A/N: If you would like, please listen to this song as you read this article. Enjoy!
English Translation:
I know you’re somewhere far away,
The night when the blue star lights me up in the room. lean on the windowWait for the clouds to wobble in the wind
When the full moon gets an eclipse in my submerged pupilTalking to the moon
Stay up all night with my eyes open
Talking to the moon
Maybe you’ll see the moon and talk to meI expect like a fool
Try to call you but can not reach
Please, oh please, my babySomeday when you listen to my voice in your dreams
Open your lips. Don’t hesitate to answer. You miss me tooWait for the clouds to wobble in the wind
Heart filled of longing
When the full moon gets an eclipse in my submerged pupilTalking to the moon
Stay up all night with my eyes open
Talking to the moon
Maybe you’ll see the moon and talk to meI expect like a fool
Try to call you but can not reach
Please, oh please, my babyTalking to the moon
Stay up all night with my eyes open
Talking to the moon
Maybe you’ll see the moon and talk to meI expect like a fool
Try to call you but can not reach
Please, oh please, my baby
KREAM, or Kim Do Hun, is a Korean Indie singer and songwriter that is fairly underground in the K-Indie fan community. According to CelebMix, he debuted in 2014 after going through eight years of training in order to be an ‘idol’ (what Korean groups/singers are called). He went into the entertainment industry wanting to become an idol member. After a while, KREAM decided that he would rather write and perform his own music in order to personally touch the hearts of whoever was willing to listen. With that decision in mind, he set off and debuted as a solo artist under the production label KREAM Records – his own label. KREAM has written some of the most beautiful, emotional music I have ever listened to since the start of his career. Many of his songs varying in feel and topic. However, one song in particular drew me into Do Hun and allowed me to connect with him for those three minutes and twenty-two seconds that he graciously provided us.
In CelebMix’s interview, he stated that the most important part of writing a song is the emotion and conditions of a moment. He says that his personality changed throughout his career; he became calm and poetic. In one of his most popular songs, “Talking to the Moon”, it seems as if Do Hun was writing the lyrics with his soul itself being the pen and ink. He expresses his change in personality through the song itself. Within the first few minutes of the song, there’s a wave of emotion that the audience can’t particularly identify. It feels as if there’s a mixture of peace, sorrow, lonesomeness, and emptiness all within the lyrics of the song and mingled with the emotional power that he sings with.
The lyrics describe his relationship with the ‘moon’ which could symbolize a lover, or an emotion; I personally feel as if it’s a combination of both. Regardless of the symbolism, he personifies this moon and his words hold so much sorrow whilst trying to get a hold of this love of his. The moon won’t respond to him, but every night he continuously stays awake in order to reach his love. It describes the sorrow of not being able to be there for the one you love. He paints a mental and auditory picture of constantly asking the moon to relay his messages to the one he loves and not getting the answer he desperately wants. His voice sounds as if it’s driven him to have this conversation with the moon out of habit, eventually, and he’s pleading in sadness. A lyric that stood out to me was, “Wait for the clouds to wobble in the wind, heart filled of longing, when the full moon gets an eclipse in my submerged pupil.” When a person loves someone, it’s said that their pupils dilate – or get bigger. The lyric expresses that even though he can’t have his love and is sorrowful because of it, his love is still strong. The moon has become his love, serving as a stand-in for his lover, which makes his love feel stronger when he talks to it. He uses repetition as well to portray the constant cycle of going back and forth trying to get to this person. It’s like a routine. It highlights the determination of his heart and mind and the despair that he feels. The repetition makes his goal feel hard to reach. It’s disappointing.
The overall tone of the song feels dream-like and it can send anyone into a trance. It’s filled with hidden symbolism and heaviness withing the words he sings. There’s not many songs that I find that make me feel the way “Talking to the Moon” does. I feel trapped but at peace at the same time. His words feel like a blanket wrapping around the listener and feeling it with sorrow and peace simultaneously. This was truly one of his best songs and he portrays the emotion so well with each performance and recording.
To Kim Do Hun,
Thank you for being a light in my life and others’ – for allowing us to listen to your heart.
© Translation provided by Genius Lyrics: https://genius.com/Kream-korean-artist-talking-to-the-moon-lyrics
© CelebMix Interview: https://celebmix.com/exclusive-interview-korean-rb-singer-songwriter-kream/
