Korean Classics: Revisiting The Haunting Sonic Purity Of Folk Singer Kim Doo Soo's 1991 Song 'Bohemian' [AUDIO]

More so than any other genre, folk music needs people to survive.

It needs the human connection of live performance in order to be passed from spirit to spirit; it cannot exist within technology alone.

Kim Doo Soo's beloved song "Bohemian" is emblematic of how the unadulterated sound of a man and his guitar, enhanced only with live instrumentation, can still take us places the digitally-sterilized musical landscape of today cannot.

Kim is among the most prominent international artists continuing the folk tradition and breathing new life into the genre. Since releasing his first album, "A Long Way," in 1986, he has been a major force in a Korean folk music scene that originally blossomed a decade earlier.

"Bohemian" has appeared on numerous releases. It was the title track of a 1991 album and was later included on Kim's 2002 double record "Free Spirit."

But the song got a major push when it was included on the 2006 compilation "International Sad Hits, Volume 1," a collection of ballads from non-Western songwriters. This popular album, curated by American indie duo Damon & Naomi, formerly of Galaxie 500, exposed Kim to the appreciative audiences for whom he still performs, to this day.

"Bohemian" opens with a few introductory chimes, before giving way to the sort of rough-hewn acoustic guitar and harmonica pairing that wouldn't be surprising coming from '70s vintage Neil Young.

But when Kim begins to sing, his voice is clear as a bell; he's no Han Dae Soo. Rather, his singing is expressive and modest; it wavers without ever indicating a trot-style melodrama. At times, his range is impressive, but he's got limitations.

The human imperfections of Kim's voice are laid bare for the audience to hear, instead of being pitch corrected and covered up with studio trickery--imagine that!

The chorus of "Bohemian" is Kim at his most bruised, his most empathetic. His final lines are crooned with a damaged sigh, as if he has just received a punch to the gut. The effect is powerful and real.

The feeling of the song is just a man and his guitar, at first. But Kim's not alone here. Around the two-minute mark, he's joined by a pair of strings, playing in swirling Eastern unison before splitting off into a harmony.

Before long, those two string instruments (a cello and a viola judging by the sound of it) have themselves become part of a subtle orchestration, once again recalling Neil Young, this time recalling the epic Jack Nitzsche string arrangements of the "Harvest" track "A Man Needs a Maid."

Over nearly six minutes, the weariness and tension never fade in "Bohemian."

And yet, the texture is never repetitive or dull.  The unfolding arrangement, which adds piano, accordion and delicately pulsing organ, gives Kim a foundation on which to build strength in his wounded performance.

His harmonica playing is as delicate and proud as his singing voice, going far beyond the typical folksinger approach ("breathe in, breathe out, hope for the best").

By the end of the song, Kim has brought his listeners so close, "Bohemian" feels like a musical embrace.

The pathos is off the charts, but it's not the slightest bit morose or pitiful. Rather, it's inspiring in its openness. That openness is Kim's trump card--a willingness to be vulnerable, which is really a willingness to show you are human.

You can't get that from anything but folk music. We're fortunate to have active artists like Kim Doo Soo to remind us of that.

Check out the 1991 Kim Doo Soo song "Bohemian" RIGHT HERE

 

Jeff Tobias is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and writer currently living in Brooklyn, New York. He has recently been working on free jazz arrangements of Romantic art songs and perfecting his Nicolas Cage impression.

Tags
kim doo soo
bohemian
free spirit
international sad songs volume 1
damon and naomi
kim doo soo
Korean Classics
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