I recently rewatched KPop Demon Hunters with my brother, and while I hadn’t forgotten how good the soundtrack is, it had been a little while since I’d been reminded of just how fantastic a few of these tracks are. Or, well, to be fair, all of them are at least at the level of ‘pretty good‘. A few of them are phenomenal though.
So, that got me thinking that I should throw together a ranking article for these songs! And here it is!
Please don’t hunt me down if your favorite isn’t at the top of my list!
8) How It’s Done (SONG LINK)
It’s a little bit of a shame that this is my least favorite song in the movie, considering it’s the opening number. But that being said, it doesn’t falter in being entertaining. It’s an action-y scene that keeps your eyeballs on the screen and your toes tapping, even if the lyrics don’t do anything for me. It just feels like both a weaker diss track (more on that in a bit) and a weaker ‘Who We Are‘ type of track (more on that a little longer still) than later songs in the soundtrack. I also think it starts the movie off on perhaps a little too zany of a peak, when the film actually starts hitting pretty hard with some really grounding themes later on.
7) Jinu’s Lament (SONG LINK)
The song everybody seems to forget is even in the movie, and I can’t exactly fault people for that. I mean, it’s not even a minute long, and the normal version of the film’s soundtrack doesn’t even include it (it’s only the deluxe version). But there’s instrumentals, and there’s vocals, and by golly I think it should count! Even if the only reason I’m ultimately counting this song is because Jinu’s voice is just really nice to listen to! I’d almost argue that it’s criminal this lament wasn’t extended into a full song, and it makes me wonder if it was just another casualty of KPop Demon Hunters having to rush to completion to avoid budget limits (kinda funny to think about the struggles this movie endured to get released, only to be stupendously, unfathomably successful).
6) Takedown (SONG LINK)
By this point we’ve already reached the point where the songs in this movie are objectively awesome, and it just comes down to ‘least awesome‘ to ‘most awesome‘. And out of those songs, this is the one that I’m going to ascribe the title of ‘least awesome‘. It’s catchy, it’s got some really frenetic lyrics, and it’s a far better diss track sort of song than “How It’s Done”. Getting to finally hear it in full during the credits is fun too (although, am I the only one who thinks that choice is maybe a bit strange given the film’s narrative of the girls not choosing this song for the awards show because of its message?). Anyway, it’s a fun song, I want to make sure that that is clear. But it’s only up, up, and away from here!
5) Your Idol (SONG LINK)
Out of every song in the soundtrack, this is the one that grows on me the most each time I watch this movie again. On a first watch, you’re kinda just hanging on the edge of your seat in suspense at what is happening to really pay much attention to the song, and then the musical number directly following this one…I mean, come on. But giving this song more of a fair shot, it’s pretty awesome. It’s just so aggressively edgy and dark that it’d almost be funny if the context within the film didn’t justify that darkness. Also, I get goosebumps every single time when I hear that part that starts at around 2:40! Something about it is just really arresting!
4) Soda Pop (SONG LINK)
It’s almost annoying having to admit that this song is super good and extremely catchy, because the in-universe joke is that this song is supposed to be annoyingly good and catchy! But that’s kinda just how the cookie crumbles with this one, I suppose! I think it might be literally impossible to not find yourself humming this song or doing that little shoulder shimmy after hearing it for the first time, and the more you subject yourself to it, the more it’ll just become an inescapable earworm. It’s classic bubbly pop without any deeper substance than that, but that’s sometimes all it takes to find a song enjoyable! And it’s not hard to imagine why this song was so popular in-universe too.
3) Free (SONG LINK)
I’m always a huge sucker for a good duet, and this one in particular is exceptionally well-written and well-sung. It’s just a really beautiful, heartwarming song about two people realizing how much they complete one another, with their capabilities to see past each other’s flaws and bring out the best in one another. Rumi’s voice is as amazing as always, but Jinu’s pseudo-rap near the start of his verse is what really stands out to me each time I hear this song. Well, that, and when the two join together for the last minute-ish of the song. It’s one of the least traditionally kpop-y songs in the soundtrack (almost feels a bit like a Disney song, sorta), but that only serves to make it that much more memorable.
2) Golden (SONG LINK)
While I’m disappointed that this film’s opening number isn’t my jam, “Golden” is the main motif of the film, and I’m pleased to say that it’s fantastic! It’s the perfect ‘Who We Are‘ type of song that establishes our core heroines, what each of them is all about, and what their group is fighting for. And then it wraps all of that up into this incredible catchy anthem of a tune that also doubles as a really poignant and emotional reveal about Rumi. And then on top of that, it gets remixed and integrated instrumentally into the rest of the film’s soundtrack as a recurring leitmotif? There’s almost nothing “Golden” can’t do, and it’s for sure a song I never get tired of listening to.
However…
1) What It Sounds Like (SONG LINK)
Okay, I mean, there literally wasn’t any competition for the top spot. If you’ve seen this movie (and if you haven’t, why not?), this song is surely at the top of your own personal list. If it isn’t, I don’t want to associate with you.
I’m kidding, mostly.
In all seriousness, “What It Sounds Like” simply checks every single possible box for a jaw-dropping and phenomenal piece of music.
A powerful intro from Rumi, supporting parts from Mira and Zoey, a rhythmically flowing and evolving instrumental backing, a choir from the crowd, and then a trio harmony culmination to bring it all home. It’s everything you could ever want in a grand finale for a musical, and even divorced from the visuals (which are, of course, phenomenal), the song doesn’t lose any of its luster or incredible appeal.
And I’d be remiss if I failed to mention my favorite part of it all, which is the use of “Golden”. As I mentioned in the above entry, “Golden” is the leitmotif of the whole film, but this is the first time it actually gets interwoven into another track like this. Starting at 2:28 is just pure bliss, with the chorus in the background singing the “Golden” theme alongside the ramping orchestra and the pounding percussion. I’m a sucker for repeated leitmotifs, I can’t deny, and this is honestly one of my favorite uses of the technique…basically ever.
It’s a perfect song.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 