TUNE OF THE WEEK: CNBLUE “Cinderella”

Oh happy day! CNBLUE is back and you all know what that means. Yup! It’s time for me to talk about this week’s Tune without turning into a total fangirl spazz. Yeah… I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one if I were you.

It’s feels like an eternity since CNBLUE first announced their September comeback and I’ve been sitting here in my little corner of the world dying as teasers and trailers have flooded my social media timelines. As painful as that may sound, it’s actually been a very happy death as I haven’t been this overwhelmed by CNBLUE in well over a year. It’s hard to believe it’s been well over a year since the band released Can’t Stop but it has been; which is probably why I’m so darn happy to see these boys make a comeback.

With the release of “Cinderella” CNBLUE has once again found a way to steal my heart. (It’s no surprise really, seeing as how they were my very first K-Pop love and as everyone knows, no one ever really gets over their first love… Well, I don’t anyway.) The title track off the band’s second full-length album, “Cinderella” is a catchy electro-pop-rock tune with just enough funk flair to make my diverse, music lovin’ heart happy. I know that in the past CNBLUE has been compared to the likes of Maroon 5 and I can totally see the similarities, especially with the predominate synth sound in their latest album 2gether. However there’s more to CNBLUE than meets the ear on a first listen and as you let the track sink in, you begin to notice there’s a depth to this song, and this band, that extends far beyond the “just another pop band” label they’re often (sadly) given.

Of course every great song needs a great MV and CNBLUE doesn’t disappoint. I mean who doesn’t love watching each member of the band fall for a mysterious lady who vanishes every time things start to get good? Okay, so maybe there’s just a bit of sarcasm there. I’ll be the first to admit my fangirl heart isn’t all that happy to watch my boys all fall for the same mysteriously vanishing girl (played by Seo Yi An) who, for some inexplicable reason, always seems to be a bit miffed. I get that the concept of the song and the video is built around the Cinderella fairy tale, which explains the vanishing, but why must so many MV focus around a single girl? Is there really only one type of girl every boy in the K-Pop industry is interested in and do they all really only fall for this one girl? I get that, more than likely, videos only feature a single girl because it’s just cheaper that way but when you stop to think about it, it does give off a strange message. I mean not every girl in the world looks like the ones in these videos, does that mean we’re not as worthy of someone’s love? Just a random point to ponder…

Despite the lack of female diversity, the rest of the “Cinderella” MV is quite lovely. I love the feeling of fall the video invokes, with the boys all dressed in sweaters and flannel. *sigh* It makes me want to curl up on the couch with a nice warm mug of hot chocolate and watch every episode of every variety show CNBLUE has ever appeared in. (Hmmm… That’s not a bad idea!) I also like the fact that each member of the band gets equal screen time. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m always up for focusing my attention solely on Yong Hwa but it is nice to see Min Hyuk, Jung Shin and Jong Hyun getting their fair share of the attention this time around. After all, where would CNBLUE be without them?

As one who loves the versatility of CNBLUE , I’m always more than happy when the band releases a track that showcases the extent of their musical spectrum. This is probably why I love “Cinderella” as much as I do. Of course the fact that the track was written and composed by Yong Hwa himself doesn’t hurt. (Yes, I’m a sucker for talented musicians who write their own music, we already know this.) If you ask me, Yong Hwa’s talent as a songwriter/composer is like a fine wine, it just keeps getting better with age. The same could be said of Jung Shin and Jong Hyun as well, as they both contributed tracks to 2gether alongside Yong Hwa. I swear, every time CNBLUE releases an album it becomes my new favorite and I’m convinced it’s because the band continues to play an integral part in the creation of their music. The more they pour of themselves into their music, the better it becomes; which has me thinking these guys need to stick around for a very, very long time.

So tell me, what do you think of CNBLUE’s fairy-tale inspired “Cinderella?” Are you as much in love as I am or would you have liked to see them comeback with something different? You know I always love hearing from you so be sure to let me know what you’re thinking by leaving me a comment below!