“Growl” is the title track from the Korean boy band EXO’s follow-up album XOXO, Growl. It is composed by Jordan Kyle, John Major, and the lyrics are written by Hyuk Shin, DK for the Korean version. In December 2013, Growl was named the best K-pop music of 2013 by Billboard. On December 27th, EXO “Growl” won the 2013KBS Song of the Year Award.
Growl
In July 2013, the Korean boy group EXO released the first official album “XOXO (Kiss&Hug)”, and the repackage version of “Growl” added three additional singles. The Urban fusion R&B style dance music “Growl” is the main single after the album was repackaged.
A brief introduction to the singer
Before we dive into this song, let’s talk about the band that sang this song.
Exo is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul, consisting of nine members now. They are Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun. The band was formed by SM Entertainment and officially debuted in 2012. Their music includes Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, etc., and their music style also includes pop, hip-hop, R&B, etc., covering a wide range.
In 2013, EXO was widely known for its song “Growl”. The chorus of the song is easy to be remembered, and the MV they shot adopts a one-shot form, which attracts a lot of people at once. This song has also become one of the classic Korean pop music.
Analysis of this song
“Growl” is an urban fusion of R&B style dance music. It tells a man who does not want the woman he likes to be taken away by others and makes an angry roar. It shows a man’s attitude towards love. This song is dominated by a brisk dance style. The addictive rhythm of the song matches the handsome hip-hop dance style. It is one of EXO’s representative songs.
This song is composed by Hyuk Shin, DK, Jordan Kyle, John Major and Jarah Gibson. They are all very professional producers, and they also have a wealth of experience before making this song. Many professionals have very good comments on the chords of this song. The various changes make it hard for them to guess the next step of the song, and each chord is a surprise.
*Funky generally refers to sudden arrest percussion. It originated in the 1960s and evolved from black jazz. It is considered the predecessor of disco music.
*A ostinato refers to a rhythm or melody that is repeated continuously.
From the beginning, the music uses funky* and synthesis electric bass, which has a strong sense of rhythm. The music uses a tri-tone instead of two, which makes the rhythm sound very unstable and uneasy. It is in line with the anxious emotion they want to express in the music. The harmonies of falsetto are also very natural.
The part before the chorus is impressive, giving people a feeling of sneaking and walking, pushing the whole musical plot to a climax. The chords in the chorus are very classic and unforgettable.
When it comes to the rap part, the harmony is weakened. The electric bass is also weakened, but the main key still exists. Then there is a transition. The lead singer brings the melody into the climax part of the chorus again with a beautiful bridge.
Overall, the ostinato* throughout the music is very catchy. Although it appears intermittently, it is still unforgettable. When people listen to this song, they want to dance without realizing it. The layout of the song is also very clear, allowing people to walk into the story along with the lyrics.
The Comments the Song Received
I don’t trust a k-pop fan who doesn’t like this song
Morshed33
From Youtube
This song still sounds like it was just released today. It doesn’t get old. Yoksshii our queen growl
AlLyrics
From Youtube
As soon as the prelude rings, it is true that all the memories will spring up
Karen
From QQ music
Today’s song sharing is over. If you want to read more articles, I welcome you to subscribe to my blog. See you next time.
Ellie's K-pop music blind box 
Heard of EXO for the first time! ! This song feels great! It has been released for 7 years, and it is still a classic in the song, so amazing! ! Are there any nice songs to share? ?
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Thank you, I also agree with your point of view! I really think this song is very nice even if I listen to it now. Of course, I will share other songs, and I will also introduce other idol groups, such as the classic songs of Super Junior. If you are interested, you can continue to follow my blog！
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wow! Thank you very much for the author’s popular science. I learned a lot about K-pop today. I also like this group’s music very much. So why do you think K-pop is so popular?
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I think it’s because the early Korean pop music had a strong sense of rhythm and was catchy, so everyone gradually became aware of it. In addition, most Korean entertainment companies pay attention to the image, style, and fashion aspects of singers and idols. They are also serious about shooting music videos, so they are very attractive to most people. I feel that South Korea attaches great importance to and cares about the spread of their K-pop music culture, so after their careful operation, K-pop has been widely welcomed.
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You let me know about areas that I was not very interested in, and now I want to try it out. But can these cultures be combined with our culture?
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Compared to combining, I think our own music culture has developed to a certain extent. They have some similarities with K-pop. A strong sense of rhythm is a characteristic of K-pop, but Chinese C-pop also has similar songs. Both K-pop and C-pop include pop and hip-hop music. In addition to language differences, C-pop also incorporates some Chinese folk songs and unique Chinese musical instruments. These all have Chinese characteristics. There is also the recently developed M-pop (Mix-Mandarin-Pop), which includes Chinese and other languages in songs. This allows Chinese music culture to be better spread all over the world. So I think it might be more appropriate to develop our own music culture than to integrate K-pop.
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Thank you very much for introducing this song in such detail. I am also very interested in music, and now I know a new good song, and I have learned about its history and artists. I want to ask you a question: Is the melody or the lyrics the most important thing in a song?
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I’m glad you like the song. To answer your question, I think both lyrics and melody are important for a song. They mean different things to a song, but both composers and lyricists can convey emotions to us.
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