Written by: Ashley Chean (22-O1), Benedict Keng (22-U3), Cheng Zhi Shan (22-U1), Chloe Tan (22-I6), Darius Chen (22-E4), Eris Kek (22-I6), Rebecca Yap (22-O1), Sophia Chiang (22-O1)
Designed by: Cheng Zhi Shan (22-U1), Darius Chen (22-E4), Eris Kek (22-I6), Rebecca Yap (22-O1), Sophia Chiang (22-O1)
Imagine standing in the bustling streets of Japan, with the cherry blossom trees all around you. They’ve just bloomed, and the light pinks are dripping off their petals as they spiral in the air. Your hand brushes a fallen petal, as you walk down the streets, smelling the sweetness of the flowers in the light passing breeze, watching them fall as you hum to your favourite tunes. What would you be listening to?
Sick Beats brings you a curated selection of our favourite songs to bring the perfect vibes of spring to your very own room, so that you too can replicate the feeling of spring in Singapore! We bring to you our memories of spring, captured in a couple of tunes to bring you the joy and brightness of spring.
Beginning with an entrancing violin melody that transports you to a magical world of flowers and light, Flowering (개화) heads the debut single album of the South Korean band Lucy. The lyrics liken winter to a person who has drifted far from the singer, accompanied by the hopes that this person will bring warmth to them again in the form of spring. The bright melody contrasts with the bittersweet lyrics that mention how even if the singer remains alone, they maintain the hope that “it is going to bloom blue”, perhaps hinting that spring will eventually arrive no matter if the season is happy or sad. Despite the tone of the lyrics, the radiant melody with unique instrumentation and soaring vocals is bound to put a spring in your step. I am often left imagining myself running across fields of flowers to the melody of this song. If you close your eyes for just a moment, this song will take you on a journey, allowing you to forget about the present, even if only momentarily.
Coming from famous South Korean indie band Busker Busker, Cherry Blossom Ending (벚꽃 엔딩) has an uplifting and infectious melody which captures the feelings of falling cherry blossoms with various acoustic sounds. In the lyrics, the singer reminisces about a time when he was walking hand in hand with his lover on a street filled with cherry blossoms. Just like how spring is the season of love, especially with the flowers and sweet smells all around, this song definitely brings about heart-fluttering memories of being with your family and friends, while enjoying time together during springtime, as it has done for me. With the many stresses of school life, if you are missing the feeling of spending time together with your loved ones, this song is for you.
Starting off with a fast-paced and light-hearted melody and combined with the singer’s own angelic voice, ‘If I could ride a bike’ could be easily misunderstood as a simple love song tinged with the flowery feel of spring. However, as the song progresses, the tone of the song shifts from one that is rather pleasant to one burdened with solemnity. ‘If I could ride a bike’ talks about the singer’s hope to explore the many beauties of love together with her partner, but such a dream is disrupted by the sad acknowledgement that she “is never able to do [those] things, so [she’s] just left imagining”. While it is not the happiest song, ‘If I could ride a bike’ manages to twist both a simple tune and lyrics into something that is full of emotions and imagery, and strongly deserves a listen.
“Just know I’m right here hoping that you’ll come in with the rain.” Taylor Swift’s fourth track off her Fearless Platinum Edition will tug at your heartstrings and take you back to a lost feeling of bittersweet separation and longing. This song, paired with a nostalgic tune and artistic composition, will remind you of those fond memories . Come in with the rain speaks of Taylor Swift’s hope that an estranged lover will return without her entreatment, just like how the rain comes in when she leaves her “window open”. Pictures of the rain and cloudy skies will transport you to a spring unlike any other, and will walk you down a journey of both desperation and hope. However, just as spring passes, pain too, will pass. This song will definitely take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride, and leave you wanting for more.
The cool, offbeat tones of subside transport the listener to a park bench while they’re sipping a cup of coffee, admiring the view. Subside is from Eloise’s album called This Thing Called Living. The deep blue-green flavours of this song express the longing she feels for someone, reminding one of a calm, peaceful lake, with her harmonies weaving a blanket of comfort around the listener. This song is one of my favourites, with its low-key lofi beats in the background making it perfect for an afternoon of relaxation and wonderment.
Cornelia Street is a song from Taylor Swift’s seventh album, Lover. This song encompasses the bittersweet hues of spring, as she reminisces about her past memories, both the good and the bad. The feeling of dancing on the streets is captured in the upbeat tones of this song, which parallels the falling leaves of spring. The brightness of this piece brings about personal memories with a tinge of nostalgia to any listener, as it has done for me.
This piece (not song, as classical snobs might correct) is the second instalment of Seycara Orchestra’s series of contemporary orchestral pieces based on the four elements – water, wind, earth and fire. The composer, Yuang Chen, along with the rest of his orchestra manage to perform a piece that reminds one of a spring breeze. The use of the flute helps to characterise the piece as lively and swift, leaping cheekily in passages all while being spurred on by the accompaniment of the strings and harp. Although this might be subjective, I personally like to imagine this piece as a bird soaring over a busy cityscape, watching buildings and people pass in a blur. The lack of lyrics makes this piece an excellent listen while studying and the pace of the song is sure to keep you high-spirited as well. If you ever need a piece to lift your spirits, this piece would surely serve as the wind beneath your wings.
Glitter is the final song from Tyler, the Creator’s 4th Studio album – Flower Boy. The first half of the instrumental consists of pretty synth leads reminiscent of a relaxing walk in the park, complementing Tyler’s emotional and raw ruminations on falling in love – ‘everytime you come around I feel like glitter’. The track is then divided by a short 5-second electric guitar riff before the beat changes into something much slower-paced and dejected, again corresponding to Tyler’s insecurity- ‘This is one sided, yeah, I can’t lie’. This gives rise to the 2nd chorus anchoring the song together with the repetition of ‘scumf***flowerboy’ and ‘how ya feel’, encapsulating the duality of Tyler as a person as well as the stark contrast between his feelings. Overall, the song is a bittersweet joyride that captures the wistful melancholy of spring.
Released as part of the album Abbey Road, Here Comes The Sun is the most well-known song from The Beatles, with close to 800 million listens on Spotify. Written by George Harrison, the lines “It’s been a long, cold lonely winter” and “Here comes the sun” reflect his relief at the arrival of spring, after having a difficult year. (He had been arrested for marijuana possession and had his tonsils removed.) This song is one of my comfort songs as it serves as a reminder that tough times will pass and “it’s all right”. Should you need constant reassurance that everything will be alright, ‘Here Comes The Sun’ is here for you.
With that, we have come to the end of spring! We hope that you have enjoyed exploring some of our springtime tunes with us and that these songs help you to take some stress off from school life. Hopefully, the different songs were able to invoke your favourite memories of springtime, whether it be cheerful or emotional. We look forward to you guys joining us next month for more feel-good vibes!
The Origin* 