Catchy songs could pose a problem on test day

[stutterflies.livejournal.com]

Park Jin-young, also famously known as J.Y. Park or JYP,
is left half-breathless by an earworm during work.

With the College Scholastic Ability Test, also called the Suneung, only two months away, high school seniors are not only studying hard but are also working to maintain their physical and mental health in order to up their chances of success. Some young Koreans even take special oriental medicine designed to help them concentrate better.

Despite such efforts, however, many high school seniors are complaining that their exam preparations are being disrupted by so-called forbidden Suneung songs. The term refers to those musical pieces with highly addictive melodies and lyrics that become stuck in one’s head, which in English are called earworms, and which apparently prevent students from being able to focus.

“I just can’t get those forbidden Suneung songs out of my head. I shouldn’t have listened to them in the first place. I’m afraid that the melodies and lyrics will be playing in my head during the actual exam,” complained a 20-year-old student who is scheduled to take the exam on Nov. 12.

Nominated by Internet users, a few of the most well-known forbidden songs include “My Life,” by Jung Jun-ha and Yoon Sang, and the hip-hop track “Oppa’s Car” by Incredible, Jinusean and Tablo.

Sangjuna (상주나) - My Life

Tablo & Jinusean - Oppa's Car (오빠차)

First introduced in August at the biennial music festival held by MBC’s flagship reality program “Infinite Challenge,” the song “My Life” didn’t rank high on musical charts.

Even though the popular sentiment was that Jung’s rapping was immature, the song generated buzz and many people found it strangely addicting, especially the line that goes, “As-salamu alaykum, swadicap, hello, bonjour.”

And while many people didn’t like the song or the lyrics, the line has become a popular way to finish a sentence.

Although some people may not be familiar with the concept of forbidden Suneung songs, it has actually been around for several years. A few other examples include “Tell Me” by the girl group Wonder Girls and “U R Man” by the now-defunct boy group SS501, both of which came out in 2008. Another track that is almost always mentioned when discussing forbidden songs is “Ring Ding Dong” by the all-male act Shinee, which was released in 2009.

So while these catchy, addictive tunes might be enjoyable to most people, for young Koreans preparing for university, and what might be the biggest exam of their lives, the silly songs are no laughing matter.

Written by Jin Min-ji for Korea JoongAng Daily
Videos courtesy of MBCkpop, wanderellie, jypentertainment, DSPmedia, sment

What are your exam woes? Which past/current songs have been stuck in your head?

Comments

[yohan94.livejournal.com]

is this an actual problem for ppl around the world (ive never heard of it) or is it just that these kids study too much

[imienazwisko.livejournal.com]

actually there was a post on kpkf about the same thing - http://kpopkfans.blogspot.com/2015/07/songs-that-will-ruin-your-exams.html

i had this one troublemaker kid in my class. he would catch a line of two from a popular song and "sing" it for a week or two. it was really annoying and the stuff he "sung" would get stuck in your ears too

personally i like to study to certain songs so when i write an exam i recall them and hopefully along the knowledge :p

[chouta-angel.livejournal.com]

I do that too. I'll be sitting for a test or exam and I'll start going through the song in my head. Almost always triggers the right part of my brain that I'm trying to access. I had one teacher who would let us actually listen to our own music (with headphones) during exams. I did so well because of that.

[nekokonneko.livejournal.com]

i used to do that too. music does write itself into your brain

[fiercediva.livejournal.com]

I think it's a problem for people who learn by rote memorization over other methods. A smart student would take the earworm and devise a mnemonic lyric to the earworm for whatever it was they needed to remember.

[mamamoos.livejournal.com]

that's actually a rly good idea i might steal

[hitthoselightz.livejournal.com]

this hannah montana visual rn

[xxhna.livejournal.com]

Some songs are so catchy though! That Friday song is so feeling annoying yet I can't help it when it comes into my head. It doesn't get that bad for me as the students in the article but it's still annoying lol

[miyozari.livejournal.com]

The same thing happened to me once, too. I don't remember anymore which song got stuck in my head, but while trying to answer the exam questions, I couldn't think of the answers and just kept thinking of the song. Needless to say that exam turned out to be a failure for me.

Anyway currently I got GI's Doligo stuck in my head.

[fabulousdoll.livejournal.com]

During college I used to sing Justin Bieber's Baby minutes before the tests to my friends until it get stuck into their heads. I'm not a good friend.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

I heard there was a study that said that you'll do worse if you study with music bc you won't be able to listen to music as you recall the stuff you're studying, but you'll remember the music and that will distract you.

But for me it just depends on the day, I have Pippi stuck in my head currently.

[hitthoselightz.livejournal.com]

i am totally like that. whenever i work or just do anything that needs to be done quickly and thoroughly, i have to have complete silence

the only time i can listen to music is if its slow kind of ~coffee shop music~ that i don't know the whole words to (if its a song i can bop to then i wont get anything done)

[madielou.livejournal.com]

the only way i can study or do hw is through music.
each subject has its own genre lol. (e.g math = rock)

i don't really know if this hurts or harms me though.

[nefertitii.livejournal.com]

I like getting a song stuck in my head for an exam. i have to cure the last minute cramming somehow so i give myself a 15 min break right before the start of the exam to listen to one song on repeat. it used to be Growl.

but now I'm done with exams forever. hopefully.

anyone has a song that they listen to as a good luck charm?

[hitthoselightz.livejournal.com]

songs get stuck in my head and its usually so random like pussycat dolls or paris hilton lmao

idk why it became a tradition for me but everytime i have a big exam (or speech etc), the last thing i have to hear before going in is electric shock by fx. one time i forgot to do it and my result was still good but not my best

Re: anyone has a song that they listen to as a good luck charm?

[arysthaeniru.livejournal.com]

Usually B.A.P's Unbreakable for good luck, because it gets me all pumped up and in a good mood.

And yes, I do the same! Days before big tests, I'll always listen to some kpop to calm me a bit.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

Funny, I often have a song stuck in my head during exams and it helps me FOCUS on the exam. Once, it was Jang Woo Hyuk's Time is lover, which is funny because I had listened to the song like once during a music show. Once my exam was done, I ddl-ed the song. lol

[mamamoos.livejournal.com]

just right by got7 is a massive earworm 2 me it's gotten rly annoying lmao

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

I usually listen to instrumentals when I'm studying, so I don't get distracted by lyrics

and the Pacific Rim/Lord of the Rings soundtracks make you feel like you can fight giant aliens/thousands of orcs so I get really pumped up for studying

[mad-nux.livejournal.com]

I dont study with music on.. I prefer having the tv on just so it won't be silent in the room

[swhyeon1991.livejournal.com]

Me too!

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

Lmao, i saw shinee ring ding dong in the article. That song was the shit, i kept hearing the ring ding dong ding ding part during my programming exam 😒😒😒. The more i tried to focus the stronger it sounds.... So i stopped listening to shinee during exam times.

[bananaclaw.livejournal.com]

Haha I had a big test recently and VIXX LR's Beautiful Liar and Wang Leehom's Lose Myself were stuck in my head the entire 8 hours. Angsty songs help me relax and get through a long-ass test. If my earworms were peppy bops like Crayon Pop's Bar Bar Bar or WG's Tell Me I'd be answering all "C" and leaving after an hour.

[jaelissi.livejournal.com]

I guess the more stressed you are, the more reasons you'll find to be stressed. I never had these issues back in school and I couldn't study without music.

The catchiest song I've been listening to is Simon Dominic. Simon D-O-M-I, N-I-C oh oh.

[3677.livejournal.com]

am I the only one who never studies?

[burnbook31.livejournal.com]

i'm with you on this

[madielou.livejournal.com]

playback and 24k's hey you have been trapped in my head all week and i've only listened to each song like twice.

i don't think it's ever hurt my grades any though.

idk how to explain this but whenever i study i try to associate everything i learn with beats. and when i'm taking the test and get a question similar to what was in my notes or w/e i tap my pencil to the beat to remember lol.
i realized while typing this out that this makes no sense but i understand myself so.

[yuzuruhanyu.livejournal.com]

i need to study with music it helps me focus better tbh lol and i always do better w music than w/o lol

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

I need absolute silence when I study from my environment, however, reading certain parts aloud helps me to concentrate and memorize as well as understand better (I could never study in the library well 'cause there was too much noise made by other people and I couldn't read aloud there, so I always studied at home). So I never had this problem when going to exam as I just remember things I have read aloud while preparing for exam in my head instead of some random earworm music.

[shocko-o.livejournal.com]

If the music is bothering them, that means they're super stressed and nervous. Sometimes you can't avoid overhearing that catchy, annoying tune on the bus radio or someone's music. That's usually what gets in my head for high school/uni exams - but the fact that I'm getting frustrated over the song means I need to calm down.

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

i can't focus with music on .... if i know the lyrics i can't help singing along lol

[black-blasphemy.livejournal.com]

oh my god, the infinity challenge "My Life" song WAS STUCK IN MY HEAD ever since it was released. they were right, the "As-salamu alaykum, swadicap, hello, bonjour.” line is constantly stuck in my head. and lol it is nice to end a sentence.

[purified-dirt.livejournal.com]

UGH shouldn't have clicked on this because now the "As-salamu alaykum...hello, bonjour" line from "My Life" is stuck in my head and I'm studying for an exam tomorrow which I'm so screwed for. ): why did I not start cramming earlier ugh.

wrt to OP's question: I don't study particularly well with music unless the surrounding/environmental sounds are more annoying and distracting than music so I opt for the less distracting option. Generally I listen to music for a bit then when I get into the headspace for studying, I stop.

[jesymphony.livejournal.com]

U R Man is such an A+ bop. So much of SS501's songs are A+ bops, including what is my pinnacle of KPop jams, Love Ya:



I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little salty that the group is essentially done for now if just because their last mini was so damn promising.

And slightly more on topic - I actually can't focus at all without music on. I'm very aural, so I'm hyper-sensitive to sound and having music on when I study shuts down my brain constantly looking for something to listen to and lets me focus on my work. Hence why I have a billion and one playlists, all for different moods, mostly in a language that's not English. When all else fails and I still can't focus, I just turn on a classical radio channel.