The Singles Jukebox

And, well, once Younha signs to Young Money we’ll start holding the parties…

[Video][Website]
[6.62]

Will Adams: For years I’ve struggled with how to approach songs with lyrics in a foreign language. Even with the aid of Google Translate, I hesitate to fully appreciate anything that’s not in English or French, out of fear that I might be inadvertently endorsing, like, animal cruelty or something (probably not, but still!). There have been a few songs that have gotten through to my iTunes library in spite of their text, but never before has a song shattered the language barrier like “Run”. The verse’s heartbeat kicks already spur me to move, but those moments before the second chorus where Younha stalls, making you hold your breath until the whole thing explodes a beat late, make me feel like flying. And then the rhythm shifts for the middle eight, Younha surrounds me with the most honeyed “I love you” of recent memory, and I have to hold back the tears.
[10]

Patrick St. Michel: My first few listens through this song and something about “Run” sounded familiar… it sounded like J-Pop. Now, this is ridiculous because underneath the umbrella of “J-Pop” are all sorts of different styles embraced by Japanese pop artists. Still, “Run” bares a striking resemblance to a J-Pop template often assigned to young women singers — the propulsive song that never lets up, meaning the singer’s voice never has to be left out in the open for too long. Turns out Younha draws heavy inspiration from J-Pop singers like Hikaru Utada and had considerable success on Japan’s Oricon charts before debuting in her native Korea. “Run” never sounds generic, as Younha posses a voice capable of keeping up with, errrr, running pace of the music and also standing out amongst the rush (she definitely studied up on Hikaru Utada). The single’s great, but honestly, this live version ups the intensity even more and floors me enough to give this an extra point.
[9]

Kat Stevens: As an experiment I tried listening to this while watching Tour de France highlights to see if ‘run’ could easily translate to ‘cycle’. Alas Stage 10 (Macon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine) involves a number of descents where they’re just freewheeling and not actually putting in any effort, much like Younha’s delicate microvworp.
[4]

Jonathan Bogart: “Galloping Power Ballads” should be a thing. Spotify playlist, anyone?
[7]

Iain Mew: Younha is Korean but has seen much of her success in Japan, and the song which “Run” most reminds me of is a Japanese one, Kaela Kimura’s “Mamireru”. It shares with that song both a similar melody to its main electronic hook and a pulsing backing which gives it a sense of forcing itself ever onwards and upwards despite relative calmness, before release in a chorus of high notes. “Run” plays out with a bit more space and restraint than “Mamireru” and is the less exciting of the two as a result, but Younha is the better singer and it’s still a lovely effect.
[7]

Anthony Easton: Oricon Comet is my favourite honorific in music lately. It’s like if Beyonce was known as the Sony BMG Music Entertainment Quasar. 
[4]

Brad Shoup: The verses are positively Harrisonian, making the veer into inspiro-pop hill-running just a little more welcome. The gallop is nice, but where are we running?
[6]

Alfred Soto: As it keeps threatening to transform into the Corrs’ eternal “Breathless,” I wonder how long it would take for either to acquire a rhythm track.
[6]