Songwriting team danke is composed of three K-pop-loving lyricists. Having started out in 2018, when they wrote the words to gugudan’s song “Lovesick,” they’ve since gone on to write lyrics for over 300 songs, during which time they’ve worked with numerous K-pop artists. Read on as danke writers Kim Subin, Park Wuhyun, and Lee Heejoo discuss both some of their favorite lyrics they’ve written and other songs whose lyricists have left them impressed.
LE SSERAFIM - “Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)”
Kim Subin: This track is different from LE SSERAFIM’s usual hyper-energetic vibe that they have in their singles because it’s simpler and more laid-back. It might not be as glamorous, but it gives the listener this reassuring message that it’s okay to love and cherish yourself just the way you are. Put this song on and get some you-time, resting up at home after you’ve had one of those days where you somehow feel like you don’t matter much.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER - “Deep Down”
Park Wuhyun: I feel like this song is tightly coupled with who TOMORROW X TOGETHER is. We all carry something deep down inside that makes us uncomfortable, so it’s a song that everyone can relate to. I love that it’s a story about being mature enough not to shy away from differences but instead accept them, as they are what make you special. We were really happy with how this one turned out.
ENHYPEN - “One In A Billion”
Lee Heejoo: The opening lines—“I’ve waited for you from my past, past, past life / I’ve always been lost, from my forgotten memories”—are one of my very favorite things we’ve ever written as danke, so I absolutely had to talk about this song. When we were working on it, I thought it was just going to be a one-off thing for the soundtrack to their webtoon DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR, but it turned out later that it’s connected to the group’s entire fictional universe, which I thought was fascinating. DARK MOON was just starting out when we worked on it, so we had no way of knowing where the story was going, so it was really fun to watch things progress and see how “coincidences like pieces of a puzzle,” where our lyrics for “One In A Billion” came true in the story, kept falling into place. And I was so impressed when I went and saw them perform with so much energy in Anaheim in the States back in April that I’m sure it’ll have a lasting effect on our future work with the group.
AKMU - “Peace of Cake”
Kim Subin: I was listening to AKMU’s recent album and had to grab my phone to check the lyrics to this track. It’s not “piece of cake”—it’s “peace of cake!” It was another reminder how the best ideas can be presented in terms simple enough for everyone to understand. It’s like how saying something like, “It’s okay—let’s get something nice to eat,” can be more comforting than some long, convoluted words of wisdom. I recommend getting yourself a cup of coffee and letting this song play in your ears like a piece of sweet strawberry cake for the soul.
D.O. - “Good Night”
Kim Subin: It’s good to have some level of anxiety that keeps you at the ready for whatever the future might hold, but sometimes in life that anxiety can grow out of control, or even consume you completely. Really, only 4% of the things we worry about are things that aren’t out of our control, and even things that once made it feel like your life was over turn out later to have been no big deal. And this song is perfect for days like that, where you feel weighed down by anxiety over something you can’t even name. If you do, I hope it helps to ease your mind as you turn off your mood lamp and drift off to sleep with no tossing or turning.
Sung Si Kyung - “eternally”
Park Wuhyun: Kwon Soonkwan wrote the music and lyrics to this song. It’s a bit longer than most songs these days and the first two verses have a lot of lyrical variation, but it’s 4 minutes and 23 seconds where you can lose yourself to the music and the words and just let it pull you along with it from start to finish. If you listen to it, you’ll find it seems to be about both the here and now and about eternity at the same time. Ultimately, there’s a profoundly beautiful love story woven all throughout the song.
Gaeko, SUMI - “Little Treasure”
Park Wuhyun: I’m serious when I say I always study Gaeko’s lyrics when I listen to his songs—that’s how much I love his music and his lyrics. As someone who works in the same field, sometimes I’m completely awestruck how he can take things I feel I’m intimately familiar with and express them in such a way. I still remember being floored by the way he compares the size of a parent’s love to being “more than the universe” as seen through a magnifying glass. I hope when people listen to our song recommendations that they feel the same things!
KIM A REUM - “Last Summer”
Lee Heejoo: This song is perfect for the season, but it goes relatively underappreciated as far as songs we’ve worked on go, which is why I chose it. While the general trend lately is minimalistic songs that come in under three minutes, this song boasts a rare six minutes of music. The music stirs up feelings of nostalgia, so naturally the lyrics match the mood with a particular sadness of their own. My personal favorite is the part that goes, “If I became your ocean / Would you come washing back to me like waves?” The sound in the outro of the night waves rolling in against the saxophone is particularly amazing, so make sure you listen to the song to the end, not just the middle.
DAVII - “Jamie Cullum”
Lee Heejoo: This song won me over right from the beginning with the way it skips any intro and jumps right into feeding your ears with nimble music. And, of course, the provocative lyrics are great. I have a habit of listening to songs with bold lyrics when I’ve got writer’s block and need a boost. It works like a charm. In the case of this song, I really like the lines, “Depression can be a strong motivator, make me stand / Around here, the ruler is the winner.” When I hear that, I feel this indescribably courage well up inside me, where I could completely dominate everything around me. It’s like my own little victory theme.
danke Kim Subin's recommendation: Wouter Hamel - "Breezy" / DEAN - "love" (Feat. Syd)
danke Park Wuhyun's recommendation: MIKA - "We Are Golden" / JVKE - "golden hour"
danke Lee Heejoo's recommendation: Alessi Brothers - "Oh Lori" / George Michael - "Kissing a Fool"