I heard it pointed out once that we say sex is taboo, then talk about sex basically all the time. What’s actually taboo is love. How many times have you talked about what it’s like to love someone on a first date?
So I pay attention to song lyrics that I think really get at the concept of what love is like, romantic love especially. Romantic love is about attraction and spiciness and it’s also about support and fondness. Any description of love that kills off one term or the other doesn’t really work.
In so many words, I think that’s what Loona’s music is about. And I’m basically talking about these 5 songs, and as I listened to them I started forming a story (ikik headcanon) about how it’s one person’s romantic journey through 20s and 30s. It’s like this:
- “Sweet crazy love” – age 23
- “Lucid” – 24
- “Eclipse” – 25
- “Chaotic” – 27
- “Stylish” – 35
So, start with the moon as a concept. I mean, the moon — it needs no introduction. It’s sort of crazy it was available as a concept, it’s been right there this whole time. I can’t really make this into an essay or argument. To me it’s just a bunch of images that form a cohesive picture, but it goes like this:
- the moon
- black and white
- black and white fashion, which Loona leans into a lot
- New York, which Loona has some affinity with, and black and white fashion
- going out at night, in New York, under the moon, dressed in black and white
And I think the moon is very romantic. I don’t know why, it just is. Lots of profound, often romantic scenes in books and movies take place under the moon. If the sun is family love then the moon is romantic love. Something like that.
So with “Sweet Crazy Love”, to me this is in the genre of fast-paced, lost in a big city. I love this song, btw. High pace and energy, this disco-like halt and start, I have no idea what TF is going on in the MV but to me it’s a girl looking around a dense city at a street corner then hailing a taxi or something. Unfortunately the taxi is bright yellow which kind of ruins it, so maybe make it a livery cab (2017) or Uber XL (2025). Off topic, ANYWAY.
“Lucid” is in my “Loona best” playlist but it’s kinda the least important for this post. Idk, our fictitious couple met at 23 and now they’re 24 and it’s kinda chill.
Then you get to “Eclipse” and this song hurts.
Really just take a minute to work through the lyrics, but here’s my analysis and see if it matches what you’re listening to:
- it’s actually an “unrequited love” song, which is a pretty wide category. Usually it’s female singers who are convinced that “if only” the boy confesses his feelings (men sing about letting go, idk why the gender roles but that’s how it is.) But that’s what this song is, there’s never any confirmation he loves her back. We have words like “fantasy,” “destiny.”
- The tonality of this song is using this sort of whiny/pleading sound. Like it’s saying, “You still love me. Right?” Asking for that confirmation that shouldn’t be there.
- You’ll notice an eclipse is a moment in time. This song is, ostensibly, about the girl and boy discovering their love for each other. But it’s way too sad for that. What’s happening is she’s fantasizing about finding out if the boy loves her.
- And this is in the middle of a romantic concept in the middle of bubbly genre. You can’t forget that they’re normally singing about carefree love, right?
So that’s why I imagine this as a type of turning point in a relationship. Do they stay together or not? Do they decide?
By the way, if you’ve seen the musical/movie, Once, there’s a scene under the stars with a failed I love you, that scene is exactly what I think this song is.
And in this Odd Eye Circle- biased Loona basically fan fic, they do, and you get to “Chaotic.” Which has one of the more brilliant lines I’ve heard, and it’s very simple:
You are my storm
Because
- “You are my” is always about stability. You are my rock, my home, my shelter…
- and “storm” is anything but.
If you read the lyrics, they’re kind of steamy. But this is interesting, right? Because it isn’t exactly describing a young couple either, it’s a couple who’s actually been through something together.
As for “Stylish” I put it at 35 but I think maybe any age past 20s can work, or just any age. But I wanted to pick an old enough age that it sounds like there’s a chance romance or attraction could fade, and I decided 35 is when people might worry about that (but probably shouldn’t). The key line here is very simple:
You’re so stylish
Again, it’s such a small turn of phrase. What is that word “so” doing there? Compare:
- This cookie is good. — statement of fact, maybe it’s worth spening $1.50 on this cookie and not just $1.25.
- This cookie is so good. — it’s irresistible, the world can wait while I enjoy this cookie.
“Stylish” gets at a challenge I think a lot of people, and certainly a lot of men, face. Do you want to be loved for who you are, or for what you’ve accomplished? My honest answer to that question is what you want to do is notice. You want to love someone for what they put effort into, or where they’re trying, or what they love themselves for. And what is that thing that makes someone attractive, but isn’t their body or something they’re born with our something out of their control — it’s their style. Which is why this song is the ultimate compliment.
IN CONCLUSION idk, that’s my Loona story, I only found them recently but I got to see Artms so that’s cool. Their fans go crazy!! Basically louder than your stadium concerts. “Virtual Angel” is one of those songs with ultra sad lyrics btw, I would have included it here except I like the set of 5 I used.
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