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In the world of Taylor Swift, Kim Jong Un’s propaganda song is hitting trends on TikTok.
When North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un released his song a few weeks back, he couldn’t have foreseen it becoming a hit on TikTok. But to everyone’s surprise synthy-electro-pop tune has gone viral online with all gen-Z users on TikTok bopping to it.
The lyrics are quite oblivious Korean lyrics praising a man who’s vowed to thoroughly “annihilate the US” and has launched dozens of ballistic missiles.
The song features North Koreans of different backgrounds ranging from children to military troops and medical staff singing lines such as: “Let’s sing, Kim Jong Un the great leader” and “Let’s brag about Kim Jong Un, a friendly father”.
Comments from TikTok users range from insightful to humorous. One user joked about the song’s potential to outshine recent releases by pop icons like Taylor Swift. Others praise the song’s catchy tune, its potential to go viral easily. Some comments under the TikTok videos said- “Wait, this slaps”, “This song needs a Grammy”, “It’s so dystopian in the catchiest way”.
A guide to make a propaganda hit
Friendly Father is only the latest in a long series of popular propaganda songs released over the last 50 years by the Communist state.
It’s energetic, fast-paced, and extremely catchy; that makes it sound a lot like Western pop songs.
The catchy tune, described as ‘Abba-coded’ for its resemblance to the Swedish supergroup’s style. It is a long tradition of North Korean propaganda music designed to be bright, peppy and dangerously catchy.
Peter Moody, a North Korea analyst at Korea University say, “In this case, the song has Abba written all over it.” Experts suggest that the song’s simplicity and accessibility are deliberate and intentional. Aiming to create an earworm that can easily penetrate minds and promote a unified nationalistic message.
North Korean Music Culture
Expert in North Korean music at Cambridge University Alexandra Leonzini believes there’s little room for abstract phrasing or tempo that’s overly complicated. Additionally, tunes must be adjusted so that most people can sing them. Multi-octave riffs are out of style because the general public cannot keep up with vocal gymnastics.
According to Ms. Leonzini, there are also not many truly emotional songs in the songbook.
In North Korea, there is no room for artistic or creative freedom. It is against the law for authors, painters, and musicians to create art simply for the sake of art. She continues, the North Korean government believes in “The “seed theory” that suggests each and every work must contain an ideological seed—a message that is then spread widely through art.
Music is one of the most powerful tools, which Pyongyang reserves for its citizens’ listening pleasure. The state has performed symphony orchestras and opera troupes for foreign audiences, but its lighter ensembles are reserved for domestic audience only.
According to defectors, North Koreans wake up to propaganda tunes blasting over local town squares every morning.
The song sheet and lyrics of the newest songs, which are released infrequently, are found in newspapers and magazines. According to Keith Howard, an emeritus professor of musicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, who first travelled to North Korea in the 1990s, they typically also need to learn the dances that go with the songs.
What’s hidden in the song
While the western music fans have been reading between the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s songs and breaking down the Kendrick Lamar v Drake diss tracks, North Koreans are busy scrutinising Friendly Father’s lyrics.
For North Koreans Friendly Father is not just some song, it has an alarming message.
The titles “father” and “the Great,” which were previously only reserved for his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the founding leader of North Korea, are now being applied to him. Upon assuming the role in 2012 following the demise of his father, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un earned the title “Great Successor.”
He also recently changed the lyrics of another propaganda song to read “our father Kim Jong Un” instead of “our father Kim Il Sung.” It indicates where he is heading. As a leader, he has vowed to increase his nation’s military weapons while becoming more hostile and aggressive.
This phenomenon raises question about the power of music as a tool for propaganda and the role of social media in disseminating political message.
