10. One Fine Day (NEW) (Just Listen)
"One Fine Day" is the first of the new songs to make the list, at does so at the simple #10. This song is rock / pop rock and has Yoon Dohyun written all over it. The laid back guitar and drums, emphatic harmonica, and Younha's energetic voice drives through the chorus. "One Fine Day" gets extra character to the song through crowd interaction during the final minute of the song thanks to the simple yet effective chants of "oh oh" while Younha belts her heart out. This song cleanly took over some of her older pop rock tracks.
9. My Song And (-5) (2집 Someday)
I still really enjoy the simplicity of "My Song And." After all, dropping down so many spots still means this song is at the absolute top of Younha's library. The power of lovely lyrics and excellent English continues to hold strongly to this day. Other new releases may have surpassed this song but time has been kind to it all the same. My hope for this track was that it would eventually spawn more English songs because "My Song And" really is fantastic, but we've yet to really see more of this. We can only keep hoping though!
8. The Reason We Broke Up (NEW) (Just Listen)
Another from the "Just Listen" EP makes an appearance. Younha delivers a clean vocal performance from start to finish, from the soft-spoken verses to the strong runs which are a defining characteristic of the song. The instrumental is dominated by strings and Younha's voice pretty much does the rest (though she does get some help with support vocals). Coupled with an artistic MV and you've got all the bases covered. As far as medium tempo songs go, this one has taken over as the trademark track.
7. Not There (NEW) (Subsonic)
Clear singing? Check. Beautiful violins? Check. Younha in blonde? Check. Simplistic video? Check. Perhaps the only thing "not there" are faults for this song. The audio is smooth, the emotions are heartfelt, and another Younha performance and instrumental to remember. Though I must mention that split second burst of drums or whatever at the end, seems really awkward to have. Note: I picked this version over the Eluphant feature as I find the pure Younha variant a better listen in every aspect.
6. Delete (1집 The Perfect Day To Say I Love You)
"Delete" retains its spot from the original list. The verses and chorus contradict each other in terms of sheer volume but man those Younha belts are rich and we haven't heard too many things matching the likes of this song to date. Even in 2015, "Delete" has one of the best bridge and final chorus with one of the most powerful vocal runs and finishes of not just Younha's career, but anyone else's. Deleting someone from your mind has never sounded so good.
5. Just The Way You Are (NEW) (Just The Way You Are)
A new collaboration? With Jung Junyoung? Yes please! "Just The Way You Are" lulls you into a false sense of serenity before exploding in the chorus with the dynamic pair of voices backed by electric guitar and drums. Similar to "Delete," the contrast between the verses and chorus is something that just works. Junyoung has a rich lower register, which like John Park, is a lovely compliment to Younha's clean high notes. The energy of this song is high impact all the way and a cute video helps add to that (I think). In the words of a Youtube comment: "They need to do at least 20 more collaborations. Maybe 3 whole albums." I don't think anyone would be unhappy with that.
4. Would We Have Changed (-1) (4집 Supersonic)
Speaking of John Park, here we are once more with "Would We Have Changed." The beautiful ballad drops a single slot due to the emergence of our #3 track, but that's hardly a misstep for a song this good. This is as timeless as a duet can get. As I said 3 years ago: John Park + Younha (or is it the other way around?) equals very good things for vocals and harmonization. Just like with Jung Junyoung, Younha and John Park need to work together more to deliver ballads like this.
3. Run (NEW) (4집 Supersonic)
It's a serious crime this song did not make the original list, especially when I reviewed the song just a month earlier. "Run" is upbeat and exciting, accompanied by a peculiar video. Younha strives for perfection with this song and comes damn close. It's an excellent choice for when you need that emotional jolt or when jogging, heh. By the way what happened to the original upload? The video I linked is by "HQVideoCentral" and doesn't even have 300K views and that seems very wrong. There's an upload via CJENM and while it contains most elements of the original MV, it's an acoustic version of the song. Oh well.
2. Broke Up Today (3집 Part B: Growing Season)
"Broke Up Today" is still Younha's flagship ballad. The lullaby-esque nature of the song, combined with Younha's emotional voice and a delicate instrumental are all the proper ingredients for a premier ballad. The weird background vocals at the end of the song still irk me a little, but that's nowhere near enough bad to negate the overwhelming amount of good. "Broke Up Today" is a prized ballad that will remain one of the all time best.
1. Hero (2집 Someday)
No surprise here. "Hero" is still my favourite song by the artist, but make no mistake: this retention is not purely off legacy alone. The vicious instrumental, yearning vocals, and disgustingly perfect piano solo / breakdown are all you need to appreciate the power of "Hero." In this day and age, I find myself wondering why certain tracks don't get the honor of being the lead / promoted song, and back in 2008, "Hero" was that song. If "Broke Up Today" will always be one of the very best ballads, and "Hero" will always be one of the very best period.
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