatting what sounds a lot like ‘dum dum dum dum dum.”
That Beat, Though
While the various musical influences of “Dumb Dumb” can be heard, it rises above simple imitation and creates its own, singular and insular sound. It takes those influences and pushes them further. Appropriating them through a distinctly Korean pop perspective and the results are jaw dropping.
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| A shot from "Dumb Dumb." |
The instrumentals are deceptively simple. Though brilliance can be found in simplicity… the distillation and perfection of an idea.
The song is up front and honest, nothing hiding up its sleeve. Snare, high hat, rising synth lines, percussive horn blasts and one beast of a beat. The instrumentals provide a percussive scaffolding for the song’s infinitely layered vocals. This instrumental scaffolding is similar to what Michael Jackson does in songs like “Smooth Criminal” or “Speed Demon.”
In fact, a lot of the instrumental production appears to allude to Michael Jackson, who often deployed a sharp and straightforward snare drum. Think “Billie Jean” or “The Way You Make Me Feel.” The horn blasts bring to mind “Get On the Floor,” “Workin' Day and Night,” and “Jam,” among others.
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| Red Velvet in "Dumb Dumb." |
The beat doesn’t so much drop as explode. A hyper nova of sound threatening to consume everything in its path… potential energy turned kinetic in one breathtaking, almost violent, moment.
The vocal performance itself is a roller coaster ride. Vocals stacked high and razor sharp. Red Velvet’s various voices and individual timbres blend into one intimidating and relentless force. The song, like the music video, moves at a reckless speed where it is easy to overlook the meticulous production and vocal performances. Repeated listens reveal a song that doesn’t have a single note or a single breath out of place. The brilliantly layered production is simultaneously nuanced and overwhelming.
The Conclusion, Though
Does there need to be a conclusion? This is a great piece of pop art, and I had a lot of fun diving into it and writing about it. I think it can be as simple as that.
While parts of this are quite dark and dire, my hope is that this will instill a greater appreciation of the artistry that goes into making good pop music. It is all too easy to overlook the hard work that goes into making K-Pop.
This examination of Red Velvet’s “Dumb Dumb” can serve as an argument that K-Pop indeed has a unique and viable artistic perspective and should be taken seriously. Over the past year, Red Velvet has brought a lot of happiness and enjoyment into my life, and this is my small way to celebrate them and simply say “Thanks!”
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| Wendy, Yeri, Irene, Seulgi, and Joy. |
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