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Be Like...
2005 studio album by Kim Gun-mo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Be Like... is the tenth studio album by South Korean singer Kim Gun-mo. It was released on June 17, 2005.[2]
Background
Kim Gun-mo debuted in 1992 with the album Sleepless Rainy Night, and became known as a "hit maker" through his albums' consecutive successes.[3] In late 2003, Kim had announced that he would stop appearing on TV and only promote his ninth album through live concerts.[4] However, the album performed worse than his other albums commercially, with under 100,000 copies sold.[5][6] During his rest period, he watched the film Ray, a biography of American musician Ray Charles, and was touched by subtitles that read, "Over the next 40 years, he went on to have many hit songs."[7][8] Kim Gun-mo stated to The Chosun Ilbo in 2005, "Not just Ray Charles, but dozens of foreign R&B and soul musicians write and sing songs for 40 years, 50 years, even until they die, and I thought, 'Have I become this lazy just over 10 years...'".[8] In March 2005, Kim announced he would return to TV with his tenth album, which was to release around April or May.[9]
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Release and promotion
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Be Like was originally set to release in April or May, according to an article from March 2005.[9] On May 23, 2005, two songs from the album were pre-released to several music sites, where users were given a chance to vote for which song they thought would succeed.[10] Through the process, "We Are Strangers Now" and "The Moon of Seoul" were chosen as the album's lead singles.[11] From June 17 to 18, Kim held a concert commemorating the release of Be Like,[12] the funds from which were to be donated to help visually impaired children.[13] His first TV appearance after the album's release was on M Countdown, on June 23, 2005.[14] In September, it was announced that "Toe" would serve as the follow-up song to "We Are Strangers Now" and "The Moon of Seoul".[15]
Music videos
The music video for "The Moon of Seoul" was released online and to television on June 16, 2005. Shot in Gangnam, it features Ahn Jae-wook, who had previously appeared in the video for Kim Gun-mo's "I'm Sorry", and Seo Jin-ho, who had starred along Ahn in various movies.[16] An Ju-hee appeared in the video for "We Are Strangers Now",[17] while weather presenter Ahn Hye-kyeong made a cameo in "Some Days After",[18] which also starred actress Song Li-woo.[19]
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Critical reception
Be Like received mixed reception from various critics. Writing for the webzine IZM in 2004, Shin Hye-rim acknowledged the attempted change in style, but opined that those attempts did not fit with its other, more standard numbers, which made it feel unfinished.[20] Baek Seung-chan of the Kyunghyang Shinmun additionally opined that the two lead singles were not fit for the position, and that Kim's songs "had not broken away from 90s nightclub music".[5] Conversely, music critic Seong Jin-woo wrote that there was an effort to distinctify the release from his other output, but that his "wit remains" in regards to songs like "We Are Strangers Now".[2] In 2016, HiphopLE selected it as one of the 50 best Korean R&B albums from the 1990s and 2000s; Shim Eun-bo stated that Be Like was "convincing in saying that it was influenced by Ray Charles", and highlighted "We Are Strangers Now" with its "brass band composition, swing rhythm, and scat".[1]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Choi Jun-young, except where noted.
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References
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